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Posted

Does anyone protect their fog machines from the elements? All I have to worry about is rain. Do you build a box of some type to put over it?

Posted

We only have ours out on Halloween Night...so weather isn't a big issue for us.

Posted

Fog machines are not designed to be left outside. If you cover them, keep in mind they generate some heat.

Posted

I was thinking a doghouse type of enclosure. Plenty of room, pointed towards the exit, and off the ground slightly. I am only going to use them on one song in the beginning of the night. I am using a timer to turn them on before the show to heat up, and then have the timer shut them down until the next day. It's for a Christmas sequence. I thought by doing just one show, I wouldn't use a lot of liquid, and I wouldn't have to worry about heat too much. They'll be triggered by LOR, but the power will come straight from the house.

Posted

maybe not designed for it but my 2 walmart cheepo fog machines have been out for 2 halloween seasons w/ no probs, rain & shine....

Posted

Bossgrove, it helps if you update your profile with your location so we can see exactly what you may be faced with.

Enclosing a fog machine is just like enclosing a snow making machine. It can be done. You mention a dog house. That is one way. You need to ensure to make it accessible enough to add liquid when needed. If all you are worried about is rain, anything over top should be fine. Are you running it through a cooler of any sort to keep the fog low to the ground?

Tiki, I have not gotten into LOR for Halloween. What is the "season"? I suspect it is shorter than the Christmas season, and for us in the Pac NW still a bit dryer and no where near as cold.

Posted

I saw a video on Youtube the other day in reference to making a fog chiller and the way that they protected their fog machine was by placing it inside a waste basket that allowed for a few inches of clearance above the machine itself.

I guess this would work out pretty well for the smaller machines, but I'd need a pretty big waste basket for mine. I just set up my Halloween display yesterday without including the fog machine as I like to only put it out on Halloween night when I know I'll be outside and there is less chance of it walking away!:)

Steve

Posted

zman- I started the show oct 1st and will run it til the day of the dead. So for me it's about as long as I run xmas lights.

If ya haven't done Lor for halloween you need to give it a whirl, last year running a lights and sound of christmas with the built in music turned off and running music through a boombox, I had more people come up and want to know how I did it and how much they loved it, even thought the sound didn't match the lights, this year it's already nuts, I live a the entrance and shortcut to the navy base for about 3-4 big subdivisions, so traffic is heavy, and I'm making it worse! HAHAHA, at least they are slowing down...

As soon as my daughter find her camera I'll get some vid's on youtube. Myy camera doesn't do well with video


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Posted

Tiki,

My wife used to decorate for Halloween. We still have a ton of stuff. We just do not get the foot traffic where we live, to make the effort worth while to sequence etc... Maybe LOR would change that, but we only get the neighbors kids and maybe one or 2 other groups. Besides I usually have all I can handle just getting Christmas up and running and doing Halloween would cut into that prep!

Having people ask how it's done is one of my FAQ's I have on my web site. They inevitably are always curious about that.

Posted

If I could get my daughter to build me a website I'd be happy, I'm no good at html and all that.

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Posted

bossgroove wrote:

Does anyone protect their fog machines from the elements? All I have to worry about is rain. Do you build a box of some type to put over it?

I call it a FOGport... you know, like a carport. HAHA :D It works though. Angled roof lets rainwater runoff and no walls lets heat out.

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Posted

Has anybody had any problems with the fog from fog machines damaging grass or shrubs? I plan on using commercial fog liquid. Also does it cause the side walk to become slippery?

Posted

John Warren wrote:

Has anybody had any problems with the fog from fog machines damaging grass or shrubs?

No! Fog fluid is not toxic. The only way plants could be damaged is by the heat. And the fog is only extremely hot 1-3 inches from the nozzle.

Also does it cause the side walk to become slippery?

No. It dissipates into the air. It only leaves residue on nearby surfaces in enclosed areas.



Edit: P.S. You should have started a new thread for this question. ;)
Posted

speaking of protecting fog machines...

I was pondering a fog machine for my Christmas display. Now I understand the need to keep rain off the things...but most people that responded to the earlier posts seemed to be in more temperate climates, or just used them for Halloween. If I toss one out in a little dog house in the yard, will it function and function effectively in Wisconsin's winter?

Posted

I've been following up on my original question outside of the chatrooms to find more answers. You will have to worry about the liquid freezing. Someone earlier suggested adding something to your fog machine to keep it from freezing. That could be very dangerous I have found on fog machine websites. You need to be very careful to not turn your fog machine into something that could emit toxic fumes, because of what you added to it. What if you simple put a space heater in the dog house as well, or a car engine warmer underneath it? I'm not exactly sure, but those who are worrying about freezing their fog machines need to research outside of this chat.

Posted

I think the fluid has similar properties to antifreeze, I never had mine freeze last year and we had quite a few frosts. If all else, leave the lid on but not screwed down, that way if it should freeze and expand it will not crack the reservoir.

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