# Neat lil' fog trick



## mrhamilton234 (Sep 7, 2008)

Hey all, do you want to know a cheap way to make fog cooler without making an expensive chiller with the works? I have a solution. Here's what you need:

a fog machine

a long piece of PVC pipe (the middle thick enough to fit over the fogger's spout)

a grate (or a circular piece of wood with big holes taken out of it)

some tape

First, you'll need toplace the PVC pipe on the spout of the fogger. Then, tape the grate on the other end of the pipe. This trip the fog takes will make the fog cooler and make it lay on the ground a little more than if you just use the fogger without the pipe. Another suggestion is placing the end of the pipe in an area where the fog will be needed, like a graveyard scene, but hide it cleverly behind a tombstone or some shrubery.


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## litemareb4xmas (Mar 31, 2009)

I have been using pipes, only I fill em with ice, works great, and can have my fog machine hiding, only prob is disguising the pipes sometimes, and when you do disguise em, you have to pull em up to refill before the next nites show.
I have a large pumpkin with a hole in the back for the pipe to run in, and then I have a witches cauldren I do the same with.
I use straw to cover em.


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## Freak 'N' Stein (Feb 14, 2007)

$20 Fog Chiller

I too went the PVC pipe with ice route two seasons back. Worked like a CHARM!!!


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Sep 17, 2008)

I built that one too Freak last year, however the wind caused it to not work as well as when I tested it originally....hoping for better this year and will be adding a second fogger with chiller for sure, trying a cooler style.


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## Revenant (Feb 24, 2009)

If you went mrh's route of just the heatsink method with the pipe and no ice, do you think using aluminum stovepipe or downspout would cool it more? Aluminum is great for sinking heat; does a good job keeping my computer from frying heheh

I can see benefits of going this simple route if you don't need the fog bone-chilled... maybe it would rise a bit more, giving a more ambient body-level fog instead of just pools on the ground. Hmm... need to test... gotta buy some froggys


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## BoogieMan (Jun 10, 2009)

Using dryer vent tubing ( either the plastic or the shiney version ) works really great , is flexible so you can bend and angle it any way you choose and , if you place it properly ( leave at least 2 inches from the tip/nozzle of the fogger to the beginning of the tubing ) , you will get EXPANSION , which is why , with NO cooler , or piping , the fog blows away in the air before giving a good show . 
When the fog is allowed room to expand ( which is what happens naturally when it comes out of the fogger ) it will hang lower and also allow the fog to get thicker than if you just let it come straight from the fog machine into the air . 
Try it ... it only costs about $4.00 for a flexible dryer vent hose tube :
( see pic below )
This picture is of the shiney metal one , which is what I use and holds up really well . If you get the vinyl version , and you get it too close to the fogger nozzle , it will melt the vinyl, so you have to make sure , you leave enough room for two reasons - 1) to allow the fog to expand 2) to prevent your vinyl tube from melting . ( unless you simply use the semi rigid metal one )
This comes in differnt lengths and you CAN join them , but , I would not suggest going over 10 foot in length anyway ... unless your fogger has a HIGH pressure output .


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## TNBrad (Sep 12, 2007)

I did something along those lines but I added frozen bottles of (Rock)salt water in different turns in the drier hose.


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## DannyK (Sep 21, 2008)

was just thinking about a project i came up with for an instant beer chiller in my tailgating days that may work for this application...

take an old cooler...ice chest whatever you want to call it...and pop a hole in each side. Take some tubing (we used thin wall copper tubing for the beer) and coil it inside the ice chest (you could probably go with the coil of dryer vent tubing for the most effective heat transfer).

Run your inlet (keg, or in this case fog) and the outlet tubes to the cooler and viola...instantly cold beer...errr...fog. Because of the coiled design this will take up a minimum of space and can be disguised as a tombstone, or other prop quite easilly. This will also keep the ice colder longer as it is better insulated and it's only heat introduction will come from the fog, instead of the environment as well. 

I will draw up plans for this and attempt to post if anyone is interested...but I think it's pretty self explainitory. 

hope this helps. If anyone tries this (i may just have to buy a fog machine and try it out myself) please let me know how well it works.

-DK


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

I tried this using a refrigeration coil in an ice chest. The simple fact of the matter is that for the sake of ease and convenience it is just easier and more effective to have a chicken wire tube run through the ice. The fog passes so fast trough the coil that it doesn't really have any effect.


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## DannyK (Sep 21, 2008)

bummer...though it would work...well, at least I'll have cold beer and we all know that aside from free, COLD beer is the best kind out there!!

-DK


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## Deviant (Jun 20, 2009)

Fog Machines - Your Guide to using Fog Machines for Halloween

this is what I use and it does ok


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## DannyK (Sep 21, 2008)

very nice, my faith has been restored in the ice chest fog chiller idea...maybe I'll make one for the fog and a seperate one for my Guiness...

-DK


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## njwilk (Oct 18, 2005)

I use a length o f drainage pipe left behind by the contractor who dealt with my neighbor's water problem - about 12 feet long, corrugated, no holes. I have a pvc reducing connector at the end near the fogger - not attached to the fogger, about five inches from it. The other end of the pipe has a trash bag duct-taped to it (cut hole in the bottom of the bag, insert pipe). The fog cools down going through the pipe then further cools and is spread out inside the bag before it slowly releases from the 30-inch opening in the bag. The pipe and bag are behind my ship facade, the fog oozes out under the ship's bow and through my cemetery. I can add ice in the pipe or in the bag, but usually don't.


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## Homestead Haunt (Jun 15, 2006)

I use a rather large fog chiller but I do like placing a bag on the end of the output to flatten out the fog. Seems like a simple yet effective solution....


