Remove the tank from the smoke machine. These tanks are designed for easy removal so you can clean away dirt and debris. Make a mixture of one part bottled water and one part vinegar, and stir the mixture with a spoon to dilute the vinegar completely. Don't use tap water, which may have a high content of minerals that could corrode your smoke machine. Dip a sponge or clean cloth into the vinegar mixture. Clean the tank inside and out by rubbing the sponge around the tank's surfaces.
Flush out the clogged lines of your smoke machine by pouring the vinegar mixture though the tank lines that control the machine's moving parts. Leave the smoke machine to run for about five minutes so the mixture can clean the lines.
Unplug your smoke machine if cleaning the lines failed to remedy the clogging problem. Allow the machine to cool down five minutes. Grip the output nozzle, and scrape away any buildup of dirt and debris using a pen knife. Repeated usage can cause dirt to accumulate around the nozzle tip. Push a straight pin through the nozzle opening once you have finished scraping, which should remove any remaining fragments of dirt.
Refill the smoke machine lines with the fluid appropriate for your machine. Turn on the machine, and allow the fluid to run through the lines for six or seven minutes. This step will get the moving parts up and running again.
Purchase a new smoke machine if problems persists, which likely indicates a problem with the pump. Only professionals should repair smoke machine pumps; the high cost of this service usually makes buying a new machine a better option.