As mentioned above, there are two ways you can control your fog machine: manually or with a timer. If you want to be free to roam around your Halloween party without tending to your fog machine all night, a timer is definitely the way to go. With a timer, the duration of the fog can be regulated from 0.5 to 10 seconds, and intervals can be between 10 and 200 seconds. You can give your guests a little glimpse of what’s behind the fog, and then just as they get curious, have it pump back in at its heaviest capacity.