Smoke machines and fire alarms?
- Thread starter paulmo101
- Start date
Yes. Definitely.
Especially these days when newer buildings are using particulate detectors. To my limited understanding, particulate detectors detect everything in the air, not just smoke.
I dunno, but hazers it seems are no safer than fog. Get with your venue, not just the coordinator, but the building engineer etc. before firing it up.
Especially these days when newer buildings are using particulate detectors. To my limited understanding, particulate detectors detect everything in the air, not just smoke.
I dunno, but hazers it seems are no safer than fog. Get with your venue, not just the coordinator, but the building engineer etc. before firing it up.
Yep, and it's not fun when the fire company shows up.
People have always said hazers do not set off alarms I beg to differ, I did a high school dance that I rented a Martin hazer. The maintenace manager fron the Holiday Inn was nice enough to do a test run prior to the kids arrival. Sure enough it set off the alarm.
People have always said hazers do not set off alarms I beg to differ, I did a high school dance that I rented a Martin hazer. The maintenace manager fron the Holiday Inn was nice enough to do a test run prior to the kids arrival. Sure enough it set off the alarm.
Check out this video by Dan from X-Laser. He's been in the industry for a while and really knows his stuff. Bottom line- hazers are usually safer to use than foggers because the particle is much finer, but they still can and will set off alarms. It usually depends on how sensitive the system is and how much you put out. It's also important to know if you are using a true hazer or a "fazer" (fake hazer, usually described as a hazer but is actually a fog machine because it requires a heat up time.)
YouTube- Fog Vs Haze And How To NOT Set Off Fire Alarms
YouTube- Fog Vs Haze And How To NOT Set Off Fire Alarms
Photo electric detector - picture of guts
We always called them photo electric detectors. An LED flashes inside a dark L shaped chamber. If the chamber is clear the detector sees nothing from the flash of the LED due to it being around the corner. When filled with smoke, the LED's light flashes off the suspended particulates and is "seen" by the detector.
Most deaths related to fire are from smoke inhalation not fire. The more common detector is called the ionization or products of combustion detector. It needs a pretty good flame present to make the ions it need to detect lift up to the ceiling mounted smoke head (detectors). A slow smoldering fire may not set off the ionization detector yet be sufficient to suffocate a victim in their sleep. Most of the inexpensive home detectors were (or may still be) ionization detectors. The photoelectric detectors are superior in most situations.
The picture is from Wikipedia.
We always called them photo electric detectors. An LED flashes inside a dark L shaped chamber. If the chamber is clear the detector sees nothing from the flash of the LED due to it being around the corner. When filled with smoke, the LED's light flashes off the suspended particulates and is "seen" by the detector.
Most deaths related to fire are from smoke inhalation not fire. The more common detector is called the ionization or products of combustion detector. It needs a pretty good flame present to make the ions it need to detect lift up to the ceiling mounted smoke head (detectors). A slow smoldering fire may not set off the ionization detector yet be sufficient to suffocate a victim in their sleep. Most of the inexpensive home detectors were (or may still be) ionization detectors. The photoelectric detectors are superior in most situations.
The picture is from Wikipedia.
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So many of these video snippets take so long to say almost nothing. This (YouTube - Fog Vs. Haze) was chock full of good tip and info. Well worth the time to watch.
Thanks Stew.
So many of these video snippets take so long to say almost nothing. This (YouTube - Fog Vs. Haze) was chock full of good tip and info. Well worth the time to watch.
Thanks Stew.
slippery floors is a problem at some venues, depending on the floor.
and thanks to insurance geeks, some venues will not allow them...
(near the dance floor)
I know a guy who uses them only in carpeted areas, near the entrance, and only when the wedding party is being announced.
I used to use them to keep the kids occupied at weddings,
but kids create a bigger insurance problem...
and the stuff really accumulates directly underneath the unit,
which is precisely where the kids wanna be when it's on.
Just used em on a concert and all I can say is WOW. It is a truly unique effect. Just use your bubble sparingly and all should be fine on the floor. I kick my bubble out farther with a small industrial fan and it really helps disperse things. Also, if you don't want a slick floor, don't run em on an empty dance floor! Get the people wet first!
Depends. if you get the temp right and the fog stays low lying, then no problem. If the water is too hot you get something akin to fog, and you have major problems.
