[halloweenlurker]

I got a small 400w fog machine last year, did not perform like i wanted. We had a chiller to keep it low lying and it worked. Just did not put out the amount of fog i needed. However any newer ideas for a chiller would be appreciated.

I am trying to figure out what wattage and CFPM i need to get. Is wattage more important than CFPM.

What i am using it for is my front yard i have a "cemetery" just outside my door.

It is recessed if you will between the two sides of my house so the wind does not get to it. Its about 30 feet long and about 15 feet deep the area i want to cover, if it goes more than that, its ok

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[halloweenlurker]

I am debating on this one
H-1100 Hurricane

 

[Industen]

Get a CHAUVET HURRICANE 1250 or 1800. I had the same problem and this thing spits out some major fog. Covers the yard really well.

I am sure the 1100 will work just as well.

It does spit the fog out quick so do not expect it to lay low going through a chiller. Water the grass down helps keep it lower. No wind helps a ton.

I ran it through drainage pipe as well, and put ice bottles throughout. It helps but the fog is just to fast to cool it down.

 

[rxnb90]

Here is what I did last year:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5111582127/

Worked ok, but hard to tell because Halloween here was breezy, which of course ruined the fog. But I think this setup would be good in still conditions. The surprise to me was how long the pause was between bursts. That may be improved by going with a more capable, higher wattage machine, but it becomes a matter of how much you are willing to spend.

This year I'm also toying with getting http://www.froggysfog.com/ instead of they Chavet brand I used last year. Froggys makes a special formula for low-lying fog. http://www.froggysfog.com/category/10-fluid.10-fog.30-freezin-outdoor-ground-fog/

 

[scareisburg]

Don't buy the 1000 watt fogger they typically sell at Party City I bought two of these in as many years. worked great for halloween but didn't the following year, pumps went out on both of them. Ok so I only paid $50 each but I would expect to get more then one use out of them. So don't waist your money you get what you pay for.

 

[Raven's Hollow Cemetery]

This year I'm also toying with getting http://www.froggysfog.com/ instead of they Chavet brand I used last year. Froggys makes a special formula for low-lying fog. http://www.froggysfog.com/category/10-fluid.10-fog.30-freezin-outdoor-ground-fog/

I can attest to the Froggys Freezin Fog's effectiveness. It is simply outstanding, with great hang time. I very easily created a London Pea Soup last year, with a Chauvet H-1100 and a Ness (both are 700w elements- I can't recall the model of the Ness because I sprayed it flat black years ago for camo in the dark). There was little need to run my (2) 400w spot foggers, except in the lowest burst duration I could get. So that they would intermittently spurt under pressure out of my hell hole and cauldron. It actually caused a problem with visibility on a major highway more than a hundred yards away.

At the OP: You can either take one of two routes, either get a more powerful machine. Or alternately, get several low power machines. For your purposes with a chiller, the only real option is a more powerful machine. I'd recommend a good quality machine in excess of 700w for the size area (450 sq. ft) that you have to work with. Ofc, larger is better. As more power allows for less reheat cycle time. Also more power means that physical demands on the pumps aren't as high as you don't have to run it as often vs. near continuous duty with a smaller machine. In turn, that nets you a longer lifespan on your equipment.

Overkill is not really possible when speaking in terms of yard haunts. Especially considering mother natures propensity to play tricks of her own with windy nights, that somehow magically coincide with the one night that we need no wind. Which is why I'm armed w/ 2200 watts of foggers. Boy Scouts motto: Be prepared!

Btw: I almost forgot. Froggys is wonderful to deal with directly. I ordered my fog scented last year (Swampy Forrest, I think it was called), and they accidentally sent just the normal formula. I called as soon as I discovered the error (3 days before Halloween!). Not only did I receive a response from the owner of Froggy's (Adam Pogue-at 2 A.M mind you!), he overnighted me the scent with Saturday delivery! That my fiends, is customer service like very few others provide. I vowed then, I'd use no other, ever!

 

[halloweenlurker]

Here is what I did last year:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5111582127/

Worked ok, but hard to tell because Halloween here was breezy, which of course ruined the fog. But I think this setup would be good in still conditions. The surprise to me was how long the pause was between bursts. That may be improved by going with a more capable, higher wattage machine, but it becomes a matter of how much you are willing to spend.

This year I'm also toying with getting http://www.froggysfog.com/ instead of they Chavet brand I used last year. Froggys makes a special formula for low-lying fog. http://www.froggysfog.com/category/10-fluid.10-fog.30-freezin-outdoor-ground-fog/

That looks good thank you for sharing! I like the way the hose is set up, to come out throughout the hose instead of at the end.

 

[halloweenlurker]

THANK YOU ALL! Keep em coming. Price is not so much a factor, i mean i dont want to go buck wild and have a rock concert in my front yard LOL

I would like more fog output than i had last year, WOULD really like to get one as well that i dont have to continually monitor to press the button, maybe with a timer?

WE did a quickie set up last year because i decided last minute to add one. Grabbed a Styrofoam ice chest from WM, had a silver dryer hose and snip snip ice ice and away we went. It worked pretty decent for as fast as it was made. This year i have designated hubby to start now on a better design.

