# Great cheap and easy fog chiller!



## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

*Wolf,
I made the typical cooler style fog chiller last year with minimal results and unfulfilled expectations. I've been looking all over the Internet trying to find something that works better, but that doesn't require a HVAC certification to construct. I looked at the website that you referenced and I think this sounds like it will work wonders. I agree, the 10' section of 3" PVC is a little cumbersome, but I might cut this down to say...6' and save some room. The best part is that the chiller isn't permanent, the parts can be separated each and every year, and the cost is practically nothing. Infact, I have most of the pieces already. I'm glad that you posted this. I would've never found it! Thanks.

-fly*


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## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

*I have a question on this fog chiller. Am I to understand that you basically pour a bunch of plain ol' ice inside the large pipe, and then the fog makes its way through the ice, getting chilled along the way? And, after the ice melts, does the water just stay inside the PVC until you pour it out and add more ice?

I had seen this site some weeks ago, and thought this would be an inexpensive alternative for me this year, but wasn't sure about the logistics, because I was worried that there would be so much ice blocking the way, that the fog would not get out the other end of the pipe. 

Thanks.

Groove Thang!*


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## Spooky Chuck (Jun 14, 2003)

Is there a reason for the 10 foot lengh? Or was it just randomly pulled out of the air? I don't see why a smaller one wouldn't work. I guess you would have to replace the ice more often. I'm going to try it!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

The longer the better. The fog coming out of the fogger doesn't actually get chilled as much as you think. When the fogger recycles there is 10' of fog sitting in the pipe getting colder and colder. When the fogger kicks back on it pushes this cold fog out while the new fog replaces whats in the pipe. It's the 10' of sitting fog that gets really cold and thats what makes it work so well. 6' will work but you won't get as much cold fog between cycles.


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## Spooky Chuck (Jun 14, 2003)

Wow, That makes perfect sence. I'm sure there are many creative ways to hide the pipe. I'm liking this idea more and more!!


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## creepybob (Jul 27, 2003)

Well what some people do is take a large cooler and attatch "coiled" piping inside of it. The inlet is attatched to one side and the outlet is attatched to the opposite side. I bet you can even find an old radiator and do the same thing. Anyway make sure your connections are water tight at each end of the cooler. Then fill the cooler with ice and attatch the fogger to one end. You can even put a plastic bag in the cooler over the coils or whatever so your connections don't have to be water tight. The more coils the better but watch out because if you make too long of a coil to go through the fogger may not be able to push the fog through.

They mostly come out at night........Mostly
Check out my pic's at 
http://www.halloweenforum.com/photo_album_view.asp?cname=2002+home+haunt&mid=416&cid=1013


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

One other thing. You can make smaller lengths by using thicker pipe. Say 6' of 4" pipe instead of 10' of 3" pipe. If you want even shorter then go with the cooler idea. The trick is to have a volume of space where fog can accumulate and get cold.


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

*Rweso,
How about the problem with the water that'll accumulate in the pipe after the ice melts...would you suggest a few 1/4" holes on the bottom of the larger pipe to drain the water as it accumulates?

-fly*


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## wolf65 (Sep 3, 2002)

I plan to just pour it out. Halloween is usually very chilly where I am so I don't think I would need to empty water more than once when I go to refill the ice. I will be doing this from the 3inch PVC end closest to the fog machine since the cauldron is heavy and I can't tilt that end very well to fill with ice.

<center>“by the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes.”</center>


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## wolf65 (Sep 3, 2002)

Actually, now that I think about it, some small drilled holes in the 3 inch PVC elbow near the ground might be good. My cauldron has holes in base to let out rain water. Any small amount of fog that might escape through the water drain holes in the elbow would still go into the cauldron.

<center>“by the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes.”</center>


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

I would let it just drain out the end as long as it's outside. Even though the ice melted to water, the water is still colder than the air so even the water helps to cool the fog.


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## wicked (Aug 27, 2002)

*You know--I'd set it up in my neighbors yard if it would work...and this one looks like it will. I've been so disappointed in my fog chillers, they just never work like they should. This one looks great! I'm gonna get the PVC and fittings this weekend--I can't wait to try it out! Thanx Wolf, this is great!*

"The banshee shrieks with* WICKED* delight, on this, a cold and death filled night!"


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

*It does work!!! Bought all the materials and tried it out day before last. I'm going to make another for the second fog machine I'm GOING to buy.

-fly*


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## wicked (Aug 27, 2002)

*Fly, did you drill some holes in the elbow for drainage? Or was the melting ice not even a problem.*

The banshee shrieks with* WICKED* delight, on this a cold and death filled night!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

BTW, Sewer pipe is cheaper than Scd 40 PVC. It only comes in 4" but it's like half the price.


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

*I drilled 2 small (1/4") holes in the elbow and placed two pieces of 2X4 scrap stacked under the inlet end to tilt any water toward the elbow...worked great! I went through an entire container full of fog fluid and nearly a 10' length full of ice (as an experiment) ...and all water drained through the holes perfectly. The wife likes that I don't have to ruin another ice chest this year. BTW, the ice chest design is going in the dumpster next garbage run. What a waste!

-fly*


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## Pugsly (Mar 10, 2003)

How powerful of a fog machine do you need to use this chiller? How do they rate how much power a fog machine has? and I've seen some inexpensive, water based fog machines for sale in some stores, would these work? 

Pugsly


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## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

*Hey, sprfly, would you give me a few statistics about your experiment? I am looking for:


Exact quantity of fog juice you used?
How long the fog juice lasted in your machine?
Wattage and CFM of the fog machine you used?
Off/on cycle of fog machine?
Ambient temperature under which you conducted the experiment?
Thanks!*

*Groove Thang!*


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## Spooky Chuck (Jun 14, 2003)

I bought 10 feet of 4" sewer pipe yesterday. I'm going to experiment with this, and let you all know how it turnes out. Wicked,, thanks for the neighbor idea.. She is gonna be so pissed of when she finds 10 feet of sewer pipe in her backyard!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Puglsy, the water based foggers are, I believe, misters. They aren't good for much more than a 12" diameter. Basicly a lab set up maybe. Not nearly enough to fill a room.

As far as foggers go I wouldn't get anything less than 700watts for a chiller. They sell the 400 watt foggers at walmarts and the 700 watts at spencers. Spend the extra $10 for the 700 watts. The difference is the duty cycle. The 700 watts recycle less often which means more fog. Since a lot of the fog condences in most chillers a 400 watt fogger would produce little ground hugging fog.


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

> quote:_Originally posted by groovethang_
> 
> *Hey, sprfly, would you give me a few statistics about your experiment? I am looking for:
> 
> ...


*Well Grove,
Nothing was written down when I tested the chiller, so some of these figures are approximated.

Fog Machine Capacity - 1 quart 
Lasted approximately 4-5 hours (I wasn't watching it that closely) 
1000 watt Fog machine 
10 second burst of fog with 30 seconds of wait time 
Ambient temperature: 60-65 degrees

...I hope this answers some of your questions. 

-fly*


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## enigma3 (Sep 22, 2003)

Will dry ice work better that regular ice?


Thanks.


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

*Yeah, but the cost would be considerable. Dry ice works better in any chiller.

-fly*


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## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

Fly, thanks for the info on the experiment; it was extremely helpful. 

*Groove Thang!*


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

Hello fellow haunters! I see Wolf has brought you guys my fog chiller design, thanks Wolf! I have been thru the gauntlet and then some on chiller designs( You should have seen the one with the 2 ton AC coil w/ chilled water pumping thru it. YIKES!)and this is by far the cheapest, easiest to build and it works great. I see there are a few questions which I will try to answer:

Holes drilled in the bottom for drainage is a good idea, go for it! I think a few 1/4" holes should surfice.
The length of pipe can be customized, I kept the 10 ft length for maxium ice time for the fog, 5 ft has already been tried and works great! 
The ice melting depends on your fogger, amount of fogging time etc...You will have to at some point reload if you want to keep the fog low, its the only downside I can find to my design :-(

Im trying something different this year with the ice. Instead of bags of ice Im going to take a 12" length of 3" PVC and glue caps to each end. In cutting it in half lengthwise I will have two custom ice trays for the chiller, fill, freeze repeat! I may still have to add some bagged ice to fill the pipe completly, but im hoping it will last longer this way.

