Fog machine recommendations?

[pmooney]

I know a lot of people like to make ther own dry ice foggers but I have ballet dancers and our artistic director is worried that it will leave condensation on the floor causing a potential for a slip. Does anyone want to recommend a brand and size fog machine for a full size stage. I have an angels scene so I need low fog so will use a chiller but I want to fill the whole stage.

[Mac Calder]

Dry ice is a better effect and in my experience leaves less of a residue when compared with the chilled fog options. That said... look at the Martin Glaciator, or MDG's low fogger (MDG's make some of the best haze and smoke machines in the world in my opinion)

[pmooney]

I am a rookie if not a rank ameture so if you could recommend how many cfm the unit should put out? Do you make your own dry ice fogger or is there a kit I have seen some designs on line that seem easy to put together but very bulky and not a lot of info as to how much dry ice to use and the heating of the water seems like could be an issue. I have heard of systems that spray water on the ice  but have not seen plans for them.

[KMC]

CFM will depend on the size of the space, what are the approximate dimensions of the area you want to fill?  "Full size stage" is a relative term.

[pmooney]

55' x 35'

[KMC]

55' x 35'

And height?  CFM is a measure of volume, need a 3rd dimension 

[pmooney]

I would like it to be from one to two feet deep some of these little girls are pretty short, I don't want to loose them in the fog. I can calculate the cubic footage but I just don't know how accurate the cfm ratings ore on the machines. If its like mpg ratings on new cars then it wont be too accurate. do you think one from each side of the stage would be best? In the past we fogged for this scene before the curtain opened (between the curtain and a scrim) from the center of the stage then removed the machine and chiller but i was not happy with the results, this time we have changed the scene and have no scrim plus the scene lasts longer and I want the fog to be on stage longer.

[Mac Calder]

If you want to continually pump out haze, you are probably best off to duct the low fog - a long duct along the back of stage for example (just a long piece of large diameter tube with holes along the length) or a number of ducts installed along the sides of the stage. 2 units are always better than one.

If you are planning to hire, then talk to your local effects hire companies and see what they have to offer for a space like yours - many will be more than happy to talk over details and recommend the best item in their inventory that fits your needs and budget. If you are looking to purchase - chances are the suppliers will be more than happy to demo it for you. Hire companies thrive on repeat business, so they generally try not to give bad advice. And as far as sales of machines... they want you to use them for support and for consumables, so they should be more than happy to supply a demo unit for an afternoon or even a few days.

WRT Dry Ice low foggers - pea soupers are probably the simplest - they are basically a deep frier, - a heating element at the bottom to heat the water, with a basket to hold the dry ice. You control the fog by lowering the basket into the water. Any hire company with a dry-ice low fogger should be able to give directions. A lot of the "dry ice low foggers" which exist as kits out there are more like chillers for fog machines (the same effect as a glaciator etc) which is never as good as actual CO2 fog. It is still effective though.

[KMC]

Okay, thanks for the additional information.

Mac's tubing solution is a good idea to get an even area of coverage.  In terms of actual products I do realize a lot of it will depend on what's available in your area rental wise and what your budget is.  A dry-ice solution is a bit clunky and you're gauranteed to always be wrestling with it to work right, but budget constraints are a reality - so if that is what you have to do, go for it.

In an ideal world I'd recommend Martin Professional's Jem Glaciator, which Mac also mentioned below.  It is a low-fog solution that does not require CO2 or dry ice, is very mobile and is ideal for both temporary and permanent installations.  There is a video on the website that I've linked to show you what the effect looks like.  I work for an a/v design and integration firm and we specify these pretty much exclusively on projects that require a low fog solution.

[pmooney]

Yeah that is a very cool machine but way out of my budget constraints. This is only our third year and being a nonprofit group, accumulating equipment like that is out of the question. I wanted to stay under $500 if I could as we like to focus as much on the dancers as possible. I can build chillers very little money that I hope will work sufficiently well. I was looking at maybe buying 2 Chauvet Hurricane 1300s as they are supposed to put out 20,000 cfm's, but as all self ratings I don't know how well I can trust those numbers.