Killed ten rats with it and it stopped working.
Company said it needed to be cleaned altho it looks shiny and clean.
Anyone?
im scared to clean mine :eek:
I use rubber gloves & baby rump wipes. It’s worked OK so far - I think it’s key to not get the “floor” very wet & save mucking up any zapper connections.
That said - sometimes these guys just stop working - I have one of three which has gone that route. It’s a known issue if you read up on the product reviews on them… and the mfr. should warranty it - you should be able to find that info on their website.
(Congrats on your 10 kills, btw!! :winkgrin: )
I wash mine routinely, although thankfully I haven’t had any rats – only mice. I used it for about 6 months and then I started to have trouble with it. After washing and drying, I would turn it on and it would start firing off electricity as though it “caught” something even though there wasn’t anything in there. I re-washed, and re-washed, to no avail.
Then I decided to contact RatZapper Support via e-mail. They told me to soak it in warm water for an hour, and then scrub the bottom. It looked clean to me before I called them, so I was skeptical. I soaked it in warm soapy water for about 2 hours as they described, and apparently this loosened up whatever debris was still in there. It works like a champ again!
You need to make sure you only soak the bottom – you can’t get the top part wet (where the electrical circuitry is located). Put about 1-2 inch of warm, soapy water in a trough big enough to hold it, and let it sit.
Here are the instructions to cleaning the RatZapper: http://ratzapper.com/Cleaning%20Instructions%20626.pdf
Here is a link to RatZapper support that includes their toll-free telephone number and how to contact them: http://www.ratzapper.com/support.cfm
Sharon
http://www.CoolFitWear.com
Wow - good info! I’ve always been worried that the connections to the bottom plate would get corroded & malfunction. Good to know that’s what the company actually says to do… :yes:
Good to know. I love my rat zapper and the people who recommended it here!!
Well, mine is about 1 month old.
I’ll try washing it!
Don’t forget to soak it. I scrubbed mine until I thought I couldn’t get it any cleaner, and it still didn’t help. When I soaked it, it worked like a charm.
OK, I soaked it. I am letting it air dry, after wiping the excess water out.
How long before it is safe to use?
I wish I had luck with my Rat Zapper… mice were getting inside it and not getting zapped but they were eating the bait…(?!!) and I have a couple of rat residents who really need to be dispatched… tried dog food, cat food, nuts and seeds and peanut butter wrapped in a cheese slice and all I think I did was provide daily specials to the rodents… >:-{ I should just post a menu board outside of the Rat Zapper… LOL…
Mice were eating the bait off of the regular Victor rat traps and not springing them… setting those things are a pain
I do not want to use poison as my dogs like catching critters as they can… might be time to sit out in the barn with the BB gun or 22 to have a bit of shooting practice… luckily I am a good shot but there has to be a more time efficient way…
Any Rat Zapper users with helpful suggestions, I am ready to listen!!!
I used very little bait inside the trap. I used sunflower seeds, maybe three inside and five or six outside. I let it sit for about three days after seeing the sunflower seeds gone, baiting it everyday. Day four turned it on and whammo! 7 rats in about 72 hours in one barn.
I did the same thing in the other barn and had caught 3 more when it ceased to work.
Rats are smarter than mice, or so they say. Rats need to get comfortable with the contraption before you make it live. According to Rat Zapper, rats need at least one free feeding before you turn the Zapper on for the first time.
For the poster who has mice going into the Rat Zapper and it’s not killing them, it is time to check your batteries. The batteries may be fine for a flashlight or toy, but they have to be ultra strong to give out a high enough jolt to kill mice. I can’t remember off hand, but I think after 10 kills it is probably time to change the batteries. I recycle my Rat Zapper batteries to other household items, like the optical mouse for my laptop! I can get a few months worth of charge from the batteries after I take them out of the Zapper.
I also found this on the Rat Zapper website. Since it has been really cold out for a lot of us, you may want to follow this winter tip with respect to the batteries:
WINTER TIP
As the temperatures drop, cold related battery issues climb. Although you can use our device anywhere, and in any condition that you would use your battery operated boom box, iPod or transistor radio, please be aware that the cold effects the power output (somehow) of a battery so the batteries could be brand new (test and work just fine in warmer environment) but still not be able to deliver the punch needed for the RZ to do it’s job. Many customers work around it by keeping the unit warmed during the day and arming it in the evening when rodents are likely to be more active.
OK, dried, opened three packages of brand new batteries and it will not work!
I guess I need to call them tomorrow. Grrrr.
The thing just works so well I want it up and running!
I don’t think we’ve ever washed ours, and only have one that’s flaky (out of about 5-6) For bait, we use a couple small peices of dry dog food. Keeps it clean…
I use dry dog food kibbles in my Zapper too, but I still have had to clean it occasionally. For whatever reason, every 10 or so kills it starts to do “false positives”; i.e., as soon as you turn it on it thinks something is in the chamber and it sets itself off (zapping something that isn’t in there). When I talked to Rat Zapper, they said there was debris or something inside the chamber that needed to be cleaned out. It works fine now.
We got tired of buying batteries so we added a power jack and $6 ebay power supply (wall adaptor)
here’s pictures:
http://www.SherwoodPhoto.com/rat-zapper/