Going to check out the ones you all have suggest and come back

 

[halloweenlurker]

Has anyone used the Vortex Fog Chiller Cold Fusion at froggys?
http://www.froggysfog.com/product/V...d-Fusion---Halloween-Low-Cold-Ground-Fog.html


Just wondering if it works well enough, and 119.00 is reasonable enough for me not to have to have hubby make one. HOWEVER i think the plan was to make one from a plan he found on line. So just wondering opinion on pre made versus making it yourself?

Looking i am wondering how difficult it would be to attach a hose to the pre made one?

 

[Calloween]

Don't buy the 1000 watt fogger they typically sell at Party City I bought two of these in as many years. worked great for halloween but didn't the following year, pumps went out on both of them. Ok so I only paid $50 each but I would expect to get more then one use out of them. So don't waist your money you get what you pay for.

My neighbors bought a couple of these and run them non-stop from when we have the decorating contest to halloween. They run them dry without any fog sometimes. I'm just waiting for them to die so I can laugh my *** off.

 

[rxnb90]

Has anyone used the Vortex Fog Chiller Cold Fusion at froggys?
http://www.froggysfog.com/product/V...d-Fusion---Halloween-Low-Cold-Ground-Fog.html


Just wondering if it works well enough, and 119.00 is reasonable enough for me not to have to have hubby make one. ?

$119 seems high, but I'm sure it works. Froggys seems to be "one of the good ones" -good customer service, good products. I build one last year (link earlier in this thread) for less than $40. It was $20 to Craigslist a cooler -if I had waited longer I could have found them even cheaper. I had to buy a hole saw at Home Depot, but I have that now for future products. Personally I can't see spending the $$ to buy pre-made, but if hubby is not comfortable/ motivated, buying may be best. Fog is key to a spooky atmosphere.

As far as attaching a line to the Froggys machine, you might call and ask them that. I have a feeling that a quick trip to Home Depot and you can find a clamp, http://www.homedepot.com/Plumbing/h...ay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053you may also need some transitional piece to go from Froggys to your pipe. Highly recommend the perferated irrigation pipe

 

[Aaaprn]

Great information.

 

[Raven's Hollow Cemetery]

From others experience with the Vortex, I'd go with a DIY version of it instead of the commercially available one. Many have said that the ice doesn't last very long in the Vortex. There was one member here that recently made an insulated DIY version and posted a how to. However, my favorite design is the "reverse flow fog chiller". Instructions are a little sparse (the how-to on youtube isn't very detailed), and the majority of the pic links are dead.

Google "reverse flow smoker" and you can easily get a better idea of how it's working. Here's a vid of the results for the chiller.

This is what I'm building Also, the thread here at HF showing a bit more detail. [URL="http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/84131-reverse-flow-fog-chiller.html"]http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/84131-reverse-flow-fog-chiller.html[/URL]

 

[rxnb90]

I would like more fog output than i had last year, WOULD really like to get one as well that i dont have to continually monitor to press the button, maybe with a timer?

Many mid to upper grade foggers come with a timer. My Chavet 1300 came with one. The surprise was ~50 seconds between bursts. Harder to put down a consistent layer of fog when it has 50 seconds to dissipate. Timer is adjustable, but 50 seconds is the quickest (shortest duration between bursts). That's to allow recovery. Higher the watts the quicker the recovery, so solution is higher watt machine, but I already spent more than I wanted to for the Chavet.

When you look for a machine I suggest calling the manufacturer and asking them what the recovery time is between bursts!

 

[halloweenlurker]

WELL got a great deal on the chavet, got it today, just took it outside, put the fog juice in. Plugged it in and SPARK POOF SMOKE dead. SCARED The stuffing out of me!

So now i am going to return it, but i am leery of getting another one.

DANG IT i was so excited!

Anyone have any brand that they have used for a while, or you think i should maybe give that one another shot LOL

 

[Raven's Hollow Cemetery]

That's pretty rare Lurker. I'd just get another were I you. Plenty of time for an RMA between now and the big day.

 

[rxnb90]

I agree with Raven. I would get another. It's pretty rare to have one fail like that, but that's when you WANT it to fail! Not after 2 years, which would be out of warranty. This will be my 2nd year with my Chavet, so I can't speak to how long they last. But I think Chavet is ONE of the good brands; if you are put off by your experiance and wanted to go with another, there is more out there than just Chavet

 

[GhostTown]

I just received a brand new Chauvet 1800 a few days ago and the thing works flawlessly.

 

[halloweenlurker]

Well....................Got another one and its not looking good. It spits a LOT of juice out the front, and then when i compared it to the one from last year 20$ 400w it was 6 of one half a dozen of the other. The Chauvet put out FASTER but i think the little 400W was THICKER and put out MORE. I am thinking its like you guys said its just bad luck because no way a 400W puts out better than the 1100 watt. SO i am going back in LOL!!!

I want a fogger that when i use it with a chiller i can get some low hugging hanging fog. I only plan on using it for 3 nights, so i have plenty of time like you said. I am just frustrated and LOL i keep getting the " man they put Halloween stuff out in august for people like you. So not everyone gets the FUN of Halloween. nice to have a place to come complain and people get it! So thank you all

 

[rxnb90]

You are saying the new Chauvet spits out alot of juice from the front? Or alot of fog from the front? If juice, does sound like it's not heating properly. If you've not already, plug it in turn it on and wait 10-15 minutes to be sure it's fully heated before you try to produce any fog (should take less time than that, just use this duration for testing). If it's still spitting juice out the front, I agree you will want to return that one.....