Thread: Score - Free Chiller!

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Last year was the first year I'd ever attempted a fog chiller. I started it late, so I went with the good ol' styrofoam cooler and dryer vent hose route. It worked alright, but this year with the new house I promised I'd build myself something a little more durable.

Well, here it is the weekend of October 11th, and I'd not yet gotten to it. I spent all night Friday, and all day Saturday/Sunday in full "Propapalooza" mode, trying to get as much done as I could. Well, when Sunday afternoon rolled around, and I still had no chiller, I started to worry I wouldn't get it done...especially because I was too tired to head out and pick up supplies.

Then my brilliant wife had an epiphany - we were cleaning out the shed and closing up the pool, and she discovered a completely empty plastic bucket that had formerly housed chlorine tablets. EUREKA!

So I drilled two holes in the sides - an upper hole for an inlet, and a lower hole for an outlet. After digging around the shed for more goodies, I discovered a metal flange that was exactly the same diameter as the nozzle on my fogger, and a spare "ball jet" for the pool. (This allowed me to angle the outlet nozzle downward.)

Hooked up the fogger, unscrewed the cap to the bucket, and filled it with ice.

You should SEE the fog spitting out of this beast! I'll try to grab some photos/video in the next few days.

Moral of the story - BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU THROW AWAY! Some people might think holding onto an empty bucket or a spare ball jet from the pool might be foolish - but then, those people didn't build an awesome chiller, from scratch, for free!

Nice job, i have a couple of the same buckets hanging around and never really even thought of using them for a chiller! Great idea!

I hope you washed the bucket out first to get the chlorine smell out. chlorine could be irritating to some if it is transferred to the fog granted the fog is coming into contact with it in the bucket.

I hope you washed the bucket out first to get the chlorine smell out. chlorine could be irritating to some if it is transferred to the fog granted the fog is coming into contact with it in the bucket.

I didn't for my first test runs, but I plan on doing so for the big night. Yesterday was merely proof of concept.

I hope you washed the bucket out first to get the chlorine smell out. chlorine could be irritating to some if it is transferred to the fog granted the fog is coming into contact with it in the bucket.

I didn't for my first test runs, but I plan on doing so for the big night. Yesterday was merely proof of concept.