Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Test a Thermistor on a Mosquito Magnet
How to Test a Thermistor on a Mosquito Magnet. The Mosquito Magnet company manufactures several electric mosquito traps. Placed correctly in your yard, the traps attract mosquitoes and other biting insects. The traps work with an attractant scent and by creating heat and moisture similar to the human body, this draws in the mosquitoes which are...
The Mosquito Magnet company manufactures several electric mosquito traps. Placed correctly in your yard, the traps attract mosquitoes and other biting insects. The traps work with an attractant scent and by creating heat and moisture similar to the human body, this draws in the mosquitoes which are then trapped inside a net mesh within the machine. One component of the unit's temperature control is the thermistor - a small semiconductor that uses measurements of resistance to control temperature. If your Mosquito Magnet is overheating, test the thermistor to identify if it is the source of the problem.
Things You'll Need
Screwdriver
Soldering iron with narrow tip
Multimeter
Unplug your Mosquito Magnet. Locate the electronic control buttons of the unit. The location varies on each model, but the box the buttons are on houses the electronics and the thermistor.
Unscrew the screws holding the box cover to open the electronic control box. Set the screws and cover aside.
Locate the thermistor. Again, this varies on different models, but look for a plastic or ceramic piece with two wires protruding from it. To see pictures of thermistors see the Resources section.
Plug in the soldering iron and allow it to heat.
Set the multimeter to read resistance (ohms). Connect one probe of the multimeter to one of the thermistor's wires and the other probe to the other wire.
Watch the reading of the multimeter as you touch the tip of the soldering iron to the thermistor. If the thermistor is functioning properly, the reading will increase or decrease. If the thermistor is not working, the reading will not change.
