Thread: Will $10 fog machine timer from Target work with most foggers?

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Today I saw a $10 fog machine timer at Target. Anyone know if this will work with other makes/models of fog machines? (e.g. ones sold at Walmart, Party City, Spencer's, etc). Saw another timer for twice the price at Party City ($20).

Are there other non-online sources I should check for good deals on a plain vanilla 400 watt fogger + timer? What about drug stores like Walgreens, CVS, Rite-aid, etc? So far, I've been seeing 400 watt foggers for around $25 and the cheapest timer was $10 (Target).

Also, I saw two models of fogger at Target. They were both 400 watts but one was $25 and one was $40. Anyone know the difference between the two? The more expensive one seemed to have a slightly larger juice capacity, but it was not a "ground fogger" (I'm skeptical of these anyway; probably better to construct a fog chiller).

Good question I would like to know myself.

I bought one and tried it with my American DJ fogger...it would fire when the button was pressed but the timer portion didn't work at all...I was disappointed...I really don't want to spend near $40 for the timer for mine.

Originally Posted by Resurrected

I bought one and tried it with my American DJ fogger...it would fire when the button was pressed but the timer portion didn't work at all...I was disappointed...I really don't want to spend near $40 for the timer for mine.

Sorry your Target timer didn't work with the American DJ one. I'm not completely surprised though, as American DJ would, I'm guessing, be higher-end and thus have potentially more proprietary accessories than generic foggers you see in department stores, drug stores, at Spencer's, etc. I don't run a professional haunt, so I don't need club-grade equipment. I have a cheap fogger / timer I bought at Spencer's and that's worked great so far for two seasons. But I don't see any good deals online at Spencer's right now.

Still looking for suggestions for other brick-and-mortar vendors to check for an inexpensive fog machine / timer combo. I'm based in North Carolina.

I've mixed our timers around on different brands of foggers and they all work except for the Chauvet 1300 we just got. It has a small 5 pin connector on it whereas the other foggers we have have a large 3 prong connector.

Try it and if it doesn't work, take it back.

Originally Posted by buckaneerdude

I've mixed our timers around on different brands of foggers and they all work except for the Chauvet 1300 we just got. It has a small 5 pin connector on it whereas the other foggers we have have a large 3 prong connector.

Try it and if it doesn't work, take it back.

Thanks BuckaneerDude. Target does seem pretty good with returns. And $10 is great value for a fog machine timer. I think the Spencer's fogger I purchased came with its own timer. Wonder if anyone out there is packaging a fogger that includes a timer this season.

This is going to seem like a stupid question, I'm sure, but.... Why is a timer needed at all?

I got a 400 watt fogger at Party City on Halloween morning last year. For Halloween night, I filled the tank with fog juice, threw ice in the fogger's cooling chamber (which I had to periodically refill), and I turned it on and LEFT it on. My experience was the fogger made fog 10-20 seconds and then it recycled itself (no fog) and then it came back making fog for another 10-20 seconds. It repeated this over and over again for hours. I just had to keep ice in the cooling chamber. I think I might have refilled the tank with fog juice just once.

Is there some reason that I shouldn't just turn it on and LEAVE it on (both, at the unit and at the hard-wired remote)? Is this harmful to the unit?

Sorry, I just don't understand the need for a timer. Maybe on a more powerful fogger that might make too much fog if just left on?

Mark

Originally Posted by Magic Mark

This is going to seem like a stupid question, I'm sure, but.... Why is a timer needed at all?

I got a 400 watt fogger at Party City on Halloween morning last year. For Halloween night, I filled the tank with fog juice, threw ice in the fogger's cooling chamber (which I had to periodically refill), and I turned it on and LEFT it on. My experience was the fogger made fog 10-20 seconds and then it recycled itself (no fog) and then it came back making fog for another 10-20 seconds. It repeated this over and over again for hours. I just had to keep ice in the cooling chamber. I think I might have refilled the tank with fog juice just once.

Is there some reason that I shouldn't just turn it on and LEAVE it on (both, at the unit and at the hard-wired remote)? Is this harmful to the unit?

Sorry, I just don't understand the need for a timer. Maybe on a more powerful fogger that might make too much fog if just left on?

Mark

Not a stupid question. Nothing wrong with using it without the timer if you don't mind the duration the fogger naturally fogs. It won't hurt your fogger to run continuously as long as you're keeping it filled.

I use a timer on my witch prop's fogger (cheapy 400 watt) since it would do too much fog for too long a duration for how I wanted. I set up a timer to work at, say a 5 second burst every 30 seconds, (I can't remember exactly - it's a custom thing I fiddle with) I get just enough fog to not completely obscure the entire prop and look like I want it to look.

If you're trying to use the fog as a background over the whole area, you probably don't need a timer, but if you're using it for adding to a prop's effect, a timer makes sense so you can control how much/how long/pauses between.

Originally Posted by Frankie's Girl

Not a stupid question. Nothing wrong with using it without the timer if you don't mind the duration the fogger naturally fogs. It won't hurt your fogger to run continuously as long as you're keeping it filled.

I use a timer on my witch prop's fogger (cheapy 400 watt) since it would do too much fog for too long a duration for how I wanted. I set up a timer to work at, say a 5 second burst every 30 seconds, (I can't remember exactly - it's a custom thing I fiddle with) I get just enough fog to not completely obscure the entire prop and look like I want it to look.

If you're trying to use the fog as a background over the whole area, you probably don't need a timer, but if you're using it for adding to a prop's effect, a timer makes sense so you can control how much/how long/pauses between.

Good explanation! Thanks!

Mark

I have an old 400w "The Fog Machine" and the $8 remote timer I picked up at Walmart won't warm up the fog solution. But, if I put the original remote on while the unit warms up I can switch over to the remote w/timer and it works the rest of the night.