# Make yer own fog machine



## Unmutual (Aug 7, 2014)

Has anyone tried this? Is it worth it? I'm trying to decide if I should invest in a fog machine.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

I haven't tried it specifically, but I can guarantee it won't look like the picture. Most likely your 'fog machine' is just going to emit a general 'smoky column' of fog... it won't be a directed blast like a real fog machine either.

For filling a faint haze effect in a general room, this might not be too bad. If the lit candle, plastic, etc isn't an issue with safety. Though if you want dense fog and/or intend to have it in an area with kids, ToT's, patrons, etc - it might be better to catch a real machine on sale after the season.


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

I made my own fog machine and it kicks butt! I wanted a high output one like they have at the theater I worked at. the unit costs like $3000 new, so when I was repairing the thing I copied the basic guts of it and made my own. I am actually going to be getting it out later today get it going for the season. I could snap some pictures if you are interested.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

A good time to buy fog machines is during the after Halloween sales.


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

*Made my own high output fogger*

I have a video of it side by side with a regular 400 watt unit on YouTube


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## byrdawg (Sep 24, 2014)

pretty cool


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## Bbdude (Sep 26, 2014)

I had been thinking of trying the candle fog machine and upscaling it to see how it did, but in the end decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

I agree that it would make a nice decoration/haze effect on a table for a party or something.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Batbuddy said:


> O.K. So I took some pictures of my home brew fog machine ...


Interesting set-up. I don't want to go too far OT, since the original post was about the 'candle powered' fog machine and its performance. But did want to mention a point of your fog machine and safety...

Hopefully I'm wrong, but I have not noted any true fog fluid to ever be dyed / colored. Further, it struck me that your jug of orange fog fluid looked a lot like some RV/marine antifreeze - which is mainly propylene glycol / water solution just like real fog fluid and 'should' make fog as well.

The downside being RV/marine antifreeze has corrosion inhibitors, surfactants, dyes, etc. At best, these additives could eventually plug up your heat exchanger and make it stop working... at worst, they could plug up your lungs and make them stop working. The latter obviously being a much bigger issue than the former.

Anyway, just a friendly observation if you are running anything other than actual fog fluid, you might want to reconsider and go back to the off-the-shelf fluid.


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## Batbuddy (Sep 3, 2014)

Yep you were wrong about it being RV/antifreeze, but thanks for your concern and worry. I actually have been in the theater industry for over 15 years and have used a bunch of different fog/smoke machines. There are a lot of fog fluids with color. I have seen various pinks, greens and bluish ones too. In the theater we are required to have MSDS sheets on the fluids we use, and while many are Propylene Glycol some have Glycerol and other additives. Incidentally, As a test I did try some RV antifreeze and it was not very foggy, but the only ingredients in the one I used were the P.G. and Ethyl alcohol and corrosion inhibitor. Alcohol actually cleans out the machine quite well and has less of a toxic effect vaporized than drinking it does. (Ethyl alcohol is basically Vodka FYI. ) What is more RV antifreeze is used in the potable water system of an RV and must therefore be non toxic. So it wouldn't have Surfactants or toxic corrosion inhibitors either. But as you say Better to be safe than sorry especially if you don't know the chemistry of a fluid. One other word of caution on these Fog machines. While the fog from these machines are considered non-hazardous I have seen first hand, people that have had asthmatic attacks from the smoke these produce. we had to drag one of our employees out of the fog because he was in anaphylaxis.


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