allymoss Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Hi, I am new to this sort of stuff and I have been put in charge of lighting and effects at a school. They are doing a production and so far so good except We have a low fogger, quite bit, put ice in and the fluid stuff. Quite expensive as it has DMX control and handheld controller. 1. Anyway, the waterpump is really loud, and doesn't pump much water unless you tip the whole thing sideways. is this usual? 2. What is the best way to get the most fog out of it before it needs to heat up again so you can do another burst of fog. Do you need to crush the ice (I am using ice cubes currently) Also, how much, I put a bag of ice cubes in and it fills to about 1/3 full, should I fill it? 3. If I want to make a wall of fog for someone to walk through (elvis :blink: ) should I mount the machine higher, we have a gantry right above where it usually sits. 4. Is a fan a good idea? To blow fog, I have seen it done and it just blows it up in the air and it expands and goes clear very quickly. Any help appreicated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickb12345 Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 does having DMX control make it expensive? 1) They usually are loug, they are not designed to be used during a show. Use them in the interval when the iron is in or between shows. Tipping the water out the front is usually much easier. 2) Use either DMX or a timer remote and play with the settings to get about 60-80% output or bursts of about 10s on 5s off and it will not cut out when you get the settings right. Instead of thick bursts you will get a constant, not so thick, flow. About half full on both sides is the min for an OK effect. The more you put in the better the effect will be. 3) I expect you have the wrong kit for the job. If you mount it higher and let it flow off a "gantry" it will hit the warmer air around it and turn to normal fog before it hits the floor. If it will work I expect you will need a lot of ice in it to cool the fog as much as possible. 4) a fan can be handy if your moving into another scene quickly after and need to dispurse it. Dont use it during the effect because it will send it in all directions and ruin the "low fog" effect. hope that helps Edit: make sure you are using the right fluid as per the manual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allymoss Posted September 8, 2007 Author Share Posted September 8, 2007 Hi, The idea for the gantry is supposed to be if I put only a bit of ice in so it doesnt immediately sink. If I wanted to make a wall of fog, I could do this could I? I will play with the settings Monday, it has a controller but I will be using DMX. I can set that amount of flow through DMX so no probs there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gherriott Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 For a constant output without a reheat period, it should actually say in the manual the optimum volume output to set it to, usually about 30% other wise what nickb has suggested will work just as well. Depending on the height of your gantry and how close that is to your lx rig will affect the effect. The heat radiating off the stage floor after being exposed to the rig for a long time will disperce the fog before it has a chance to hit the floor. As far as a fan is concerned, definately not a good idea during the effect, as this just disperces it again and you might as well have been using a normal fog machine! The pump should have two settings, automatic and manual. If left on automatic it will pump almost all the water out, until the level is just above the pump inlet, therefor avoiding that horrible loud noise. I would suggest however only doing the pumping during the interval or end of the show. The machine should be able to hold a fair amount of water before you need to empty it anyway. Hope you have fun playing with it....just dont do what I did and walk backwards admiring the effect to only fall of the end of the stage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allymoss Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 Too busy! Yesterday and today I have been too busy sorting out lights so Fog is being tested tomorrow, I will post results! I'm going to warm up the stage with a few par cans pointing down on it to immitate effect on the night because it will be warm and this will affect the fogs movement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allymoss Posted September 16, 2007 Author Share Posted September 16, 2007 Ok, sorry for the delay, fog just flowed off the gantry and hovered above the stage so you can see peoples feet underneath. I think I will need a little ice so it does go a bit lower! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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