Ever been to a music concert or a nice Halloween party where an eerie fog lingered in the air? The foggy atmosphere made the party or concert seem perfect and it gave you all the cozy feeling of togetherness. Who ever came up with the idea of fog for a party had a great idea.

There's a good chance the fog you experienced was produced by a dry ice fog machine. Dry ice fog machines work great because dry ice is actually carbon dioxide gas that turns into a foggy gas as it melts instead of a liquid like water does. Dry ice is compressed and frozen to a very cold temperature of -109 degrees Fahrenheit.

As the dry ice melts it turns back into a gas causing a fog. Dry ice fog machines use hot water along with the dry ice to help the dry ice start to melt and cause the carbon dioxide fog. Fog machines must have a water heater inside them to keep the water hot if you want to produce a lot of continuous fog. The dry ice is so cold that simply putting hot water in the dry ice fog machine won't last long as the hot water gets cold quickly when it comes into contact with the dry ice.

A simple way to make a dry ice fog machine is to feel a barrel half way with water and hang a basket of dry ice over the water. When you need fog, just simply lower the dry ice into the water. The melting dry ice will start to bubble and let off the carbon dioxide gas when it comes into contact with the water causing a fog. A great benefit of dry ice fog is that the fog itself is cold and the cold fog stays low lying toward the floor giving that great eerie feeling you'll want at your party or concert.

Always be careful when handling dry ice because of its cold temperature. Use protective gloves and be careful when lifting dry ice as it is sold in heavy blocks. If dry ice comes in contact with your skin, treat it as a burn and get immediate medical attention.