# Fog and smoke detectors



## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

I work in a pro haunt that is mostly indoors. I have been discourage to use fog machines indoors for fear of setting off smoke detectors. We do get inspected before we open so I can't disable them. I have used fog in other places and never set off a smoke detector. Anyone ever had this problem? how much fog is to much. some detectors don't go off until there is heavy smoke.


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## bradbaum (Jul 26, 2008)

Depends on the type of smoke detectors. If you want to use fog machines - buy a vortex chiller and that will keep the fog on the ground away from the detectors. Do a test run or two just to make sure you don't set them off.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

I did use a chiller last year indoors and never set anything off. I have two different buildings and I have ten foggers. But even in that room, it was the first room in the haunt so when the wind came throught the door it would pick it up off of the floor and the air became just as foggy. It will just be trial and error to see how much it takes to set it off. Don't want fire alarms going off with a building full of patron. That could be like last year when a real bat was swooping down from the ceiling at patrons. Itwas a realy great scare but we had to tempoarily shut down to catch it and remove it from the building.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I have used a fogger in my house and never set off a detector. And the house is new so has a detector in every room, closet, vestibule, corner and anywhere else they could find to put one.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

We had one go off in a church when we were setting up for a show due to a fogger.

That was wired to the fire department. So they would have to come and shut it off.

We figured out how to get around it by taping a plastic bag over the detector during performances.


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## fravak (May 16, 2009)

Can you use heat sensors instead? I a couple of areas in my office have them instead of smoke detectors because of smoke from the kitchen.


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## Erebus (Jul 28, 2009)

Like fravak said. Change all of them to heat detectors. They will still pass inspection and everything, just won't be set off my the fog machines.


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