Ill be checking back in if you have any other questions email me.
[email protected]
Brian Liem


Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## rockstarbass1 (Sep 24, 2003)

ok i dont have a lot of money and i need to make a fog chiller. me and my buds are making a small haunted house/maze and wel need a fog on the ground for the grave yard. i was gona use a styrafoam coller and just put a 10ft dryer hose on the out end and have a rubber high heat conecter for a dryer clamped on the end of the fog machine and the end of that goin into the cooler. would that work? what should i do? help please


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

*If anyone is interested and happens to be in the Colorado Springs area tomorrow, I plan on throwing last year's "cooler" design to the curb for the garbage men. That's my subtle way of saying...well, you know what I'm saying. To be honest Rockstar, I wouldn't waste my time with the cooler design. You won't be happy with the results. By the time the fog has traveled through the little space that the cooler offers, the fog hasn't nearly cooled off enough for the effect that you're looking for. I would definitely go with the PVC design...just my thoughts.

-fly*


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## wicked (Aug 27, 2002)

*Rockstarbass--NO it WON'T work. I tried that already. I had 2 styrofoam coolers and dryer hose coiled thru BOTH--I didn't work for CRAP! Make The $20 one Liemavick gives the instructions for! THATS WHAT WE'RE ALL HERE JAZZED ABOUT!! The cooler type chillers just wasn't cuttin' it fo most of us--but THIS one--OOOOooooooo BABY!!*

The banshee shrieks with* WICKED* delight, on this a cold and death filled night!


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## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

Liemavick, thank you for saving me a lot of $$$$. I was going to do the design that included scads of coiled copper tubing, etc., essentially amounting to a $75 investment for a fog chiller. Needless to say, the hubby was pleased to find I decided to use your chiller plans instead! Thanks again!

*Groove Thang!*


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

Thanks to Liemavick for his design and response to my questions and thanks to all on this forum for the useful info and reviews of this great, cheap, and easy fog chiller. Completed mine last night and wanted to share my experience and results. 

Considerd a shorter 4" drain pipe version, but decided against it when I discocered that the cost for 4" couplers, joints, etc were exponentially higher than the 3" and the appropriate pieces to connect the smaller pipe were not available. Spent a total of $15 at Home depot on 10' of 3" pipe, an elbow, a 3" to 1.5 inch "reducer" (less than a buck) and 10' of 1.5" pipe. Went with the 1.5" pipe vs. 1.25" simply due to availability and convenience of connectors. Unfortunately forgot the "T" which I'll have to pick up later as discussed below.

I have a Gemmy 700W "Skull Fogger" that I purchased at Wally World. When you remove the skull and pipe connection from the fogger to the mouth, you get a normal 700W fogger. Luckily the 1.5" pipe fits perfectly over the Gemmy fogger (the 1.25" pipe would have been too small). I hastilly assembled the chiller (without the "T") and did a dry run with NO ICE. To my amazement, the chiller worked to a large extent without the ice! [^] We've not talking about that slinky ground hugging fog, but the fog spilling slowly out of the end didn't rise more than a foot off the ground. I believe this is due to simple capture and slowing of the fog as it enters the pipe coupled with the fact that I had a "closed" system (without the T) and the pipe on a significant decline (fogger at table height). Only the coolest fog from the pipe would escape from the end since heat rises.

So now, I'm stoked and figure if 8lbs of ice is good... MORE must be better. So I crammed the pipe full of all the ice it could hold (about 12 lbs of cubed ice from the convenience store). I fire up the fogger, but VERY LITTLE (albeit very COLD) fog is spilling out the bottom of the pipe! [:0] I know the fogger is really blowing because I hear it, and I just did the trial run with no ice. I removed anout 2/3 of the ice and was pleased with the results.  I believe that the excessive ice chilled the fog to the point of condensation, because it was litterally eating my fog. Perhaps the "ice molds" Liemavick is contemplating will work better, since there may be less surface area in contact with the fog than if you stuff it full of cubes. 

I'm wondering how my results will differ when I attach the "T" I forgot (which seems necessary, since the heat from the fog visably stressed (swelled and bent - not too much but noticeable) my 1.5" pipe about 6 inches from where the pipe connects with the nozzle housing. I'm sure it may disipate more heat and even allow the chiller to suck in some cooler air.

I may cut down the length of the pipe and would love to get anyone's feedback on length or ice experiments.

I have a question about fog juice that I'll post under a new topic.

Next project is going to be a Flying Crank Ghost. I plan on doing that on the cheap as well and will put my comments and experience on the FCG topic.

Thanks again to all.. What a great chiller idea!


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## groovethang (Jul 14, 2003)

*All,

I was thinking more about the use of dry ice instead of regular ice. Wouldn't the dry ice freeze the PVC so much that it would crack?? Just a thought. *

*Groove Thang!*


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## wolf65 (Sep 3, 2002)

I'd worry about cracking. I know someone who got a crack in the ceramic bowl of his brand new toilet. He believes it is connected to a guest flushing a bunch of dry ice. It wasn't noticed until later so we don't really know.

<center>“by the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes.”</center>


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

3" PVC is pretty thick. I don't think I'd be concerned about cracking.

Tried adding the "T" joint to the 1.5" pipe but lost over half my fog each time the fogger went off. So instead, I removed the 1.5" pipe so that my chiller consists of only the 3" to 1.5 inch "reducer", what is now 7 feet of 3" pipe, and the 3" elbow. I position the opening of the chiller (the small end of the reducer) about 1 inch from the nozzle of the fog machine instead of having a direct attachment. Some of the extra heat escapes though the gap and cold air is blown in with the hot fog. Hardly any visable fog escapes through the gap since the fog comes out with enough pressure to shoot the gap. Works GREAT!


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

*I might get rid of the tee also...it doesn't seem to serve a real purpose. The end of the fogger does get hot (no doubt), but we're talking about 1 1/2" PVC. If the PVC gets a little distorted from the heat, I'll just replace it. *

*-fly*


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

Hello again all! There are two reasons I use the 1 1/4" "T", one it allows some of the heat from the fogger not to enter the chiller. The other is the "T" is the perfect fit on my Antari 80Z foggers collar. If you elliminate the "T", I'd suggest using SCH 40 pvc pipe, the lighter stuff will distort from the heat. When my fogger cycles into reheat a tiny amount of fog does creep out of the top of the "T", not even enough for me to be concerned with. Viexdeux j what brand and size of fogger do you have? Losing half the fog out of the "T" sounds like somethings not right. If elliminating the "T" works for you, go for it, This design isnt rocket science by any means.[] Happy Haunting to all!

Brian Liem(avick)

Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## Stryker (Aug 26, 2003)

I'll give this one a shot also. We were looking for a good replacement for our cooler design last year, and were about to go with an expensive pump/cooler/copper coil arrangement. I bet this works better. 

As a side note, I think the T is a good idea, either you need to leave a gap or have some way to have outside air sucked in to help the fog move through the setup. Maybe the T is too far away from the nozzle?

-Stryker
"The body is but a coffin for the soul."


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## wolf65 (Sep 3, 2002)

Very little fog escaped though the T when I used the chiller.

