[scatter5]

first reverse vortex

well here is my first reverse vortex chiller. I used a Rubbermade Brute rollout 50 Gal. trash can and 3" PVC. I used a rivet gun to mount L bar to the sides to support the Ice rack. I think it was much easier then the whole PVC thing. Still need a gasket and tie downs for the lid. I think I will use velcro straps to make it tight.

here are the pics:

http://gallery.me.com/seankatz#100103/DSC_7590
http://gallery.me.com/seankatz#100103/DSC_7591
http://gallery.me.com/seankatz#100103/DSC_7592
http://gallery.me.com/seankatz#100103/DSC_7587

will try and post video tomorrow

 

[henrythomas]

Vortex Tubes offer cooling capacities beyond those available from our Cold Air Guns.Features of the vortex chiller:
1) Cool without refrigerants (CFCs/HCFCs) or moving parts for reliable, trouble- free operation.
2) Use no electricity -- intrinsically safe, no RF interference.
3) Compact and lightweight for easy installation -- even in tight areas.

 

[Lunatic]

Very good Scatter5. Looks great! Oh yes, there will be fog this year!

 

[ih8needles]

so i just built the goh trash can chiller and still running some tests but so far so good with my chauvet hurricane 1300 fog machine. ill try to post a video as soon as i can....

 

[spinman1949]

Design looks good but!

I have to question putting the fogger inside the unit. This means that hot fog is going to enter every nook and cranny of your fog machine. Not to mention that when fog escapes it expands and from what I have seen air needs to be part of the formula. In your design,where will the air come from? You could place a pancake fan to supply the air, but I am still concerned about what hot glycerin saturated moist fluid is gonna do to the electonics in the fogger. I don;t think I have ever seen anyone put the fogger in the fog itself.

Food for thought ?

 

[Terrormaster]

Anyone try this yet? There's a user on YouTube called subatomix who's doing low lying fog WITHOUT a chiller. Basically here's the info from the youtube page:

Please read everything before asking questions:

Low lying fog using an irrigation hose without ice. Amazing how the lack of wind helps.

Block the end of the tube with tape though so the fog only comes through the holes.

Low fog doesn't have as much to do with being cold but being more dense. The reason fog chillers work is because the cold makes the fog more dense thus it's heavier then air, causing it to be low. Plugging the end of the tube causes resistance and the fog has to compact before coming out the smaller holes. Granted, there was absolutely no wind when this was filmed. Wind breaks it all.

This type of tubing can be bought at home depot near the PVC section for about 10 bucks. It already has holes in it.

Oh, and his site: http://www.ghostsofhalloween.com/

 

[dasjman]

I used this method along with another fogger hooked to a more traditional chiller. It worked well. On the advice of someone on these forums, I put frozen water bottles in the irrigation tubing and put a plastic sack on the end of the tube. I had very little to no wind and had excellent results. Once I get the pictures downloaded I'll post.

 

[halfcracked]

Been a while since I chirped in on this thread.

Just finished updating my Homer bucket vortex. I'm going to be using it in a kids show for special effects. I enclosed it in a box & added great stuff insulation.

with 30 lbs of ice ($6) I get fog that hugs the stage about 2" tall until it rolls off the edge & falls into the seating area.

 

[Fank&Stone]

Vortex reverse input or not?

Hi@all!

I'm planning to build my own DIY fog chiller.
I want to use the Vortex design for it.
At the moment there are a few questions about the design & size of the chiller.

What is the better solution? Vortex with normal/standard airflow direction or with reversed?
Which coolersize is best for an 1200w fogger? Or doesn't size matter?
I'm planning to use the chiller with a mix of watericecubes & dryice pellets.

Thanks for helping.

Best regards.

 

[niblique71]

Here's my design for a "Reverse vortex" Scratch built fog chiller . One distinct advantage my design has is that you can use variations of it as obilisk, or tombstone bases. That makes it a "Prop" instead of something you will want to hide in your haunt. SKauston did an amazing version of a celtic cross with a large "Chiller" based on my concept.

The Irony for me is that I created my (Chiller)version before I ever read this thread. 2 days ago I decided to try to read the ENTIRE thread to see if I could garner even more insight to further enhance my design. I've only made it 1/3 of the way through. It's full of REALLY Good information. There were TONS of experiments that everyone did (Just like I did) to test and discover why certain designs work better than others. Obviously I arrived independantly at many of the same conclusions I am reading in here.

Fank&Stone Vortex reverse input or not?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi@all!

