Hazers.

Ben Lawrence

Ben Lawrence

Senior
Mar 2, 2011
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What are you guys using for hazers? Thinking size of one court gym. Just to highlight some moving heads. Can you get away with a lower end unit running for a long period? Shoot out some model #s of ones that you use or prefer and have been reliable for you.
 
Re: Hazers.

Silas Pradetto said:
The right way, a DF50 or two, connected to a relay pack, on as often as required.

On a budget, the Antari HZ300 works fantastic; it's what I use most of the time, and I've never been short on haze except outside. DMX built in and last forever on fluid.

Avoid water-based hazers.
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Why avoid water based hazers?
 
Re: Hazers.

Rob Gow said:
Why avoid water based hazers?
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In my personal experience, oil-based units are virtually maintenance-free. I've had mine for 5 years and have done nothing but abuse it and fill it with fluid. The water based units need to warm up, they clog, they need to be cleaned, they seem to be pretty specific on what fluid you put in them or they really act up. They use fluid much faster than the oil based units, and the water-based haze is not as even, it's more 'cloudy' rather than just invisible mist.
 
Re: Hazers.

Silas Pradetto said:
In my personal experience, oil-based units are virtually maintenance-free. I've had mine for 5 years and have done nothing but abuse it and fill it with fluid. The water based units need to warm up, they clog, they need to be cleaned, they seem to be pretty specific on what fluid you put in them or they really act up. They use fluid much faster than the oil based units, and the water-based haze is not as even, it's more 'cloudy' rather than just invisible mist.
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Plus one to all of Silas's comments with the only downside to Oil based being the slippery residue, and any "ill effects" the artist might claim to have against oil based units... I've noticed that after a show, the floor area around the oil hazer was slippery, and I've taken fixtures down from the truss ( even after one gig) that were "slippery".
That would be the downside of using oil.
 
Re: Hazers.

Shane Presley said:
Plus one to all of Silas's comments with the only downside to Oil based being the slippery residue, and any "ill effects" the artist might claim to have against oil based units... I've noticed that after a show, the floor area around the oil hazer was slippery, and I've taken fixtures down from the truss ( even after one gig) that were "slippery".
That would be the downside of using oil.
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I'd be curious to know if that oil accumulation has caused any issues with the rest of the equipment in the rig. Because if it has, that may outweigh the increased maintenance required with the water-based units.
 
Re: Hazers.

Ben Lawrence said:
Wow. That is a long read..Whats the verdict on that. From what I gathered its not healthy in large doses.
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Basically, if you're going to use this in the theater world, water based is the way to go. Oil based WILL affect a performers throat/lungs and they WILL complain. Thus causing you to kill the haze. If it is equity approved (pretty difficult to do) you can look an annoying actor in the eye and say "it's approved. I'm going to keep running it. period."
 
Re: Hazers.

Eric Simna said:
Basically, if you're going to use this in the theater world, water based is the way to go. Oil based WILL affect a performers throat/lungs and they WILL complain. Thus causing you to kill the haze. If it is equity approved (pretty difficult to do) you can look an annoying actor in the eye and say "it's approved. I'm going to keep running it. period."
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I'm pretty sure it doesn't...at least not mine. I have run haze to the point that you can't see 3 feet in front of you and you still can't even smell it. It's mineral oil, after all.

Water based haze and fog, on the other hand, have a very obvious smell, which annoys me and others.

Just today I did a demo for a customer. We ran the HZ300 and he put his face in front of the unit and took a deep breath, and was much happier with the HZ300 than his current water-based machine.

I have not had any oil residue build up anywhere except inside the hazer itself where the haze comes out.
 
Re: Hazers.

Eric Simna said:
Basically, if you're going to use this in the theater world, water based is the way to go. Oil based WILL affect a performers throat/lungs and they WILL complain. Thus causing you to kill the haze. If it is equity approved (pretty difficult to do) you can look an annoying actor in the eye and say "it's approved. I'm going to keep running it. period."
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That's funny I got the opposite of that, where they kept saying the oil based had little to no effect on the performers where there was more irritation from the water (glycol) blend... I read some of it and skimmed the graphs...
 
Re: Hazers.

Shane Presley said:
That's funny I got the opposite of that, where they kept saying the oil based had little to no effect on the performers where there was more irritation from the water (glycol) blend... I read some of it and skimmed the graphs...
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Maybe I am wrong. But in all my experience we've been forced to go water based because that is what was 'equity approved.'
 
Re: Hazers.

Any tips for making a hazer operate more quietly? I don't own one, but typically use an HZ300. In smaller rooms, the hazer is loud enough to be a distraction. Should I build an insulated cover that I could lay over it (obviously not blocking openings)? Any other ideas?

Has anyone used the Antari HZ100? Is it enough for <500 person rooms indoors?
 
Re: Hazers.

Eric Simna said:
Maybe I am wrong. But in all my experience we've been forced to go water based because that is what was 'equity approved.'
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Another reason to not use a DF-50 is the noise. Compared to some of the hazers that use glycol-based fluids and nitrogen as a propellant, it's like the DF-50 is a drag race car and the glycol machines are bicycles. Also glycol machines that use nitrogen can start/stop haze production very quickly, and that's important in theater. A fast-paced show like WICKED can have cues that need haze (sometimes coming up from the deck rather than just suspended in the air) that can establish the effect in the 12 seconds allowed for the scene shift.

I'm sure Equity plays the major role in this, though. What is interesting is that the IATSE seems to have taken no position (unless it was before I joined 15 years ago), and I'd wager that theater technicians are exposed to as much "atmosphere" as actors.

After trying a number of different hazers, though, for arenas we use a pair of DF-50s, for smaller venues we use 1. We tried the Radiance and it couldn't keep up in a 2000 seat room and a pair couldn't do a 6,000 seat hockey shed. Also used a great deal more fluid when compared to the oil crackers. That was also the problem with the various Martin hazers we tried - the fluid consumption made them very expensive to run. I'd estimate that the DF-50s have recovered their premium price difference in fluid savings over a couple of years.

And a quick observation about oil... Recently I was a hand on an arena show that used 4 DF-50s. Each unit was set in a shallow (6" or so) storage bin, and a towel was laid in front of the discharge end of the machine. At the strike, I didn't notice any oil sheen "shadow" from them so it appears that the bin and towel collected the majority of any excess.

One this I've learned is that how you use additional fans to disperse the haze will have a direct affect on oil based haze. We have squirrel cage fans and if you point the DF-50 right into the center of the fan, the fan blades/air will *recombine* the oil particles back into fluid oil. From focus to end of show you can get quit a bit of contamination. Moving the fan a foot or 2, and using the fan discharge to disperse the haze (rather than shooting it into the fan inlet) stopped that.

Have fun, etc.

Tim Mc
 
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