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Starlight
24-01-2008, 12:06 AM
Does anyone use a dry ice/low lying fog machine? If so, have you had any technical problems? Any pros and cons about them?

Your thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated in advance.

Mendoza.

UltraBeat Entertainment
24-01-2008, 10:34 AM
Too be honest. NO.

But when my smoke machine comes in from the cold van and used straight away it does the same thing :D.

On a more seroius note due to all the problems (dry ice etc) with these i've avoided them but they give off a nice effect. really sets the mood.

dependabledjs
24-01-2008, 11:17 AM
Hi there,

I used one of these for quite a while. It was a Le Maitre one, big unit, but well worth it. you fill the hopper with dry ice, and fill the tank with fog juice. It pushed the fog through the dry ice, which freezes it, and then a fan blows it out along the floor.

Its a really great "clowd" effect, it will fill the whole stage, and then pour off the edge. the effect lasts about 10 mins after you turn the machine off, and you get about 4 hours usage on a hopper of ice.

I dont really think using dry ice is dangerous. Not if you know what you are doing anyway. Always were thick gloves if you are handling the ice, and never put it in a sealed container (it may explode).

You can also have great fun, making toilets smoke, making bottle rockets, or drinking from a smoking glass (a bit dangerous!!).

The unit can be quite expensive, but after the initial outlay the cost is minimal. Fog juice is dirt cheap, and you can get a huge crate of dry ice for 5 quid. well worth it really if you have the venue to use it in.

Best of luck,

Ken.

Paul James Promotions
24-01-2008, 11:29 AM
I have an Antari low fogger unit, but it rarely gets used. Looks good in small venues, but only if the room is cold, with no windows or doors open. Bit of a pain to keep draining the water away too. The bigger machines, where you don't need ice, brilliant.

dependabledjs
24-01-2008, 11:48 AM
Jamie,

When you say dont need ice, Do you mean ice made with water? Dry ice is the biz, no waste at all!

Ken

Starlight
24-01-2008, 12:02 PM
But when my smoke machine comes in from the cold van and used straight away it does the same thing :D

haha LOL

Mendoza.

Starlight
24-01-2008, 12:06 PM
Thanks for the info, Ken.

I've seen those Antari 1's, look nice but I think they might be messy to clean up/drain excess water.

Ken, you mention a La Maitre dry ice machine, which model(s) might be suitable for mobile disco use?

Many thanks.

Mendoza.

dependabledjs
24-01-2008, 12:54 PM
Starlight,
The Antari one on musicstore would be the best. By putting dry ice in it instead of normal ice it makes the fog effect last longer, and removes any mess, as the only bi product of dry ice is carbon dioxide. the La Matire one isnt available any more for some reason, but the antari one is good. I have used this on a large sized stage during "Oklahoma" the musical, and it made a really good standing on a cloud effect. It is great for small stages too, as you can control the output.

The only drawback is that you cant use it where you cant use a normal fogger. the effect has a limited hang low period, then it disperses as notmal fog would. but it does look much better than a normal fogger!

Ken.

Paul James Promotions
24-01-2008, 01:07 PM
Jamie,

When you say dont need ice, Do you mean ice made with water? Dry ice is the biz, no waste at all!

Ken

Yes, normal ice for a low fogger. Not dry ice.

pdarnett
24-01-2008, 01:11 PM
I have the Skytec one, http://www.djsuperstore.co.uk/=froogle/item/smoke-snow-foam-bubble-machines/338389-skytronic-low-fogger-%C2%A3249.00

and its works great, bit messy to empty if you use ice , but last couple of times, filled it with freezer packs, seemed to be ok

dependabledjs
24-01-2008, 01:36 PM
Is it just me who has tried dry ice? It was Le Matire advised me to use dry ice to avoid mess. Is it not freely available in the UK, or do people not bother? As far as i noticed, the temp of dry ice can be as low as -80, and make a much better effect than standard ice.