<center>“by the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes.”</center>


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## bbayliss (Sep 29, 2003)

Hello All, I am new to this forum and was told about the forum by a Brian Liem who designed the $20.00 PVC chiller. Let me start by letting everyone know that I manufacture one of the higest quality fog fluids in the USA. We just finished testing a new Low Lying Fog Fluid designed for use with homemade chillers. I used to work as a Product Specialist for High End Systems and we pioneered the low lying chillers using Co2. The problem with homemade chillers is that there is not enough time for the fog to actually chill. Brian's design and the Trash Can design are by far the best. If you are going to use the converted Ice Chest method then I recommend using only Dry Ice with it. All of our fluids are a dual glycol / Water design. We actually private label our fluids for many other manufatures to resale. Most of the fog fluids being sold at a low pric are made with a single glycol / water design or glycerin and water. Our low lying fluid will help any chiller produce better results but does work best with either Brian's PVC method or the trash can method. Our fluids sell for
Standard $13.00
Heavy $14.00
Low Lying $15.00
I can be contacted at [email protected]


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

It's been getting down in the 30's here and by halloween it will probably be snowing! Will the chiller do any good in those conditions?


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

The chiller will only work if the fog coming out is a lower temp then the ambient air. My guess is that it will help keep the fog around longer even if it isn't ground hugging. The hot fog will rocket outa there in those temps without a chiller.


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## Ooogiboogie (Sep 28, 2003)

Those cold temps can only help you with fog. We live up here in Wisconsin and it gets pretty chilly up here round Halloween time. All of our foggers are going to be used indoors for our parties and we leave the windows open during the day preceding the party to "chill" down the house. As the fog leaves the chiller it spends more time hugging the floor as the temp in the room is pretty low. Most people have bulky costumes for the party so the temp affecting them isnt much of a problem. And if it is Im more than willing to sacrifice a few goose bumps on their part to have better special effects.


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

I'm sorry to disagree Ooogiboogie, but that goes against physics. Hot air rises and the bigger the temperature difference the more you see the effect. For example during the summer the ambient temperature would be 80*. If the fog comes out of the fogger at 150* then it will rise because it is hotter than the ambient temperature. Hot air rises. If the fog is chilled to 40* then the abient air rises to make room for the chilled fog. (Physics note: cold air does not fall, the hotter air around it rises to makeing room for it)Once the fog warms up to room temperature then the fog will begin to rise again.

Now if the ambient air is 45* the fog will still hug the ground but since it is close to the ambient temperature then it will warm up to it sooner. In effect it will rise sooner than it would if the ambient air was hotter.

If the air temp is 30* then chilled fog would still rise since the chilled fog is 40* which is still hotter than the ambient air. However it would rise slower than the 150* fog right from the machine. Although you might get a good ceiling hugging effect.


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## Ooogiboogie (Sep 28, 2003)

Hmmm.. looks like I'll need about 30 more slabs of dry ice for the chiller.. that or just keep the windows closed this year..


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## EWKTD (Sep 30, 2003)

Hi, I was wondering if you could use some kind of flexable pipe? Like dryer hose so that you could "aim" the fog?


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## sprfly (Oct 19, 2002)

> quote:_Originally posted by EWKTD_
> 
> Hi, I was wondering if you could use some kind of flexable pipe? Like dryer hose so that you could "aim" the fog?


*I don't see why not. I wouldn't make the flexable pipe too long though...either that or I would cut down the length of the 3" PVC.*

*-fly*


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

You could, but, whenever the fog comes in contact with something colder than itself it will condense and you may get less fog comeing out the end. I used an 8' flexible dryer vent in a spiral configuration and I only saw about 1/2 the fog come out. If it's pretty much straight and you aren't introducing severe bends like I did (the fog actaully changed directions 4 times) then I don't see a problem. Dryer pipe may actually be a better chiller since metal is such a great conductor (it will act as a heat exchanger). The ice will chill the metal pipe a lot better than the PVC. On the down side you may have to replace the ice more often for the same reason. The PVC will keep the cold on the inside. You will get colder fog but you will have to tend to it more.

How about PVC for the straight sections and a foot or two of dryer vent to aim it.


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

> quote:_Originally posted by Ooogiboogie_
> 
> Hmmm.. looks like I'll need about 30 more slabs of dry ice for the chiller.. that or just keep the windows closed this year..


Since you are having it indoors, all you have to do is turn up the heat.[8D]


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## Orb (Sep 30, 2003)

What a great chiller idea, had this built and "chilling" in no time.

Instead of using ice, I am just freezing a case of 8 oz water bottles and shoving them down the tube. Its great, no water to drain and I can do a quick refill!

Orb


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

Frozen water bottles sound like a great idea.

I response to my configuration of the "T", it WAS several inches from the fogger which may have contributed to more escape fog. However, since simply leaving a 1 inch gap between the fog machine and my chiller intake is working perfectly (not to mention lack of the smaller diamiter PVC shortens the overall length of the chiller) I'm not planning on making any changes.

Here's a tip fpr hiding the chiller. Home Depot or Lowes sells black corrugated outdoor drainage "pipe" that the 3" PVC fits in quite nicely. Cost to me was zip since I had some left over from a previous project, but it's VERY cheap. I think I paid $20 for 100 feet. I believe they sell it in smaller increments (maybe 10".


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

Orb! What a great idea, I've put 10 16oz. bottles in the freezer this evening. Ill report back tomorrow on results. Fingers crossed here for great results, no mess, reloading would be a snap. Anyone see a downside other then my kids going to school tomorrow without a water bottle? Heck there were only 10 left![)]
Brian Liem(avick)

Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## Spooky Chuck (Jun 14, 2003)

Orb, That is a killer idea! I'm going to test it this weekend. Welcome!!!!


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## bbayliss (Sep 29, 2003)

rweso
>Hot air rises. If the fog is chilled to 40* then the abient air rises to make room for the >chilled fog. (Physics note: cold air does not fall, the hotter air around it rises to makeing >room for it)Once the fog warms up to room temperature then the fog will begin to rise again.
This is not exactly a true statement. If you were only dealing with air then you would be correct. Fog fluid (if made corectly) is actually a mixture of two glycols and water, when the fluid is vaporised the "fog" actually has some weight to it, because it is hot then the particles are carried upward with the hot air. When the "fog" is chilled it becomes much denser and heavier and hugs the ground and "if made properly" dissipates as it starts to warm up instead of rising. That is what are low lying fluid is for.


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## Xandon (Sep 22, 2003)

hey, been reading all of this because I just bought a 400 WATT fog machine from Wally World and am going to try this chiller...but you recommend only using 700 watts or more...the purpose of my fogger is to fill a living room no more than 20 ft in lenght and width, should I take it back and get the larger one?! Or would the 400 do fine for a smaller room?

"a pumpkin tree!"
"NOO! A Halloween Tree!"


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

> quote:_Originally posted by Xandon_
> 
> hey, been reading all of this because I just bought a 400 WATT fog machine from Wally World and am going to try this chiller...but you recommend only using 700 watts or more...the purpose of my fogger is to fill a living room no more than 20 ft in lenght and width, should I take it back and get the larger one?! Or would the 400 do fine for a smaller room?
> 
> ...


Xandon, The 400watt fogger will handle a room that size with no problem. My haunt is outdoors and for that I recommend a larger fogger due to wind and the larger space to fog. Of course having "Tim the Toolman" as my idle, bigger is always better!
Brian Liem(avick)

Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

>>This is not exactly a true statement. If you were only dealing with air then you would be correct. Fog fluid (if made corectly) is actually a mixture of two glycols and water, when the fluid is vaporised the "fog" actually has some weight to it, because it is hot then the particles are carried upward with the hot air. When the "fog" is chilled it becomes much denser and heavier and hugs the ground and "if made properly" dissipates as it starts to warm up instead of rising. That is what are low lying fluid is for.<<

You are right that fog is a suspension but the temperature plays a big part in it. A hot air balloon is a suspension on a grand scale. The same rules apply. Heat rises.

You are also right that in the right conditions the fog will disipate instead of rise but a haunt generaly doesn't have the right conditons. I tend to generalize instead of going into exact detail. Keep in mind that most haunts use a lot of lighting and heat generated equipment that is close to the ground. Once the fog reaches a spotlight or a motor or a transformer the fog will heat up to hotter than room temperature.

