Get the real facts about fog fluid quality, purity, machine safety, and long-term maintenance based on 30 years of testing.
Many people believe that using fog fluid from any brand other than their machine’s brand will damage the unit. This idea comes mostly from marketing, not from real-world testing. After testing 40+ brands over 20 years, most fluids turned out to be almost identical in composition.
The only major difference between these fluids is their purity level, measured in parts per million. Higher purity means a longer life for your fog machine—regardless of brand. What truly matters is choosing the cleanest, purest fluid available.
Fog machine performance and lifespan depend heavily on the purity of the fluid you use. Here’s why purity is the most important factor.
Most fog machine clogs happen because of tiny mineral particles in the fluid.
Tap water contains minerals that can quickly damage the fog machine heater.
Many fluid makers cannot accurately check water purity during production.
For best performance, use fluid with less than 1.5 PPM impurities.
Purity plays a major role in the health of your fog machine. Most clogs happen because the water used in fog fluid isn’t fully purified. Even though the chemical ingredients stay very consistent across brands, water impurities vary a lot — and that’s where problems begin.
Tap water should never be part of fog fluid, yet many manufacturers don’t have the proper testing equipment to ensure their water is truly clean. Some even buy “purified” water that still contains more contaminants than advertised.
The goal is simple: keep impurities extremely low. We maintain our fluids under 1.5 parts per million and have remained consistent for over 30 years. And that’s exactly why machine lifespan increases with higher-purity fluid.
In the 1980s, fog machines varied widely, with some having heating temperatures differing by up to 100 degrees. Back then, it was crucial to match your fog fluid to the machine’s characteristics, ensuring the vapor point was close to the operating temperature of the heater. Today, most machines are more consistent, but minor differences still exist and can affect fog performance.
If your fog appears thin and disperses quickly, a more viscous fluid will stay longer in the heat exchanger and produce better results. Conversely, if the fog is too thick or slow, it may overheat the heater and cause clogs, so a less viscous fluid is recommended. You can adjust any fog fluid by adding a small amount of distilled water, but never use tap water, as it can damage your machine.
If your fog comes out too quick or thin, use a more viscous fluid. This allows the fog to stay longer in the heat exchanger and hang in the air for a better visual effect.
If fog comes out too dense or slow, it may spend too much time in the heater, risking clogs. Use a less viscous fluid to ensure smooth output.
You can adjust any fog fluid by adding a small amount of distilled water to get the perfect consistency. Never use tap water as it can damage the machine.
Tap water contains minerals that quickly build up in the heater, causing clogs and reducing machine life. Always use distilled or manufacturer-recommended fluids.
Achieve a light, beautiful haze for your events by adjusting your fog fluid correctly. Follow these tips to get the perfect effect while keeping your fogger safe.
Add distilled water to your fog fluid to create a light haze without affecting the machine.
Even if fog is almost invisible, tiny particles fill the air, making lights shine beautifully.
Light haze may require running your fogger more often to maintain consistent coverage.
Tap water contains minerals that can clog or damage your fogger. Always use distilled water.
In the 30 years that I have been working with fog machines, I have seen 1000 times as many clogs in machines that never had a drop of scent added to the fog as I have machines that used scent. It is my opinion (based on 30 years working with fog machines and fluid) that the popular scents sold most often (strawberry, vanilla, tropical…) do not cause any more clogs than unscented fluids. If you take care of your machine and protect your stored fluids, you should be fine. I have seen many clogs in night club foggers caused by large amounts of dust gathering in the tank and jugs of fluid that have been left open for long periods of time.
A clogged fog machine is trash. There is no reasonable means of removing the burnt clog. To keep it from creating a build up of impurities, I suggest running a half a cup of UNCLOGIT through it after every 40 hours of operation or no longer than 3 months. This will help prevent clogs from forming. After running the UNCLOGIT through it, you should run a little regular fog fluid through it to provide lubrication for the pump.