Im bored at work and been doing some reading up on it. The Antari one is indeed intended for regular ice, but dry ice can be substituted as a cooling factor, rather than a fog producing factor. Fog made directly from dry ice can be dangerous due to high levels or Co2 in the fog. However, when you use dry ice as a coolant rather than a creator, it reduced this Co2 ammount by 98%.
In The Antari, all the dry ice is doing is sitting on top of the grate, where the normal ice would sit. The dry ice is acting as a supercooler on the already created fog, making the low effect. This low effect can last much longer than the effect with normal ice as it is much much colder. The fog also doesnt have dangerous levels of Co2 in it. Also, the mess is almost non existant. at the end you just tip the remaining contents into the bin, or a bowl of hot water. No puddles of water or slipping risk!

Has anyone else done it this way, or is it always ice cubes? Its funny, because everyone I know here never bothered to read the manual, and just lashed the dry ice straight in! Stage crew for you...

Solitaire Events Ltd
24-01-2008, 04:10 PM
I've got a Mr Kool low fogger which is about to go on DJ Bids.....

Starlight
24-01-2008, 04:44 PM
Is it just me who has tried dry ice? It was Le Matire advised me to use dry ice to avoid mess. Is it not freely available in the UK, or do people not bother? As far as i noticed, the temp of dry ice can be as low as -80, and make a much better effect than standard ice.

Im bored at work and been doing some reading up on it. The Antari one is indeed intended for regular ice, but dry ice can be substituted as a cooling factor, rather than a fog producing factor. Fog made directly from dry ice can be dangerous due to high levels or Co2 in the fog. However, when you use dry ice as a coolant rather than a creator, it reduced this Co2 ammount by 98%.
In The Antari, all the dry ice is doing is sitting on top of the grate, where the normal ice would sit. The dry ice is acting as a supercooler on the already created fog, making the low effect. This low effect can last much longer than the effect with normal ice as it is much much colder. The fog also doesnt have dangerous levels of Co2 in it. Also, the mess is almost non existant. at the end you just tip the remaining contents into the bin, or a bowl of hot water. No puddles of water or slipping risk!

Has anyone else done it this way, or is it always ice cubes? Its funny, because everyone I know here never bothered to read the manual, and just lashed the dry ice straight in! Stage crew for you...

From what I've read, sounds like dry ice is the best when compared to standard ice cubes - not as much mess and the effect lasts longer. Its a shame that there will be restrictions using these wonderful machines. I would of thought that venues with smoke alarms wouldn't be affected with dry ice machines because the fog lies on the floor. I think I'd get the approval off the management first.

Mendoza.

sleah
24-01-2008, 08:13 PM
There may be a little confusion (once again:D ) going on here between low foggers and dry ice machines.
For the benefit of anyone who's not 100% sure:

A low fogger is a regular fog machine with an ice chamber that cools the fog so it hugs the floor. It will start to warm to room temperature and rise, so there is every bit as much chance that it will set of a smoke alarm. Don't be fooled thinking these machines are smoke alarm friendly - they ain't:(

A dry ice machine uses dry ice (oddly:D ) which is lowered into a water chamber to create the low fog effect which hugs the floor. As it warms to room temperature it actually evaporates away, so is rather unlikely to set off a smoke alarm, unless the visible fog comes in contact with one.:)

What Starlight seems to be on about is putting dry ice blocks into the ice chamber of a low fogger instead of regular waterbased ice cubes. No reason why this shouldn't work, it will (hopefully) keep the fog lower for longer. However, it is at your own peril unless the manufacturer of the machine say it is safe to do so.

It should be mentioned that dry ice blocks are potentially very dangerous if not handled correctly, if you don't use suitable gloves you will almost certainly receive very nasty very permanent injury, such as loosing fingers or sever burns at best. There are plenty of guidelines available on t'internet that should be followed.
Unless you are 100% confident handling dry ice and you are 100% confident that it is in a safe environment, i.e. no where near children, then don't use it.
It's also worth checking to see if your PLI excludes its use.

It annoys me when safety issues are played down when it comes to things like dry ice and lasers - not saying anyone here has!!! - when there is so much potential for things to go horribly wrong.

Solitaire Events Ltd
24-01-2008, 08:41 PM
What Starlight seems to be on about is putting dry ice blocks into the ice chamber of a low fogger instead of regular waterbased ice cubes. No reason why this shouldn't work, it will (hopefully) keep the fog lower for longer.

I didn't read that bit, but have done that myself when I tested the machine out in the front room.

