Livin’ Well Bug Zapper GH-18A

If you're wondering how to remove the bottom tray, you have to twist the bottom counterclockwise (as seen from facing the bottom) kinda forcefully the first time. The instruction manual just says something like "To clean it, remove the bottom tray" without actually explaining how to remove it. That aside, it's pretty self explanatory. You place it somewhere, bugs go towards the pretty light, the little coils surrounding the pretty light go zap zap, the shocked bug falls to the tray (or just sticks itself to the coil for me to awkwardly clean off later). Keep in mind: This is just a UV light. Mosquitos are attracted to a variety of things, especially depending on the variant of mosquito. Some seek the sweat on our skin. Others seek the CO2 in our breaths. Some even just have a weirdo fixation with bananas. This means if you, this trap, and a hungry mosquito were chilling together in a room, chances are that mosquito would bite you anyway because you're the more enticing subject. So to let the trap run its course, it's best to just leave it on somewhere without people or pets. I've run the trap in two locations: indoors in a dark living room at night, and outdoors in the early evening to nighttime. Indoors, there's thankfully a lot fewer mosquitoes that have snuck in, but it has managed to catch the lil invaders that have snuck into my home somehow. From what I could hear it do, it doesn't just make one be pop, it makes a series of smaller shocks. Outdoors, the cable it super thick and kinda hard to run through like windows and doors, but it's a decent length to work with an extension cable. There's an abundance of mosquitos and tiny moths for it to zap outdoors, but it does kind of indiscriminately attempts to kill everything that is remotely interested in UV light. Note that I say "Attempts" here because when I decided to clean it and see how well it worked outdoors, I could see it that worked very well based on the numbers, but was surprised to encounter a few bugs that were stunned and definitely not dead. This happens because they get shocked without getting killed and instead of being able to exit the trap after being stunned, they fall into the collection tray at the bottom and get trapped in there. So when I opened the tray to dump it, they immediately flew towards my face in vengeance. So be careful of that one. In conclusion: Pros: - It performs pretty much as expected - it zaps bugs that are attracted to UV light and they mostly fall to the little bucket below. - It's not too hard to clean - I emptied the tray and was able to shake and air can out the rest. - It's bright enough to attract bugs to it even in broad daylight. Cons: - It doesn't always kill the bug - sometimes they just fall into the collection tray while stunned. - The top of it heats up over time. Not to the point of burning, but definitely awkwardly warm. - It's kinda heavy and doesn't hang well on flexible branches because of this. It doesn't affect me much because I just place it on the floor instead of hanging it.

