# Chauvet nimbus question



## LPdan (Jul 23, 2015)

Hello,
I am new to dry ice foggers, and have been looking at the Chauvet Nimbus and Nimbus Jr. Can anyone recommend for or against these units for basic theatrical use, say 20' x 40' stage, a few minutes of fog? Also, for about the same cost, would it make more sense to buy two jr models rather than 1 full size nimbus? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


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## Ford (Jul 23, 2015)

Hi Dan,
I'm a bit biased... but I love the Nimbus. And I think that Dry Ice fog is one of the coolest effects in the world...
To your question(s)
The regular Nimbus will give you a nice, thick effect for about 6 minutes that will cover about 25'x25' (maybe a little more, depending on environmental conditions).
The Nimbus Jr will give you an equivalent effect on about 10x10' or 15'15 area, but only for about 3 minutes. The Nimbus Jr is really suited to the "dancing on a cloud" effect, for one song. 

There are a few major considerations when you're working with a dry ice fogger.
1. Duration of fog generation... this is dictated by the volume of water you're heating. Basically, once the water cools, your effect goes kaput. So if all other conditions are the same, the Nimbus will create an effect for a longer duration than the Nimbus Jr.

2. Duration of "Hang time"... this is dictated by environmental conditions, specifically humidity and temperature. Dry ice fog is just water vapor. If the air is extremely dry, it vanishes quickly. If the air is humid, the fog will last longer before it dissipates. To a lesser extent, temperature will effect how long the effect lasts. If you are using it from USC on a 20' deep stage, it is will probably run off the front of the stage into your pit before it dissipates, especially in NY in the summer. However, it will not cover the entire stage, wing-to-wing. You might (maybe) be able to cover 20x40' evenly with an AquaFog 3300 (available from City Theatrical)... but it will be more expensive, and require more power than the Nimbus.

3. Volume... this is determined 2 ways (one way, really...with an inverse relationship):
Firstly by the surface area of the Dry Ice you use. As you lower the ice into the water (the nimbus has a few different settings for how low the basket goes into the water), the surface area immediately sublimates. So, if you're breaking up your own bricks, the smaller the chunks and faster you submerge it, the more surface area you expose, so the faster it will react with the water, and the thicker your fog will be. 
Secondly, by the surface area of the Dry Ice (again). If you break up your dry ice into small bits, it turns immediately into fog which gives you a huge burst, but the duration of the effect will be shorter. If you want for your effect to last longer, use larger chunks and/or do not dunk the basket all the way into the water.
Basically, you will get a similar total volume of fog...either all at once, or stretched out over time.

4. Coverage... this is both environmental, and mechanical. Basically, if you want to cover a 40' wide stage, you may want to use 2 of the larger machines (one from USL, one from USR). The water vapor will flow out of the machine (or the end of a dryer hose attached to the machine) with enough velocity to move it a fair distance, but probably not 40'. Trying to move the fog across the entre width of the stage with a fan will blow it up into the air, and make it dissipate more quickly. If you're happy with a thicker more localized effect, using the single larger machine will give you the ability to get thicker fog for longer in that area before your water cools off too much. Positioning the machine upstage center will cover your space relatively evenly (depending on scenery and air currents), but will still probably not completely fill your stage.

5. Heat-up time... Basically, these machines bring water up to near boiling. The Nimbus comes with an additional heating element that can be powered from a SEPARATE 15amp circuit. So, this machine can get up to temperature much more quickly than some of the competition, and faster than the Nimbus Jr.

In short, I'd suggest one of the Nimbus machines, to start. I don't think you'll be as happy with 2 of the Nimbus Jrs.
I hope this helps!

-Ford


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## gafftaper (Jul 23, 2015)

I've used both home built 50 gallon drums and modern foggers like a Peasouper (sorry I've never used a Nimbus but it's pretty similar to a Peasouper). My experience has been you never get as much fog as you really want from just one machine. Thus I would agree you don't want the nimbus Jr's unless the stage is really small. If you are using a full size stage, you are probably going to really want two Nimbuses (Nimbi?). As for one brand over the other... it's a hot water tank, a heater, thermostat, and a basket for the ice. There's no rocket science involved here, so brand doesn't matter much. Your biggest concern should be volume of water it can hold and size of the basket. Lots of hot water and a bigger basket means more fun. Also I wouldn't be at all afraid to buy a used one, there's not that much to break.

Finally, (sorry @Ford) but foggers are not very practical to own because most theaters only use them once every couple of years. So call around to your local theater friends and see if someone has one in their store room they'll loan/rent to you. Is there a ballet company who does the Nutcracker in the area and uses foggers? Maybe you can buy one and work out a deal with someone else to loan you theirs in exchange for you loaning yours back when they do a show so you can both have two.


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## Jammer (Jul 23, 2015)

FWIW, I recently added an Atari ICE-101 to the inventory. Used it last weekend on an indoor 20 x 20 upper stage and it did well, left lower stage
clear for fire dancers. It takes Dry Ice or regular H20 ice. I was using regular ice, but I think with Dry Ice the effect would be much more compact
and lower to the ground. Attached a photo. 
using regular ice so I think with dry ice the effect would even be a bit more compact and lower. Lessoned learned for the band was that know one can see any of their pedals once it's deploying...


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## LPdan (Jul 29, 2015)

Thanks to everyone for all the fast, detailed information! Another example of why Controlbooth is so great. After thinking things over, I went ahead and ordered a full size Nimbus. I already have a normal fogger and homemade chiller, so this should be a great addition. I'll try and get some good shots the first time we use it. Thanks all!


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## Ford (Jul 29, 2015)

Cool!
I cant wait to hear how it goes!
-Ford


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## StradivariusBone (Jul 29, 2015)

We recently had a dance company recently bring in a Nimbus Jr. for one of their acts. Our stage is 40'x30' and it only filled about 30-50% depending on how the AC was moving it. We ended up having to supplement with our Martin fog machine, but the Nimbus Jr was pretty straightforward and well-built. 

Output didn't last as long as I thought it would, but I think the water got cold too quickly. Fog dissipated in under a minute. I'm guessing the big brother model won't have that problem as much.


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