Starlight
24-01-2008, 08:56 PM
There was a mention earlier that you should wear gloves when handling the dry ice. I cant see dry ice causing big issues with an ice cube based dry ice/low fogger machine.

Does anyone else use dry ice in a regular low fogger/dry ice machine that takes normal ice cubes aswel? Any problems?

Mendoza.

Jiggles
24-01-2008, 09:10 PM
see here on Dry Ice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_ice

Also: http://www.allaboutice.com/pdf/Dry_Ice_Handling_Guidlines.pdf

Starlight
24-01-2008, 09:21 PM
see here on Dry Ice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_ice

Also: http://www.allaboutice.com/pdf/Dry_Ice_Handling_Guidlines.pdf


A bit chilly. Thanks for the link.

Mendoza.

Jiggles
24-01-2008, 09:23 PM
£30 for 10KG of Dry Ice. Dont know if tats a good price :lol:

Starlight
24-01-2008, 10:00 PM
£30 for 10KG of Dry Ice. Dont know if tats a good price :lol:

I dont really know but I'd spend that on dry ice for sure, not exactly alot to splash out is it? Wonder how much a decent pair of gloves would set you back?

Mendoza.

colint
24-01-2008, 10:01 PM
this is a Le Matire pea souper dry ice fogger:

Tom
24-01-2008, 10:17 PM
tbh it seems to much work just to have dry ice smoke machine at a disco. if it was for a large wedding then yeah it would look really good ie, B&G dancing on a cloud in effect.


i think either a haze or smoke machine will do the job just fine.

colint
24-01-2008, 10:32 PM
tbh it seems to much work just to have dry ice smoke machine at a disco. if it was for a large wedding then yeah it would look really good ie, B&G dancing on a cloud in effect.


i think either a haze or smoke machine will do the job just fine.

nothing looks quiet as good as a pea souper mounted high up behind the Dj with the fog falling down and running across the stage and down onto the dance floor?
But you have to weigh up the handling of the ice, which is not as easy as it sounds, the fact that some of the lesser machines did have a tendancy to explode and the fact your pli providers will with out doubt chuck ALL the dummy's out of the pram!! (and the toys)

and don't even think of doing the ice in the glass thing, that is just plain stupid & only for the TV,
dry ice burns, causes frost bite, and as already said people have lost body parts because of stupidness just like this, just imagine what it would be like to swallow a lump?

Personally I love the dry ice machines but they are just to much hasle nowdays!

Starlight
25-01-2008, 10:26 PM
tbh it seems to much work just to have dry ice smoke machine at a disco. if it was for a large wedding then yeah it would look really good ie, B&G dancing on a cloud in effect.


i think either a haze or smoke machine will do the job just fine.

Maybe a problem for some people to lug a dry ice machine around but just think of the good comments and thoughts from the audience. Standard smoke machines are great for sure but I think a dry ice machine adds more 'sparkle' to the night :cool:

Mendoza.

Starlight
25-01-2008, 10:34 PM
Personally I love the dry ice machines but they are just to much hasle nowdays!

NEVER!

Mendoza.

sleah
26-01-2008, 03:26 AM
I didn't read that bit, but have done that myself when I tested the machine out in the front room.

What? You've had dry ice blocks in your house???:cool: must be bonkers:D


There was a mention earlier that you should wear gloves when handling the dry ice. I cant see dry ice causing big issues with an ice cube based dry ice/low fogger machine.

If you weren't 100% certain you have to wear suitable gloves to handle dry ice - do not go anywhere near it until you've read up on it and understood the procedures for safe use.
Pick up dry ice without gloves and you will suffer serious injury. You'll be very lucky to keep your fingers.

Please people don't be confusing dry ice with regular ice cubes from the freezer, they are wildly different things.

Mendoza, this is not directed at you, but I just got the feeling from your replies that you may be confusing the two or don't fully appreciate the safety implications of dry ice.

Keep safe peeps.:)

DJmissbehaving
20-04-2009, 05:26 PM
There is one of these in Amnesia in Ibiza......it's amazing when your roasting in a club....

Starlight
11-05-2009, 10:51 PM
There is one of these in Amnesia in Ibiza......it's amazing when your roasting in a club....

And you burn your loobees off haha! ;)