November 2, 2008
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I don't know how many times I've been in situations where a fog machine was used in a room equipped with smoke detectors. Before long, the horrible high-pitched beeping starts and someone goes running to look for a ladder to get up high enough to push the "silence" button.
Fog machines will set off most modern smoke detectors. Smoke detectors sense particulate density in the air and cannot differentiate between smoke particulate and fog machine vapor.
However, it's not impossible to use a fog machine in a room with smoke detectors, but it can be tricky. All it takes is a little skill and experimentation. You see, most smoke detectors will go off only after a certain density threshold is exceeded, so the key to success is to find out what that threshold is, and carefully keep your fog underneath of it.
A smoke-detector friendly alternative to glycol fog machine are dry ice "pea soupers". The "fog" from these machines is actually carbon dioxide produced from blocks of dry ice, so it stays very low to the ground and doesn't tend to cause issues with smoke detectors. However, dry ice fog machines are large and expensive to use, so they should only be used when the situation demands nothing else.
November 2, 2008
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From time to time, the fog nozzle on your fog machine may become clogged. The cause is usually low quality fog fluid, inadequate heating, or impurities in your fog fluid. As residue builds up on the walls of the nozzle, the effect is much like cholesterol in an artery: eventually it causes a blockage that prevents the fog from coming out of the machine.
If you fog machine is clogged, try the following steps:
- With your fog machine unplugged and cool, insert a sewing needle into the nozzle and try to clear the blockage.
- If that doesn't work, empty the fog fluid out of the tank, and try a 3:1 mixture of distilled water and distilled white vinegar. This mixture is not exact science, so you may need to add more vinegar to achieve desired results. The acid in the vinegar will help dissolve clogs. Push the "fog" button on your fog machine and fog with this solution for a while until clouds of white steam are freely being emitted from the machine.
- Try a commercial solution, such as American DJ's Clean Machine (available from Pro Sound & Stage Lighting for $9.99, see below for any of this product currently available for sale on eBay)
If none of these solutions work, you may have a more severe clog, or even another issue with your fog machine. At this point, you should seek assistance from a factory authorized service center.
October 1, 2008
Fog Machine Bargains, Fog Machines
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With Halloween right around the corner, now is the time you will see cheap fog machines popping up at Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid or even your friendly neighborhood supermarket.
While these cheap fog machines would be laughed at by a pro, they are still effective little machines for occasional use like at a once a year halloween party, a photo shoot or even for a school project.
Cheap fog machines usually are capable of outputting 1000-1,500 cubic feet of fog per minute. Compared to pro machines that can do twenty times that volume, well, there is no comparison. But if you just need a little fog or just have a room or two you'd like to fog up, by golly it's a great way to do it.
Here's some things to know about cheap fog machines.
- They are almost entirely plastic. This means they won't take a lot of abuse.
- They take a while to heat and reheat. The inexpensive heating elements these machines use take a while to get hot enough to produce fog and also take some time to reheat between blasts of fog.
- They are noisy. All fog machines produce some noise while operating. Due to the plastic casing and inexpensive components used in cheap fog machines, they tend to be a lot noisier when you operate them. But if you have your stereo turned up loud enough, no one will notice.
Did you know eBay is a great place to buy cheap fog machines? It really is the best place to find a deal on any fog machine, both cheap and pro-quality. Below, you'll see several dozen fog machines that you can find right now on eBay for $30 or less!
October 1, 2008
Fog Machine Bargains
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A little while ago, I talked about how eBay is a great place to buy fog machines because of the huge variety and incredible bargains to be found. Turns out eBay is a great place to look for American DJ fog machines. Last time I looked, there were literally dozens of new and used ADJ fog machines for sale on eBay.
I know you are thinking you should head over to eBay to check out what American DJ fog machines are currently available for sale. It's your lucky day and I'll save you the time. Here are some of the American DJ Fog Machines you can find on eBay right now:
October 1, 2008
Fog Machine Bargains, Fog Machines
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Did you know that there are literally hundreds of different fog machines available for sale every day on eBay? It's true! You can find fog machines ranging from basic home halloween party fog machines all the way up to professional quality stadium or arena fog machines listed for sale on eBay. The best part about buying fog machines from eBay is that you can really find some incredible deals. As an example, I once purchased a Jem ZR22DMX (the precursor to the now popular ZR33DMX) for just $150. The machine is still happy fogging to this day.
So you are probably thinking that you should head over to eBay and see what fog machines are available today. I'll do you a favor and save you thetime. Here's a couple dozen fog machines that you can find right now on eBay.
