Well I was just looking for advice as to whether anyone has use something as simple as a CO2 fire extinguisher, of course rented just for this purpose not one of the
house fire extinguishers, for an
effect. I was not thinking of designing anything special. It would be used in a large
auditorium not a small space.
Playing with a CO2 fire extinguisher for a little
smoke is a whole different deal. The
system linked to in the original post was a full night club
system that drops the temperature of the club 30 degrees in seconds. It's a SERIOUS
system with serious potential danger.
A little CO2 fire extinguisher puff of
smoke is fun, cheap, and easy. As long as it's an extra you bring in for the show and not one that should be hanging on the wall... Go for it! The negatives that I've seen are that they can be a little loud for theater purposes and they can shoot little snow/ice particles out along with the "
smoke". Neither of which is a deal
breaker depending on the show. My advice is to get one and
play with it in your space to see what you think. You may find that the old 50 gallon drum of hot watter and dry ice is a much more pleasing
effect... but it isn't the quick on quick off instant blast you may be looking for.
Safety warnings for the fire extinguisher: Keep it in a large ventilated room and don't
point it at anyone and you are safe. Don't
play with it in a closet as lack of Oxygen is a real bummer on your life expectancy. Secondly, an extended blast of that CO2 on exposed body parts can essentially freezer burn you... which makes a fun trip to the ER... and amputation due to
frost bite isn't a good thing. Be smart and you'll be safe.