You mentioned a low lying fog fluid. Is this different than regular fog fluid? Does it work without a chiller? Where can one get it?


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Xandon, I agree a 400w fogger should be fine for a room that size.


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Orb that's a great idea. I was thinking of making the chiller in 1' sections with a 3" PVC on the inside and the 4" pvc on the outside and filling the space between them with water and freezing the 1' sections before assembly. Your idea is much easier and cheaper.


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## Xandon (Sep 22, 2003)

okay thanks Liemavick and rweso much apprecitative of the help....very cool....can't wait to try it all out early next week! (i'll report back, probably with more questions *L*) 





"a pumpkin tree!"
"NOO! A Halloween Tree!"


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

ORB! great idea again, it works great. I froze 10 water bottles* and gave them a try. I fogged for one hour straight only stopping when the fogger reheated, they chilled the fog great. I left the chiller setup and I went to play golf, I returned 5 hours later. Just for the heck of it I sent some more fog thru the chiller with the same bottles in it and it still chilled the fog. I removed the bottles and only one was completly thawed, the rest still had some ice remaining. I think we have a winning combo here gang!

Brian Liem(avick)
*Aquafina 16.9 oz. bottles

Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Liemavick,

Did you use 3" PVC ? If so, can i assume there is very little space left for the fog to get thru? I'm just trying to picture this, but it seems like the bottles would barely fit in a 3" pipe.

I'm gonna build one as soon as i pick up a fogger, probably this weekend. But i wanna be sure i get it right. From what i gather the basic idea is just to have a 10 foot pipe that is about 9 feet of 3" PVC and about a foot of 2" PVC attached with fittings. The fogger nozzle sits about an inch from the opening at the 2" end of the pipe. Is that about all there is to it? I know theres a "T" fitting at the end, but from what i read it's not necassarily needed as long as the nozzle is an inch away from the pipe opening. Why does there have to be a 2" section of pipe anyway? What not just 10' of 3" PVC?


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Ok, i see now. The 2" section is so that when you pour the ice in it stops there, corrct? And can i assume the elbow at the 3" end where the fog emits is to hold the ice in? If so, then i guess the 3" elbow can be eliminated if you use water bottles, eh?


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

> quote:_Originally posted by dazco_
> 
> Liemavick,
> 
> ...


Dazco, Yes 3" is what I used for this fog chiller. The reason for the smaller pipe and "T" is to allow some of the direct heat from the fogger not to hit the ice imediately. Will it work without it? Let me know, I've never tried it. The bottles fit into the pipe with room to spare, the fog passes right by them. 

Brian Liem(avick)


Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Thanks Brian. I see now, but i think you posted before my last post where i asked why the elbow at the 3" end, and i think that MUST be eliminated if you use bottles or of course there would be no way to insert them. Anyway, i'm gonna look to see if i can get a not too expensive piece of steel pipe. I think it would be far better at cooling than PVC.


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

Dazco, Dont glue your parts together, The 90 elbow can be removed that way. Good luck on your steel pipe, and to think I thought a 10 ft. section of 3" pvc was heavy!
Brian Liem(avick)

Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Yea, but moving it once a year is no biggie. How much could it weigh.... 50 lbs, max? Now if it were something i had to do daily that would be a different story.


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## sheepies666 (Sep 22, 2003)

How much space should there be inside the pipe once it's filled with ice? Should I just fill the whole thing up and let the fog find it's way through the gaps in the ice or should I fill the pipe about 3/4 full and leave a little space at the top?


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## wolf65 (Sep 3, 2002)

When I tried it, I stuffed the pipe with as much ice as it could hold. It worked great!

<center>“by the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes.”</center>


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

One thing I would do with the bottles is insert them cap to cap and bottom to bottom. This way you have a nice arodynamic path.


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

my fellow haunters, Just to add to the confusion Im going to mention this mornings test. I filled 12" sections of 3" pvc capped on one end with water. I froze them on end over night and took them out this morning. I let them sit for an hour and unmolded the ice cylinders. I slid them into the chiller and proceeded to fog. My results are a lower fog then with the frozen bottles, but Im still back to the melted ice deal. Before someone asks, I allowed the the ice cylinders to melt enough to where there was a space between them and the sidewall of the chiller for the fog to pass. As the ice melts and this space increases it will get better flow. I REALLY like the bottle idea, but my best results so far are with the ice cylinders. If I was going to use the chiller indoors the frozen bottles are the way to go. 
Brian Liem(avick)


Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

Instead of waiting for the 3" to thaw enough for good flow, how about useing 2" pvc for the cylinders. Or fille the 3" pvc 3/4 of the way up to you have a space.

When you filled them did you experience any cracking of the pvc?


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

How long did they last?


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

Hello all, Update on the frozen ice cylinders made with pvc molds. They performed great and lasted over 3 hours. The pvc froze fine with no cracking. This is the route Im going to use this year since Im outdoors and dont have to worry about melting ice. Time for me to move on to the next prop/project! Good luck to all!
Brian Liem(avick)

Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## Tammers611 (Oct 3, 2003)

just bought everything to put this chiller together.
i have to say it makes alot more
sense than the styrofoam cooler method

as for another possible re-freezable 
insert doyou think heavy duty partially filled
balloons frozen would work?


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

I would think bottles would be easier and slide in and out of the pipe easier when changing time comes. I'm gonna try bottles this weekend. It seems like the easiest solution. I'm hoping they last a minimum of 3 hours which would require one change all nite. 

By the way, maybe it's just my fogger, but i find that when i put my hand a foot or so away from the nozzle the fog isn't even warm.


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## ocdanny76 (Oct 7, 2003)

I've been reading all of the posts on Liemavick's fog chiller and they've been really helpful. The only question I have now is: Has anyone made their fog chiller with one 90-degree bend in the 3" pvc pipe? Due to space limitations, I cannot use a 10-foot long section of 3" pvc pipe, so I was wondering if I could maybe use a 6-foot long pipe connected to a 4-foot long pipe using an elbow joint. That way, I could set the fog machine around the corner from where the fog will actually come out. Filling the pipes with ice would be a little more work than just using a straight length of pipe, but I have no other choice. What do you think?


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

OCDanny, No problem on turning corners. The idea you have has already been tried and it works well. Your right icing it will be a bit more of a trick, but it can be done. The ten foot length I used was for maximum chilling time for the fog, One fellow haunter cut it down and made two 5 ft. chillers and was very happy. 

Brian Liem(avick)



Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Brian.....you seemed to like the results from the PVC ice trays, but you never said if they work better or the same than bottles as far as keeping the fog down. What are the results as that goes?


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## ocdanny76 (Oct 7, 2003)

Thanks for the info. Brian! Your design is going to save me a lot of money and time this Halloween.

-Danny


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## Liemavick (Sep 23, 2003)

Dazco, The ice cyclinders are the best for chilling the fog out of the two choices. If I was setup inside I'd go with the frozen water bottles, less mess.
Brian Liem(avick)


Evil is, is what Evil does!


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## emeraldoak (Oct 7, 2003)

I've read every single post on this topic, and needless to say, I'm EXTREMELY excited over this idea!!! I've done my best to save as much $$$ as I could, but ~$20 for a simple and effective chiller is exactly what I'm looking for! This is the first time I've ever used a fog machine, and to see this design over the expensive copper tubing method was a real treat to find. I love the pics Brian posted, as there is PROOF the idea works! Thank you, Brian, for sharing!

Since I'm still a "ghost", I thank everyone who's been posting their ideas here. It's helping me out tremendously when designing my first haunted garage (20' x 20').

Now, this may not be the proper place to post this, but I'll do so in the hopes I'm not spooked to death. I'm looking for some great and cheap ideas that I can implement. I found some great floating ghosts at WalMart for $15 each, but I'd like more. Here's what I have so far:
-4 floating animitronic ghosts ($15 at WalMart - get the spooky one, the giggly one is, um, well, not scary )
-2 animitronic bats (wings flap and circles) ($3 at Target)
-fog machine + timer ($33 - $8 for the timer at WalMart, $25 for the fogger at Target)
-Non moving spiders, bats, skeletons and a few other props.

