In Favor of Fog and Fans

The key to achieving a successful haze effect with a fog machine comes down to a few main factors. First, you will need a fog machine that has good low-end control; meaning that ideally, it must be able to consistently output a small trickle of fog (less critical if your application is outdoors or very large scale). Second, a long-lasting, slow evaporating fog fluid made of higher molecular weight, low vapor-pressure glycols is required. Triethylene glycol is the most commonly used “long lasting” fluid component and occasionally glycerin or polyethylene glycol 200 or 400 is also used. Third, a good fan is a must. Almost any fan will work if it is quiet and moves enough air to properly aerate the long-lasting fog into a haze. The range of DMX fans available on the market is now vast and will allow you to achieve finer control over your haze. This is particularly important for theatrical applications where not only noise, but controllability is crucial.