Step by step instructions for how to make Halloween graveyard fog that stays low to the ground using only an inexpensive fog machine and a few construction supplies. Every year I decorate my yard for Halloween with lots of outdoor Halloween lighting and a
Halloween graveyard. Using fog that stays low to the ground is a big part of creating that spooky Halloween atmosphere, and I’ve finally learned how to make low lying fog that works!
Fog always adds atmosphere to your Halloween yard haunt or party (or pretty much any other Halloween scene you are setting).
With the inexpensive fog machines that are readily available, it’s easy to create fog. But the problem is, most of the time it just seems to evaporate into the air.
And that’s definitely not adding the spooky rolling fog effect you want for your Halloween graveyard.
Fortunately it only takes a few inexpensive construction supplies to fix this problem.
Read on to find out how to make low lying fog that will make your Halloween yard haunt a spooky place to be.
What Makes Great Looking Fog?
This post may contain affiliate links. We make a small commission if you buy the products from these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But we only recommend products we would use ourselves. For more information, click here to see our disclosures.
Before we get to the low-lying fog tutorial, here’s my list of what I want to accomplish with my low lying fog setup.
1. The fog needs to stay close to the ground and look like it’s rolling around between the gravestones.
2. The fog needs to spread across the whole yard, rather than being really thick where the machine is, with very little of it everywhere else.
3. The fog machine should be hidden from view.
Some cool Halloween lighting doesn’t hurt either 🙂
What You Need to Make Low Lying Fog
- 4″ plastic landscaping pipe with holes*
- black spray paint (optional) – this is only necessary if you get a white landscaping pipe and you want to make it less noticeable
- plastic water bottles – yes, these are the standard water bottles that you can buy anywhere. You can drink the filtered water, and then refill with tap water for this project
- duct tape
- a fog machine* (or 2 if you are covering a large area). Try to find one that you can leave on, rather than having to press the button to create fog. Otherwise, someone will have to operate the fog machine all evening to get it to work. If you happen to have one of these manual-operation fog machines and the cord detaches from the back of the unit, you can get a fog machine timer* which will allow for hands-free operation. Or you can tape the button down so that it stays on.
- fog liquid*: the regular kind will work. You don’t need to spend extra for the “heavy” fog that is advertised to stay close to the ground. It tends to be stickier and can gum up your machine. You can also make your own fog liquid if you prefer…click here to see the instructions.
- outdoor extension cord (optional)
How to Make Fog That Stays Low To The Ground
Now, the big reveal…how to make low lying fog that stays close to the ground.
The secret is the temperature of the fog.
If it’s too warm, it will rise into the air and evaporate.
Since fog machines use heat to create fog from the fog liquid, warm fog is what you get.
Which is why it tends to evaporate as soon as it gets into the air.
So the trick I’ve learned for how to make low lying fog is to cool the fog right after it comes out of the machine…and use tubes to distribute it out over a wide area.
In other words, make a DIY fog chiller.
Fortunately, this is really easy to do!
To Do Ahead Of Time
1. Fill the plastic water bottles with water and put them in the freezer.
2. If your plastic pipe is white, you may want to spray paint it black to make it less noticeable.
3. Make sure the plastic pipe is cut to the right length to fit one side of your cemetery (or wherever you plan to put it).
4. Tape one end of the pipe closed with the duct tape.
5. Lay the 4″ plastic conduit along one side of your cemetery with the open end at the location where the fog machine will go.
Ideally this should be in a less-visible location…along the side of a deck or under some bushes.
To Do Just Before The Fogging Begins
1. Slide the frozen water bottles into the plastic conduit
2. Fill the fog machine with fog fluid according to the instructions.
3. Place the fog machine at the open end of the conduit with the end that produces the fog sticking into the tube. You could duct tape it there if you want to make sure it’s secure, but I don’t usually bother.
4. Plug the fog machine in and turn it on. Once the machine has warmed up, you should see the fog coming out of the holes in the pipe and rolling along the ground in a delightfully spooky way!
Note: Make sure to clean the fog machine following the manufacturer’s instructions (usually by running a water and vinegar solution through it) before you pack it up. Leaving fog fluid in it will clog up the works, and your machine may stop working.
To Do While Fogging Is In Progress
Generally, I just turn the switch to “on” at the beginning of the night and turn it off when the night is over.
Most fog machines have a cycle time, so they will put out fog for a couple of minutes and then stop putting out fog until the next batch of fog is ready. This cycle works fine in my Halloween yard haunt (although I usually have 2 fog machines going).
Depending on the size of the liquid container in the fog machine and how long you are running the machine, you may need to re-fill it throughout the evening.
My old fog machines used to produce fog for about 3 hours before running out of liquid, but the newest ones I bought only last for about an hour.
So it seems to vary widely from machine to machine.
What Fog Machine Is Best?
The inexpensive fog machines that are available everywhere around Halloween are good enough to create fog for your cemetery.
If you can, find one that has an on/off switch that stays on by itself (like this one*).
That way you don’t have to keep pushing the button every time you want fog to come out.
However, this kind is getting harder to find.
So if you do end up with one that needs to be operated manually, try to make sure that the button unit is detachable from the back of the machine.
Then you can replace it with a fog machine timer* that will turn it into a hands-free unit.
If all else fails, you can try taping the button down to keep it on.
How Much Fog Liquid Do You Need?
A lot of fog machines come with a pint container of fog liquid* which should be good for 4 – 5 hours of fogging for one machine.
The gallon containers will be more than enough if you need the fog machine to run longer than that.
Note: Make sure to clean the fog machine following the manufacturer’s instructions (usually by running a water and vinegar solution through it) before you pack it up. Leaving fog fluid in it will clog up the works, and your machine may stop working.
Comments or questions on how to make low lying fog? Tell us in the section below.
Pin It So You Don't Forget It!
This post was originally published on September 25, 2014 but was updated with new content on July 28, 2022.