Since scary moving objects makes people go "wow!", I want more 
Since the pneumatics designs I've seen are expensive, I won't be doing any of those. I have a few ideas on some items, and they are:
-hanging black, wet string in my spider section. While it's dark, this'll spook 'em good!
-a 3' x 6' plank of wood tied (on all corners) to the rafters. It'll be about 1" - 2" off the ground, and as they walk on it, it'll begin to move (not much, since I don't want people falling off!)
-a balloon section. Some hanging, some on the floor. For some reason, balloons in a darkened room seems to really add to the effect.

Granted, I only have a 20' x 20' space, but the more "crowded" it gets, the better off it'll be. Oh, I did forget to mention I will be using black visqueen (plastic sheeting) and white drop cloths with black lights to create a maze, so any ideas should be able to fit in a 3' x 3' section.

I am a huge LEGO fan (yep, the toy!) and the robotics system would be great in creating flying and moving creatures. In the next few weeks, I plan on working on several designs for animitronics, but in case these ideas don't work due to the weight of some props, I'd like to look into creating cheap animitronics.

I apologize if this post isn't where it should be, but I felt it best to give my thanks to Brian and everyone for posting on the $20 chiller, and since it has quite a few reads, maybe some readers will turn to postors like I did 

Well, I'm off to go eat (ghoul soup...hahahaha) and I'll check back here daily for some ideas.
Oh, ps: I've been reading up on http://markbutler.8m.com/monsterlist.htm
for some ideas (that's where I thought up the swaying board idea...instead of a bride that's on the ground, raise it!)

Thanks to all and have a SPOOKY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!
=EO=

The Master of Halloween

Enter my lair, if you dare!


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## ScaredSilly (Oct 8, 2003)

Hey there! I am brand new here and this is the first post I stumbled across! How AWESOME! If this whole forum is this helpful... WOW. I had an idea about this piping, though, that I thought I'd share. What if...

Assuming your opening on the fogger is approx 1.5"... if the reason for having the "T" is ventilation for the heat, couldn't you just use 3 or 4 inch pvc right from the start and skip the "T", by just placing the larger piping over the smaller opening... the two pieces won't actually meet or touch so you get the ventilation. I will be using a shorter length of pvc, probably about 5 feet. The reason is that I plan on freezing the water directly in that pipe by capping the ends (and I don't have a lot of space to run 10 feet of piping across my yard!! lol). I will set it down level in my chest freezer after filling it approx 3/4 full. After it freezes I will place it laying in front of the opening of the fogger... 

My question is... is the elbow at the other end necessary? My husband says it might have to be there so the fog goes up and lays back down again, but since I simply want ground cover for my small front yard I was thinking a simple 5 foot length of 4" pvc laid with one end against the opening on the fogger and the other end pointing toward where I want the most fog would work fine.. Do you see any reason that actually freezing the water in my pvc pipe won't work? I was thinking that maybe.. If I drill a few drain holes at the top of the pvc AFTER the ice is frozen I can turn the PVC upside down so the frozen ice is on top and the holes are on the bottom for drainage... that way the 'hot' fog will rise AGAINST the ice at the top of the pvc and as the ice melts it will leave an opening at the top and bottom of the pipe. 

Thanks for your awesome ideas!!
Kristina


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

I had a lot of similar thoughts as you about why this and why that. I finally came to the conclusion that you just have to experiment and see what works for your fogger, your climate, and anything else that might make your results different. 

I think as far as those ideas of yours go, i believe freezing the ice in the PVC would work fine as witnessed by Brians similar experiment with the PVC "trays". Only thing is you may have to freeze 2 or 3 of em depending on how long your event goes. And as for using a 5 footer instead of 10......as has been said, it works, but i would imaging that the fog will not be as low lying, especially if you're pumping the machine's max amount of output or close. And the elbow at the end..........i'm not positive, but i belive it was used because the initial idea for this chiller was to use regular bag ice for which you'd likely need the elbow to keep the ice and melt water in. So as long as you are outside where the melt water isn't gonna cause problems i see no reason to use an elbow.

You really have to experiment i believe. I plan to test mine this weekend..........10' length with 2' of 2" and no T at the fogger end and no elbow at the business end.


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## rweso (Jul 25, 2003)

The reason you need the vent is so the fog mixes with fresh air, otherwise it will condense faster. You have air coming out of the pipe so you need air to replace it, if there is only one entrance then the fog will tend to not come out as well. So your idea is right on and you don't need the elbow. Haveing the ice up top wont work. Once it begins to thaw it will slide right to the bottom. No need for drain holes the water will seek it's own way out at either end.

Here is an idea for you though. If you are going to freeze the whole pipe then suspend a copper tube the size of the nozzle in the center of it (with styorfoam maybe). Now fill the pipe almost all the way up(leave room for the ice to expand). You will have an ice tube. You can leave the copper in there for the fog to pass through since it's a good conductor.


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

> quote:The reason you need the vent is so the fog mixes with fresh air


Or as some have done instead, just place the fog machine's nozzle about an inch away from the pipe and the gap will serve the same purpose.


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## scott (Sep 23, 2002)

HEY all! I've built three fog chillers using very cheap good quality fog machines "fog f/x" about 700 watts, these are currently at Target stores for $25 dollars. The chiller I built was made of pine wood 1/2"Thick x12"W x12"H x4'L, it has a small pancake fan on one end the style on every one's computer with a 1" rubber snout on the opposite end.It is covered inside and out with reflective foam isulation which can be purchased at any home building center. This chiller worked very well last year one chiller filled my front yard and many of the neighbors yards also. I've since built two more I might have $30 dollars in each chiller not including the fog machine!These are simple to build and cheaper than most models.I've used Dry ice and regular ice with minimal diffrence obviously dry ice works better and longer lasting results. I'ts Halloween Time!!!!!!![8)]


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## EWKTD (Sep 30, 2003)

I built the chiller and I have had only one prob with it. When you slide your water bottles in be careful not to let them block the opening. I fired up my fogger and most of the fog was shooting out of the "T". I had placed the bottles neck to neck and foot to foot and the neck of the first bottle had slipped into the hole on the other end. After shaking the bottles back the other way the chiller worked great!


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## emeraldoak (Oct 7, 2003)

Hi!

It's me again!

Just wanted to give everyone an update on the PVC chiller.

I went out to Lowes and bought the PVC piping I needed, and to my surprise, you can actually pick up LESS parts! 

I bought:
1-5' 3" PVC pipe
1-3" elbow
1-3" to 2" Converter
1-2" to 1 1/4" Adapter (note: adapter!!)
1-5' 1 1/4" PVC pipe
1-1 1/4" T pipe

All this cost me less than $11!!!

I tested the 5' range because my garage is only 20'x20'. It worked PERFECTLY!!!!!!

Next, instead of using water bottles, I'm going to fill 9 soda cans 3/4 full of water, freeze, and place in the pipe. I'm not confident the water bottles would cool the fog in 5', and since metal conducts temperature changes much faster, the soda cans will cool the fog much faster!
Worried about the water? Nope! I plan on using saran wrap and a rubber band around the "lid" to hold the water at bay. Some will leak, but not as much as the ice will 

I will re-post an update to let you know how the cans work out.
Until next time, Happy Halloween 
=EO=



Enter my lair, if you dare!


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## screamingjaw (Oct 6, 2003)

I had 6 feet of scrap 4 inch solid drainpipe,(pvc) from another project I built for Halloween. I bought a 4 inch cap and cut a 1 inch hole in it and placed a 45 degree elbow on the other end. It holds 9 20oz Sam's choice water bottles,(Frozen) and lays the fog on the ground ankle deep at 40 degrees F.

Works 10 times better than the $40 chiller I built 2 years ago and it is eaisly recharged. I found with the 45 on the end I can direct the fog toward the ground and it just sits there like a puddle. I hope it works as well when it gets colder since we sometimes get snow on Halloween.

