# VEI V-930T Fogger Trouble



## LOTL (Aug 27, 2007)

Hi All,
I have a VEI V-930T Fogger that wont run. There is no heat and no pump noise.
I took the cover off and started doing some checks with my meter.
There is what appears to be some sort of temperature probe (thermostat) that is stuck into the insulation around the heating chamber.

I have no continuity through it when the unit is cold. I suspect this is the problem, but wanted to confirm this with someone who may know a thing or two about this fogger. I have an email into Monster Guts and VEI, but dont think ill hear back from them till Monday.

Would anyone happen to have or know where i could get an electrical schematic for the V-930T? My searches have turned up nothing other than some care and cleaning instructions.


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## LOTL (Aug 27, 2007)

Well i did some additional checks. I peeled off the heat shrink tubing on the thermostat and i believe they are using a thermistor to control the temperature. There was a small resistor looking component inside. I jumped it out using a jumper wire with alligator clips on both ends and the machine started heating up.

I gave it a few minuets to heat up and then checked voltage going to the pump. The voltage was correct, so it appears i have both a bad thermistor and a bad pump.
Ill see if i can get the parts from VEI and then see if if it makes more sense to just buy a new fogger. I read somewhere that people have used windshield washer pumps, although i doubt ill find one that runs at 120 volts.
Any thoughts on where to get these parts are much appreciated.


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## Hippofeet (Nov 26, 2012)

If you can't get anything done, PM me. We can probably work something out with a pump. Not for your machine specifically, but from something in the same wattage range. I can possibly help with the thermistor, but I will need the numbers off of it. If I dont have one, I can find it. You're sure it's not a thermal fuse? Most heat exchangers have a self-resetting thermal switch, some have a thermal fuse as a last ditch, keep aluminum from pouring out measure. But, I'm not familiar with your machine, so just wondering.


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## LOTL (Aug 27, 2007)

Thanks Hippofeet. After sending an email to VEI, i was contacted by someone that they refer part requests to. He has the pump and thermal Fuse. I asked him a few questions about the pump and he referred me back to VEI. 

I spoke to one of their techs yesterday and they sent me a hand written schematic and answered a few questions for me.

There is a diode that is in series with the pump that i yanked out yesterday and i hooked the pump directly to 110 volts. The pump works, so that saved me $49. The thermistor is not a thermistor it is a thermal fuse. So ill at least need it. 

Im having an issue with the circuit to the pump and im not sure if it is the remote box or the thermal switch. 
I need to spend some more time with it, but Halloween is fast approaching and i need to get it running. Tempted to buy a backup, but $150-$200 for a better unit is just not gonna happen.


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## Hippofeet (Nov 26, 2012)

LOTL said:


> "I spoke to one of their techs yesterday and they sent me a hand written schematic and answered a few questions for me."
> 
> Very cool of them. Surprising, but cool.
> 
> ...


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## LOTL (Aug 27, 2007)

What the heck is goin' on in that machine? Diode? It's AC, why block current flow in one direction. -scratches head-
_The tech explained it to me, but im still not sure i completely understand why they are using the diode either. The pump runs with or without it so?_

That's a lot of problems. I highly doubt it is the thermal switch. It's a super easy test with a meter, anyway.
_Yes the thermal switch ohms out fine when its cold. At one point i was bypassing it and just hooking up the pump lead to the line side of it and the pump ran, then i tried it again and it wouldnt. I havent had the time to dig into it further._

If the exchanger wont heat up, you can test the thermal switch by dropping it in a pan on the stove. Should open at 250-300 degrees, depending. Just remember to flip it when the bottom edges get a golden brown, plate, and season to taste.
_The heater heats up just fine when i jump out the thermal fuse, so the heater is working fine. Im wondering why the thermal fuse popped though, which makes me think something else is going on.
Looking at the schematic and from my conversation with VEI it seems that the thermal switch opens up (once the exchanger/heater is up to operating temp which then allows the remote timing to take over. When its closed though it looks like the manual run switch on the remote is active. 
Ill have to order the thermal fuse and if the switch is cheap enough i might just grab it as well. Ill email you the PDF i was sent and let you have a look_


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## Hippofeet (Nov 26, 2012)

Alright.

I can't get wait to get my peepers on it. >.>

I've seen a few bad thermal fuses. I sometimes wonder if something on the circuit with a fogger shuts off or causes a voltage spike, or current change, or even the power from the power company could be wonky and cause it. I had a new digital meter at my old place, and the power was so unstable it was causes problems with my router. I left before they could fix it. If it is just the heat causing the thermal fuse to blow, it must be a service life thing. If the thermal switch is working, it should never get hot enough to blow the thermal fuse, but I have a small parts bin with three bad thermal fuses in it, and all three foggers worked fine once they were replaced. I can measure the heat exchanger temps, all good. So why did the thermal fuses blow?

Strange events make me like messing with foggers. They are mysterious.


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## LOTL (Aug 27, 2007)

Look! It's fogging. It's alive. It's alive!
So i replaced the thermal switch and the thermal fuse and the machine is working again. I put a new diode in as well, as i had cut the leads too short and didnt want to try soldering it back in and risk overheating the diode.
So its all back together and worked great at setting off the smoke alarm in the basement last night.

Now i need to replace or try to seal the copper tubing going from the pump into the heating chamber. I had disconnected the tubing fitting from the top of the pump and turned the tubing up on the chamber end, spinning the tubing within the ferrule and im sure that caused the leak. Im going to try some RTV High Temp sealant for a temp fix and call it a day.

The thermal switch popped apart while i was doing some checks, so i think it was on its way out. I think the machine overheated because the switch didnt open up the heating circuit when it came up to temp and then blew the thermal fuse.

I spent $18 shipped for the new thermal fuse and thermal switch. I got them from someone VEI had forwarded my email along to. I guess VEI doesnt want to deal with selling parts. If anyone else is looking for parts for their VEI fogger. Try neatlightsllc.com.


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## Hippofeet (Nov 26, 2012)

Glad that worked out. VEI probably doesn't HAVE parts, they just get a box, and ship a box, if I had to guess, lol.


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