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Smoke machine clogging


JohnMac

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Hi all,

 

Last year I fitted a new heat exchanger / block to a Magnum Pro 2000 smoke machine. Almost a year later it's become blocked again.(Machine is used in a club so really gets hammered :blink: ).

 

Anyone got suggestions as to

a). Unblock a smoke machine

b). Keep it working for longer than 12 months!

 

Many thanks

 

John mac.

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unblocking , unlikely.

 

keeping it running:

 

never run for long periods with the flow ratew turned to minimum

 

run a couple of litres of distilled water (ie battery water from halfords) through the machine once a month instead of smoke fluid

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Thanks Ian,

 

I've also come across adding vinegar to the distilled water and passing it through

the heat exchanger, I've always assumed it to be 50/50 mix. Anyone else use

this or has anyone tried the kettle descalers which I think is Citric Acid based??

 

Regards

 

John Mac

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Have seen vinegar advised - make sure its white vinegar, though, rather than the brown stuff.

The clear stuff is distilled vinegar whilst the brown stuff is malt vinegar (and very nice on yer chips) both are available from Tescos or other supermarket of your choice

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You should be able to get hold of the clear, distilled Vingear from Sainsburys - they certainly stocked it about 12-18 months ago.

 

Stu

 

Edit - Doh! Didn't see the BOTH part in your last message Peter - sorry for repeating what you've just said!

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...has anyone tried the kettle descalers which I think is Citric Acid based??

Kettle descalers use various acids, including Oxalic acid (found in rhubarb leaves). Oxalic acid is an irritant.

 

I would be very wary about putting anything with an orange warning symbol through a smoke machine because I would end up inhaling anything that came out!

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If the block is clogged then youve nothing to lose by gently descaling it rinse thoroughly with pure water before reuse.

 

To prolong the life of the new or cleaned heat exchanger use purified water often to wash out stubborn remains

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Sorry for the (incredibly) late reply but I only just looked at the topic. A while back I was technical manager for a club in manchester using a Magnum smoke machine and yes it got terribly clogged after about 9months of heavy use. In our circumstances it could have been due to the cheep fluid used.

 

I ended up unblocking it using fizzy water. I wouldn't suggest doing this unless you really cant do it any other way as I can't see it doing the heat exchanger any good at all. It did however get ours to last another 6 months or so before I left.

 

Have fun...

 

Ike

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Greetings,

Working and servicing smoke machines another trick to try is a paperclip pushed down the nozzle, to clean the muck out. If the nozzle is really blocked a 1/8" drill bit works. On some machines the nozzle assembly unscrews so that you can see daylight through it.

 

Fleeting...

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  • 2 weeks later...
Carbonated water is great as it cleans really well. Does water spray out or just rise as soon as it comes out of the machine (must try that!). Could be a good effect, I'm sure I can use it somewhere.
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