Mosquito Magnet Patriot Plus Troubleshooting and Repair

This video shows how to disassemble the power head of a Mosquito Magnet Patriot Plus, inspect the control board for power distribution, repair a intermittent thermocouple and explains the entire startup and run sequence.
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[@CScott-mg6oc]

Thanks for posting this video. It was very helpful. Through the course of troubleshooting mine, I wondered if there is a minimum operating temperature involved. The mosquitoes are starting to come out here in the Pacific NW, but overnight the temperature drops into the low 30s/high 20s. I called customer support to ask if there is a minimum temperature, and was told that there is. The unit will shut off below 50 degrees. I know the manual says to start using it around 50, but I didn't know it shut off below that temperature. I'm going to try using an outlet timer to reset the unit each afternoon. Some of you may be experiencing the same issue, so I thought I'd post this.

[@roderickkelley7309]

I hope to have the same outcome as you. Your presentation is appreciated. Thorough and clear. Kudos!

[@djzuela]

Great work Aaron, I have been banging my head against the wall on my Mosquito Magnet. The start up sequence really helps me with the diagnosis.

[@lonesomepineairport5811]

Really appreciate the in depth video. Best one I’ve seen. Thanks for your time.

[@jimmorrey3684]

Watched your video. Had same problem. Now it works. Thanks very much.

[@paullehman6927]

Thanks for the info, I’m on my second unit, 1st on lasted 13 years, I’m 5 years into the second and not firing up. Going to disassemble and try this and will update comment when job is complete

[@maxdragon15]

Great video

[@robertlary3779]

Nice video, some good trouble shooting tips.

[@tomtischner2368]

Very helpful indeed. I have an old Defender unit that had a clogged fuel nozzle. If you take the apart you can actually clean them unless they're too far gone. The thermistor is an unfortunate choice as moisture condenses on it and corrosive layers build up. Thermistors are very robust so sanding off corrosion is fair game. As to the whole startup procedure, it's a function of the design: In general funneling propane downward is dangerous because it is denser than air and can lead to an explosion when ignition occurs. So they basically use the fan to blow out any remaining propane that may not have burned off, which is a bit mysterious at first when you troubleshoot the device, because the solenoid will not be activated till the heater kicks on. One other thing: The seal (RTV hi temp) for the two halves of the burner tends to get brittle, which can counteract the fan venting to funnel mosquitos into the basket. The 1.5g nozzle is sufficient if your chamber is well sealed. Bottom line: Service once a year in the off season.

[@en2oh]

There is likely galvanic corrosion on the thermistor case - but the thermistor apparently is a 200K glass enveloped NTC thermistor (ie at 25C, the resistance will be 200k). So, you're only cleaning the shell, not touching the thermistor itself. I think that the plastic screw is to address galvanic corrosion. I haven't pulled the combustion chamber apart, but suspect there is a platinum catalyst on a ceramic bed in there. The reaction between platinum and propane occurs ~360C. The combustion products of this reaction are Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor and heat. The efficiency is over 99%. The reaction is self sustaining ie keep supplying propane fuel and the reaction will continue. Just as a slight aside. I've been using "Amyl Vinyl Carbinol" which is a perfumery component available on line. 50g for $14USD. I reload the attractant pouches with 2g/pouch. Seems to work just as well as the $35 for 3 deals on Amazon. (Amyl Vinyl Carbinol is the same compound (octenol) used in the attractants)

[@volkers12]

Great video! I have had two of these. They seem to require service every second season. Will try this and see if I can get them back to working condition.

[@berniel1799]

Yes helpful,huge thanks

[@varvontkalimantan3328]

Dude you’re the best! I wish you were my dad!

[@aaronsrose]

Lol. My kids would probably trade me in if they could. :-)

[@scotth5510]

Thanks for posting this. Too expensive to toss in the junk pile.

[@XJ1100J]

I'm going to have at this right now. I bought two of the patriot plusses last year, one failed under warranty and now this one did & is out of warranty. I have to say two failures with two different units & within 14 months demonstrates a junk product. I need a 3rd unit here but with the failure rate, I'm going to hire someone to spray instead. Regardless, I will open this and see if the thermistor is damaged and will clean. Thank you for the excellent video.

[@pierresmith6999]

Great vid, just cleaned the sensor, going through startup up now. Fingers crossed!

[@pierresmith6999]

No joy. Took the glow plug out have a feeling it's not heating. Will investigate this next

[@SamiMarjeta]

Thanks for a good video. Your tinkering was a lot like the process I do when I (attempt to) repair stuff. Now I have Mosquito Magnet saved from trash bin and I need to find out what's wrong with it.

