[JT5298]

JT5298, be sure to post some pics and or video

I will.

 

[TosaTerror]

Not to get too off track, but I have a question about fog machine maintenance. I have the Chauvet 1301 (with Freezen Low Lying Fog Juice) hooked up to my vortex chiller. I'll be using all of this for the first time this year...can't wait!

However, I've heard horror stories about the fog getting too thick to were it chokes and kills the fog machine. I've read where people dilute the fog juice with distilled water to prevent this...however I don't want to water down the fog. I'm hoping use 100% of the fog juice (no dilution), then clean out that machine afterwards by pumping distilled water/vinegar solution through the machine.

What does everyone else do? Dilute the juice while using it vs. cleaning it afterwards? Or both? I really don't want to compromise the thickness of the fog by diluting, but at the same time keeping the machine functional for years.

 

[BobbyA]

No one I know dilutes fog fluid. Nor have I heard of fluid too thick to go through the machines.
I have often heard of machines too dirty inside with scale and gunk to pass fluid, and thus make fog.

If you use a vinegar and distilled water solution to clean it, make sure you use plenty of distilled water at the end to flush out all vinegar.
Then refill the machine with goof fog fluid and rerun it until fog comes out. Stop and pour the rest of the fluid from the tank.
Put it away. For best results run it again in 3 month intervals. But most (including me) ignore this last part.

 

[TosaTerror]

Thanks, that's what I meant. ..the build up of sediments from the fog solution causing the machine to stop producing fog. Thanks for the tip, I will be sure NOT to dilute it, but clean it thoroughly afterwards.

Thanks

 

[mystic manor]

That's impressive! One of the best non CO2 I've seen

 

[ReelSore]

Here is the pictures of mine. I used a 20 gal trash can, the lid- I put 1/4" thick foam around the edge, and use 2 bungee cords to hold the lid down tight. I get no leakage on the top. I also made a tombstone to hide the trash can. Here are the pictures. I'll se if I have a video and if I do, I'll get it uploaded to here. I also use a light black plastic trash bag to slow the fog on the exit.

 

[WOLFPACK7483]

Really like the tombstone idea.

 

[danimal3114u]

I just completed my initial build over the weekend! I pretty much used WOLFPACK7483's exact build recommendation (3" PVC for intake/output, Brute trash can, 1/2" PVC for stand) and am also using a Chauvet 1301 and Froggy's Freezin' Fog. A couple slight differences:

• I'm using traditional ice instead of dry ice. With the 16" height on the stand, it took 40 pounds of store bought ice to fill the chiller to the preferred level (basically 2" from the top of the can) - this was about $10 worth of ice in my area
• I used 1/4" wire mesh for the top of my stand to hold the traditional ice - it worked wonderfully
• Not sure if anyone else did this, but I did seal the outside of all intakes/outputs with some flexible bathroom caulking and had zero leakage around the PVC
• I drilled six separate 1/4" holes in the bottom of the can for water drainage. Good news - zero fog escaped through these and water was able to move freely out of the bottom

The initial build as outlined above worked wonderfully compared to other chillers I've tried (drainage pipe with frozen water bottles, trash bag over output with ice in it). The 1301 is still a beast though, so it pushed the fog almost instantaneously through the densely packed ice. I noticed a lot more lift/dispersion to the fog during the initial burst, which I believe is due to the standard ice being warmer than dry ice. I think with a few adjustments the fog will chill much nicer and stay lower more consistently. I'm going to make the following adjustments to the build and see if it does the trick:

• Lower the stand table from 16" to 8-10" hhigh. This should allow significantly more ice to fit in, further cooling the fog during initial bursts
• Sealing the lid: As people mentioned, it is easy to get leakage around the lid, so I'll try getting some foam and bungees as ReelSore and others recommended
• Cosmetic upgrade: The complete build ain't pretty as-is, so I'm planning to at least paint the whole thing a dark gray or black

I doubt I'll get to it this year, but my ideal build would be to go with something like this, maybe with some skeleton arms or a head coming out of the top. Then just drill a couple of small holes on the top of the lid so some light fog comes off the top, and we got ourselves a winner

 

[JT5298]

I just completed my initial build over the weekend! I pretty much used WOLFPACK7483's exact build recommendation (3" PVC for intake/output, Brute trash can, 1/2" PVC for stand) and am also using a Chauvet 1301 and Froggy's Freezin' Fog. A couple slight differences:

• I'm using traditional ice instead of dry ice. With the 16" height on the stand, it took 40 pounds of store bought ice to fill the chiller to the preferred level (basically 2" from the top of the can) - this was about $10 worth of ice in my area
• I used 1/4" wire mesh for the top of my stand to hold the traditional ice - it worked wonderfully
• Not sure if anyone else did this, but I did seal the outside of all intakes/outputs with some flexible bathroom caulking and had zero leakage around the PVC
• I drilled six separate 1/4" holes in the bottom of the can for water drainage. Good news - zero fog escaped through these and water was able to move freely out of the bottom

