faq
Shipping and Delivery
How do you start these "Smoke Emitters"?
Our coloured smoke emitters can be lit with a bare flame from a lighter or a match. Best practice is with a “turbo gas lighter” readily available in service stations etc.
The emitters contain a chemical oxidiser which makes it ignitable itself without the need for a fuse or ring pull ignition system.
The whole top exposed surface of the emitter needs to be ignited. Make sure the whole top surface has “taken”. If you see a visible flame upon ignition this is normal. Blow it out and it will then continue to emit until it stops. (like a candle burning down)
Please have water handy in the very rare case the emitter flame cannot be extinguished.
Here is a video of the ignition process.
Do these stain?
Our smoke emitters will stain clothes if the clothing is brought into close proximity with the emitter. i.e. basically touching the end of the emitter. Anything from about 10-15cm away and greater will not stain clothes in our experience.
Think – 30cm rule!
We have a short time-lapse video of us testing this on a white garment and with a red cs60g emitter on our Instagram feed here.
So be aware that it can stain clothing etc when it is real close to the output, but standing in the smoke will not stain the clothes in our experience.
Choose white smoke if you are super worried about clothes being stained.
DISCLAIMER: coloured smoke australia or its employees / parent companies are not liable for any damage caused by handling of their smoke products.
Safety measures
Extinguish with water. Do not use Foam, powder or Carbon Dioxide.
Handling and storage
The burnt residue from the outputted Smoke cartridge (burnt plastic blackened shell) should be treated as hazardous waste. Dispose of thoughtfully like you would household garbage. DO NOT throw away into the environment, or leave unattended.
Be aware of smoking remains. This could ignite surrounds. Always make sure the remains are extinguished and removed when used. These emitters have a burn of >165’C.
The remains can be hot! Please handle carefully to avoid burns to your hands.
Store away from animals and young children. Especially if you use the ignition fuse caps.
Best practice is to place the product on an incombustible base (like inside an old tin can) and check the product has completely gone out before it is discarded.
Keep dry and away from moisture. Our products prefer dry environments, preferably in their original packaging.
They have a shelf-life of up to 3 years if stored properly.
Tips for using them?
Please check this blog post here, for tips on using our smoke products.
Can you hand-hold them?
While we post a lot of photos of users handholding our emitters, we don’t recommend it. These emitters burn hot (165*C +) and also drop hot refuse as they emit. Like a lit match, it will eventually burn down and burn your fingers.
We recommend if you want to hold them, hold them horizontal so burning refuse can drop away from your hands.
Best use is to create a holder for the emitters our of PVC or such. Or buy one of our smoke-holders.
** NOTE: We have had one customer alert us that one of the emitters spontaneously combusted and burst into flames. This was a one off and the first we have heard of such in literally 10,000’s of emitters that have been used. For this reason, we highly advice against NOT handholding emitters without some sort of holding device.
Why is there a flame on it??
When you ignite our smoke emitters, particularly the larger 60gram range, often a visible flame appears.
This is not a flaw or an issue. Simply blow the flame out and the emitter will smoke as usual. We do advice to let the whole top surface start to burn before you blow the flame out.
There should be no flame during the continual emitting of our smoke emitters.
Video of this happening is here:
Fire bans
Please do not use our products on any ‘Total Fire Ban’ days. Our Emitters burn hot and can ignite dry surroundings and start fires. Please always take refuse with you and depose in the white lined kebab bags we now provide with orders.
Make sure everything is extinguished with water after use to be extra sure during our hot summer months.
The powder launchers or #diffusionfx is an alternative product for a similar effect.
During the last 2019-2020 horrific fire season we ceased trading completely in the smoke range to further protect our customers and the environment.
Can you stop / start them?
Unfortunately once they have been engaged cannot be stopped unless you douse in water. Which ruins them.
We have had customers cut them in half to empty the canisters or their powder and re-pot them in smaller containers (such as PVC tubing, or onto foil / disposable bbq trays) for less burn times than the 18 and 60’s 3-4 minutes. Please be careful doing so however as the powder is combustible and burns very hot (150ºC+) Always place on a heatproof surface especially if they have been cut in half. They come tightly packed into their plastic tubes to contain combustion. Adding extra air makes them more volatile!
How do they disperse?
Wind plays a huge factor especially when using smoke outdoors. We recommend using the smoke early morning or late afternoon when the wind it at it most still or using in a less windy environment. Even with the larger 60gram emitters, the wind can take the output away very quickly and you will lose the effect you are after. Please consider this before you spark up these emitters.
We recommend buying our “smoke matches” to test wind direction and dispersion before committing the coloured smoke.
Shelf life - aka expiration
As of September 2021, our packaged items will also include a “use by date” (along with the batch number) stickered to them. If you order single items, I’ll make sure this is written on the invoice.