[@usethenoodle]

I spent some time looking for the flame sensor online. It appears to me that this device is poorly supported. I could not find a manufacturers web site. There are a few dealers and eBay that have some parts but not the complete internals. I did see ignitors on eBay but not the flame sensor which seems to be the problem in your video. For the ~$330 that the Patriot unit costs, and the amount of what looks like galvanic corrosion present on your burner, they should have an easy and reliable parts stream. I see service sites charging $69.00 for diagnostics, then add shipping to and from plus parts if they can fix it. Not a good deal. I would like to buy one of these but not if I can't get the internal parts to repair it myself. That is a problem with Chinese made goods like this. You should be able to buy at the bare minimum, the flame sensor, ignitor, printed circuit board and the gas valve components. For the investment, I want to get severals years use, and I'm not too sure this is possible lacking easily available replacement parts. Buyer beware.

[@richardw4132]

Thank you for your video. I do appreciate it....For people thinking of buying this product....Do NOT buy it!!!...... Its absolutely crap, seriously man. It worked well, when it worked (2 years) after that it broke. No replacement parts. Customer service do not care. I would not pay $5 for another one.

[@mikelumsden1365]

Nice video! I have two defender models - basically the same as your patriot only older. Mine are more than 10 years old and run like they did when new. BUT - the only way i can keep them running long term is to remove the propane nozzle from the combustion chamber each year before storing and give it a thorough cleaning. There is a filter in there that gets filthy and this impedes your propane flow which eventually causes the error. The co2 cartridges are a waste of money in my opinion. I should mention I’m still using the original heater, thermistor assembly, solenoid and fan on both my mosquito magnets so these parts are quite robust.

[@henriksvedlund8306]

How do you clean the nozzle and filter?

[@stormlight1553]

You still alive? can you tell us how to clean the propane nozzle

[@emceh]

Nice work, mine suddenly stopped working yesterday, thermistor looks clean, igniter when removed gets white hot during lower fan RPM sequence, need to check my propane flow

[@bernl178]

I don’t know if this will help but what I did as you know that’ll tire valve that’s on there. I blew 200 pounds of pressure a lot and cleared it right out And fired right up

[@instantchow]

19:30 I'm with you on the galvanic corrosion, is the body of the buner zinc or aluminum? Seems like the plastic screw holding it on is a dead giveaway at what the original designers were trying to workaround. I wonder of something like tef gel or some other anti seize might help on the entire sensor to help isolate it.

[@smbrumbaugh]

The part he cleaned off is called a thermistor, and like he mentioned is a temperature sensitive resistor. Not trying to sound like a know it all, but trying to share information because these are a bit pricey and there is very little repair help that you can dig up from the manufacturer. Hard to find parts, too.

[@Gyva02]

LG 6323EL2001B Dryer Thermistor looks the same and for $6.00 I'd give it a try. www.speedyapplianceparts.com/replacement-lg-ge-6323el2001b-dryer-thermistor

[@anthonysapone4983]

Gyva02 DO NOT USE THIS THERMISTOR FOR THIS REPAIR. I tried it and the resistance does not match. using this thermistor will cause the propane to feed to the combustion chamber without ignition and will not turn the flow off. THIS IS A SAFTEY HAZARD.

[@movietime111]

Appreciate the breakdown video... I have same issue with unit, any idea where we can get parts for these? Thank you,

[@aaronsrose]

Parts are an issue. I've not dug terribly deep, but they don't seem to be obviously selling repair parts for these.

[@grantcotten278]

I replaced the original 1.5 gallon per hour fuel nozzle with a 2.0 GPH nozzle and the unit works fine. It was not getting enough propane to complete the ignition sequence.

[@gasman6922]

Did you keep the nozzle angle at 45 a nozzle?

[@femellechatqueen]

Hi I had mine 7 years and i always take mine apart to clean ive also once had to clean that thermistor or what ever its called ...it started to give me issues end of last season and this season it did the same got it working for a week or two then who knows how long when i came back after a week at my cottage it was only 1/4 full but the inside of my magnet was caked with bugs and the fan had stopped working so much guck on it so i took it all apart cleaned it out and seems like no corrotion on that sensor like yours had but fan runs now just wont stay on fast blink . Does anyone know were to get that sensor for it I have a feeling its that sensor. Next weekend I will have to go take it apart again and just look at those two pieces make sure the coil lights up and check maybe the corrotion is on the inside of it will also do that but in the meantime I ordered this again from lowes to me its a must to have i dont care if it cost my 600 bucks tax in I like my piece . I have had diff ones and they only lasted one season and a half just enough for the warrantee to run out, the company rhino i tell you i must of bought 4 of them same problem fan burnt out I was done with that company but I did fall in love this this mosquito magnet. But like everyone else here i like fixing my own stuff especially this simple machine its not a big deal to put these parts in ...Shame on this company to make it hard to fix on our own. I will be contacting them in the am to see what suggestion they gave me.. Someone did mention that the co2 cartridge is a waste of money I have to agree with him . Last year the company told me not to use them anymore cause it caused more issues using them ...I might take up someone suggestion in your post that he takes that apart and cleans it where the propane goes in instead of using those co2 cartridges . So if anyone finds a place for parts I would really appreaciate a msg...I like to keep my investments in top shape my unit looks new still and its 7 years old . Thank you

