Low Foggers

[Darkness]

I've had a look around but cannot find an answer to my question.

 

I'm looking at getting a low level fogger to create a dry ice effect, I know as the fog heats up it will rise but I don't think that will be too much of a problem, I was wondering how long the fog stays low for, it will be used for 1 song at a time so if its all risen and dissipated by the end of the song that would not be a problem.

 

I've been looking at the QTFX-LF900, I have the QTX FX1000 hazer which I was pleasantly surprised with how well it worked for the price, has anyone got any experience with the QTFX-LF900 or any other recommendations of low level foggers around that price?

 

Thanks

Kevin

[LXbydesign]

If its just for a one-off, you be better to hire something.

 

Go for a Glaciator. Its fairly big unit but its 'all in one'. You just need fluid.

[Ynot]

Hmmm...

At almost 3 ft long (and 2 ft high/wide) 'fairly big isn't the way I'd describe the Glaciator! On a large stage, that may be relative, but certainly on small am-dram stages it's a big beast to reckon with!

 

The other side of the coin is that hiring a Glaciator could well be around the same price as buying one of those cheap units.

 

Not that I'm suggesting the output quality will be comparable (far from it) but budget is budget...

[mac.calder]

The main difference between how well the machines work is the temperature, dwell time and efficiency of the cooling system - A Glaciator chills to about -4 deg C. and is exceedingly good at chilling - dwell time is about 4-6 seconds. The ice machines I have used have a dwell time of about 2-4 seconds, the temperature is regulated by the temperature of the ice. They are okay - but not awesome at chilling. CO2 based fog chilling systems chill to approx -11deg C - really good at chilling and again, dwell times in the region of 4-6 seconds.

 

I would not use an ice based machine in a theatrical context if there was a better option available. They are intended more for dance parties and the like - a cool, quick effect, but will only hold to the floor for about 30 seconds or so. Glaciator, about a minute or so hugging the floor if you are really lucky. CO2 - 2 minutes on a good day.

 

Main draw back of ice based machines - you need about a 10L bucket of ice per machine. That means an ice machine on site, or a trip to the shops to buy a bag. If you don't care too much about your machine and have access to a deep freeze (ie doing a short run production and plan on chucking the machine afterwards) you can improve the efficiency by using a frozen brine solution (brine freezes at about -20deg C) - but expect the machine to start to corrode;

[rossmck]

I've seen the ice based low foggers used with dry ice in place of the ice ... not as good an effect as using a dry ice machine but a lot better than just using normal ice and without most of the risks associated with dry ice use normally.

 

As an aside, the Glaciators are pretty good - but imho nothing compares to actual try ice (or CO2 based systems)