I'm planning to build my own DIY fog chiller.
I want to use the Vortex design for it.
At the moment there are a few questions about the design & size of the chiller.

What is the better solution? Vortex with normal/standard airflow direction or with reversed?
Which coolersize is best for an 1200w fogger? Or doesn't size matter?
I'm planning to use the chiller with a mix of watericecubes & dryice pellets.

Thanks for helping.

Best regards.

I would read my link and as much of this link as you could. ALL of your questions are inside. I've only made it 1/3 of the way through this thread since it's such a tedious read. It seems that the same 6 or 7 questions are continually asked in various incarnations. Kudo's to all that participated i this thread which started more than 5 years ago.

On the halloween weekend, I used 90% ice, and 10% dry ice in my chillers for 3 solid days. All 3 worked Flawlessly with 1000 W foggers. I had several kids lay on the ground to "hide in the fog" from thier siblings, so they could pop up and scare them (Future haunters??).
Most tests I've seen are indoors. The real test is to do them outdoors on a cold day with real conditions (October-like). Ambient tempature has a LOT to do with how well any Chiller will work, as it is the tempature difference between the chilled fog and the ambient air tempature and wind that determine how low, and how long the chilled fog will remain. There are Many other factors that go into an effective chiller design as you will read in here.

Although my chiller was VERY effective, I still have some Ideas to improve it. I'm hoping to get the rest of the way through reading this thread.

 

[Booo]

Wow, I read the whole thing!

This is my project this weekend. I currently have a 400w Gemmy but
Yesterday someone at work offered to sell me their 1000w fogged since they don't use it anymore. The original plan was to build the 5-gallon bucket version but if I buy the co-workers fogger I guess I'll need a bigger chiller. I've been looking around already for end-of-season sales on the company used Igloo Cubes but haven't found any good deals yet.

I do have one question.. Has anyone ever fogged a deck before? My deck is suspended, come out from the first floor over the basement entrance. Halloween party goers usually congregate on both the deck and below it. I know the ambient outside conditions will affect how the chilled fog acts but I curious to know if the deck fog will fall through the cracks of the deck to the covered area below or will it roll across the deck and spill over the edges?

Of course I'll be testing this as soon as the chiller(s) are completed ut was wondering if any else has past experience with this particular scenario.

This was a very informative read!

Booo

 

[Booo]

Ewes. Just read my post.. Spellcheck sucks!

 

[RoxyBlue]

Depending on the volume of fog, how windy it is, how cold it is, and how wide the spaces are between the deck boards, you're apt to see both things happen. Try running the fogger a few times before your party to see what happens if you want to be sure.

I've been in orchestra pits on more than one occasion during a production that incorporated a fogger and I can vouch for the fog spilling down to the lowest level whenever possible Even if it does hug the deck, once it hits the edges, it's heading down and air currents could push it under the deck where your guests are.

 

[ccjammer]

how high does the strainer table has to be on a 5 gallon bucket like the jr.vortex chiller?

 

[gmacted]

how high does the strainer table has to be on a 5 gallon bucket like the jr.vortex chiller?

1/3 air gap to 2/3 ice.

 

[Fank&Stone]

What about using DryIce instead of WaterIce in this Vortex-Type Chillers?
Possible? Or does it not work?

Best regards.

 

[niblique71]

Dry Ice works in almost any chiller. However there are some circumstances where you can actually overchill your fog. My one chiller ended up with a membrane of frozen fog that totally clogged it one year. As with everything, finding a good balance and tuning your dry ice levels will yeild better results. Many of us have found that 10-20% dry ice with 80-90% regular ice seems to work pretty well.

Even with that, there are some that still prefer home-made Ice cubes better than anything else. They aren't hollow and have a better caloric value than store bought ice cubes. Besides there is something about melting Ice in a chiller that seems to make a thicker, better quality fog.

 

[Lunatic]

^^^ Yup, I agree with Nib. The ice adds moisture and weight to the fog.

I also found by using whole ice cubes works best. Small broken pieces can clog the ice wall and chock off the flow of fog.

 

[Fank&Stone]

Thanks for the replies.
I had some similar thoughts.
50:50 mixture or 1/3 dry ice and 2/3 ice cubes.
I will test it what works best for me.

Best regards.

 

[Chickenwire]

Yikes, I just read "some" of the 88 pages. I built me a trash can/dryer vent chiller this past weekend and wasn't super happy at the output (too many bumpy turns? I don't know). I have an ADJ 1200w fogger.
I'm thinking I'll try this, OR the "cooler/wire tunnel" design. Any new ideas or comments for me? Thanks.