A Facebook friend recently asked me for advice about fog machines. Actually, he only mentioned - in a general status update - that he needed a fog machine. Nevertheless, that was reason enough for me to go on a rant about all the various ways of achieving fog effects. After more than a decade in the theatrical supply business, I like to think I know what I'm talking about.It wasn't enough, though, for me to force my advice onto just one online friend. No, I feel that this information is important enough to force onto all of my readers. (Hi Mom!) So here, without further ado, are my recommendations for all sorts of fog effects.
If you only need a fogger to last for a day or two, I recommend hitting your local -Mart of choice. About $30 will get you a cheapie with a bottle of fluid. Some even shoot the fog out of creepy skull faces with light-up eyes! Just please don't be disappointed if your party fogger craps out on you before the party's over.
If you want a decent fogger that you can use again next year, check out my friends at Theatre Effects. You can find their entry-lever foggers here: http://tinyurl.com/ydt7gug. [Full disclosure: I worked for Theatre Effects when they were based in Hagerstown. I left the company when they relocated to Cincinnati. I still know the owner, though, and can vouch for him as "good people." If you're a theatre person, or like to pretend to be one at Halloween, I can't recommend the folks at Theatre Effects highly enough.]
If you want a professional (i.e. theatre & film) fogger, well Theatre Effects has you covered there, too. A whole page of high-quality, high-output machines can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/y88usen. My personal favorite is the 9,000W (!!) Orka stadium fogger. For reference, one of the "high-output" theatrical foggers on that same page is 1,500W. In other words, it draws about 11 amps when in use. You could run two of them on one household electrical circuit. The Orka requires its own 50 amp service! All in all, a kick-ass way to blow $5,000.
Bear in mind that none of the above machines create spooky, low-hanging fog. They create a thick cloud of fog (or "smoke") that will rise into the air and disperse. The only visible difference among these types of foggers is the amount of fog produced.
If you want spooky, low-hanging fog, you'll need either a dry-ice fogger or a fog chiller. Dry-ice foggers work by heating a vat of water into which a basket of dry ice is then lowered. Fog chillers take the output of a standard fog machine and lower its temperature so that it's less inclined to rise into the air before dispersing. You can get either from, well, you should know by now: http://tinyurl.com/ycp7je2
If you decide to go the dry-ice route, bear in mind that it takes about 20lbs of dry-ice for 10 minutes of continuous fog. Dry ice can cost between $.25 - $1.00 a pound and doesn't store well, so plan accordingly. Call a local oxygen, beverage, scuba, or welding supply company for more info.
Liquid nitrogen works well for low fog, too, if money is no object. Check out the craziness the guys at Interesting Products in Chicago get up to: http://www.interesting-products.com/ Fun Fact! Liquid nitrogen fog is a popular effect in nightclubs because it can drop the temperature on the dance floor several degrees very quickly.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that you can get most of these devices, and more, from my current employer, Parlights, in Frederick, MD.
Photo Stolen From Steve Spangler Science.
