# Dang!



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Hi all,
Well, my Lite FX 1741 700W fogger finally bit the dust, mostly. It still squirts a bit of fog, but the heater definitely clogged up during the off-season. The pump works fine but the fog output is very anemic. I'll be opening the heater up in a day or two to see what's up in there. Meantime, I thought I'd check with all y'all and see if anyone has opened the heater core in this particular machine and had some do's/don'ts to pass along. Thanks!


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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

OK, so I stripped out the heat exchanger. That's definitely where the problem lies, so I'm going to pull off the fittings and clean out the tubes. It's actually pretty easy to remove the exchanger, I'll get some pix as I go along.
I know it's probably easier to get a new cheapo fogger but I really like this machine and besides, I can't pass up the challenge. Abstract knowledge and all...


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## eanderso13 (Apr 10, 2008)

Cool, Otaku! Your information helped me fix the pump on my LiteFX fogger last year, so I;m very interested in what you find in the heater assembly!


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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

What you'll need:
21mm socket or wrench
Teflon thread tape
Compressed air nozzle with a tapered rubber tip
70% alcohol
Bench vise or C clamp to hold the block to the bench

When disassembling the fogger, you may want to label the wiring so that you don't mix up the connections. The wiring harness in my machine is easy to re-connect; the wires can only go to the proper locations but yours may be different.
When unwrapping the insulation from the block, note the location of the overtemp sensor. It's embedded in the insulation about 50% of the length of the block. Try to salvage the teflon wrapping tape for re-use. You can probably use thread tape to rewrap the block.

Clamp the block in the vise or use a clamp to hold it to a bench. Be careful to not distort the shape of the block. Remove the inlet and outlet fittings from the block (21mm). They're very tight, so use a socket, large Crescent wrench or a box-end to take them off. Don't use a wrench that is slightly oversize or you'll round the fittings. Clean out any bits of the teflon tape left in the threads. Don't try to remove the plugs in the block. Mark the inlet and outlet ports.
Pour some 70% alcohol in one end of the block and let it sit for a few minutes. Attach one of the fittings to the block and blow compressed air through the block. If the blockage is still there, repeat the alcohol soak. It took two tries to get the debris out of my block.
Repeat this process several times to clear all the crap out of the channels. When it's clean you should get a lot of air going through the block.
Wrap the fittings with plenty of thread tape and replace them in the block. Ensure that the fittings are in the right place or you won't be able to re-assemble the fogger. There's a lot of pressure on those fittings so make sure they're tight.
Here are some pics of the block and fittings. I can't figure out how to link to the album where these live - if anyone can advise me on that I'd appreciate it, as there's a lot more pics to come.


















I'll take more as I do the re-assembly.


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Dang, there's nothing I hate more than anemic fog output!

Seriously, thanks for taking the time to document how you fixed this problem. I'm sure it'll not only save a lot of us some replacement costs, but also give some of us (like me) the courage to try to fix it ourselves instead of just trashing it.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Good info on the tear down. Any thoughts on what the gunk was? I'm dreading the day it happens to me. Plus I have always stored my fogger with the juice still in, so that might be a no-no.

As for linking the image. I guess the most basic way would be to get to the page where you see the image, then copy the "http:/........." url. Bring that url to your message and use image tags to bracket it.


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[img] your url here [/img]
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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Success! The fogger works as good as new. I got a few more pix of the innards that I'll post as soon as I get the time. The most difficult part was getting the insulation re-wrapped around the heater block. The original teflon tape is really delicate stuff and I had to use some 1/2" thread tape to finish the wrapping. There are not a lot of parts and connections in this machine; it's very much a brute force design.
The gunk was pretty much dissolved in the alcohol when I blew it out of the block, so I don't know just how much of the stuff was in there. I assume it was crusty old fog juice. I don't know what's the best way to store these things - I always left the juice in this machine and it worked fine for 8 years. Maybe a better method would be to pull them out 2-3 times a year and run a few cycles? There are a lot of opinions on this topic; there doesn't seem to be a one-size-fits-all solution.


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Sweet! Wish I had known this a few years ago for my 700W machine.


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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

I think the reason this worked is that I was able to blow alcohol through the block. You can't do that when the fogger is hot, obviously. Using vinegar (acetic acid) is good for dissolving hard water deposits, but I checked on glycerin and glycol compounds and they're mainly miscible in water and ethanol. That's likely why the 70% IPA worked so well.

OK, for those who don't want to tear apart their foggers, this cleaning may be able to be done with the block in place. Just remove the inlet pipe from the pump and the block. Use a syringe and some plastic tubing (1/8" ID) and inject alcohol into the block inlet port. Stand the fogger on end with the block outlet pointing down. Let it sit for several minutes, then try to blow out the alcohol. Keep doing this until the clog dissolves, then repeat the process a few more times. Keep adding alcohol to the inlet as it drains out through the outlet port. Be generous with the compressed air.

Warning: Be sure to blow the block completely dry before re-assembling. You don't want anything flammable in the block when it heats up. I take no responsibility for foggers exploding due to alcohol left in the heat exchangers.


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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

I posted a few more pics here:

http://www.hauntforum.com/album.php?albumid=731

As mentioned, the re-wrappng of the block was a pain and as you can see I didn't do nearly as good a job as the manufacturer. I think they must have a tape dispensing system that keeps the teflon tape nice and straight. But since the idea is to keep the heat in the block and not let it melt the fogger case, this seems to work. If anyone has questions about this repair, just let me know.


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

Awesome job Gary!!
Thanks for posting!!


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