jeffarizona

Every year I pull out the fog machines, plug them in, and they make a buzzing sound but don't make fog. It's the pumps, they get gunked up sitting there for a year. My brother showed me that the pumps can come apart, and now it's super easy to fix them. I figured I would write it up with some pictures so everyone else can do it too.


Here's the fog machine I'm working on. It's a very simple fog machine and very small, but the pump and how it works is the same as all the fog machines I've taken apart. Make sure it's unplugged, then remove the screws so you can get the outer shell off.



With the outer shell off we can see our target: the cheap little pump. Shouldn't be hard to find, it's like the only component that isn't in the heat block.



You'll need to undo the nut that attaches the pump to the pipe running to the heat block. If you're like me and just tested the fog machine this is very hot. You'll also need to remove the wires. Take a picture if you want to make sure you remember which one goes where. There's a tube coming out the back to the reservoir, but it's zip tied. We don't need to remove it to clean up the pump. There's usually two screws in the bottom of the machine holding the pump in place, take those out as well.



With the pump out we can get at the two screws we need to take the pump apart. Take those screws out.



With the screws out the "core" of the pump can slide back and forth. Grab the back of the core, where it's zip tied to the reservoir tube. You can now turn the front of the core to move that tiny plastic black nub down the slot it's in, letting the entire front come off.



With the front off you can pull this little ball with a spring out and the rotating part out of the core. There's a spring behind the rotating part as well, but none of these springs is under crazy tension. Nothing should go flying away.



My brother would soak these parts in vinegar, but I find that totally unnecessary. The pump usually doesn't work because these parts are gunked up just enough to prevent them from starting to spin easily. I just use my fingers to wipe off the little plastic ball and the sides of the rotating part, and make sure it can turn when I put it back in. Pop everything back together in the reverse of how you took it apart and voila, should work fine now. Has yet to fail me.