Oops! Fogger left powered on for days

[len]

I left a fogger plugged in at the shop for a couple days. It seems to be ok, but wondering if I should clean it. Not a hazer, not a fazer, etc., just a generic fog machine.

 

[Morte615]

Look for scorch marks around the heater housing, run a bit of fog and take a smell, if it smells like it's burning fluid or even not fully fogging then look into further issues. But if it was just on and not running it should be fine.

Biggest problem with leaving it on is the fact that you are leaving a heating element running unattended for extended periods. The chance of fire goes up, but the machine itself should be fine. As long as it did not pump dry.

 

[JD]

Depends if it was known to seep. If the valve was good, it should be fine. If it had a habit of seeping, you might have a residue buildup where the fluid enters the heater. In any case, sounds like you tried it, so I would think it's fine.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Oh: and install a *much more annoying* Power On light on it.

 

[Amiers]

Oh: and install a *much more annoying* Power On light on it.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[len]

The output appeared to be equal to before, no fluid on the floor, and the shop is still intact. I'll give it a cleaning, but should be fine, otherwise. Not like it was a pricy unit, anyway.

 

[kwithnok]

just glad fire alarm didnt go off. We had one going for 2 hours and it set off the system. Mind you its an older fire system.

 

[ScottT]

Be careful...

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050717/NEWS/307179950&template=printart

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Not quite /that/ annoying, @Amiers

 

[len]

As I said, nothing happened to the building. While the machine was plugged in it was not spewing fog for the time it was plugged in, just sitting there heating. The heater life has probably been shortened, but I think I can get over that.

 

[Les]

Be careful...

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050717/NEWS/307179950&template=printart

Ouch. My guess would be that ambient heat from the fogger started the fire, but who knows. Sadly, the machine could have been left on purposefully to save from having to crawl under the stage twice per night.

---

@len, Never a bad idea to run some 50/50 distilled water and white vinegar through the machine but to the best of my knowledge, most clogging is done as the fog fluid cools and crystallizes in the heater core after shutdown. One note (for everyone) on that cleaning solution: do not leave it in the fogger. The acidity will ruin the pump. Always run a bit of fresh fluid through after cleaning; as counter-productive as that may sound.

 

[Ford]

What Les said...
clean that puppy, then re-prime with fog juice. most manufacturer's spec a specific fluid for use in their machines, as the heaters/fluid combo can be important to both performance and longevity of a machine.

 

[lighthouse]

Ouch. My guess would be that ambient heat from the fogger started the fire, but who knows. Sadly, the machine could have been left on purposefully to save from having to crawl under the stage twice per night.

---

@len, Never a bad idea to run some 50/50 distilled water and white vinegar through the machine but to the best of my knowledge, most clogging is done as the fog fluid cools and crystallizes in the heater core after shutdown. One note (for everyone) on that cleaning solution: do not leave it in the fogger. The acidity will ruin the pump. Always run a bit of fresh fluid through after cleaning; as counter-productive as that may sound.

I've been under that stage - plenty of room, no crawling involved. It was probably out of sight on the scaffold and forgotten. Theater has been rebuilt nicely since then.