How to use your Pumpkin Head Smoke Machine

The first thing to do is unpack your new smoke machine and give it a once-over to ensure it's not been damaged in transit and that everything is included as it should be. Once you open the outer delivery carton, you will find your fog machine and the pumpkin head faceplate in separate boxes.

Please retain all the packaging, at least until you are confident the system is working as expected and that you are happy with it.

• Faceplate: Remove the pumpkin head from its box and check it over to ensure it’s free from damage, then set it aside for now. It’s a single piece with three chunky mounting clips and a short USB C cable attached to it.

• Smoke Machine: In this box you should find the unit itself, a user manual, an IEC mains cable, a remote control keyfob, and 250ml of smoke fluid. Again give everything a glance over to make sure it’s arrived to you in perfect condition.

If you purchased a package with additional smoke fluid this will be in its own larger bottle(s). Depending on the quantity ordered, this may even arrive in a separate delivery carton

The faceplate attaches to the smoke machine using 3 press-fit clips which attach to the machine's carry handle and both front feet, and requires a gentle but firm push to latch into place. Before doing so though, you need to connect the attached USB cable to the socket located on the front of the smoke machine. This provides power to the speaker which is built into the faceplate, so hook that up, then push the pumpkin head into position.

To avoid any damage to the press-fit clips during fitment of the faceplate, it's best to push it onto the smoke machine straight-on so that all 3 clips engage at the same time. Removal, should it be required, is simply the opposite of this.

It’s worth noting that the machine will function without the pumpkin face attached, allowing it to be used for non-seasonal parties. This will remove the sound effect feature, but the LEDs and smoke output will function as normal.

Either using the included 250ml smoke fluid or any additional fluid you may have received in a kit, you can fill the smoke machines onboard fluid bottle. Unscrew the filler cap on top of the fog machine and pour in the fluid, using the level window to the rear of the machine as a guide. The included fluid, and any extra standard fog fluid you may have purchased, is pre-mixed and ready to use straight from the bottle.

The fluid is water-based and safe to the touch, so any overfill spills can be cleaned up easily with a cloth or tissue, then replace the filler cap and tighten.

You may notice that some smoke fluid is coloured and some is clear. The colouring is purely for easier in-bottle identification and WILL NOT produce coloured smoke. All smoke fluid produces a standard white/grey smoke.

Connect the included IEC (kettle style) plug into the fog machine, and the other end into an available mains socket, and switch it on. Turn the power switch on the rear of the smoke machine to the on position. The LED indicator on the rear of the machine will light up Red, which lets you know that the unit is turned on and has started to warm up.

The warmup process takes a few minutes when the machine is cold. It's controlled by a thermostat and is an essential part of the machine working correctly and producing the optimum amount of smoke from the fluid. It’s not possible to use the machine while the LED is Red and it will not respond to any inputs from the push button or the remote during this time.

Once up to temperature, the LED indicator will change to Green, letting you know it's ready to use.

Making sure you are somewhere that a sudden plume of smoke isn't going to be a problem, you can now test the machine to ensure it’s working correctly. You can do this using the push button located at on the front of the carry handle.

Give it a push-down and hold it for a few seconds. The machine should spring into life and fire out a plume of smoke for as long as the button is held. The units LED effects lights will flash at the same time, and the Halloween sound effects will play.

After a sustained burst, the rear LED will go from Green back to Red, which indicates that the machine is cooling itself back to the optimum temperature for smoke production. Once the LED turns back to Green, you are good to go again. This is approximately a 30-second delay and is necessary to stop the machine from overheating.

The included remote control features 4 buttons. Each button provides access to different operation modes as follows:

• A: On/Off with Smoke

• B: On/Off with Smoke, LEDs and Sound Effect

• C: (Hold) On/Off LEDs

• D: (Short Press) LED Colour Change SLOW

• D: (Long Press) LED Colour Change FAST

• D: (Hold) Strobe Effect

The warmup process takes a few minutes when the machine is cold. It's controlled by a thermostat and is an essential part of the machine working correctly and producing the optimum amount of smoke from the fluid. It’s not possible to use the machine while the LED is Red and it will not respond to any inputs from the push button or the remote during this time.

As with the push button on the smoke machine, the remote control will only operate the machine's smoke output when the status LED is Green. The LED mode and sound effect are unaffected by this and can be used at any time.

Providing the previous steps all went without issue, you are now ready to go! You can use the fluid level window on the rear of the fog machine to monitor the remaining fluid and top it up when needed.

These machines can be placed pretty much wherever you wish, be it on display or hidden out of sight if desired. The only real safety aspect is to ensure the machine has a decent airflow around it to allow proper cooling (the body will get hot during continued usage), and for this reason, it should never be covered over fully or wrapped in anything.

The smoke effect comes out under pressure and for the best room coverage it’s best to not impede the output, so try to position the unit where it can eject smoke freely into the area.

These machines can be used outside if desired, and many people enjoy having a smoke machine as part of their front porch or garden Halloween decorations. It's worth noting however that the machine is not IP-rated and is only suitable for dry weather conditions. The results when used outdoors will vary as the smoke effect is affected by the temperature and any wind, and it's important to understand this is not any fault of the machine as it’s primarily designed for indoor environments.

For longevity and to ensure your new Halloween smoke machine performs as it should, it’s necessary to clean the system from time to time, and especially before a long storage. This can be done either with distilled water or using BeamZ smoke machine cleaning fluid, which will steam itself through the units internal pipework and clean out any remaining glycol from the smoke fluid, which can become a gum-like consistency over time and cause issues.

This is done simply by emptying the fluid tank on the machine (this can be poured back into your fluid bottle) and then filling with either distilled water or cleaning fluid as mentioned. Then run the machine in the standard way for several cycles.