Mike
Fog and haze are well suited for venues where they won't cause problems. Not many mobiles are running it these days because of the fire alarm issues in rented houses.
And you may wager that some whiny guest will complain because so-and-so has asthma.
I have read reports of bubbles leaving stains on whites. Probably not what you'd want for a bride's gown or venue flatwork.
Yup, they can make a slippery mess on floors. We've loaded in where a bubbly machine was used... slipping and sliding around. I don't recommend using them unless the bubbles will not come in contact with the main floor or people who are dressed in their finery.
And you may wager that some whiny guest will complain because so-and-so has asthma.
I have read reports of bubbles leaving stains on whites. Probably not what you'd want for a bride's gown or venue flatwork.
Yup, they can make a slippery mess on floors. We've loaded in where a bubbly machine was used... slipping and sliding around. I don't recommend using them unless the bubbles will not come in contact with the main floor or people who are dressed in their finery.
Yup
Fred, I was thinking the very same thing. How do handle that?
...And you may wager that some whiny guest will complain because so-and-so has asthma.
I have read reports of bubbles leaving stains on whites. Probably not what you'd want for a bride's gown or venue flatwork.
Fred, I was thinking the very same thing. How do handle that?
Couldn't agree more...great video. Very informative. Thanks Stew for sharing.
My question...where are people putting their hazer? Up with lights? Or down near the booth? Or on the floor?
On the floor is best. I even use a small black fan in front of mine to distribute it out further onto the dance floor. If you have more questions, Dan is usually very willing to help. I talked to him about hazers back around April and he was extremely helpful. I ended up purchasing the Haze Generator which is shown in the video and is what he uses most of the time. It's worked great for me, and comes at a price much better than that of the Radiance Hazer.
Fog and haze are well suited for venues where they won't cause problems. Not many mobiles are running it these days because of the fire alarm issues in rented houses.
And you may wager that some whiny guest will complain because so-and-so has asthma.
I have read reports of bubbles leaving stains on whites. Probably not what you'd want for a bride's gown or venue flatwork.
Yup, they can make a slippery mess on floors. We've loaded in where a bubbly machine was used... slipping and sliding around. I don't recommend using them unless the bubbles will not come in contact with the main floor or people who are dressed in their finery.
Honestly I would never think of using bubbles at a wedding. To me it would just seem out of place and childish at a formal event like that. DJCarolina uses them for teen and school gigs and they've worked well for him. I think he purchased UV bubbles so his blacklights and Colorstrips would really make the bubbles shine. The way he uses them is very effective.
If I may, as far as bubble machines in general go, Ducky and I have one that has gone to about 10-15 weddings in the past two years and here is what we have found.
Slippery floors are a myth...with the following exceptions. If you use the cheap wal-mart bubble fluid, yes slick floors can be a problem. The floor could be slick, if you run the bubble machine non-stop. If you spill when you're filling or draining the hopper (but heck, you spill water and the floor can be slick).
As far as staining clothing, no warnings on the bottle about that, nor has it left any stains on our clothes, even when spilled on self (yeah, I did that once). Another note on stains, we have found though that the UV reactive bubble fluid does come with a stain warning for clothing. However, there may be other reactive fluids that don't stain.
The best advice I can give for bubble machines, don't buy cheap fluid.
Yeah, we had never really thought of a bubble machine for a wedding until a client asked us about it. We thought about it and it's been a great decision for us. We actually recommend it for clients who may have a good deal of little kids at the event (as long as the venue will allow it).
Slippery floors are a myth...with the following exceptions. If you use the cheap wal-mart bubble fluid, yes slick floors can be a problem. The floor could be slick, if you run the bubble machine non-stop. If you spill when you're filling or draining the hopper (but heck, you spill water and the floor can be slick).
As far as staining clothing, no warnings on the bottle about that, nor has it left any stains on our clothes, even when spilled on self (yeah, I did that once). Another note on stains, we have found though that the UV reactive bubble fluid does come with a stain warning for clothing. However, there may be other reactive fluids that don't stain.
The best advice I can give for bubble machines, don't buy cheap fluid.
Yeah, we had never really thought of a bubble machine for a wedding until a client asked us about it. We thought about it and it's been a great decision for us. We actually recommend it for clients who may have a good deal of little kids at the event (as long as the venue will allow it).