Your First Fog Machine

Water-Based (glycol) Fogger

A Water-Based (glycol) Fogger takes a special fog fluid and boils it in a flash to product large clouds of fog.

We have several pages devoted to this technology. When you are ready for more information, you can start here: glycol fog.

Here is a picture of a small fogger, similar to those found for sale near Halloween:
[photo]

Compared to other fog technology, glycol foggers have the following trade-offs:

Consumable supplies are cheap.
Makes lots of fog.
Fog is warm and rises. To keep it low you need a chiller.
Requires power, usually 110 VAC.

Here are some tips to get you going:

Look on the box for a "wattage" value. It might say "Power consumption, 123 Watts" or "123W". Make sure that this value is at least 400W - a very common value nowadays. If the number is smaller (e.g. 200W), take it back - It won't make much fog, and you will probably be disappointed.
You must buy and use special fog solution, also known as "fog juice". Do not use water. Do not use oil. Use only solution made for this type of fogger. The store doesn't matter - You should be able to use juice from Target in a Wal-Mart fogger.
Do not add anything to the fog solution. No colors, flavors, or scents. If you want colored fog, shine colored lights on the fog coming out of the machine.
Do not attempt to clean the fog machine after use.
When you load the machine, plug it in, and turn it on, nothing will happen at first - it has to heat up.
When the meachine is hot, press the button on the remote to shoot fog.
If you hold the button down long enough, the fog will stop. This is normal - the machine has to heat up again.
One of the best accessories to get is a timer. Instead of pushing the button every few minutes, you can set the timer to "shoot 5 seconds of fog, every 2 minutes." You can get a timer at the same place that you bought the machine. Do not mix brands - only use a timer made by the same company that made your fog machine!
Although a lot of fun, this isn't a toy - keep children away from the machine itself. This is especially true of the nozzle where the fog shoots out - it gets hot. Kids do love pressing the button - you can let them do it under adult supervision.

The fog from this type of machine shoots out of the machine and rises up to create a "London Fog" effect. It won't stick close to the ground for a "Scottish Moors" effect. To make the fog stick close to the ground, the fog must be chilled. Some machines have a compartment where you can add ice cubes to chill the fog. I have seen reports that this type of machine does not chill the fog very well. Your mileage may vary.

Ultrasonic Mister

Ultrasonic units use high levels of inaudiable sound to break up water into mist droplets. This produces a fog effect.

We have a page devoted to this technology. When you are ready for more information, you can start here: ultrasonic misters.

Here is a product from the Johnson Smith catalog that contains a mister:
[photo]

The mist-making heart of this device looks more or less like this:
[photo]

Compared to other fog technology, ultrasonic misters have the following trade-offs:

Consumes just water.
Fog lies low.
Fog volume is low - best used to fill a bowl or cauldron.
Requires power, which is usually 110 VAC, but could be a strong battery.

Here are some tips to get you going:

Use distilled water.
Although a lot of fun, this isn't a toy - keep children away from the machine itself.
Keep hands out of the water near the mister - especially the part over the mister disk where the fog shoots up.