[@donnastarkey7619]

I damaged to power connection head to the patriot plus - dont feel like paying 70US for a new cable - alternatives? (I cant find the head... mower ate it)

[@oranblack819]

I had a buddy buy a patriot plus, and it worked non stop. I bought a patriot and it DID NOT work from brand new. Pretty pissed off about theinconsistencies of this contraption, especially considering the cost.

[@joshzudar3857]

Any ideas what could be wrong with my Defender? It will go thru the startup procedure and turn on, but after 10-15 mins, the trip light will start blinking quickly.

[@aaronsrose]

Howdy! I've not fiddled with a defender, but for what it's worth, that sequence on the patriot would indicate either out of propane or it has lost flame and shut off. If it has a similar thermal sensor, I'd try to clean it and see if it helped. Good luck!

[@joshzudar3857]

@@aaronsrose thanks. It seems like the patriot is the newer version. I remover the thermal sensor and it looked perfect. Just replaced the tank so i know it's full.

[@pamelarobinson7653]

Same problem

[@cc123456789]

I have flame when I held a lighter next to thr valve (i took it out of the combustion chamber), cobustion chamber is clean as Ive clraned it, thermister works as ive tested the resistance, ignition works as it glowed, but Im still getting fast blinking lights. Does anyone know why?

[@cc123456789]

I have resolve this issue: I found that 2 capacitors were leaking and were buldging. I bought new capacitors and soldered it onto the control board. I tested the mosquito trap and it seems tonbe working now.

[@Gyva02]

Did you ever find a place to buy the thermistor or other replacement parts? Would like to buy one of these but only if I can source replacement parts.

[@Gyva02]

I just did a search for thermistors and this one is for a dryer but looks similar and might work - LG 6323EL2001B Dryer Thermistor - www.speedyapplianceparts.com/replacement-lg-ge-6323el2001b-dryer-thermistor

[@aaronsrose]

I haven't tried recently. I need to give it another look.

[@Gyva02]

maybe you missed my reply to my post. I found a thermistor that looks to be the same one, for $6.00 I'd give it a go. LG 6323EL2001B Dryer Thermistor - www.speedyapplianceparts.com/replacement-lg-ge-6323el2001b-dryer-thermistor If the connector is different probably not to hard to cut and solder the old one to the new thermistor.

[@carlosj.castillo254]

@@Gyva02 it works?

[@carlosj.castillo254]

whell i made a bridge with the termistor and my machine works ,so i need get a termstor new... and wrote later...

[@billstmaxx]

just join those to wires and bypass the probe.. Safety 3rd!

[@dstarok]

Did you replace your thermistor with this? Was it the same configuration? Still working? I’m going to order one. I’ve been getting about 18 months out of the MM then having to buy a new one. Cant afford that any more. Really need it here in south Florida all year. Thanks

[@user-xz3jm1io9z]

Octenol shop Mosquito attractant for the best price

[@cc123456789]

The temperature switch, mine measures 0v is that normal?

[@aaronsrose]

It probably should have a resistance reading rather than a voltage. The resistance should change as it heats up and then it will change state. Thanks!

[@cc123456789]

@@aaronsrose thx, I think I broke the thermister when I took it apart thinking its broken. Does anyone have a link to the thermister I need to purchase?

[@cc123456789]

Alternatively, does anyone know the value of the thermister I need to purchase?

[@CageyH01]

@@cc123456789 A bit late - But from a Mosquito Magnet schematic I found, it looks like an Amphenol part number AL03006-111.3K-123-G1 - The schematic references Digikey part number KC014G-ND. The Liberty also uses the same part, so I expect it to be common across all models.

[@cc123456789]

@CageyH01 I bought a pack of NTC-MF58 thermisters, 200k ohms. I removed the buldge at the bottom of the aluminum rod where the actual thermister sits and glued the new one using heat proof glue. I have done this 2x on different models of the mosquito traps and it seem to work fine. Tested out on the field as well.

[@en2oh]

there are no fires in these units. This is a catalytic process.

[@cc123456789]

Min don't even power up. Can anyone help?

[@cc123456789]

I changed the power adapter. It now works

[@berniel1799]

Oh and on a final note shame on the manufacture for not allowing us to buy parts. That is wrong and although I love the way it performs anybody asks me I will tell them they are lousy or a bad manufacture because they will not sell you any parts

[@JeffDoanraisin]

Piece of shit I’m over trying to get this to work every month