Open the top of the smoke-making unit and put in either a bottle of fluid for a longer-lasting smoke or fluid for a quickly dispersing smoke. The smoke generator is made to work with a specific combination of propylene glycol and water that has a certain boiling range. Do not add anything to the mixture.
Plug in the smoke generator and wait for it to heat up, which will be somewhere between 2 to 10 minutes; this depends on the machine itself. Normally, the time it takes to heat up is noted in the directions. Some less expensive units have a so-called dead band, which is when the machine needs to reheat and automatically stops. This can cause problems when the smoke has to be timed perfectly for a television or theater presentation.
Do not install the machine near anywhere the public may be able to touch it or the nozzle. It is recommended that it be set up at least 10 feet from any people.
Place the machine in a well-ventilated location. It is also important not to put anything over the public's heads just in case the unit's temperature control stops working properly.
Do not touch the nozzle after the oil is heated up in the reservoir and the oil begins to come out. Both the nozzle and the smoke itself will be very hot. Even after the unit is turned off, it takes considerable time to cool down.