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About Foggers and Misters for Ponds and Fountains
Foggers (or misters, they are called both) create mysterious, "dry ice" effects without the need of ice. These little machines use a simple technique of high frequency, ultrasonic vibration to create ultra-fine droplets of mist without heat, cold or chemicals. Sometimes these are sold as a single unit, while other times they are sold on floats of up to 9 units working together. The single units are the right size for small fountains but usually are too small for a pond. Ultrasonic misters create a low level fog that fills in the area surrounding it. That is why the glass bowls in which one often sees them fill so well (they are made to be just the right size). For ponds you will usually need a 3-piece to 9-piece mister to create much of an effect. Also, since misters require a certain depth of water in order to operate effectively, it is a good idea, when locating one in a pond, to make sure you get a float with it. The mister is made to fit to just the right depth in the float so that fog is produced at optimum levels. When this is the case, they can produce up to about 2700 ml (nearly 5 1/2 pints) of mist per hour. Some include LED lights, some do not. Also, recently some have included automatic shutoff switches. There automatically shutoff the mister if the water gets too low.
Maintenance
Replace the water frequently. Scale and crud on the disk membrane will affect performance. Clean the surface of the disk with a soft cloth or cotton swab. DO not use detergent or cleansers. DO NOT scratch the disk. After operation about 3000 hours, it is usually time to replace the disk. You should then follow the manufacturer's instructions. It is not necessary to use the "tool" many disk replacement companies offer. A dime, a quarter, or a screwdriver can be used just as easily.
Note when buying replacement disks that there are two common sizes: 16mm and 20mm. Make sure you are buying the correct size for your fogger. Most rulers include both inches and metric measures. Most LED lights are rated to last 80-100,000 hours, so most likely your LED lights will keep running for years after you have run the mister for some time. If your mister includes a water level sensor to automatically switch off the unit if the water level is too low, every now and then you must clean this sensor. Again, this is easy to do but you should follow the manufacturer's instructions.
In the old days misters got a very bad rap because they didn't work long. But that is no longer the case. There have been considerable refinements made to them and they should last thousands and thousands of hours, especially if you follow maintenance instructions. It is relatively easy to find disk replacements nowadays.For more information on fountain misters and pond foggers and disk replacement, there are a number of online retailers available. |