Don't drop the Jacob's Ladder!


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Great stuff in those last couple posts.......thats what i wanted to hear ! A bit late tho, as i'm gonna be testing mine for the 1st time in about 2 hours.


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Finally tested the lite FX fog machine with the PVC chiller today. My results seemed different than others, and i discovered a few things. 

First of all, the frozen bottles didn't seem to have much effect. They thawed very quickly. But i really didn't see any difference in the performance with and without the water bottles! What i did find is that i needed to have the end of the pipe covered with a wet cloth or have it go into a box with little holes around the perimiter or something along those lines. This is because otherwise the fog shoots out so fast that instead of flowing slowly out and rolling along the ground, it takes of into the air. By putting a wet T shirt over the end and closing off the arm and neck holes and putting a rubber band around the PVC to hold the shirt tightly, the fog fills it and slows it down and it slowly rolls out in a great ground hugging effect. 

In the house it worked beautifully. Outside it was another matter because there was a slight breeze which allowed for no ground hugging at all. The fog was whisped away into the air as soon as it came out.This breeze always seems to slow down at nite, and every year we notice the dry ice works great as soon as the breeze slows around dusk. Problem is, i'm not sure if the fog machine fog is going to be as impervious to a very slight breeze as the dry ice.

But the one thing i don't understand is how no one here has ever mentioned the need to cover the end of the pipe to keep the fog from shooting out to fast and becoming airbourne. It works infinatly better this way. I plan on making a 5 or 6 foot long by approximatly a foot wide and 3-5 inches deep cardboard box , then cutting a hole for the pipe in the middle, punching 1" holes around the perimeter and covering it with a damp black cloth. The box will slow the fog and let it roll out the holes and thru the fabric.This will also spread it around the graveyard. I will still use the frozen bottles, but they really don't seem to do anything, which is baffling to me.

Another thing i noticed was that it worked much better if i triggered the burst with a short jab at the switch which was probably a 1/10th of a second with the switch pused, and doing this about every 1 second. My timer wasn't capable of such short on-time, but when i got home i modified it and now it will do that. I can now set it for the switch to make contact for a fraction of a second every 1 second, and this works great to keep fog constantly rolling out at a nice slow rate. If it triggers the switch for more than about a 1/2 second the burst doesn't stop when the trigger releases. It seems to have to go for another second or 2. But somewhere around a 1/2 second or less it emits and then stops as soon as the trigger releases. This seems to also allow it to emit fog for a longer period before reheating. It gives the effect i wanted in the 1st place, which is to say it simulates being able to turn the machine's fog output way down and make it emit constantly.

Oh, and the fog juice isn't lasting near as long as has been stated here. I went thru about a 1/2 quart during the 1 to 1-1/2 hr test, and this was with the machine operating probably 1/5th the time, if that. Judging from the amount it used i'll likely go thru at least 2 quarts on halloween, and wouldn't be suprised if i used a gallon.


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

Here's another thought on the chiller....could you put a "T" at the end where the fog comes out with extentions going out from the "T" to extend it maybe a foot either way and drill holes in the pipes to have the fog come out in several different holes?


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

I thought of that. But i realized i need a chamber of some sort for the fog to go into at the business end for the purpose of slowing it down and letting it seep out slowly. And i intend to make it large enough to come out over an area large enough to make a Y joint un-necassary. Otherwise that would have been my plan.


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## emeraldoak (Oct 7, 2003)

Seep out slowly?

If you prevent the fog from coming out the end, all it'll do is condense into liquid! I read your post, but not sure why you're having problems. The fog does plume out at the end, but as for a seeping mode, you may just need to extend your pipe a few feet and angle the output directly towards the floor (instead of up).
=EO=

Enter my lair, if you dare!


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

> quote:Seep out slowly?
> 
> If you prevent the fog from coming out the end, all it'll do is condense into liquid! I read your post, but not sure why you're having problems. The fog does plume out at the end, but as for a seeping mode, you may just need to extend your pipe a few feet and angle the output directly towards the floor (instead of up).


Because if i let it come right out of the pipe EVEN if i aim it at the floor, it will come out so fast that it just shoots up and it's gone ! The only way i can get a dry ice effect is to do as i said using an enclosed device of some kind at the end such as a fabric enclosure as i mentioned. Why your experience and mine are opposite, i dunno. But i assure you that the method i finally decided one is the only one that will work to get the effect i want with the machine i own. I tried everything yesterday and nothing else worked the way i want it to. Maybe your machine works very differently, who knows.


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## Tammers611 (Oct 3, 2003)

i tested it out the other night with only half of a small bag of ice, just to get some idea of 1. how its going to work
2. how much ice it was going to take

i was thinking about using the frozen water bottles, now i'm thinking that the ice is still a better idea.

with the water bottles there is very little surface area for the fog to come on contact with, and even though the bottles are a nice fit, very little to slow the fog down as it moves through the pipe

if you fill the pipe with ice there is tons more surface are for the fog to come in contact with the ice, and it is a direct contact
the ice should also delay teh flow of fog long enough to really cool it down.

i'm going to try a full pipe of ice tomorrow, set up with the timer
to see how well it works, tomorrow


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## tall tail (Oct 13, 2003)

creepybob how did you make your jumping clown pop up 9'?

Dan


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## gHostJen (Oct 13, 2003)

I'm still not understanding why one would not use dry ice pellets.


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Cost.........dry ice is about 10 times as expensive as regular ice.


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## gHostJen (Oct 13, 2003)

I have a party and expect about 75+ people so I don't want to have to tend to yet another detail. At $1.00/lb for pellets, I think it will be worth it since the dry ice should last longer than regular ice.


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Well, having used dry ice every year for all my fog till this year when i'll be using my first fog machine, i wouldn't think it'll last too long. We went thru 80 lbs last year just in a cauldren and a pumpkin. Plus i think the PVC chiller will likely hold a good 30-40 lbs judging by the size of our 10 lb squares we normally buy. Each square is only about 12x2x10. Crushed i believe the chiller would hold 4 of em with ease. Possibly a lot more. 

Go for it if the cost doesn't matter, but i'm just saying it will likely cost a ton. On the other side of the coin there are a couple nice benefits ......if your indoors the ice turns to fog instead of water, so you'll get more fog and not have to worry about soaking anything. As for how long it'll last tho, ours went quick. Maybe in a fog chiller you'll have better luck tho.


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## black_cat1979 (Oct 16, 2003)

Hey If your looking for a good inexspensive fogger, K-Mart has a lite f/x fogger for $29.99, I know it's a 700w machine. Not sure about CFM. I am doing a haunted house for a fire dept in Ohio. We already had one and bought this one this year. When I was testing it out, someone stopped by and thought the fire house was on fire. We use it for smoke training as well.

Wolf like the idea for the chiller, I plan on getting the stuff shortly.


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Thats what i got at Savon for 25 bucks. It does put out a lot of fog. I was afraid someone would call the fire dept when i was testing mine. After trying a gemmy a few days back i was suprised to see that it puts out a lot less. So either the lite FX puts out a lot or the gemmy puts out little. I think the gemmy would be better for low lying fog actually since it rolls out nice a slow, while the FX shoots it out at 100 MPH and makes it rocket into space ! I'm still contemplating buying a gemmy too.


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## Vikeman (Oct 17, 2003)

What a great site! First time post here! I was reading about the $20.00 chiller and decided to try it out. I had just made a chiller using the cooler method and didn't like the results. I bought the pipe today and I used 1 1/2 bags of ice. It worked great. It was a little windy, so it really didn't hug the ground for very long. But it worked much better than the cooler. I am going to make a piece for the end to direct the fog down. It seemed to do better when I held my hand at the end and forced the fog down. Thanks for a simple and cheap chiller!


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

Try a wet cloth like a towel over the end. It works great. Makes the fog just seep out and hug the ground real good.