Like with all orders, I also take a copy of this if you need to refer to it.
The emitters have a maximum shelf life of 3 years. Up to 2 years is considered nominal but here is how to ensure they last if you are not going to be using them for a while;
- keep them in a dry environment away from high humidity
- keep them in the original packaging if possible
- keep them away from heat and sunlight (aka leaving them in the car etc)
If you notice the following, I’d suggest disposing of them safely as they are no longer optimal;
- damp or moist / mushy top
- broken up or raised top
- mould on the top
- shrinkage of the main compound away from the canister walls
- loose powder
The emitters are a chemical compound which involves an oxidiser. They are packed tightly into their tubes during manufacture to negate any air pockets. Extra air inside the mix can cause it to be more combustible and they could catch on fire mid emission.
Backordering?
We will do our best to keep our items in stock. We cannot gauge demand at this stage so we cannot guarantee items will be in stock.
As such we have turned backordering on when supplies run out. We have live stock monitoring so if the item is out of stock it will alert you that it will be backordered.
It takes us 1-2 weeks to get new shipments in from overseas, and then we have to ship out to you. Factor this in if you require immediate stock for upcoming photoshoots and we are out of stock.
Terms of Sale and our Privacy Policy
Upon ordering from this site, Customers agree to our Terms of Sale and Privacy Policy.
Are these Legal in Australia?
Our smoke emitters are classified as non dangerous goods, they do not hold a DG Class, no permits or licences are required to purchase or use them. They are like using a lit match. However, we do not endorse or supply smoke for illegal purposes – such as public nuisances (football games), evasion or other acts of terror.
These emitters are strictly for the creative industry only. For creatives to produce special effects on location and on set.
CSA carries no responsibility for how customers ultimately use these goods.
This product is not classified as explosive according to section 2.1.4.3 of Appendix 1 to 1272-2008.
That said, common sense in using them is a must. We don’t sell to under 18s. They are the same as lighting a Smokey bbq, tire burnout, wood fire or such.
The smoke effect can linger but it is determined by a number of factors. They are a “hot burn” chemical reaction meaning the smoke rises upwards as it’s runs hot. On a colder day the smoke will generally linger around more vs disappearing quickly into the air on a hotter day. Because. Science. Any type of wind will quickly move the smoke away.
We don’t recommend using them indoors as the lingering smoke can cause potential issues for people with respiratory problems, and increased exposure can cause eye irritation and dizziness.
These emitters do set off fire alarms so we don’t advise using them around built up areas (including car parks etc) They also pose a fire danger, so users should always ensure that there is the ability to extinguish them.
Products sold are from a reputable European company who has been selling smoke emitters globally for the past 4 decades.
Who shows up on my Transaction?
This site is run by Jonathan from his company Vibrant Photography Pty Ltd. In some instances such as EFT, paypal etc charges will be labelled as “Vibrant Photography Pty Ltd” or “CSMOKEAU” or the like on your transaction list. Please do not panic – this is still from Coloured Smoke Australia, this is just out trading bank account for all transactions.
Any paypal disputes are usually dealt with, with the customers directly and referred back to Paypal resolutions.
How are these shipped?
Our emitters are classified as Non-Dangerous and are sent via Australia Post.
Our diffusion-fx cans have to be sent via ROAD transport only as they are a UN1950 Aerosol classification and cannot fly. The same applied for all the confetti and powder launcher ranges.
Can I get a refund?
Sometimes we have customers who change their minds, or their photoshoot falls through. Sometimes they order both gender colours for their announcement and wish to return the un-used ones.
Our policy is we do accept returns, but they must come back in the same condition, unused, as they were sent in.
The customer is responsible for the return cost of shipping them back to us. If the package has not been opened at all, it can be returned Free of charge by marking it with “RTS” and lodging it over any Australia Post local counter.
We will only return part or full refund once the goods are back in our physical hands.
Can we pick these up in person?
Local pickup is an option only with prior conversation. Once agreed to based on staff availability, a coupon will be sent for “free shipping” and the customer will have to check out their order as per normal so stock is allocated.
Once this has occurred a mutually beneficial time will be arranged.
Pickup is currently from Gymea, NSW, 2227
Please do not rock up expecting to pick your order up without an appointment. Orders that haven’t been picked up with in 4 weeks will be cancelled and refunded.
Please understand that this is a value added service and CSA reserves the right to cancel it at any time. Please contact us ahead of time if you are planning a last minute shoot for a pickup appointment slot before ordering.
Delivery Timeframes
Current COVID-19 update: May 2020
Our partners, Australia Post are currently experiencing delays, even to their Express Post service. It is generally best to check with us if you are leaving things close to shoot dates. We cannot guarantee next day delivery in this current climate, and a lot of AP deliveries are handed over to sub-contractors in certain areas.
