Lighting_tech Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Hi guys, Another newbie question... I am curious as to why dry ice is still used when there are other low level smoke machines available. I have been under the impression that for some time dry ice is a dangerous substance. How do you minimize the dangerous and what are the correct codes of practice for something so dangerous? (Or am I just mistaken with the danger of dry ice??) Many thanks guys and your replies are always appreciated! Lighting_tech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanhill Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Carbon dioxide as a solid can cause frostbite and freezer burns as it exists at around -38 degrees Celcius. As a gas, it is an asphixiant. These are the two main dangers of the material, but add in dimly lit wing areas and large kettles full of hot or boiling water to create the effect, it is easy to see why some people may be reticent about the use of carbon dioxide. The dangers can be reduced by correctly assessing the risks and training staff to handle the material and equipment correctly as well as providing specific PPE for the task. Much like any other activity. The problem is that most other 'low fog' solutions do not fundamentally do what carbon dioxide does, which is lie on the floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 As Jonathan says low level smoke machines are not as good as dry ice because the smoke tends to rise up as it warms up (which it starts to do as soon as it gets out of the machine). Normally special fast-dispersing fluid has to be used in the machine to ensure the smoke disappears before too much of it gets up in the air. Dry ice fog really lies low to give that "walking on clouds" look. You just can't get that look with a chiller-based smoke machine, even over an ice rink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewg112 Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Our hire company basically told us, he could hire us a dry ice machine to us, provided we wanted to pay for everything to go along with it, as well as receive special training and all the necessary paperwork! Needless to say we opted for the low level smoke machine, especially with Kids around! Given the choice though, I know which I would rather have! Regards,Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedd Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 The only device I've seen that's had a similair effect to real dry ice is the the Le Maitre FreezeFog unig, alongside an m300 smoke machine. It uses a cylinder (5ft tall proper gas bottle) of co2 but has a liquid dip, so it's liquid co2 in use. This chills the smoke so much more than ice contraptions do. It's also extremely scary changing the gas bottles over, and for a £30 fill you get 10 minutes of smoke. That said, having seen smoke from one machine cover our entire stage, run off the front and into the band pit, then make its' way back at least 4 rows down the auditorium, all still at a maximum of 4" off the floor, it's a great piece of kit!!!A theatre company I work with own one, it may be available to hire if someone's in need and near Leeds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljoshua Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 The Sound of Music Tour uses a FreezeFog unit too and it looks stunning. It goes through approx 5m of ducting after chilling too and still covered the Theatre Royal (Plymouth) stage seamlessly. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scjb Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Carbon dioxide as a solid can cause frostbite and freezer burns as it exists at around -38 degreesActually around -78 degrees Celsius... The only device I've seen that's had a similair effect to real dry ice is the the Le Maitre FreezeFog unig, alongside an m300 smoke machine.Agreed, LM Freezefog Pro with G300's are great units. You get around 8-10 minutes of a cracking good effect from a large (LK) cylinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 CO2 isn't really a safety problem if you take simple management steps - but it doesn't matter if it comes from pellets or cylinders, it's still a pain in the bum. Storing pellets takes a lot of space for the storage unit and needs very good management to stop you ending up with plastic bags of nothing that cost a lot. Getting supplies of the Christmas period is tricky, depending on where you are. As for having boiling water about for pea soupers, which many people still swear by, the dangers and potential mess make it a pain in the bum too! I'm usually inflicted with Glaciators and fixing the damn things is yet another chore I can do without. Christmas shows also generate huge amounts of pyro dust when you go a bit mad, and the dust clogs the filters and bungs the inside up! All the clever modern gadgets do a great job of being nearly as good as a pea souper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior8 Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 Having used both, though Dry Ice years ago now, I have to say that for appearance nothing beats dry ice for me. But it has always been the fag that Paul outlines and the sheer predictability that comes with machines is a great boon. That being said in the professional theatre recently I spotted a couple rigged and sure enough up they fired and started to do their stuff but in actual fact the effect was so puny and they were so badly sited it was really a waste of time. At least you can't miss CO2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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