Update 2: I received the replacement bulb and although there were no instructions on how to replace it, I was able to do so with a little trial and error. The zapper is shining brightly and is once again back on heavy duty. Within a few minutes, I received an audio confirmation of its effectiveness. Kudos to Livin' Well for their great customer service. Sending a replacement bulb gratis to make good on their advertised longevity was above and beyond what I expect these days. I raised my rating a star to five stars accordingly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Update: I received an email response from the Livin' Well Team informing me that they have replacement bulbs but they're not sold on Amazon. However, they offered to mail me a replacement if I sent them my address. I did so and they responded again with a confirmation. I'll update again if and when I receive the replacement bulb. This almost sounds too good to be true but if they come through, I certainly feel that this product and customer service will warrant an upgrade to five stars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I was so impressed with this bug zapper that I purchased a second one the following month. My primary objective was to add another layer of protection against mosquitoes when I'm out on covered patio, working on my plants and vegetable garden. I already use dunks/natural soap in my water pots/buckets, have a large shop fan blowing across the patio and light up a coil between the fan and my patio sliding door. During the Summer down here in south Florida, I really need defense in depth since I'm out there for several hours every day. I ordered the second one to use inside our house since bugs always seem to sneak in when I open the sliding door to get in and out. I know that scientifically, UV light doesn't necessarily attract mosquitoes but these zappers sure offed a great number of them, even if it was just by chance. My wife who is very susceptible to mosquito bites (they really swell badly) frequently tries to swat them in the house with our tennis racket zapper when she sees one. She's rarely successful and is convinced that they flee and avoid her when she picks up the racket zapper. Several minutes after she gives up and sits back down, we hear the Livin’ Well Bug Zapper, sitting on a kitchen counter sizzling away. While there's no guarantee that it was the mosquito that she was chasing, we never see it again. They also zapped a slew of other flying bugs, many that I couldn't even identify. My wife and I were truly amazed at the number of bugs that were in the house. One "con" that we noticed is that not only do many of the zapped bugs not fall into the removable tray nor get caught/burned into the mesh, many seem to get thrown out of the trap altogether as evidenced by the many bug carcasses lying around the perimeter of the zapper. The six foot long cord is a big plus since it greatly expands placement/deployment of the zapper. Many competitors only have a four foot cord, a complaint written by numerous reviewers. The cord is also thick and sturdy, giving me peace of mind, especially for the one used outside. The metal hanging ring on top is sturdy enough (double rings) and is an inch in diameter but the plastic nob that it's mounted on blocks half the ring making it a little difficult to hang on thicker hooks. I would have given this five stars but knocked on off because the bulb on the first one I purchased just went out after 5760 hours and didn't last the 8000 hours in the product description. We leave both of them plugged in 24/7. I contacted the seller for information on replacement bulbs because there's no listing for them on Amazon and am waiting for a response. It may be more cost effective to buy a new zapper and if so, that's what I'll do. I'm willing to pay this price for eight months of added protection.

Bright and powerful zapper, but with some quirks I’ve been using the Livin’ Well Bug Zapper around my patio this summer, and overall it does the job of thinning out the mosquito population. The 4000V grid is no joke—it makes a sharp zap when it catches something, and the 18W UVA bulb is bright enough to draw in bugs from a decent distance. On nights when I sit outside, I’ve noticed far fewer mosquitoes buzzing around me, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Setup was simple: hang it up or set it on a flat surface, plug it in, and it’s ready. I like that it covers a large area (advertised as up to 1,500 sq ft), so I can use it for both backyard gatherings and indoors when needed. Cleaning is also straightforward thanks to the removable collection tray. That said, there are a couple of quirks to be aware of. It’s not a “silent” zapper—the loud crackling can be surprising if you’re not used to it. Also, while it works well on mosquitoes, flies are hit-or-miss. Some nights it seems to catch plenty, other nights hardly any. It’s also not weatherproof, so you need to bring it in if rain is expected. Bottom line: A reliable, powerful bug zapper that noticeably cuts down mosquitoes in its range, but expect some noise and remember to keep it sheltered from the elements.

Right on the box it says "Up to 8,000 working hours". Mine just died after about 35,000 hours of working perfectly. It's not an LED bulb so that is impressive. I'm ordering a new one right now after 4 years of use. It works great. I have been using it in various rooms and it's easy to clean out but gross because there are DEAD BUGS IN IT. 5 stars.

This is an edit to the original review below in which I had left a 1 star review. The company reached out to me regarding my review and wanted to make it right. First, I really appreciated that, it means they care and really believe in their product. They sent me another replacement. It arrived within just a couple days. We again hung it in our covered back porch. We have been using it nightly for a week. So happy it is. Still not sure why the other two did not work. We did do something differently. Due to the high voltage, we made sure to make sure it was the only item plugged into our outdoor outlet. We usually have a table fan and or string lights plugged into the outlet too. It never tripped our fuse but the previous bug zappers just never worked again so this is just my guess. Either way the company is one I would buy from again and recommend and we are glad to use the zapper, not spray chemicals. I was excited to get this after seeing reviews and remembering as a child getting a kick out of bugs being zapped on grampa’s porch with the big metal plug in bug zapper. That said it came. It was very light weight, plastic casing covering the elements. The first one received appeared in great condition. Plugged it into our outdoor outlet on our covered porch. No problem noted until the next night when we plugged it in again to the same outdoor outlet and it did not work. I tried it indoors on other outlets and it did not work. The outdoor outlet worked well too as we plugged other items in it to test and no issues. We had no issues returning it which was easy to do and we were sent a replacement and received that one quickly as well. The exact same thing happened. So we returned that one for a refund. We have a home built in 2017 with no electrical issues so not sure why this product did not work. Maybe a defective batch.