We do our best to get orders out the same day they come in, failing that at the latest, 1-2 business days.
Orders need to be in by 2pm to be lodged by the earlier 3pm cutoff times for express post pickups.
As mentioned, some items cannot go via express and will travel via an even slower ROAD TRANSPORT service with regular post. This means interstate can be 5-10 business days, especially over to the West Coast.
Shipping to Tasmania will similarly go via Road Transport where necessary so please factor in enough time.
While I do out best to make sure orders go out the same day they come in via Express Post (if received before 4pm), I can’t always guarantee that I am around during the day for the orders (I work a full time wedding photography business also).
Please contact me if you need items urgently for the weekend. There is local pickup options, or I can let you know if I will be able to lodge your order that same day.
NOTE: if you are paying via Bank Transfer we will not send out orders until funds have cleared into our account. Unless you are using OSKO transfer it is usually around 6-7pm that same business day.
Where are you based?
We are based in the Sutherland Shire, NSW.
Most orders inside NSW and select location in QLD and VIC / ACT will receive orders next day via express post. (see above delivery timeframes for seasonal / climate updates)
Road Service: Powder, Confetti and Gender Launchers
Our launcher range contains Compressed Gas and cannot go via express interstate (as this is usually via air travel) and they cannot fly!
Please do not checkout and ask in the comments for us to send these express – they will not go express. Road service is via regular post and adds a number of days on travel. Please factor in enough time for them to arrive for your projects as we do not like to refund due to disorganisation / not reading our product pages / FAQ properly.
What do the Colours look like exactly?
The colour emitted from the coloured smoke emitters varies.
The colour is effected by wind and light hitting it. If it is windy it will disperse more quickly and look softer / thinner colour than if there is less wind. Using them on a cloudy day will have a different look to using them in full sunlight. We suggest you try and see what works best for your effects!
The colour can also be varied in post production with filters, temperature and tint editing.
** The colour swatches provided are only an indication of the colours available and not the final colour emitted. Please visit our instagram feed or our shop our insta page to see many examples from customers.
Orange smoke and Emergency Services?
Generally, orange smoke has been reserved for Emergency signalling.
Other suppliers of the same products and colours have told us that there is not a problem using orange in the field. But I suggest you use so sensitively, and we will not be responsible if you decide to sit on a coastal cliff line and let of huge amounts of orange smoke.
At the most part our range, including even the CS60g 60 gram emitter doesn’t put out a huge amount of smoke and will probably have dissipated quickly. We don’t suggest the CS430g in orange for this fact. This is reserved more for extensive airflow testing and relevant authorities should be alerted ahead of time.
18 or 60 gram size?
Purple smoke?
Who can use Afterpay for payment?
Afterpay is available to all people who:
Live in Australia; Are at least 18 years old; Are capable of entering into a legally binding contract; Have a valid and verifiable email address and mobile number; and Use an Australian credit or debit card to make the purchase.
How does Afterpay work?
Afterpay have partnered with Coloured Smoke to offer simple instalment plans for our online shoppers, allowing a purchase to be paid for in four equal instalments, due every fortnight. Simply shop and choose Afterpay as your payment method at checkout. First-time customers provide payment details as usual, returning customers simply log in to make their purchase. It’s that easy!
After you check out, the goods will be shipped to you. At any time, you can log in to your Afterpay account to see your payment schedule and make a payment before the due date. Otherwise Afterpay will automatically deduct the instalments from your debit or credit card every fortnight.
How do I sign up for Afterpay?
You do not need to register prior to making your first Afterpay purchase. When you are making a purchase simply choose Afterpay as your payment method at checkout. If it’s your first time using Afterpay, you will provide payment details as usual to complete your purchase. Once your first order is approved, your Afterpay account is created. You will be directed to www.afterpay.com.au to set up a password, and you will be able to make future purchases using Afterpay by simply entering your log in details upon checkout.
What if there is a problem with Afterpay?
You will need to contact Afterpay directly in relation to anything issues regarding your purchase. We are paid upfront for any transactions, so any lingering disputes with the payment contract you have entered into is between you and Afterpay.
Can I return an Afterpay order?
Yes. All online orders purchased with Afterpay should be returned to;
Coloured Smoke Australia PO BOX 397 GYMEA, NSW, 2227
As per our standard returns process, once the item is received we will notify Afterpay to release the payments you made back into your nominated account. In most cases you will need to make the repayments to close the contract and then you will be refunded via Afterpay the full purchase amount (once we have issued a refund through our Afterpay Merchant portal)
Please note: We will only be able to process your refund through Afterpay once your return reaches our HQ and gets processed.
Only goods that are received in the same condition they were sent in will be refunded. The customer is responsible for any return shipping costs.
Do you have any FAQs on using this product?
Please see our sister website – smokeinacan.com to read through this specific product FAQ’s.