Smoke and Haze Fluid Explained: Water vs Oil Based, Which Fluid Fits Which Machine

Which fluid goes in which smoke machine, hazer, low fogger and vertical fogger, taken from what each manufacturer says for the machines we sell. Covers water-based and oil-based haze fluid, light to heavy fog fluid, low fog and CO2-style fluids, how long a 5 litre bottle lasts and how to store it.

~13 min read · Updated October 2026 · By the Stage Supply team

In this guide: The short answer · Fluid types · Why the wrong fluid matters · Machine to fluid table · How long a bottle lasts · Storage and handling · Popular picks · FAQ

Fluid is the part of a smoke or haze rig you buy most often, and the part most often bought wrong. Every machine maker names the fluid its machine is built for, and that is the fluid to use. This guide puts those recommendations in one place.

If you have not chosen a machine yet, start with our smoke, haze and low fog guide, which explains the three effects and which machine type suits which job. This guide assumes you already have the machine and need the right bottle.

The short answer

• Use the fluid the machine’s manufacturer names. It is printed in the manual and usually on the product page. Chauvet’s safety notes for the Hurricane 1600 and Hurricane Haze 1DX say to use only Chauvet water-based fluid.
• Haze fluid goes in hazers, fog fluid in foggers. They are different products. A fog-haze machine such as the QTX FH-700 is the exception: QTX says it should run on high grade haze fluid.
• Never put oil-based haze fluid in a water-based machine, or the other way round. ADJ sells both and says outright that each is not suited to the other type of machine.
• Low fog machines need their own fluid, or ice, or both. Check whether yours wants low fog fluid, standard fog fluid, ice, dry ice or distilled water.
• Water-based is the norm. Every hazer in our table below whose maker states a fluid type takes water-based fluid. Oil-based haze fluid is only for oil crackers built for it.

The fluid types, and what each is for

The fluids section of our smoke and haze guide covers the chemistry. Here is how the fluid on our shelves divides up.

Water-based fog (smoke) fluid

The standard fluid for heated smoke machines. ADJ describes its Fog Juice as water based, in three densities: Fog Juice 1 Light for laser and scanner shows, Fog Juice 2 Medium as the standard club, disco and party fluid, and Fog Juice 3 Heavy for long-lasting, intense show effects. Chauvet’s FF5 High Performance Smoke Fluid is the European 5 litre version of its fog fluid, described as formulated for all water-based machines, non-toxic, non-flammable and unscented.

QTX grades its fog fluids by machine size. Its Standard Fog Fluid (yellow) and High Grade Fog Fluid (orange) are both listed as suitable for fog machines up to 900W, with the orange giving a longer-lasting effect. Its High Quality Fog Fluid (pink) is listed for machines from 1000W to 5000W.

Quick-dissipating (CO2-style) fog fluid

Vertical foggers fire a column that should vanish quickly, so they work best on a fluid that clears fast. ADJ says its Fog Juice CO2 disappears within a few seconds at around 20°C. Equinox’s CO2 Emulation Fluid is formulated for a dense white jet with rapid dispersal and is listed as suitable for most vertical foggers.

Water-based haze fluid

Haze fluid makes a thin, even mist that shows beams without visible clouds. The makers of the Chauvet DJ Hurricane Haze range, the Chauvet Professional Amhaze range, ADJ’s Entour faze machines, the Elumen8 SH-1200 and the JEM Compact Hazer Pro all specify water-based fluid. ADJ Haze Fluid Water-Based, JEM C-Plus Haze Fluid and Le Maitre Pure Haze Fluid are all brand-specific water-based haze fluids, and QTX describes its Haze Fluid Eco as suitable for all makes of haze machine.

Oil-based haze fluid

Oil-based haze fluid is for oil crackers, which atomise with compressed air rather than a heater. ADJ’s oil-based haze fluid is a good example of how specific this gets: ADJ says it is only for the Entour Haze Pro and not suited to its other fazers. Its water-based haze fluid page says the reverse, that it is not suited to oil crackers like the Entour Haze Pro.