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

I find the chiller works a lot better when you keep it at an anlge (open end to the ground). Since hot air rises, only the coolest of the fog in your pipe comes out the end.


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## gHostJen (Oct 13, 2003)

OK, I bought the parts today as well as 5 - 10 gallon Rubbermaid bins. I'm going to cut holes in the Rubbermaid bins and slide the 3" PVC through all 5. I will then fill the tube and the Rubbermaid bins (enough to cover the 3" PVC) with with dry ice pellets and then turn the fogger on. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I will not have to fill the bins with dry ice pellets all evening and that I'll have a nice blanket of fog! I had also thought about lining the Rubbermaid bins with foam insulation, but I don't think that will be necessary.


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

ghostgen - you need to be concerned about too much chill factor. If you make the fog too cold, it will re-condense (is that a word) and you'll wind up with NOTHING flowing out of your chiller pipe. I experienced the problem by just using too much plain ice.


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## gHostJen (Oct 13, 2003)

Thanks for the input! I was starting to wonder if perhaps the dry ice would end up cracking the PVC. Any input on that thought? Additional suggestions? With a large amount of people to feed, I will not have the freezer room to do the water bottles. Should I perhaps use only regular ice in the bins and limit it to a couple of bags per bin (enough to cover both sides of the PVC)? I'm doing this out doors so I'm not worried about the drainage. My current problem is that even though I have built the chiller, I'm still waiting for the fogger to arrive from an e-bay purchase. I'm afraid I will not have the time for too much trial and error. I have purchased a "High Performance" fog that is Antari Z-Fuel. I would imagine that all fog juice is pretty similar…


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

I'm all about keeping things as simple, effective, and cheap as possible. Before you go cutting holes in those plastic bins, try using just plain old ice in the chiller, especially since you're doing it outside. It seems to be working great for the rest of us, so you're experience should be similar. Use the plastic bins to store all of your new props once Halloween is over. I don't think you need them to chill the fog. The design works great as is.


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

$6.50 FOG CHILLER!

OK guys, in a previous post, I mentioned I used that flexible black corrugated drain pipe to camoflage my white PVC fog chiller. Well I picked up another fogger (FX Lite) from K-Mart (700W WITH a timer for $29.99, by the way) - instead of building another PVC fogger, I simply bought a $1.50 end cap for the black corrugated drain pipe (I bought a 50' roll for $20 some years ago, drilled a large hole in the end-cap, filled the pipe with ice, and voila! Works GREAT! I took some pictures as proof and will post as soon as I get a photo account!

Happy Haunting!


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

By the way, you can pick up a 10' piece of that black, corrugated, flexible drain pipe for about $5 at your local Home Depot or Lowes. Hence the $6.50 FOG CHILLER - $5 for the pipe, $1.50 for the end-cap. It's about 4 inches in diameter, so you can really stuff it with ice if desired; I only used about a bucket's worth and it worked great. As mentioned in previous posts, I found that too MUCH ice = too LITLE fog (condensation).


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## beevis (Oct 25, 2003)

$25 Fog Chiller

This discussion has been awesome. I took a look at ABS sewer pipe (I don't say that everyday), and made a 7 foot, 4" diameter chiller for $25 total. Used essentially the same parts as the original, including the T. Funny enough, it was cheaper to but a 4' section of 4" pipe, a 3' section, and a joiner that buying a single longer 7' piece. Instead of an elbow pipe at the output end, I bought a grate which holds the ice in, lets water drain out. 

Two good things about this option. First the 4" diameter means that much more cooling area. I have a 1200 watt fogger, but 7 feet is plenty long. Works great! Second, the pipe comes in black so no painting or having a shiny white PVC pipe in my graveyard.


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## viexdeux j (Sep 26, 2003)

I just posted pic of my $6.50 Fog chiller in action! You can view them in my photo album on this website.


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## snotrocket4u (Oct 28, 2003)

I've read everything you've had to suggest, scratched my head and my butt, constructed and deconstructed, done more then my share of creating colorful four letter words now I'm asking all of you foggy experts for your help....

I got the fog machine and all it did was make it look like I burnt another meal... not exactly the creepy look I was going for. 

I found the cooler suggested here was very pleased that it creeped out across the floor like spooky fog is suppose to....BUT...as soon as one of the cats dives across the room chasing invisible mice or the kid runs through the room after other equally invisible things it all billows up and changes my nice spooky fog into an smokey mess. 

What I would like to know... Is it at all possible to get the fog to stay down? Am I messing up this whole thing somehow? Or do I simply go with duct taping the cats and kids to the walls so they don't mess up my spooky fog?


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## screamingjaw (Oct 6, 2003)

Rocket, I used my fog machine at a birthday party on Saturday, (5th graders) and I don't believe there is anyway to keep the fog down when there is that much energy stirring it up. I did find however that when they played a game called "Graveyard" where they all play dead, only allowed to breathe and move their eyes that the fog covered them nicely for a very long time!

Don't drop the Jacob's Ladder!


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## snotrocket4u (Oct 28, 2003)

So this 'graveyard' game is alot like the duct tape them to the wall game only without legal mishaps?


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

I use mine in a garage and have it blow out my crypt facade. There is no movement at all in there and the fog still fills the room by the end of the night. I'm afraid there isn't much that can be done to fix the problem but I am going to try a fan placed at the back door of the gargage to atleast remove some of the smoke.


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## dazco (Oct 1, 2003)

I'm using mine outside, but tried it inside once and the fog stayed within about 2-3" of the ground and never rose at all. It just eventually dissipated. However, fogger fog, dry ice fog, real fog, any type of fog or smoke is NOT gonna stay down with activity happening in it ! Thats like asking how to blow at an ashtry with a lit cigarette in it without disturbing the smoke.


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## snotrocket4u (Oct 28, 2003)

Okay thank you for all your help. I figured maybe there was some way to get it so it would billow when you walked through it but then it would sort of sink back down again. I've tried just about everything and the only thing I managed to do was to set off my smoke detector at 2 in the morning ....My family loves me! 

Okay next question...Has anyone ever tried the Kitty Litter Cake?


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## black_cat1979 (Oct 16, 2003)

Hey guys,I must say I was very impressed with the results of this chiller. Had it set up going into a graveyard scene. I wish the pictures would have turrned out but unfourtinatly they didn't. We had headstones with green stobes going behind them one of those fan blown lantern lights (that when suround by the fog looked extremely real) and a green spot creating an eire glow. We had the fog comming out of the chiller on top of straw which also looked awesome. It was everyone favorite scence. Thanks fo the great chiiler idea. 

Happy Haunting!


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## OMorley (Oct 3, 2004)

Improvement:
Add a garbage bag to the end to allow a more constant flow of fog.


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## Guy (Oct 8, 2004)

I am in the process of building a chiller and was wondering if I can get better results using dry ice. I am looking for a ground cover affect.

G.Maltese


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## kristian (Aug 26, 2004)

I have extended my PVC length to 20 feet, and get great results. The fog just oozes out and hugs the ground really well. I started off with 12 feet of 3", but figured out that more lenght would give better results. You also need to set your timer so the fog does not burst out too quickly. My timer has an 'output' level on it that lets me regulate the time per burst, interval between bursts, and output level.

Because of this, I haven't attempted to use dry ice.


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## the spooky kid (Aug 6, 2004)

i made 1 of theese and i used a 4 or 5 ft pipe with frozen waterbottles with my 200watt the fog machine by gemmy and it was great!![^]

the spooky kid


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## CarolinaGhost (Sep 29, 2004)

I bought the Lite F/X 1200 Watt Constant Fogger from Party City (Same as K-Mart with metal cover). Will I have to make some adjustments to the PVC chiller to accomodate for the constant fog?


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## coolchris540 (Oct 1, 2006)

I just made mine, I went to Lowes and they didn't have a 3in to 2in converter, so I used a 3 to 1 1/2in converter and a bigger pipe and tee. So you could really pick up less things. I spent like 20 dollars, a lot better that the cooler style chillers.


