Thread: Dead Fogger

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Does anyone know how to unclog a fogger? I poured in the solution, plugged it in, the green light went on, I hit the button, and... nothing. It is about 12 years old, i guess it could be dead, but I hope not. I would appreciate any ideas, thanks.

First does the heater get hot?

Th way foggers work is they have a thermostat relay. This relay will not set to close the circuit for the pump until the heater reaches a certain temperature. So unless the heater is getting warm then you are dead to start.

If the heater is getting hot then most units have a light that comes on when the pump circuit becomes active. If that light comes on then when you push the button for manual fog, do you hear any noise?

The fogger pump is a device that works with a diode. The diode allows AC to travel in one polarity only. So if the pump is working you should hear a 30 cycle hum.

If you hear that hum then likely the pump and or the heater is clogged. Now comes the tough part.

I will look for the tutorial on unclogging foggers, but first you need to verify the first issues.

Here is a link that may help.

Fogger Problems

cool, I'm glad this thread is on here, I too have a fogger that gets hot, green light comes on, when I press the green lite button, the machine spits very little fog. I hear the hum and it sounds like its trying to work but just can't. Maybe a clog, I really don't know. Its only a few years old.

Whatta ya think?

Hi spinman,

I love that you are helping us with this. I also had one clog last fall just before Halloween because, I stupidly decided to clean both of mine. I got one to work finally but, not the good one.
I just took the good one apart. The heater heats up, the copper tubing is clear, I can pour stuff into the heater and it comes out the other side. When I push the manual button I can hear the hum of the pump working. I'm thinking that the pump might be clogged but, want your opinion. Is it hard to remove from the canister/fluid holder?

Thanks

The problem with foggers is they are not all designed the same. Some have a pump like the one I took apart and some have another version of a pump. But in all cases the pumps work on the same theory. There is a metal piston in a sleeve or cylinder that is surrounded with a magnetic coil. The piston is spring loaded away from the coil and the coil gets chopped AC. This is done via a diode that only allows the current from the AC ( Alternating current to a Mono Current. It is not true DC, because it is not a square wave. It would be like turning on and off a DC light 30 times a second. This is what allows the piston to be pulled toward the coil. If full AC were applied then the piston would just vibrate at 60 cycles per second and the magnetic coil would attract and then repel as it's switched magnetic poles at 60 cycles per second.

So if for instance the diode failed and no longer blocked current in one direction, then you would here a hum, but nothing would come out. But more likely you have a clog or a stuck one way valve.

When the piston moves in one direction the valve closes and allows the fluid to be drawn into the chamber, then when the piston moves in the opposite direction the valve opens and the fluid is forced out of the chamber into the heater. If that valve sticks, then the fluid just sits there.

Had a similar problem with one of my inexpensive foggers. Heater was clear, pump was working, but no flow. The problem turned out to be a clogged filter screen in the supply line just before the pump. I was using unused, leftover fluid from the year before. Sometime over the off-season, the fluid developed what looked liked floating ribbons of scum in it. The little ribbons of who-knows-what eventually clogged the tiny filter screen. After that, I started pouring the fluid into a clear glass jar so it could be inspected before going into the fogger. Last year I found these scuzzy ribbons floating in a fresh, just bought bottle of fluid.

I know I replied to this yesterday but, oh well.

I found the little ribbons in mine last night while looking into the holding tank. How do I remove the screen from inside the tank. The hole is way to small to get my hand into and the pump seems to be running great. I knew I should have never picked up the Spirit fogger juice. lol

Can anyone give me a clue on how to remove the inner screen on the holding tank? I have the fogger stripped and would like to finish up.
thanks

Ok guys, I cleaned out the screen once I figured how to get it out. I poured water in tank but, now pump doesn't work or it just doesn't pump water. I'll try some juice next. I did come across this though that might help some of you guys.

http://www.modd3d.com/articles/item/...r-pump-repair/