OK. I get what you're saying. Oil produces better results but leaves residue. For me, that's bad. Not acceptable, due to the residue. water-based doesn't work as well but you don't have the residue. I can handle that.
It sounds like the Fazer X-310II might be what I'm looking for. Use an Antari water-based fog fluid. OK, again, I'm good.
Now, I do have questions still. I want DMX control, so it sounds like I need to buy the X-20II DMX module, which is definately acceptable.
Just to be clear, this is mainly a hazer but can produce fog-type effects, correct? Your answer and the manual leads me to believe this to be true. The show producer has purchased a fog machine, so the need for a fog machine is minimized. I want the hazer for the general effect.
I want to cover a fairly large area, 31' wide by 18' deep. Performance will be approximately 100 minutes. I intend to run this the whole event. Would this unit draw 1000-watts the entire time? I don't think I can spare that much juice because the producer has a 1500-watt fog machine. I don't care if I have to refill it each show. It's going to be once a month.
For me, I have the ADJ Fog Storm 700 with the wireless remote, which just to test to see if it was still working, I used for a fast and cheesy halloween rig. While it worked great, it has a duty cycle that runs regardless of what is going on(say, you ignore it for a bit, it will cycle anyways). People seemed to like it, but I was less than pleased. Not bad for no budget and no time. Of course, we're talking a party-type machine, not a pro unit. The Fog Storms I have are therefore clearly not acceptable for professional applications where fog better be there when you need it. Considering these are sub-$100 retail units(feel free to remove the price), it's what can be expected from such a unit.
Right now I'm dealing with a director who is unable to make up their mind in regards to lighting and/or fog effects, and I'm the one footing this bill.
Now, if I can find a cost-effective DMX-capable ground fog unit... I have no idea where I can borrow 1000-watts from. I may have to bring in a generator so I can have another 30 amps of power.