The initial build as outlined above worked wonderfully compared to other chillers I've tried (drainage pipe with frozen water bottles, trash bag over output with ice in it). The 1301 is still a beast though, so it pushed the fog almost instantaneously through the densely packed ice. I noticed a lot more lift/dispersion to the fog during the initial burst, which I believe is due to the standard ice being warmer than dry ice. I think with a few adjustments the fog will chill much nicer and stay lower more consistently. I'm going to make the following adjustments to the build and see if it does the trick:

• Lower the stand table from 16" to 8-10" hhigh. This should allow significantly more ice to fit in, further cooling the fog during initial bursts
• Sealing the lid: As people mentioned, it is easy to get leakage around the lid, so I'll try getting some foam and bungees as ReelSore and others recommended
• Cosmetic upgrade: The complete build ain't pretty as-is, so I'm planning to at least paint the whole thing a dark gray or black

I doubt I'll get to it this year, but my ideal build would be to go with something like this, maybe with some skeleton arms or a head coming out of the top. Then just drill a couple of small holes on the top of the lid so some light fog comes off the top, and we got ourselves a winner

Great job! Where did you get the wire mesh? I'm going to HD this weekend to get supplies for building my chiller. I'm really interested to find out how the modification to the height of the mesh works out. I know that some people have put a Y-adapter on the inlet pipe to try and cool the fog a little more before it hits the ice, don't know if this would work better with traditional ice.

 

[danimal3114u]

Great job! Where did you get the wire mesh? I'm going to HD this weekend to get supplies for building my chiller. I'm really interested to find out how the modification to the height of the mesh works out. I know that some people have put a Y-adapter on the inlet pipe to try and cool the fog a little more before it hits the ice, don't know if this would work better with traditional ice.

Thanks for the great info! Got the mesh at home depot: about $6.50 in a little roll that was more than enough, and it was over near the lumber cutting section. The Y-adapter is a good tip, I definitely will try that if the lower ice shelf doesn't work as well as I hope.

 

[ReelSore]

Great job! Where did you get the wire mesh? I'm going to HD this weekend to get supplies for building my chiller. I'm really interested to find out how the modification to the height of the mesh works out. I know that some people have put a Y-adapter on the inlet pipe to try and cool the fog a little more before it hits the ice, don't know if this would work better with traditional ice.

Yes I added a y pipe before going into the can because it takes air to actually make the fog. If you hook it up directly, then you will have a lot of liquid in the pipe by nights end. To help cool the fog before going into the can, I added about 6' of straight pipe. This helped a lot. I am also using the Chauvet 1301.

 

[JT5298]

I should hopefully get mine done this weekend. I will post some pics of the finished project with the fogger in action.

 

[WOLFPACK7483]

danimal3114u ,
Great job on the chiller. Post a video if you can.

 

[Glitterati]

I would love input on this as I have never used a fog machine before -if I am using a vortex chiller for outdoor fog, would a Chauvet Hurricane 700 make enough fog? Or would I need one of the bigger models? I thought I read on here on another thread that the smaller one would work, but I can't find where I read that, so thought I would post here and see what feedback was. It would be in our front yard, which is a hill sloped going towards house; we will have a graveyard set up. I know weather plays a role, but I am aiming for low fog that just "hangs out" in the cemetery.
Any feedback is helpful on which fog machine to get!

 

[serpensphile]

I have a cheap fog machine and am going to replace it with a Chauvet 1301 IF the darn thing would ever die!!!

What you have will work, esp if you run it through a chiller but it depends on the size of your yard and how MUCH fog you want. I'd say try the one you have now--you might be pleasantly surprised.

However, if you have the slightest breeze, your fog will be GONE no matter what size fog machine, chiller or juice you use.

OH YES....get GOOD juice. That makes a big difference!!!!!

 

[Glitterati]

thank you!! I read about the good juice, definitely won't be using the cheapy stuff!

 

[mdutso]

great post and pics as well from WOLFPACK, have question about the "Y" connector and does it make that much of difference? On the inflow side of the chiller is where the "Y" is located, then that is connected to a short straight piece of tubing that runs directly into the chiller? I too am running a 1301, is a fan needed to help push to fog through or is the 1301 strong enough to do that on its own, thanks for any input or advice, am building my chiller this weekend using the 32 gallon. Also am experimenting with ways to insulate the trash can to help with ice melting.

 

[demons1964]

great job thanks for sharing it

 

[ReelSore]

great post and pics as well from WOLFPACK, have question about the "Y" connector and does it make that much of difference? On the inflow side of the chiller is where the "Y" is located, then that is connected to a short straight piece of tubing that runs directly into the chiller? I too am running a 1301, is a fan needed to help push to fog through or is the 1301 strong enough to do that on its own, thanks for any input or advice, am building my chiller this weekend using the 32 gallon. Also am experimenting with ways to insulate the trash can to help with ice melting.

No you don't need a fan to push the fog into the chiller.

 

[ej122763]

Awesome tutorial page!...I've read through it all plus watched countless videos. Building me one this weekend.:+1:?