Make your home more attractive and improve the indoor environment at the same time
By Mike Price
Misting Fountains first arrived on the commercial market in the late 1990’s. The technology was originally developed as a cool mist humidifier to replace the dangerous room humidifiers that used a heating element to produce steam. The early models had a small misting unit (technically called an “ultrasonic water vaporizer”) and, maybe, a separate waterproof incandescent light to illuminate the mist.
The misting unit was placed in a shallow bowl of water, plugged into the wall outlet and, voila, a swirling, bubbling mist formed and gently flowed over the sides of the bowl.
Unfortunately, the early attempts weren’t all that much to look at. There were limited bowl designs and colors available, mist volume was low and they had a tendency to splash. The light, if one was included, was only available in a single color.
As with many innovative products, the Misting Fountain rapidly evolved as technology improved and customers demanded more styles and features. Misting Fountains are now available in a wide variety of bowl colors and designs. There are a variety of stands, both for table and floor models. The mist volume has increased significantly and splashing has been eliminated by the use of splash guards which allow the water vapor to pass but contain water droplets.
The cost has also dropped significantly, especially considering the additional features that now come standard. Table top models are available in the $45.00 to $85.00 range while floor models can range from around $60.00 to over $200.00. These prices are for current models. If you check the flea markets, you can find much lower prices, but make sure they have all of the features you are looking for.
The misting units have undergone much more dramatic changes. Mist production has increased, color LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights are integrated into the module and owner is able to control the mist production and the light display. The mist unit has moved beyond the limited usage in the Fountain. High power misting units, which contain 3 to 9 separate “misters” are available for ponds, streams and other water features. These powerful modules can add a distinctive highlight to your backyard pond. The water vapor flows and swirls on top of the pond or can drift down a stream or cascade just like fog does in a natural stream. Some of the outdoor misting units also have LEDs to illuminate the fog from within and floating buoys that keep the misting unit at the correct depth in the water.
A single-disk misting unit with no light can be purchased for as little as $15.00. The high end 9-disk pond mister with integrated buoy and light display will sell for around $195.00. A whole range of misting units fit between these two extremes, with prices to match.
Health benefits
Misting Fountains help to create a healthy indoor environment and offset the effects of Colorado’s dry winter weather. Most of the people who choose to live in the Rocky Mountain West love the dry climate. The summer heat doesn’t feel so intense (it’s a “dry heat”) and who in the Midwest would dream of going outside in 30 degree weather in shirt sleeves, as is common here.
In the winter, the dryness is intensified when you are indoors. Thirty percent relative humidity outside at twenty degrees can mean less than five percent relative humidity indoors. This makes skin feel dry and itchy, causes nasal dryness and other uncomfortable conditions. Adding a Misting Fountain to your home can help alleviate some of these symptoms. Unlike the noisy fan in a standard humidifier, the Misting Fountain is almost totally silent. The only sound is the gentle, relaxing sound of the water. It is important to note that the amount of humidity added by the Misting Fountain is significantly less than a furnace mounted humidifier and is most beneficial in a single room.
In addition to the humidity that the Misting Fountain adds, negative ions are also added to the air. Negative ions give the air the clean, fresh and invigorating smell often associated with thunder storms. Negative ions (anions) are also associated with improving your mental outlook. The anions can help clear the air of smoke, dust and other allergens.
Additional benefits
All newer Misting Fountains also come with a number of LEDs
You can also add a variety of aromatherapy oils to the Misting Fountain. The high frequency vibration will rapidly diffuse the fragrance into the air along with the water vapor. Be careful to only use pure aromatherapy oils as soap fragrances and imitations can rapidly wear out the ceramic disk
How do they work?
One of the most common questions people ask when they see Misting Fountains in our store is “do you add dry ice to water to make the mist?” While the effect is similar to the fog that flows off of a punch bowl containing dry ice, the reason is entirely different.
