[Rob K1]

Just got Repellio and wondering if I can unplug it during the day. I know it says continuous operation, but does turning it off for a few hours mess with the results? I usually only have pests at night, so running it all day seems like a waste. Anyone know if it still works if I only plug it in when I need it?

[Kevin C]

Running it only at night makes sense to me. I’ve had mine plugged into a garage outlet for a few months and only switch it on when I’m out there in the evening. Haven’t noticed anything crawling around since, so the on and off thing hasn’t hurt anything for me.

[Lisa Muller]

I’ve had mine for about four months and I just leave it running constantly. Honestly I think the “only at night” idea makes sense on paper, but I’ve noticed these things take a while to build up any kind of effect. When I first got mine I unplugged it here and there during the day and the mice didn’t really seem phased. Once I just left it plugged in nonstop for a few weeks, things improved noticeably. Maybe it’s a coincidence but I think the constant signal matters more than we realize, since pests don’t exactly keep a schedule. Also worth noting that if you keep moving it around or cutting power, you might lose whatever routine they’ve built up avoiding it. Not saying you can’t try it your way, just that I stopped messing with mine and got better results. Curious if anyone else noticed the same thing after switching to always on.

[Maya Chen]

I think it partly depends on what pests you’re dealing with. I had mice in my old apartment and those things don’t really stick to a schedule. They’d be scurrying around at random times, sometimes mid afternoon when it was quiet. So for something like that I feel like you’d want it running more often since they’re not predictable. Mosquitoes at night make more sense for the on/off approach though. I’ve been leaving mine plugged in since I got it a couple months ago, mostly because I forget it’s even there. It’s silent and barely uses anything so I don’t really think about the electric cost. I haven’t tried unplugging it during the day so I can’t say if that would mess with anything. But if your issue is purely a night thing I don’t see why you couldn’t just run it when you need it.

[Tom Briggs]

Mine stays plugged in because I’d forget to turn it back on. If you’re good about plugging it in every night, that’s probably fine. I just know myself.

[Max Connor]

I actually ended up running mine during the day instead of at night because my place is empty then, and that seemed to make more of a difference than anything. Pests get used to whatever routine you set, so flipping it on and off randomly probably isn’t doing you any favors.

[Mike Harry]

Mine has been plugged in nonstop since I got it around Christmas, so I can’t speak to unplugging it. But I figure these things are cheap to run, so I just leave it.

[Chris Reed]

I just leave mine plugged in all the time.

[Emma__L]

I run mine overnight too, mostly because that’s when I actually hear scratching and stuff. During the day I leave it off sometimes just out of habit. Haven’t noticed any difference in how well it works, but I don’t have a crazy bug problem either.

[Maria_Bakes]

I’d be a little careful about thinking daytime doesn’t matter. In my case the bugs weren’t only showing up when I expected them. I used to assume it was a night thing too, but I started noticing activity in the kitchen during the afternoon as well, like when I was home on a random Tuesday. So the whole “only pests at night” idea didn’t really hold up for me. If you’re gonna unplug it, I’d at least keep an eye on whether you start seeing anything during the day that you didn’t before. That was my experience anyway. Not saying it’ll happen to you, but that assumption bit me a little.

[Jordan Hayes]

I’d just plug it in when I actually hear or see activity and leave it unplugged otherwise. That’s what I do with mine and it hasn’t changed anything for me. If nights are your problem, running it just at night makes more sense anyway.

[Dana Lee]

Just unplug it if you want, it’s not that deep.

[Jenny__M]

I get why you want to unplug it during the day, but I kind of went the other way after thinking about it for a while.

When I first looked into these things I figured the same as you, pests show up at night, so why leave it running while I’m at work? Seemed pointless. But the more I thought about it, the less I trusted that logic. It’s not like mice and bugs follow a strict schedule. If they’re around during the day and the device is off, they’ve got a free window to get comfortable and figure out where the food is. Then you’re basically starting over every night instead of keeping them from settling in at all.

So if it were me, I’d just leave it plugged in. That’s what I’d do in your situation. The whole point of these things is that they’re supposed to be a constant annoyance so pests eventually give up and move on. If you keep switching it off, you’re giving them a break right in the middle of that process.

I know some people only run theirs when they hear stuff, and that might be fine for them. But if the goal is actually getting rid of the problem instead of just scaring things away for a few hours, I don’t think flicking it on and off is doing you any favors.

[Tom911]

Mine actually got less effective when I tried the whole unplug it during the day thing. Not saying it ruined it, but after a couple weeks of only running it at night I noticed more activity in the kitchen during the day than before. Plugged it back in full time and that settled down again. Could be coincidence, I don’t have a lab in my house. But the whole point is it’s supposed to keep them from getting comfortable, and pests don’t really stick to a schedule just because you do. The device is cheap to run anyway, it’s not like it’s pulling noticeable power. I’d just leave it in the outlet and forget about it. If you’re really worried about waste, that’s the wrong thing to optimize here.

[Nina_gadget]

I actually got more activity after unplugging mine during the day, not less. Left it off for about a week while I was out and came home to droppings again. Plugged it back in and it settled down after a few days, so now it just stays in the outlet.

[Rob K1]

Fair enough, I’ll just leave it plugged in for now and see what happens over the next few weeks. Not convinced either way yet but no harm in letting it run. Appreciate the replies.

[Author]

Posts