[Smelly-Skelly]

*UPDATE* Need help with LiteF/x Fog Commander

I purchased 2 new Lite F/X Fog Commander 1200 Watt fog machines sealed in factory boxes and neither one works.

The first unit, the pump does not work thus no fog output at all
The other, the pump runs but is extremely weak.

I contacted the Ebayer Retrotoycollector and they are no help. Told me all sales are final as stated in the auction. They had great feedback and the items were new in the box.

I have been trying to call MME (Multi Media Electronics) with both the numbers listed on the contact info but it is always busy. I was hoping to contact them for warranty replacement.

I paid with Paypal and credit card. What can I do in this situation?

 

[edwood saucer]

Try this first if you haven't alread - sometimes they take a lot of time to warm up...

Given 20 min utes before pronouncing them dead. If neither work... it's a curse I tell you!

 

[Smelly-Skelly]

Even after 30 minutes, one of the units will do nothing even with the controller plugged in.

The other has such dismal output my 400 watt machines from Walmart has 3 times the output

 

[Otaku]

Check to see if the outlet nozzle is obstructed. My new Chauvet machine did this (went from great output to nearly nothing) and the problem was a bit of fuzz blocking the nozzle. As for the one that does nothing - did you try using the other machine's controller?

 

[Smelly-Skelly]

Yeah I tried that along with any other controller that would fit. Nothing. The pump doesn't fire, at least the other one you can hear the pump going but something is wrong with it.

I have been calling the parent company all moning long and the phone is alway busy. I just feel like I got burned on this one.

 

[Vlad]

Smelly, try this, on the one with the working pump, and low output, sometimes there's air in the lines. Do some CPR on it, create a gasket with your hands, and while the unit is running, blow into the reservoir. Often that amount of pressure will force the bubbles through and allow proper juice flow. Also, you can fill the reservoir, and let it sit on the washer and drier as they run, this gentle shaking can also break up the air bubbles in the lines. Also, check the nozzle, sometimes they leave a rubber piece stuck on there that can melt and obstruct the fog. For the one where the pump fails to run, is it that way using both remotes? Try switching remotes. Also, the contacts between the remotes and the machine can oxidize and make no contact, try cleaning them off. Often just plugging the remotes in and out repeatedly will let them make contact. Do not run the machine without the pump running for any length of time at all, ever. This is the fastest way to kill a fogger. The fog commander has a 60 second warm up time, it needs no more.

 

[Smelly-Skelly]

I will give "forced pressure" a try tonight. As for the other I will pull it out of the box and give it another try. Strange this is it appears to have a leaky pump as it will warm up and spurt out fog but the pump doesn't kick in, almost like gravity feed. I will try the forced pressure on that one as well to see what I can get.

I guess it is a good thing I have a couple of other foggers I can use. However I was planning to use these as the main foggers and chillers for the big night. I guess we can always look forward to next year.

 

[Smelly-Skelly]

OK I plugged both units in, again the one is DOA and other has output similar to a 200 watt machine even after tying the "forced pressure" idea above. My cheap 400 watt machines from WalMart and Party City put out twice the amount of fog and velocity.

Very disappointed at this point. Does anyone have these machines and do they actually work well?

 

[NickG]

I bought one off ebay and it works great... I did have to clean out the nozzle when I took it out of the box because it was partially blocked and caused the fog to shoot out at an angle..

 

[edwood saucer]

Smelly - I hope you get it worked out. That just sucks.

 

[Smelly-Skelly]

Well this whole thing had been a thorn in my side since the purchase so I pulled both units out tonight.

I was able to get the one that was working but seem like it was on its last leg to have better performance. I took the Tim Taylor approach and fired up the compressor. I have a blow nozzle used for blowing out dust etc. I cupped my hands over the fluid container and pressurized the bottle of fluid. After a few times the flow was better and the fogger is actually acceptable, but still below my expectations. I guess you get what you pay for!

As for the other I took it apart thinking I could use the pump from the cheap $5 fogger I got at Target but no luck as the way they draw fluid is different.

I sent a letter to MME (parent company/distributor) for this line as I could never get through on the phone. It is always buys night or day. I am not expecting much since they don't answer the phones.

Will update as this progresses.