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## njwilk (Oct 18, 2005)

Got the idea from a friend of mine who used to do theatrical sets. He's been a great advisor to me on my haunt set ups.


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## rebelxwing (Oct 7, 2008)

I built a cheap little fog chiller a few years ago out of a little styrofoam ice chest from Walmart (about 5 bucks) and made a chicken wire "pipe" inside the ice chest for the fog to go through. Fill it with ice, put the fog machine on top of the ice chest, cover both with blackout cloth and the fog comes right out of the ice chest exit pipe really cold and laying close to the ground!


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## jlb307 (Oct 15, 2007)

rebelxwing said:


> I built a cheap little fog chiller a few years ago out of a little styrofoam ice chest from Walmart (about 5 bucks) and made a chicken wire "pipe" inside the ice chest for the fog to go through. Fill it with ice, put the fog machine on top of the ice chest, cover both with blackout cloth and the fog comes right out of the ice chest exit pipe really cold and laying close to the ground!


I've always been told that you should line the styrofoam chest with something becaus the fog solution causes it to dissolve.
Is this not the case?


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## rebelxwing (Oct 7, 2008)

No, jlb307; I've used the styrofoam fog chiller for several years now and the fog has done no damage to the inside of my chiller. It was either misinformation or I wonder if perhaps someone had tried injecting hot fog directly into styrofoam and the heat caused the foam to melt?


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## Otaku (Sep 10, 2004)

Deviant said:


> Fog Machines - Your Guide to using Fog Machines for Halloween
> 
> this is what I use and it does ok


The Gotfog chiller - the classic straight-through design - can be easily modified to improve performance. At about the mid-point of the wire mesh tube, cut the mesh and insert a disc of thin plastic. I used a trimmed coffee can lid. Seal it in place with some RTV or hot melt glue. Wrap a thin rubber sheet halfway around the wire mesh tube with the open portion facing down into the ice chest. This will be on the inlet side. Secure the sheet with long cable ties. Do the same thing on the opposite end of the wire mesh tube, with the open portion facing up. When the hot fog comes in, it's forced down into the ice and has to go through a lot of cubes before it goes back out. This will reduce the thrust of the fog a bit, but it sure comes out cold. This isn't my idea; I found this mod posted somewhere out on the web and can't find the page anymore. The originator had before and after vids of the mod - it makes a big difference. Here's a pic of what the mod looks like.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

Otaku, that looks pretty cool. It definitely looks like it would keep the fog in their longer -- allowing it to chill more. I'm guessing it works on the principle of new (warm) fog pushing out the old (cold) fog?

I might need to try that, I just need to find a cooler I can cut up.

Thanks for the pic, it really helps.


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## Revenant (Feb 24, 2009)

That's cool... it's a Gotfog chiller but using Vortex principles. Hybrid!


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## OpenTrackRacer (Sep 12, 2008)

I made three Vortex style chillers last year. They worked very well and were easy to construct.



















They can be pretty pointless outside if there is any wind. This year I'll probably only use one for my inside display.


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## S1n1sterTech (Aug 29, 2009)

i built a fog cooler last year with the pvc going up into a cooler and out the other side and the thing worked awesome lol I was able to take a cheep $20 wall mart fog machine and fog up the whole block somewhat, this year i think i will build a 2nd one with a trash can


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## thanatos (Jul 15, 2005)

Will this work with a 400W fog machine for either the vortex or pvc with frozen H2O bottles?


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## S1n1sterTech (Aug 29, 2009)

well i think my cheep fog machine is a 400W and i use a vortex style


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## thanatos (Jul 15, 2005)

think i will give this a try, should do good since i want the loy layibg fog in my garage.


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## Revenant (Feb 24, 2009)

I hope you have a surface other than smooth-finished bare concrete to walk on. Chilled fog causes a lot of condensation; you don't want your floor getting slick when it gets wet. If the concrete's rough and grainy like an outdoor patio surface you'd be fine.


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## OpenTrackRacer (Sep 12, 2008)

I have a smooth sealed garage floor and haven't encountered any issues with fog making the floor dangerous. If anything, the fog fluid ends up being a bit sticky.


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## S1n1sterTech (Aug 29, 2009)

Revenant said:


> I hope you have a surface other than smooth-finished bare concrete to walk on. Chilled fog causes a lot of condensation; you don't want your floor getting slick when it gets wet. If the concrete's rough and grainy like an outdoor patio surface you'd be fine.


that really depends on the type of fog juice you use if it becomes stick or slippery


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## piraticalstyle (Sep 1, 2009)

Wow, I'm new to the forum and I'm already overwhelmed with new ideas. 
I have a question about these fog chillers, though, and hope you folks can help me. I made the "Gotfog" style chiller several years ago, and have been satisfied with it, but not thrilled. I really want to add another fogger to my haunt, and will want to chill it as well. I have never seen those "Vortex" style foggers before. Can someone explain these in more detail, and does anyone have some video of how well they work? What's your opinion, do they work better than the 'gotfog' unit? 
Thanks.


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## Otaku (Sep 10, 2004)

Yes, the Vortex design is very good at chilling the fog. If you Google "vortex fog chiller" you can find info and videos of the design. I posted a pic earlier in this thread that shows a modification to a GotFog chiller that significantly improves the effectiveness. I recommend making this mod to your existing GotFog unit.


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## piraticalstyle (Sep 1, 2009)

Otaku,

Thank you very much. A mod to my chiller is definitely on the list for this year. I saw the Vortex chillers at Hauntcon when they were in Denver a few years ago, and was highly impressed with them. Didn't know, until now, how to make one myself.


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