How do fog machines work?

There are several types of fog machines, each with specific advantages and disadvantages. Listen in to learn more about fog machines.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works dot com
where smart Happens. I am Marshall Brain with today's question,
how do fog machines work? There are three common ways
to produce the fog that you often see in stage
productions and at dance clubs. You can use the fog
machine that vaporizes fog juice, or you can use dry ice,

(00:22):
or you can invite lots of cigarette smokers. Fog machines
and fog juice are the most common. The basic mechanism
is simple. The fog juice is heated to create smoke.
When you overheat oil on the stove and create a
lot of smoke, you're doing the same thing cooking oil
has a tendency to get gummy and smell bad. However,

(00:42):
fog machines use glycerin or glycol mixed with water as
their juice. According to the Seattle Times, the fog is
created using propylene glycol and triethyline glycol mixed with water.
One thing that's not clear is whether this fog has
any side effects on people's lungs. It seems like it's

(01:03):
a problem for asthmatics, but nothing has been proven conclusively
for the general population. If you would rather be safe
than sorry, you can use dry ice. When you place
dry ice and hot water, it creates a dense fog
that clings to the floor. This fog contains carbon dioxide
and water vapor. Do you have any ideas or suggestions

(01:24):
for this podcast? If so, please send me an email
at podcast at how stuff works dot com. For more
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stuff works dot com.