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Fog Chiller & Witch Cauldron DIY Yard Haunt How-to

This video was shot after Trick-or-Treat ‘06. It’s an unscripted explanation of a skeleton witch prop scene in our front yard DIY Halloween Yard Haunt display prior to dismantling. The video shows how a DIY Fog Chiller was hooked-up to a plastic cauldron prop to produce a lingering fog effect to provide atmosphere for the display. It shows the design of a functioning home-made DIY Fog Chiller which was created from a 48 qt Igloo Ice Cube Cooler, which in turn is based on the expensive commercial Vortex Fusion products found online.

It’s easier to buy a commercial chiller but more fun & interesting to discover how they work and build one yourself. Every Yard Haunter modifies the design and uses different parts based on their individual tastes and own ingenuity or intended effect. The basic concept remains the same. Chilled fog is heavier, denser and lingers more than straight out of the fogger.

The fog chiller itself is a container with two holes and a lid. In this case it’s a compact 48qt Igloo Ice Cube cooler. A cooler is used, not because of the insulation, but for the inherent rigidity, durability and ability to hold ice cubes that eventually turn to water. Two holes are drilled to accommodate one inlet pipe and one outlet pipe. The insides of the chiller are divided into two chambers. A freezing chamber at the top and a fog expansion chamber at the bottom. Those chambers are created by inserting a mesh ice tray supported by a frame to hold ice cubes. The height of each chamber can depend on the strength of the fog machine being used and the amount of ice in the chiller. The rule of thumb is one chamber is 1/3 the height of the inside of the chiller making the other chamber 2/3 the height. 1/2 to 1/2 ratio can work, but the 1/3 to 2/3 ratio has worked the best in numerous tests.

Refrigerator ice cubes, which don’t stick together during the fog chilling process compared to store-bought bagged ice cubes, are placed evenly on top of the wire mesh tray to chill the fog. Experiment with the amount of ice, but keep the top of the ice 1-2 inches from the closed lid for fog expansion.

Both pipes go straight thru the holes. The trick is that a 90 degree bend or elbow sweep is attached to one pipe so that another straight pipe can attach to the fitting and point straight up towards the lid. That pipe is cut to stop 1-2 inches from the closed lid. It fits thru a hole in the mesh ice tray. This is what physically separates the two chambers. Either pipe can be used for the inlet or the outlet, but the 90 degree pipe when used as the inlet produces less fog backwash.

A fog machine is placed a couple inches away from the fog chiller inlet pipe to create air convection and velocity. The fog travels thru one pipe, comes out of the pipe inside of the chiller, expands, then is forced thru the ice where it’s flash frozen to lower the temperature of the hot fog. The natural air convection & velocity force the chilled fog out of the other pipe. The result is fog that is heavier, slower, denser, dissipates slower and lays closer to the ground than hot fog straight out the fog machine ever could. It produces a lingering atmospheric effect.

The video starts off explaining the overall effect. The fog chiller design is shown at 1:05 min. The construction is not shown, and I can’t answer emails or messages, but enough info to build a fog chiller is provided in this and my other fog chiller videos. See my youtube Channel Halloween Fog Chiller Playlist. An optional Mini Mister was used inside the cauldron to picks up the slack when the low wattage fogger was re-heating but isn’t completely necessary.

Hopefully it’s informative for first-time yard haunters. We put the entire display up in 9 hours on Halloween. Took it down in 3 hours the same night. It rained all day. It was nice & clear for ToT. It was worth it. Video Oct 31, 2006. Elyria, OH.

See more in my Fog Chillers Playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=40C9EAB3D7530310

See my Yard Haunt How-to Playlist including my “Halloween Yard Haunt 2006 Trick-or-Treaters” video for the entire Yard Haunt in action:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7B03670355FA2CE5

Note: When handling the mesh hardware cloth which is used to make the ice tray, wear work gloves. It can be sharp. And when constructing anything new with tools remember safety first. You’re responsible for your own safety. Have fun.

Duration : 0:9:33

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