Le Maitre makes the case against oil from the other side. It says oil hazers can leave a messy, slippery residue on sets. Its Pure Haze fluid, which it describes as sugar and water based, is made for its MVS and Neutron XS hazers.

Low fog fluid

Low fog machines need a fluid that makes heavier droplets. QTX describes its Low Level Fog Fluid as water-based and made to be vaporised over ice for a dense, low-level cloud. ADJ’s Kool Fog is designed for its Mister Kool machines and the Entour Chill, and ADJ says it stays close to the ground longer than standard fog juice.

Not every low fogger uses fluid like this. ADJ’s Entour ICE runs on dry ice and water and takes no fog fluid at all. Low foggers that work without ice, such as the Chauvet Cloud 9X IP and Cumulus HP, need water as well as fluid: see the table below.

Snow and bubble fluid

Snow and bubble machines use their own fluids, never fog fluid. ADJ recommends its own snow fluid (SNOW GAL in the US) for the Entour SNOW, and its European Entour SNOW page names Snow Juice (code 1223200004). Equinox’s Snow/Foam Fluid is ready to use and listed as suitable for all manufacturers’ snow machines, and Elumen8’s Storm 600 manual names it (Flui03) as the compatible fluid. ADJ’s Bubble Juice is ready-mixed, so it needs no dilution. Chauvet’s Hurricane Bubble Haze takes two fluids: haze fluid for the haze and Chauvet bubble fluid (BJG, or BF5 in the EU) for the bubbles.

Why the wrong fluid matters

Smoke and haze machines push fluid through a pump into a heater block or atomiser that is set up for a particular fluid. Get it wrong and the manufacturers spell out what happens:

• Chauvet: the safety notes in its quick reference guides say “Use only CHAUVET water-based fog fluid” for the Hurricane 1600 smoke machine and “Use only CHAUVET water-based haze fluid” for the Hurricane Haze 1DX. Its FJU and FF5 fog fluid pages warn that “the use of other, inferior products can cause irreparable damage to your machine”.
• ADJ: its water-based haze fluid is “not suited for oil crackers like the Entour Haze Pro”. Its oil-based haze fluid is “Only for ADJ Entour Haze Pro! Not suited for other ADJ Fazers!” Both pages say not to mix the fluid with any other products.
• Martin (JEM): the JEM Compact Hazer Pro datasheet lists JEM C-Plus Haze Fluid as its approved fluid.
• QTX: says high grade haze fluid should be used in the FH-700, and recommends its High Quality Haze Fluid for the HAZYR-PRO.

Warranty terms are set by each manufacturer. If you are thinking of running a fluid other than the one the maker names, read the full warranty terms first.

Running dry matters too. Chauvet warns that the Hurricane Haze 1DX needs enough fluid in the tank to prevent pump and heater damage. Several machines here have a low-fluid cut-out, but do not rely on it.

Machine to fluid: what each manufacturer names

Fluids are named exactly as the manufacturer’s product page, manual or datasheet gives them. Where the maker uses a US code (such as HFG or FJU), the European equivalent is shown when the maker lists one. A dash in the last column means we do not have a product page for the fluid the maker names, so ask us.

Prolight’s product pages for Equinox machines such as the Vapour 1000 hazer and Verti Jet vertical fogger do not name a fluid, and their manuals ask only for “high quality, water based smoke fluid recommended by the manufacturer”, warning that other fluids may cause clogging and void the guarantee. Ask us if you want a specific fluid confirmed.

How long a 5 litre bottle lasts

Fluid consumption at full output is published for most of these machines. Dividing 5 litres by that figure gives the longest you would need to plan for. In practice you will usually get more: hazers often run below full output, and smoke machines tend to fire in bursts.

