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Hazer or fazer?


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I'm looking to get a Hazer, probably the "American DJ Haze Generator" (other brand name Antari HZ-100) http://www.antari.com/index.php/web/Products_i/22

 

but are also weighting up a water based fazer: http://www.antari.com/index.php/web/Products_i/103

 

I'm more interested in the hazer due to the finer look on screen and slower dispersion. But I'm worried about any health risks or residue covering everything, lenses included, with the oil based hazer. Does anyone find this a problem/issue?

 

I'm not too bothered about fire alarms, as generally we have the option to turn off or cover them. And it would mostly be used in fairly small locations, for 3-4 hours in each.

 

Thanks

Edited by Jonathan O'Neill
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If it is indeed oil based, it might well be classified as a hazardous substance, as mineral oils are carcinogenic. That would mean that there were strict rules regarding the level and duration of exposure to it. You'd also be required to supply some sort of breathing apparatus to anyone who was going to be exposed to it.

 

You could ask the manufacturer for the data sheet this product, but there are plenty of glycol based alternatives, which are just as inexpensive.

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looks like oil based according to the msds: http://www.elationlighting.com/pdffiles/HZL-1%20(OIL).pdf

 

 

FORMULA: Pure grade Lubricating Base Oil. II. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

APPEARANCE AND ODOR
BOILING POINT (760 mm Hg) EVAPORATION RATE (Butyl Acetate=1) SPECIFIC GRAVITY (H
2O=1) SOLUBILITY IN WATER
VAPOR PRESSURE AT 20 C
VAPOR DENSITY (air=1)

III. INGREDIENTS

Pale green, pale red, clear, clear, clear; slight odor 210-435F
.003 - .006
1.075 - 1.085 AT 20 C

Completely soluble over 65 F <.025 - .0245 mm Hg
3.85 - 3.93

These products are all "Oil-based" Mineral oil solutions. As such, toxicity is minimal. These products have been shipped internationally for more than 5 years under the Antari name, and are considered "non- hazardous" by most national health and safety regulatory bodies.

Tests conducted by independent laboratories have confirmed the non-hazardous nature of these liquids.

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yeah a glycol based hazer would be better option and probably also cheaper to use. (a common trick is to add distilled water to smoke fluid to dilute it enough to get reasonable quality haze fluid, is cheaper than buying dilute hazer fluid of which most of is water anyway. but the hazer manufacturers may not encourage that practice)

 

glycol based hazers are quite harmless unless you have bad asthma... the main ingredients are ethylene/propylene glycol and distilled water

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Actually, the Material Data Safety Sheet from the manufacturer lists the ingredients as Glycol and Water. No mention of any oil.

 

are you sure you have the correct sheet, my sheet says clearly that it is mineral oil based?

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Aapo, your sheet is dated 2008, mine is 2015. I guess they have changed the ingredients.

 

hmm I found a 2013 dated sheet which says the main ingredient is GLYCERIN. looks like they have changed it multiple times (quite hilarious when you think of it, mineral oil=hazardous, glycerin= less hazardous, glycol=even less hazardous...) . weird that they kept the product name intact despite they completely replaced it multiple times, I think it would even be illegal in some countries :blink:

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It's not that they're illegal per se, it's that mineral oil can be a carcinogen, so there may be restrictions on exposure. More pertinently, many locations will not allow you to use an oil based haze or smoke, even if the manufacturer says it's safe.

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Also, even though Cal-OSHA (California Health & Safety) say that things like DF-50 are safe, they still advise the use of respirators when exposed to it. Obviously we don't do that for practical reasons, but the fact remains that breathing a vaporised oil can't be good for your lungs.

 

I know that the OP is in the UK, but these things are largely the same in most western nations.

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Most any should work, just make sure the wattage matches what you need. If you're trying to Haze a large area in a short amount of time, then you need a higher wattage hazer. I would just caution to stay away from the Chauvet and American DJ line, as those can be, well, a little on the cheap side - and I don't just mean in price. Anything over the $500 US range should be a good starting point.

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