Find the right fluid for your machine!
Answer: Absolutely. Parlights sells professional fog and haze fluids that align with our manufacturers’ high quality control and safety standards. Knowing what’s in your fluid and how it’s made is important for the safety of everyone involved — those fumes don’t just dissolve, everyone in the vicinity breathes them in. You should only use fluid recommended by the manufacturer for the specific model of fog machine. Never mix, dilute, color, or substitute fluids in any way. At best you’ll be disappointed with the effect, but you could also permanently damage the machine or create toxic vapors.
Question: What is fog fluid, anyway?
Answer: Fog Fluid is composed of a series of glycols of low molecular weight mixed with de-ionized water. All components are listed on the USFDA Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) list and are used extensively in food and food packaging, cosmetics, and other products. (That being said, we don’t recommend drinking it. Have some water, instead.)
Question: So how does the machine turn that fluid into fog?
Answer: The short answer is that it pumps the fluid into a very hot chamber where it vaporizes almost instantly. Some people mistakenly think fog machines have an internal fan because of the noise they make, but that sound is really just the fluid pump. As the fog fluid vaporizes, it expands and escapes through the nozzle at the front of the machine without any assistance needed. It’s basically steam at that point, so you should never put anything near the nozzle – especially your hands!
The process is actually a lot more complex than that, though; you can get more details about how these machines work on Rosco’s website.
Question: I’m using my fog machine outdoors; will weather adversely change my fog effect?
Answer: Probably… Cold weather tends to extend the residual life span of the fog effect, but the machine will require more time to reach its operating temperature. Heat and humidity can also change the look and duration of the effect. If there’s wind, the fog will be blowing with it – be aware of which direction the wind is blowing to be sure your fog is going where it’s supposed to.
Question: I know exactly what I want to do, but I have no idea where to go from here. Can you help?
Answer: We’d love to! Parlights’ salespeople are all trained theatre professionals who enjoy helping our customers create amazing shows. Please feel free to contact us to talk about your ideas, and we encourage you to share pictures of your effect in action. We love to see how productions we’ve assisted with turn out!
Question: I need more information about fog for my principal, facility manager, or fire marshal. Where can I download MSDS and other information?
We are compiling MSDS for all of our manufacturer’s fog & haze fluids. For now, you should be able to find those forms on the manufacturer’s web site, or by emailing us.