This blog post about buying outdoor misting systems is one you will need to read. Please don’t make the mistakes that many others have.
Being satisfied with your end product is easy if you leverage the errors of others to lead you to the positive outcome you are looking for when buying a misting system.
Because of the cost, the energy, and the reality that they didn’t get what they wanted in a misting system, some people are downright pissed.
When these reasons factor into why they wanted an outdoor misting system in the first place, the buyer is rightfully disappointed. But what happened, and whose fault is it?
The top mistakes to avoid are cost, wrong type, lack of knowledge, and surprising outcomes. It would be great if buyers did their due diligence before leaping to purchase a system.
Ultimately, researching the factors for what you want and need could avert the disappointment and dissatisfaction with poor planning.
Buyers, fooled, assume that a higher cost means the same as products of higher quality. Many people expect that you will get the best if you spend more money.
This presumption is downright silly when you think about it. While it may feel accurate to assume that top-quality parts and established misting businesses make for the best, this can be far from the truth.
While checking out complaints brought to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for a few top-selling companies of misting systems, over 50% of the complaints related to the product, its subsequent cost, the system’s installation, and faulty start-up/shut down procedures.
You may feel disgruntled unless you check out customer testimonials and complaints before buying.
There are easy ways to check out a business. Doing a BBB search of the company may show problems you otherwise wouldn’t know.
You can also google “Reviews of X company.” You will read how this company does regarding all the good and not-so-good. Reviews can tell you about dependability, popularity, customer service, and the product itself. Look for independent reviews.
I gathered good intel on the businesses I googled while reading a few reviews. It’s vital to check out businesses related to cost and the product itself when spending good, hard-earned money. I don’t want any surprises or misunderstandings when I do business with a company. You can better decide if you’re going to take a chance on hiring them if you know their weak points.
Again, it is about doing your due diligence if you don’t want surprises with your misting system cost or installation.
Buying the wrong product can be detrimental to your plan. Choosing the right product takes more than just guessing. It takes effective research to know what is best for your outdoor space and your goals for cooling it off.
It would not be advisable to do the research necessary and still buy a product as your first introduction to outdoor misting. An aggressive salesperson who tries to force a sale upon you is egregious! I despise pushy salespeople. When I feel pressured into buying something, I make a run for the door.
Arm yourself with information and knowledge about the product. You are in the driver’s seat, not the salesperson who wants to make a sale. Knowing what you want, why you want it, and sticking to your facts will help you in the long run to make a quality choice.
If you plan to become more educated when talking with salespeople, let them know that you are not in the position to buy anything yet. Letting them know that you are researching a misting system should not pressure them to make the sale.
When my husband and I were looking at replacing all of the floors in my house, we needed education about the type that would be best for us. We visited a store and told the salesman that we wanted to learn more about products.
He was fantastic and took the time to explain all of our questions. Then, we decided what we wanted. We decided to go back to the same salesperson who so respectfully educated us and bought the flooring from him.
I would do this again, and my advice would be to do the same.
My opinion is that knowledge is power!
The final category of mistakes to avoid happens to unsuspecting buyers. The more you read blogs (like mine), forums, research website references, talk to educated salespeople, the better your outcome. Buying a misting system requires planning, taking into account:
Answering all of these questions will help you with the best final decision. If you can intentionally think through each of these points, you will become as educated as you need to be to make a superb choice that will have the best outcome.
One factor a woman I talked to didn’t consider was that the mist made her floors slippery. Her porcelain tile floors had become quite slippery, causing safety concerns.
My last impression was that the woman would research anti-slip options, but she hadn’t planned for the added expense.
Another factor that came up after finishing the installation was using the misters when it was windy. The wind blew the mist away, failing to cool the area.
She hadn’t factored in the windy days during the hot monsoon season and how it would impact the outcome of the misting system.
Misters weren’t as effective when it was windy. She wishes she had thought of that.
