Fog/haze machine alternatives?

[johndenim]

What's the first thing a lighting rep does when demo'ing their lights to you?

 

Turns off all the house lights so it's pitch black, and promptly fills the demo room with smoke.

[themadhippy]

What's the first thing a lighting rep does when demo'ing their lights to you?

get a pack of biscuits out to go with the coffee he's just bought me ?

[Chiefy]

What's the first thing a lighting rep does when demo'ing their lights to you?

get a pack of biscuits out to go with the coffee he's just bought me ?

or she!

[dmxlights]

I use the cheap Stairville SH-150 mini hazers (Link Below) that thomam sell instad of the big martins as there are me easy to control.

 

http://www.thomann.de/ie/stairville_sh150.htm

 

I borrowed my friends martin hazer (I think it was Magmun) which had DMX in it and just one push of the fash key on the lightting desk should have just let out a small blast but the blast was so big you could not see the band on stage, use it twice that nigh and the 2nd time I set off the fire alarm this all happened in a hotel and since that I nerver used a martin hazer. :(

 

I have build my own adaptor to make the cheap ones DMX. never had any problems. :)

[rossmck]

I use a BaseHazer Pro and generally find if you keep the pump low and the fan high it doesn't set off smoke detectors... as we discovered (as an INTENTIONAL experiment in an otherwise unoccupied building!) a few days ago if you set the pump at full then the alarm will go off within minutes :) !

 

Of course if it's not your building then generally setting off the alarms don't go down well... Most buildings will have a procedure in place for isolating parts of the system, although I know of a few where this involves a questionably legal procedure in which case I'd decline to use haze effects anyway :unsure:

[jonic222]

Sorry for bringing back an old topic, but there may be a solution for some people.

I know of a number of venues which have had problems with smoke machines in the past. However, we recently heard from a hire company that a Robe Fazer won't set off smoke alarms. So far I know of three venues which have tried the Fazer, all of which have passed the test. I carried out a test yesterday with no alarm sounding. I directed the machine at a smoke alarm and filled the area with fairly dense smoke. There happened to be someone there from the smoke alarm company who said that if that amount of smoke didn't set off the alarm, then it is extremely unlikely that we will have any issues.

So if people are still looking for a smoke machine to try with their fire alarms - give this a go! Obviously clear it with your venue first.

[Ashley R]

Sorry for bringing back an old topic, but there may be a solution for some people.

I know of a number of venues which have had problems with smoke machines in the past. However, we recently heard from a hire company that a Robe Fazer won't set off smoke alarms. So far I know of three venues which have tried the Fazer, all of which have passed the test. I carried out a test yesterday with no alarm sounding. I directed the machine at a smoke alarm and filled the area with fairly dense smoke. There happened to be someone there from the smoke alarm company who said that if that amount of smoke didn't set off the alarm, then it is extremely unlikely that we will have any issues.

So if people are still looking for a smoke machine to try with their fire alarms - give this a go! Obviously clear it with your venue first.

 

 

Are you talking about the Robe 1000 FT?

 

If so I've had that set off smoke alarms before. I found my Hazer (Antari/Robe HZ-400) to do a finer haze, that hangs longer, thus requiring less blasts, and thus hasn't set off an alarm yet (except for that time I forgot to turn the thing off!)

[woody2]

Dust?

 

confetti bomb tanks tend to shake a bit of dust loose :** laughs out loud **:

[Richard CSL]

I once had a fire officer tell me that it was perfectly ok to cover up the fire detectors with those red plastic cups for the duration of an event, as long as the manager responsible removed them after the event, they even had a special pole thing to attach them and remove them.

[rossmck]

I once had a fire officer tell me that it was perfectly ok to cover up the fire detectors with those red plastic cups for the duration of an event, as long as the manager responsible removed them after the event, they even had a special pole thing to attach them and remove them.

 

I've heard the same and know of at least one local venue where this is their official practice (sanctioned by the local fire officer + local authority safety bod) much to my surprise. They even got the installation company to supply the caps for exactly this purpose.

[Cupboard]

I've seen a Robe Fazer 1000 stuck underneath a detector on full blast without setting it off.

I was quite impressed, it filled the entire reception area with a thick fog.

[timsabre]

I've seen a Robe Fazer 1000 stuck underneath a detector on full blast without setting it off.

I was quite impressed, it filled the entire reception area with a thick fog.

For this type of machine it very much depends on the type of smoke detector.

Optical detectors sense the "cloudiness" of the air and any type of machine will set them off.

Ionisation detectors sense sootiness (basically) and these are less sensitive to water-based haze machines, but I have still managed to trigger them sometimes.

[Brian]

For this type of machine it very much depends on the type of smoke detector.

And don't forget 'fixed heat detectors' and 'rate of heat rise detectors'. Or even dual detectors which combine two different types of detectors to minimise false alarms.

[smalljoshua]

As always though, the mantra "If in doubt, Smoke is out" rings true here. The last thing you want is an angry venue manager because your alternative has set off the alarms in the venue.

 

Josh

[timsabre]

Explaining to the team of firefighters who have just arrived with blue lights is always to be avoided too. Many venues seem to have an unstoppable automatic call out system.