Martin quotes the JEM Compact Hazer Pro at 20 hours on full output from its 2.5 litre reservoir. The Cloud 9X IP and Cumulus HP also use water, and much faster than fluid: Chauvet quotes 184.7 ml/min and 87 ml/min of water respectively. Keep the water tank topped up as well.

The pattern is the useful part. A hazer on full output gets through a 5 litre bottle in a long working day or two. A vertical fogger can empty one in under an hour of continuous firing, so a busy night of CO2-style blasts needs a box of fluid, not a bottle.

Storage, handling and cleaning

Chauvet, ADJ and Le Maitre publish a safety data sheet (SDS) for their fluids, and QTX a fluid safety certificate. That is the document to follow. As an example of what they say, Chauvet’s SDS for its Premium Haze Fluid gives:

• Handling: avoid contact with skin and eyes, and wash hands after handling.
• Storage: store in a cool, well-ventilated place.
• Spills: soak up with absorbent material such as dry sand.
• Disposal: follow local waste rules.

We have not found a shelf life on the manufacturer pages or SDS documents we checked. If a bottle has a date or batch note on the label, go by that. Some general habits come straight from the manuals:

• Drain the tank before transport or storage. The safety notes in Chauvet’s Hurricane 1600 and Hurricane Haze 1DX guides say this.
• Do not mix fluids. ADJ’s fluid pages say not to mix with any other products. When changing brand or type, empty the tank first.
• Clean the heater regularly. ADJ recommends running its fog machine cleaning fluid every 30 hours of use, and says a 250 ml bottle covers about five cleaning cycles. It also notes the cleaner is acidic, so keep it away from skin and eyes. QTX sells its own fog machine cleaning fluid, which it says reduces blockages.

Smoke and haze can set off optical smoke detectors. Our smoke and haze guide explains how venues handle fire alarms.

Popular picks from the shop

Frequently asked questions

Can I use smoke fluid in a haze machine?

No. Use the haze fluid the hazer’s manufacturer names. Fog fluid is made for a heated smoke machine and a different effect. The one exception is a combined fog-haze machine, and even then follow the maker: QTX says its FH-700 should run on high grade haze fluid.

Can I use oil-based haze fluid in a water-based hazer?

No. Oil-based haze fluid is for oil crackers built for it. ADJ’s oil-based haze fluid is for the Entour Haze Pro only, and ADJ says its water-based haze fluid is not suited to oil crackers. Every hazer in our table whose maker states a fluid type takes water-based fluid.

What fluid does the Chauvet Hurricane Haze 1DX use?

Chauvet lists HFG, HF5 (EU) and HFDJ5 (EU). In the UK that is Chauvet DJ HF5 High Performance Haze Fluid, which Chauvet describes as formulated for all water-based haze machines. The same fluids are listed for the Hurricane Haze 2DX and 4D.

Is Chauvet PHF the same as HF5?

No. PHF (Premium Haze Fluid) is Chauvet Professional’s fluid for its Amhaze hazers, such as the Amhaze Eco and Amhaze Stadium 2X IP. HF5 and HFG are Chauvet DJ’s haze fluids for the Hurricane Haze range. Use the one named for your machine.

Can I use ADJ or QTX fog fluid in a Chauvet Hurricane?

The safety notes in Chauvet’s Hurricane 1600 guide say to use only Chauvet water-based fog fluid, and Chauvet lists FJU, HDF, FF5 and FFDJ5 for the Hurricane 700, 1000, 1200 and 1600, so the safe answer is FF5 (or FJU/HDF). ADJ says its Fog Juice works in other water-based fog machines, but it is the machine maker’s instructions that count.

How long does 5 litres of haze fluid last?

At full output, between about 5 and 21 hours in the hazers listed above, depending on the machine. Martin quotes 20 hours from 2.5 litres for the JEM Compact Hazer Pro. A Hurricane Haze 1DX at 4 ml/min is at the long end, a Hurricane Haze 4D at 10 ml/min nearer 8 hours. Most hazers run below full output, so it usually lasts longer.