# On Repairing Fog Machines



## neverhart (Sep 5, 2011)

Every fogger I've ever bought hasn't lasted more than one season. Ive tried cleaning with distilled water, and the less-than-ideal vinegar (supposed to break down the pump lube but only tried it as a last resort) with only minimal levels of improvement. Don't know what I'm doing that kills them so efficiently, but the symptoms are always the same: fog volume decreases, pump starts buzzing louder and louder. I've tried taking them apart and cleaning them out, but I'm always paranoid of the million tiny pieces and gaskets, and don't really know how tightly to wrench them back together. These pumps are made of pure Chinesium and aren't designed to be very hardy, so rather than waste time I don't really have, I decided to just replace them and see what happened.

I ordered a couple replacement pumps from Amazon and did a quick snip 'n replace and now I don't know what took me so long. You don't even have to be careful of the polarity since they're AC and it doesn't matter. (I think?)

The pumps I replaced were in a couple of cheaper no name models, but even my ADJ fogger seems to use the same style pump. For reference, the pumps to replace were one 30DSB-ZJF, and one 40DCB-31, which I replaced with this and this, respectively. Both were referred to as "oil pumps," and cost about $11 each. Other than the model number, the only consideration seemed to be the diameter and style of the connecting hardware. (I'm sure you could retrofit this, but I don't have a lot of pipe fittings just lying around.) While I had the machines apart, I was able to run the supply lines in a manner which will make future servicing easier.

If the pumps are the weak link, it makes sense to me to spend a little more to keep my foggers working. My question to the community is this: is it possible to upgrade the pump with a better one for less than $50? And if so, what specs/models do I look for to make sure the pump I'm buying will work?

To take it further, I'd also be interested in how to replace the heater, since that seems to be the second most common failing.

thanks!-n


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## exascale (Jan 3, 2018)

My Mister Kool failed to launch after coming out of storage on Halloween night. It heats up but the pump seems dead, it doesn't even hum. The 12v blower fan does work however. The OEM pump (Z-MK-P) is no longer available. All of the pumps on Ebay and Amazon seem questionable and ship directly from China. Is there any reputable USA sellers of replacement fog machine pumps that anyone here uses?


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## Blancaster (Nov 19, 2016)

I spoke to David, a rep at Froggys Fog a few weeks ago. He said you only need to clean/flush your fogger out after about every 40 hours of use. He said that after you have flushed it, you need to run new fog juice though it and store it with fog juice in the lines. He said that their fog juice has some sort of lubricant in it to protect the gaskets and such and keep your fogger running strong.


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## MonsterJack (Nov 11, 2018)

I'm sure you've already thought of this, but when my Chauvet Hurricane started putting out very little fog after only around 8 hrs. of use it turned out the brass fog juice filter that was clogged. I tested the machine without the filter and it nearly fogged up the entire yard. BTW, I'm still looking for a replacement filter if anyone knows where to find one I'd be thankful.


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## MonsterJack (Nov 11, 2018)

Did that mean 40 continuous hrs. or 40 chronological hrs.? What if you only use it for like 6 hrs. on Halloween?


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

MonsterJack said:


> I'm sure you've already thought of this, but when my Chauvet Hurricane started putting out very little fog after only around 8 hrs. of use it turned out the brass fog juice filter that was clogged. I tested the machine without the filter and it nearly fogged up the entire yard. BTW, I'm still looking for a replacement filter if anyone knows where to find one I'd be thankful.


 You may be able to find a filter similar to what was on it by searching pneumatic valve filters/mufflers or try Mcmaster Carr and search for mufflers.


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

neverhart said:


> ...I ordered a couple replacement pumps from Amazon and did a quick snip 'n replace and now I don't know what took me so long. You don't even have to be careful of the polarity since they're AC and it doesn't matter. (I think?) ...
> 
> My question to the community is this: is it possible to upgrade the pump with a better one for less than $50? And if so, what specs/models do I look for to make sure the pump I'm buying will work?
> 
> ...


 You are correct about polarity with AC in this instance, it doesn't matter.

I built a high output fogger years ago and used a low pressure fuel pump, it worked pretty good, but had too much output for the heater and would end up pumping out liquid if left on constantly. 




the heater is really a heating element that heats a copper tube until the fluid boils which vaporizes the fluid into smoke. I have built heater cores as well, but the machines you are talking about have tubes that are very tiny, hence the clogging issues. I bet it would be cheaper to buy new fogger's than to rebuild the core's for the small ones.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

An ultrasonic cleaner and the proper solvent can do wonders for clearing line, filters, etc.
If you use water to flush your fogger, I would suggest using distilled water rather than just tap water. With the minerals removed from the water, there's that much less gunk to get deposited in any of the lines, pump, etc., then, possibly doing the addition of the fog juice for storage. Keep in mind, that gunk in the air, or fluid can quickly clog and, possibly, ruin your fogger. You've made an investment in your equipment, so doing the extra bit of labor helps you get the most bang/fog for your buck.


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## MonsterJack (Nov 11, 2018)

Thanks!


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