An electronic module vibrates the water at high frequency (1.7 million pulses per second!) causing water molecules to escape from the surface of the water. This suspended water vapor creates the fog effect. As the visible water vapor evaporates, it adds humidity to the air.
What causes the rapid vibration in the water? Certain ceramic and crystal materials generate electricity when struck. This is known as the “piezoelectric effect”. (If you have a gas grill with an electronic igniter, you are already familiar with this effect. When you push the igniter button, the "click" you hear is a piezoelectric crystal being struck. Striking the crystal generates a high voltage spark that ignites the gas.) The piezoelectric effect also works in the opposite direction. If you apply a high frequency electric field to a piezoelectric material, the material will vibrate.
The electronic module in the Misting Fountain contains a small nickel or titanium coated ceramic disk. The ceramic portion of the disk is the piezoelectric material. The small electronic module in the misting unit creates the high frequency electric field that is sent to the ceramic disk. The disk rapidly vibrates under the water and the mist and anions are generated for us to enjoy.
Things to watch out for
The ceramic disk
The piezoelectric ceramic disk can come in two sizes. The smaller size (16 mm. or about the size of a dime) is used in some tabletop Fountains but is not used in most newer fountains because of lower mist output. The larger size (20 mm. or about the size of a nickel) puts out almost twice as much humidity and gives a much more dramatic fog effect.
The ceramic disk is the only moving part in the Mister and it has a life expectancy of 3000 to 5000 hours. This is several years of average use. The disk can wear out faster if the water used is highly mineralized or aromatherapy oils are use frequently. The ceramic disk should be replaced when the amount of mist drops off significantly or stops completely. The ceramic disk is easily replaced and the repair kit comes with a key to remove the old disk. The replacement disk and key kit costs less than $10.00
Water to use
The misting unit is designed to operate while completely immersed in water. It can be damaged or ruined if the piezoelectric disk vibrates while not submerged. All electronic modules come equipped with a low water sensor to turn off the disk if it senses that it is not under water. This sensor works by measuring the conductivity of the water. You should not use pure distilled water in the Misting Fountain since distilled water does not contain the dissolved minerals required to operate the low water sensor.
If you suffer from allergies and don’t want to add anything to the air, you can use distilled water with just a few crystals of standard table salt added. The dissolved salt will add the necessary conductivity to the water without adding the unwanted minerals.
You do want to use the purest water available. De-mineralized water works great. The more minerals the water contains, the faster the mineral deposits will build up. This will eventually decrease the volume of mist produced.
Moisture
While the moisture that is added to the air is the greatest health benefit to your body, excessive moisture on carpet and wooden surface can cause a variety of problems. Misting Fountains with floor stands add the most moisture to the air. Table models can definitely cause moisture to collect on the surface that the fountain is placed upon. There are several things you can do to minimize this moisture buildup:
1. Keep the air moving around the fountain. Placing the fountain on a small table near a furnace vent will aid in distributing the humidity throughout the room and will help evaporate the water vapor-putting it in the air instead of on the table.
2. Keep a towel under the fountain. The additional surface area of the towel will help the evaporation process as well as protecting the surface.
3. Don’t put the fountain in an enclosed area (such as an enclosed book shelf). The more open the area, the more air currents there are to aid in evaporation.
Some table top Misting Fountains come equipped with a two power mist unit. The lower setting can be used if the moisture buildup is excessive.
A quality Misting Fountain can add visual appeal to your home as well as make the indoor environment healthier. They are available in a wide variety of styles, colors and price ranges. The newest styles are available with a wireless remote control, so you can change the lights and misting from the comfort of your chair. With a minimum amount of maintenance (and a glass of water once in a while) a Misting Fountain will provide you with many hours of relaxation and make your home a healthier place to live.
Mike Price is the owner of CJ&J Plumbing and Sprinkler Supply in Loveland. Please contact us at (970) 278-1999 or at www.cjjplumbing.com