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## Lilly (Sep 26, 2006)

Just want to add my two cents worth. We used the directions for the PVC fog chiller 2 years ago after "learning" that just blowing the fog out doesn't give the right effect. We use ice, our's is outdoors and the temps here are cold that time of year, so the ice barely melts anyway. The fog is great, the price is right. IT WORKS!

Who asked about kitty litter cake? Yes I have tried it, made it for a birthday party. I have seen several recipes for it. The one I made used tootsi rolls for the brown surprise. I don't remember exactly, but I think I decided if I ever made it again I would make a cake we like better hidden under the kitty litter topping.

Lil


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## Tida Tut (Oct 11, 2006)

*What am I doing wrong?*

Hello everyone! I'm new! I gotta say that I love this forum and I am learning so much that it's becomming addictive. Everyone here is so creative. You're all doing a great job! 

Well, I've scoured every single post (at least i think i have) about Fog Chillers. So, I built the $20 pvc pipe. This is what I have: The T, 2ft 2in PVC pipe, 10ft 4in. corrugated drain pipe filled with frozen Nestle .9 fl oz water bottles, and a 1000W 8000CFM Fitco fogger.

The problem is that the fog shoots out so fast it doesn't have time to chill. Some of the fog hugs, but the majority of it floats away and disspiates - quickly I might add. 

I tried waiting in between short bursts, but those bursts had to be really really short... like barely pressing the button, and I had to wait a good minute or so in between. That helped a lot , but I don't want to sit there pressing the button all night.

Is that the way it works for everyone here? What do you guys suggest?


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## Moon Dog (Oct 3, 2006)

Do the water bottles fit in the 4" pipe snuggly?

If not, the fog won't be slowed down enough to get chilled by the bottles,
it will just flow around the bottles and out... path of least resistance.

Also, the walls of the 4in. corrugated drain pipe may not be thick enough 
to keep the cool inside the pipe.


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## Tida Tut (Oct 11, 2006)

No, the bottles don't fit snuggly. There is about 2" of space btwn the bottle the drainpipe. I believe they are the same size as the aquafina bottles, plus i'm using 4" instead of 3" anyway, so there should be more space in the cooling chamber. 

The drain pipe is way thinner than the pvc pipe, but I wanted to use it for it's flexibility as I don't have space for 10' of PVC - plus it's heavy! 

Do you have any suggestions on how to get the pipe cooler then?

Thanks again


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## Otaku (Sep 10, 2004)

I'd try the larger water bottle suggestion. You need to get a little back pressure in the system.


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## Tida Tut (Oct 11, 2006)

Well, I don't have bigger bottles at the moment - just 24 of those little suckers. What I did was put the bottles and some ice. It worked great. Not as thick as I'd hope, but still much much better. If i'm using these waterbottles, do you think copper tubing would be an improvement or a waste of time? 

I read somewhere that you can add a teaspoon of glycerine or glycerol to make the fog thicker. Is this a good idea? And which one is it exactly? The same kind of liquid glycerine used for soap making?


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

We use the type of Glycerine found in a Drug Store, but use it really sparingly; a tiny amount makes a noticable difference, and you don't want to clog your pump. Also, Formaldehyde is a by-product of the fog. Keep that in mind.


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## DrIceAZ (Oct 23, 2006)

*Dry ice water ice mix?*



dazco said:


> Well, having used dry ice every year for all my fog till this year when i'll be using my first fog machine, i wouldn't think it'll last too long. We went thru 80 lbs last year just in a cauldren and a pumpkin. Plus i think the PVC chiller will likely hold a good 30-40 lbs judging by the size of our 10 lb squares we normally buy. Each square is only about 12x2x10. Crushed i believe the chiller would hold 4 of em with ease. Possibly a lot more.
> 
> Go for it if the cost doesn't matter, but i'm just saying it will likely cost a ton. On the other side of the coin there are a couple nice benefits ......if your indoors the ice turns to fog instead of water, so you'll get more fog and not have to worry about soaking anything. As for how long it'll last tho, ours went quick. Maybe in a fog chiller you'll have better luck tho.


I am wondering if anyone has tried a mix of the 2 ices. I am going to build a version of this chiller tomorrow and I am seeing a lot of good and interesting ideas here. Has anyone tried "layering" the two different ices? I am thinking that if you alternate the two ices it would have two effects. First having the two ices mixed should help the dry ice "fog" better than by itself. Second the dry ice should slow the melt rate of the wet ice making it last longer. 

Any thoughts?


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## cncmomma (Oct 23, 2006)

Wolfman said:


> We use the type of Glycerine found in a Drug Store, but use it really sparingly; a tiny amount makes a noticable difference, and you don't want to clog your pump. Also, Formaldehyde is a by-product of the fog. Keep that in mind.


yes, I noted this online somewhere as well...one TBLSP of Glycerin per quart of fog juice to make the fog hang lower. Glycerin can be found in the toothpaste aisle of most drug stores...didn't know about the by-product though so thanks for that  

I tried the horrible styrofoam chest cooler method which was a disaster last year...I'll be trying this one this year so thanks to all for the input.


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## pensacolahaunter (Oct 6, 2006)

You Guys Are Great , Im Picking Up Supplies Tomorrow . Thanks For All Your Knowledge And Time Spent;


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## pensacolahaunter (Oct 6, 2006)

I Must Have The Lowes From Beverly Hills. Total Cost 40.00 Not Complaining Though Will Try It This Weekend To See If It Works.


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

This is an old thread but I’m going to give it a shot. I’m so over my igloo chillers and the fog pouring out around the lids every single year no matter what I try!

The pictures from this design aren’t available anymore but it sounds like the general consensus is a couple feet of 2” PVC (with no ice) connected to 5-10 feet of 3” or 4” PVC with frozen water bottles and possibly some loose ice thrown in and an elbow on the output end. Love the grate idea to contain the ice.

Did anyone determine if there was a substantial difference between the corrugated thin black drainpipe vs PVC and is the smaller diameter piece near the input really necessary? PVC is thicker so it would be more insulating but does that matter? My cemetery foggers are a Froggy’s 1300w and Martin 1000w so I would likely need to go with 10 feet for each of them. If I can get away with the black thin stuff it’s less weight and hassle though. I always give the foggers a couple inch air gap at the chiller inputs so I would do that to avoid the T. Thanks!


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

Also, I attach a large plastic trash bag to the output of my chillers with a hole on the far end on the bottom where it is against the ground. Fog fills the bag then slowly exits the hole which seems to help. Assume that would be beneficial with the pipe design as well.


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## GhoulishGrl (3 mo ago)

wolf65 said:


> I mentioned before I was going to try to make this $20 chiller:
> http://www.geocities.com/liemavick/Fogchiller.html
> 
> My original thought was to use our mini fog machine, but discovered it wasn't powerfull enough with this chiller. It made a great little fog pool, but no where near enough to fill the monster size/monster mud cauldron I made. I next tried my larger fog machine and the effect was perfect! The fog roles down the sides and swirls in the grass. I think I need a smaller pop up scare though. If you disturb the fog it will float up like smoke much like non-chilled fog. I will probably try it with a large bat or spider. The only downside to this chiller is the 10 feet of PVC pipe, other designs are much more compact. The styrofoam ice chest chiller I made last year was no where near this good though.
> ...


Hey there! Is there anyway you could maybe message me on here if that’s possible or email me your chiller design? After reading 7 pages of comments I was super excited to see the actual design but when I click on the link you posted it just opens up a yahoo.com window. My email is [email protected] . 
Thank you!
Michelle


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## untillater (Oct 3, 2011)

GhoulishGrl said:


> Hey there! Is there anyway you could maybe message me on here if that’s possible or email me your chiller design? After reading 7 pages of comments I was super excited to see the actual design but when I click on the link you posted it just opens up a yahoo.com window. My email is [email protected] .
> Thank you!
> Michelle


this thread is from 2003......


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