This blog post about 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.

Buyers Employ Big Mistakes 

I have visited with some buyers that have been unsatisfied with their purchase of an outdoor 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?

Top Mistakes to Avoid

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.

Mistake 1- Cost

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 had to do with the product and 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 the not so good. Look for independent reviews. Reviews can tell you information about dependability, popularity, customer service, and the product itself.

 I was able to gather 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.

Mistake 2 – Wrong type of product for your needs

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. Buying the wrong product can be detrimental to your plan.

Factors include:

• You will want to consider how much space you want to chill in and whether or not you get any wind in your outdoor space area.
• Budget. Whether having it professionally installed or do it yourself, you should factor your budget into your entire plan.
• Furniture, nozzle size, and placement, For example, you may need to move furniture and other outdoor living pieces if you aren’t thinking about where the nozzles will propel the mist. Additionally, if you have little wind, the size of your nozzles will be a factor in how well your misters chill your area. 
• You will need to know if you need nozzles for a dry, arid environment or if you need nozzles for a humid climate. The nozzle sizes are different, and it will make a difference in how effective your misters are in cooling off your outdoor space.
• The size of the mist droplets and the force of the water necessary for the conditions you favor are some points to consider.

Here are more factors to consider

• These factors are essential when deciding if you will need a pump to increase the force of the water to the misters. Having a pump will affect how fine the mist is.
• Running water to the misters with no pump means that your pressure will equal 40 – 60 PSI or maybe even 80 PSI. Water from the hose was equivalent to around 40-60 PSI. 
• If you didn’t use a pump, could you get the mist you want?
• Choosing a mid-pressure pump will get you around 300 PSI, and a high-pressure pump will achieve about 1000 PSI.
• The cost of these pumps is around $200-$1000 for the mid-pressure pump. The high-pressure pump is the priciest in the range of $1500-$3500. Buyers I have talked to do not equate a high-priced system with top-of-the-line misting.
• One buyer was so dissatisfied that she wanted to return her system that cost $1800 because it soaked everything.       
• Read the reviews, friends!

Mistake 3 – Lack of Knowledge 

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! When I feel pressured into buying something, I make a run for the door. I despise pushy salespeople.

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.

And then

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 were looking 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 for you to do the same.

My opinion is that knowledge is power!

Mistake 4 – Surprising Outcomes

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:

• what you want the system to do,
• how much do you want to pay for a plan,
• If you wish to install it yourself or hire a professional,
• whether it adds value to your home when selling,
• will it meet your goals for cooling the outdoor space properly,
• how much wind you get in the outdoor space,
• whether it matters if your outdoor floor gets damp (some floors get slippery when wet)
• how easy it is to maintain
• will it ruin your furnishings if they get wet?
• what the quality of the parts are (for example, stainless steel nozzles vs. plastic)

And then there is this.

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.

The End Result

To avoid making the most common mistakes that many buyers do will result in the best outcome. One of the biggest takeaways from this article is my hope for you to do your research. 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. There were a few leaks that they fixed 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 structure of the house 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

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.

He did, however, adjust 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. There was a slight wind that 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. To his satisfaction, he was enjoying the patio within 10-15 minutes. Proud of his work, he called a few friends over to enjoy it with him.

The Story Ends Well

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 the amount of misting nozzles with the kit.

Warning me, he stated adding more misting nozzles affects misting negatively. The added nozzles often cause over misting, equal to getting soaked.

Considering these factors, you should be able to make a perfect choice for your needs. I look forward to your comments below. I am hoping to hear all about your decision-making process and how you like your misters.

Take care, everyone!

My best to you,

Marla