Do fog machines cause damage?

John@Bophe

John@Bophe

I have a small fog machine (the small, simple kind that WalMart sells for $20 around Halloween), and I'm thinking of using it INSIDE for an upcoming scene. Does anyone know if there is a possible risk of staining or damage to walls, furniture, etc?

I'm assuming that there is not a health risk because the bottle indicates no toxicity. But if anyone believes otherwise, please comment on that as well.
 
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While there is really no chance of staining, if you use a large amount of fog fluid you may end up with a slight residue on some of your surfaces (floors mainly).

Basically all the fog juice is, is a glycerin compound suspended in either a water or oil base. The oil based fogs are more common -- at least in the entertainment industry (nightclubs, etc) and they tend to produce a larger volume of smoke. The water based foggers produce less smoke, but the residue won't be an issue.

However, as I said, you would generally be looking at a very large amount of fog for the residue to become any kind of issue anyway, look at nightclubs, most of them have a fogger going all night, and it doesn't cause issues.


Of course your other option is to go the dry ice route, but it is heavier than air so when it sublimates it sinks and hugs the ground, and large amounts are needed for filling a room (it is possible though not easy) -- also it has to be done very quickly, as it all sinks to the floor rather fast, and it's also CO2, so you wouldn't want to be breathing sublimated dry ice unless you're trying to asphyxiate yourself.


My recommendation, go with your $20 walmart fogger, make sure you're using the proper fog fluid recommended for it, and keep the unit elevated (this will help prevent any condensation of the fog on the floor directly in front of the unit, as that would ultimately create a slippery spot that is not only a hassle for cleaning, but also a potential safety hazard.
 
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Good Info!

Hey, that's good info. I've been trying to decide whether go fogger or dry ice for my next shoot, so that's great to know. I'm thinking of getting one of those "Hurricane" brand foggers- anybody know anything? Good? Bad?

Thanks,
Steve :cool:
 
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Filmmaker516 said:
Hey, that's good info. I've been trying to decide whether go fogger or dry ice for my next shoot, so that's great to know. I'm thinking of getting one of those "Hurricane" brand foggers- anybody know anything? Good? Bad?

Thanks,
Steve :cool:
Click to expand...

Are you referring to these?

I've not used one, but Chauvet is a fairly well known brand, and they make decent products at a good price point. At that price, I'd say go for it -- and stock up on fog juice too, it's generally cheaper if you buy the gallon jugs than smaller quantities.

If you're willing to spend a little bit more though, you might consider this one which has a much higher fog output. The better heater also will help ensure that your fog juice is properly atomized rather than turning it into a fog juice squirt gun. ;)

That brings me to my little science lesson of the day, for those who aren't familiar with how a fogger works...

The construction is very simple, there is a reservoir that holds the liquid, a pump, and a metal pipe that is coiled around a heating element. At the end of that pipe is the spray nozzle. When the liquid is pumped through the pipe it gets superheated as it passes by the heating element, and the result is that when it is forced out the spray nozzle on the end it atomizes... in other words, the liquid breaks down and the glycerin turns to a particulate matter that gets suspended in the air. If the heating element isn't hot enough the atomization process either won't work, or won't completely work, which results in the oily liquid squirting out the nozzle like a squirt gun. The caveat here is that MOST commercial foggers like those we've been discussing have a temperature gauge that only allows you to activate the pump if the temperature is within the correct temperature range.

While it's not quite as efficient as one of these plug in units, a standard propane bug fogger can give you the same results with the same theatrical fog fluid, these use -- the bonus there is you could use it out in the middle of nowhere if you have a camp-stove type propane tank handy.. I would highly recommend you buy one new and only use it for this purpose though, wouldn't want to risk spraying pesticides all over your actors. ;) Also, they're not the best choice for indoor use as the burning of propane produces some carbon monoxide
 
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all i know is that i get paid more when there is one on set...because it is a health hazard...how much...i dont really know...

in the US there are only a few allowed on the market...UK has more...and better...but they are not allowed here in the US for health reasons...i got the pleasure if seeing thier smoke on Sleepy Hollow..and these guys werea masters at it...they could lay out different layers(some dark-some light) and have it sit there for a long time...something our fog cant do...

i would walk on set in the morning and they would of been there for hours before everyone and when you first walked in you could see anything it was so thick....lol they did this because a lot would get lost when people showed up and the doors would be open for a while during load ins...we would never leave equipment on set over night because of the residue from fog....

but US fog...very little res....nothing to worry about...but keep something in front of the fogger as they tend to spit a little at times....and its always nice to turn it off when rolling sound :)

be well
 
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