One of the biggest takeaways from this article is my hope to do your research. Avoid making the most common mistakes that many buyers do will result in the best outcome. Without doing research, you get what you get.
A neighbor friend I talked to told me the story of his experience with installing his patio misters. He bought a misting kit that was pre-assembled and was, in his words, “perfect” for his space. He had a friend who was quite handy to help him install it.
Installation seemed to be going well. The parts were marked clearly, so it was easy to follow the directions. My neighbor friend chose not to use a pump to start, to see if he needed one.
When they assembled all the misting nozzles to the fittings, they stopped to test them for leaks. They fixed a few leaks by hand tightening the nozzles to the fittings. Everything was going well.
The next step was to hang the mist line. Hammering the clamp that held the mist line into the house’s structure was going as planned. They had gotten to the end, and he inspected their work for any errors. Having seen none, he climbed down from the ladder and went to turn on the faucet.
The defining moment was about to become apparent. Would the results be a surprise? Turning the water full-on, he turned around to see that the mist was coming out of the nozzles! He felt compelled to walk over to touch the fog because he was so impressed with their work.
To his surprise, there were several nozzles leaking water, and it was dripping in a steady stream onto his patio. He turned off the water to adjust the nozzles and tighten them once more by hand. When satisfied, he turned the water on again. This time, he was pleased to see no leaking.
However, he adjusted the nozzles by pointing them outward and down instead of straight down. The adjustment resulted in a much better direction for the mist to flow. A slight wind aided in feeling the moisture evaporate once it hit his bare skin.
When sitting on his patio after making further adjustments, he was satisfied that he wouldn’t get soaked even though it was a little wetter than he thought it would be. He decided to leave the misters on to see how long it would take to cool down his patio area. He enjoyed the patio within 10-15 minutes to his satisfaction. Proud of his work, he called a few friends over to enjoy it with him.
Last I talked with him, he was still enjoying his system. He told me a few things that he learned that day.
To buy a misting kit close to the size line you must attach around the patio perimeter is imperative was the number one point given. He stated that it was critical to use only misting nozzles with the kit.
Warning me, he started adding more misting nozzles affects misting negatively. The added nozzles often cause over misting, equal to getting soaked.
I hope to hear all about your decision-making process and how you like your misters. Considering these factors, you should make a perfect choice for your needs. I look forward to your comments below.
Take care, everyone!
My best to you,
Marla
6 Responses
A friend was telling me about the mistake he made when buying his outdoor misting system. Apparently he bought the wrong type of misting system. I don’t want this to happen to me. So I decided to reasearch. And your post is dealing with exactly this. I found it vay useful. Thank you very much!
Paulo,
I am so glad you found it useful. I hope to make a difference for people buying a misting system to avoid some of these issues. I appreciate your feedback.
Thanks much,
Erlene
Excellent work, Marla! Your article is an excellent resource for purchasing a misting device. This type of equipment can be beneficial during the summer months in New Zealand, but only if you live here. You have had readings on how different materials will affect your furniture with water damage- stainless steel nozzles vs plastic? The great detail about maintenance, too; it sounds like these units are pretty simple to use overall once they’re set up correctly, so that was another consideration.
J W RIDDELL
Thanks for your kind words. I hope you find a misting device that suits your needs. I would love to hear all about it if/when you decide. They are pretty awesome!!
This all sounds intimidating. Can a beginner like me be successful in setting up a patio mister?
Well, depending upon your mechanical experience (which in my opinion doesn’t take a lot to be successful here) and your fortitude for getting it done, I think you will find it quite easy. Asking a friend to help you ensures that you can safely get up on a ladder and attach misting line to your structure. If that isn’t an option. Check out the misting fans that I just posted about
at “https://outdoorpatiomisters.com/residential-patio-misting-systems-big-truth-no-one-tells-you.
Thanks for checking out my site and thank you for your comments. I would love to hear more about your experience with misters when the time comes. Adios!
Marla