Got this a few months ago and it works like nothing else. If I have a fly in my house I can turn this on and 15 seconds later its dead, even in the day. This is a hard review to write because it really works SO well. However it has some MAJOR flaws that you need to be aware of before you buy this (and hopefully flaws they fix): 1. Its incredibly hard to fully clean. You can unscrew the bottom with a substantial amount of force and get whatever dead bugs happened to fall into that part of if but if you want to actually clean this out you need to get to the metal contacts that electrocute the insects, which 99% get fused to after getting killed. To do that you have to fully disassemble this light, you will need to be adept with a screwdriver and it is extremely difficult to reassemble because of multiple flimsy plastic parts that have to be clipped into each other before the screws can be put back in. 2. It has a major design flaw, where the cord is coming out of the top of the light, making it extremely wobbly if set on a table for example. On top of that, all of the electronics are in the top and it has no weight at the bottom, amplifying the issue. This really only should be used hanging securely from something. 3. Because it is cheaply made if it falls more than a 12 inches or so, its going to break. So do not buy this if you are not fairly adept with a screwdriver, intend to set it on a table or if it has any chance of falling. If you can deal with those issues then it really does work great and hence the three star review. After mine broke I actually bought a second one with the intent to be more careful. I hope the manufacturer addresses these issues because if they did they would have the most effective product on the market.

I purchased this zapper and there were issues with it from the beginning. It would turn off and on and would not stay lit. I reached out to the Company that sells this, and they suggested I try a new bulb. They promptly shipped one to me (at no charge) and were extremely supportive and helpful every step of the way. The bulb worked perfectly and the zapper is working as it should. I must have gotten a defective bulb. This zapper is well-worth the money. And if you have any problems, the Company stands behind their product. I'd recommend anything this Company sells, based on the response and assistance I received.

Recently, I started seeing a few flies in our garage. I grabbed my handheld electric bug zapper and killed two or three, but would immediately see two or three more. One day, I walked into the garage and was horrified to see the windows covered with flies and I knew my handheld zapper was no match for this. I decided to buy the Livin’ Well 4000V High Powered Electric Zapper for it's good reviews, size, and I could get it delivered the same day. It's ready to go right out of the box, I just found a place to hang it in the garage and waited until dark to turn it on for maximum effect. As soon as I plugged it in, the flies immediately were drawn to it. It was so satisfying to hear and see them get zapped! Many would hang out on the outer grill though, refusing to explore the more dangerous areas of the zapper so I would help them along by scaring them into the zapper. Fun! In the morning I found about 20 dead flies on the ground underneath the zapper and about another 20 in the tray. Of the flies in the tray, 2 or 3 were still alive and were just stunned. I took the zapper outside and emptied the tray out onto the grid of my handheld zapper to finish them off. Unfortunately, not all of the flies were enticed by the zapper and I did have to kill about 6 or 7 stragglers with my handheld zapper, but it did get the vast majority of them. I docked this zapper one star because the collection tray is quite difficult to remove the first couple of times, the instructions suck and don't explain HOW to remove the tray (turn it counter clockwise), and I think the zapper would be even more effective if the electric grid extended down further to cover the entire UV light. I noticed several flies hanging out on the bottom of the bulb and avoiding the electric grid. Still, this zapper was very effective and I didn't have to use any chemicals to rid our garage of flies. Winning!

This product worked for less then a month. Do not buy. I wrote the supplier and got zero response.