# Fog Chiller Question



## Kurt (Sep 5, 2006)

*Styrofoam cooler chiller*

Howdy Jen,

I pretty much followed the directions found here: http://gotfog.com/fog_machine_chiller.html

So you don't have to read all my diatribe (sp) below:
1) It worked great, but I think my fogger sucks.
2) I can't compare it to the larger trashcan version, but I'm sure the trashcan does a better job, but you'll need a fogger that moves enough air to push that smock through 15ft+ of tubing.
3) It is a little more difficult to build than the latest 6' of 3" PVC I'm reading about, but the cooler is easier to store (heck, it's storage in itself!)

I built mine in a pinch after making an impulse buy at the local Party City store on a POC fog machine on Oct 29th. I built it the same night. I had to start my last minute tombstones the next night. 

All in all I think I had the thing constructed and tested inside of a 3 hours (including drive time to Home Depot for some parts and drying time for the foam I used to seal the ends.)

I made two mods that I'm not sure if it mattered much:

Mod #1: I drilled my holes more towards the bottom.

In my mind, this has the added benefit that the fog coming in will have more room to raise. If that isn't the case, then at least the coolest air should sink to the bottom between shots.

The flaw there may be that the fog may just shoot on through from one end to the other and I end up losing some cooling because of the limited amount of ice around the mesh. I also run the risk of negatively affecting flow as the ice melts and water starts the rise above the levels of the hose.

Mod #2: I replaced the chicken wire mesh with dryer machine tubing. In the confined space, I was able to loop the tube around twice inside the cooler. I guess I doubled the volume inside the cooler, but I limited the ability for the fog to penetrate into the ice or the cooled air in the chiller to penetrate the fog in the tube.

As for how well it worked...the fog certainly stayed low to the ground, but my fogger didn't produce nearly enough of the grey stuff. This year I hope to add a second POC fogger to my setup and use an addition Y connector so that both foggers go through the same chiller.


----------



## Otaku (Sep 10, 2004)

I have seen one set of plans using a styro cooler. Durability is one reason that most people don't use them. The other reason is that fog comes out hot, and may damage the cooler. You generally want the fog to get into the cooling chamber quickly so it can expand, which means it will still be fairly hot.


----------



## gennifyr (Aug 22, 2006)

Ty, my husband was all gung ho about using a styrofoam cooler but I was sure that it couldn't be a good idea.


----------



## Zombie_boy (Aug 29, 2006)

gennifyr,

I've been thinking about using a styrofoam cooler to make a chiller too. Maybe it's a guy thing. My goal is to make a chiller for under $2. I don't care if it only lasts one season. If I ever get it built I'll post it.


----------



## gennifyr (Aug 22, 2006)

We went to Walmart to look for a cooler but of course they had none so we checked out the garbage can department and they had these small rubbermaid containers for $3.97 CAD. It's a bit bigger than our 400W chiller but not by much. We bought that but now we are having trouble finding something to connect the fogger to the chiller. Nothing comes in the right size. As soon as it's sorted I'll post a pic.


----------



## Kurt (Sep 5, 2006)

*My Chiller*

I guess I overlooked your original intent on using a styrofoam cooler. I used a traditional cooler...plastic outside, foam core.

I can't really say that I've had any experience with one of those very inexpensive coolers.

I've attached a photo of my cooler with my dryer hose installed. The cooler is just 22 inches wide, but there is about 4ft of 3in hose...over 200% more cooling volume.

I'd avoid the small cheap styrofoam coolers. I don't really buy that the heat would damage it. However, I just don't think that it would be large enough to really cool the fog down enough.

For a cooler, you might check out some place like Big Lots. 

Also, since it is getting to the end of the summer, I would expect that coolers will start getting pretty cheap at Target, WalMart and the sports stores. 

Shell out the $20 for a decent sized cooler a dedicate the time to build a decent, inexpensive chiller. You don't want to spend as little as possible then be utterly disappointed in your creation.

Best of luck
Kurt


----------



## Kurt (Sep 5, 2006)

One last thing...buy a half decent fogger.

I have a 400W POC from party time. I doesn't produce enough fog to fill a 120sq.ft. room.

Kurt


----------



## wilbret (Oct 8, 2004)

*Buy a cooler*

For 13 whopping bucks or less, you can get a nice sized igloo. 
It will be large enough to store the fogger and other accessories INSIDE. Pretty good deal by my standards.

However, I am ditching the fog chiller. It is too windy here around Halloween and I can't control the setting, so the fog is pretty useless. Plus, it is usually so hot that I can't keep enough ice in the cooler!


----------



## gennifyr (Aug 22, 2006)

Thanks for the advice. I have no intention of upgrading my two cheap 400W foggers. They do the job that I want and I don't have the funds to go crazy on halloween stuff. I'll try out my rubbermaid container and see how it works.


----------

