Misting systems are used to cool outdoor spaces in all sorts of industries and for all kinds of purposes, from public venues and commercial establishments to industrial plants and agricultural environments. One of the most important components of a misting system is the misting nozzle. Misting nozzles are useful because they create drops of water that are around 15 millionths of a meter, or microns, in width. The size of the droplets is crucial because they are small enough that they evaporate quickly, rather than collecting on everything around them.
All misting systems are comprised of a series of nozzles placed in a line. When attached to high-pressure pumps, water is forced through nozzles, forming droplets which evaporate into mist when they reach the outdoor air. This can reduce the temperatures by 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If the misting system is in a confined indoor area, it will provide a cool mist but will also increase humidity.
Which Type of Misting Nozzle Do You Need?
As with any kind of machine, making sure every component is compatible with your misting system is essential for peak performance, smooth operation and long life. More than any of the other components, the misting nozzle is the one that is most integral and the variety you get will determine how well your system works. It is also important to know which kind of nozzle you should get so if you ever need to replace it, you will know exactly what you need and why.
Impingement Nozzles vs. Impeller Nozzles
Broadly speaking, misting nozzles come in two varieties: impeller and impingement. Impeller nozzles are the most common misting nozzles used for residential and commercial applications because they are much less expensive and more reliable than impingement nozzles in most cases. Although there have been improvements to impeller misting nozzles over the last 20 years, the basic performance and function have not changed. Essentially, impeller nozzles are designed to atomize the water flow into tiny droplets. These nozzles utilize a barrel-shaped rotor, a small orifice, and a vortex-shaped interior to force the water through the nozzle in such a way that it explodes through the small opening in a circular motion, resulting in billions of tiny individual droplets. A well-designed impeller nozzle will produce droplets ranging from a few microns to about 50μ, with the majority of the droplets being larger than 10μ.
Impingement nozzles allow water to exit the nozzle in a straight stream through a very small orifice (typically .008″ or about 200μ or microns) and immediately collide with a solid pin, which effectively atomizes the water into tiny droplets, usually between 1μ and 15μ. Impeller nozzles cannot consistently produce as fine a droplet as an impingement nozzles. However, impingement nozzles tend to be very expensive; it is hard to maintain the position of the solid pin, which makes it hard to maintain their performance. They are typically used in specialty applications.
In addition to coming in several distinct sizes to accommodate different system models, you can find misting system nozzles in either a stainless steel or brass finish. Brass is used in many different types of plumbing fixtures because it is durable, resists corrosion and will not rust. There is a slight patina that can form on brass that is similar to what is seen on copper. However, this is just a very thin surface layer of corrosion that can take years to develop, if it develops at all. Our brass nozzles have a stainless steel insert, so there is no corrosion at all on the inside of the nozzle. We offer a range of sizes to accommodate different flow rates. Our mister nozzles also have different spray patterns from sixty to ninety degrees to provide the right coverage needed.
Standard Mist Nozzles vs. Cleanable Mist Nozzles
If you decide to go with an impeller nozzle, you should also consider whether you want a standard nozzle or one that is designed to be easily cleaned. The cleanable mist nozzle allows the barrel-shaped impeller to be removed from the body of the nozzle, allowing for easy removal of foreign debris, such as calcium buildup, and flushing with cleaning solution. In 95% of cases, a poor spraying or plugged nozzle can be disassembled and cleaned, returning the nozzle to its original performance capability. Cleanable nozzles also include an anti-drip assembly inserted into the body of the nozzle. This assembly prevents misting nozzles from dripping each time the system is turned off. Anti-drip assembly can be removed from the nozzle if not required.
With the traditional misting nozzle, removing obstructions from the interior is difficult at best, and only successful in improving the nozzle performance about 50% of the time. This means that once the nozzles spray pattern is distorted, the nozzle usually has to be discarded and replaced. In most cases, the overall investment of the entire misting system justifies the extra cost of the cleanable nozzles. They usually pay for themselves within the first year.
These are available in brass or stainless steel. Fogco’s cleanable nozzles come standard in sizes ranging from .006″ to .020″ and is available in larger sizes on a custom order basis. The Cleanable Nozzles are available in brass/stainless steel or all stainless steel. They also have an anti-drip adapter included and provide everything needed for installation. Since not all systems are the same and our nozzles are used with other misting systems, we also offer extensions, swivel fittings, and multi-thread adapters to make upgrading easy.
How to Find the Right Misting Nozzle Size
To ensure that your misting system runs as efficiently as possible for as long as possible, it’s important to find out what sort of parts your specific model of misting system requires, what their functions are, and how to replace them. Misting nozzles come in a large number of variations and specific models.
- .006″/.15mm Nozzle (Yellow O-Ring): The smallest standard nozzle orifice available. At 1,000 psi, the mean diameter of the droplets from this size orifice are 12.2μ with droplets ranging from 1.2μ to 36.4μ and a spray diameter of approximately 45 degrees. The .006″/.15mm misting nozzle is ideal for applications requiring extremely low flow with small droplet size and minimal moisture. It is most commonly used for humidification applications. This nozzle is not designed to be used at pressures below 500 psi.
- .008″/.20mm Nozzle (Red O-Ring): The next-smallest standard nozzle orifice available. At 1,000 psi, the mean diameter of the droplets from this size orifice are 12.7μ with droplets ranging from 1.4μ to 37.9μ and a spray diameter of between 60 and 65 degrees. The .008″/.20mm misting nozzle is ideal for applications requiring low flow with small droplet size and limited moisture. It is most commonly used for humidification and cooling applications. This nozzle is not designed to be used at pressures below 250 psi.
- .012″/.30mm Nozzle (Black O-Ring): The medium-sized standard nozzle orifice. At 1,000 psi, the mean diameter of the droplets from this size orifice are 13.1μ with droplets ranging from 1.6μ to 39.1μ and a spray diameter of between 65 and 75 degrees. The .012″/.30mm misting nozzle is ideal for applications requiring moderate flow with small droplet size. It has a similar performance to the .008″/.20mm orifice nozzle with an increased flow rate. It is most commonly used for outdoor cooling and odor/dust control applications. This nozzle can be used with any pressures above 100 psi.
- .016″/.40mm nozzle (Brown O-Ring): A larger-sized nozzle orifice. At 1,000 psi, the mean diameter of the droplets from this size orifice are 14.8μ with droplets ranging from 3.8μ to 47.9μ and a spray diameter of between 70 and 80 degrees. The .016″/.40mm misting nozzle is ideal for applications requiring increased flow rates with moderately sized droplets. It is most commonly used for special effects and outdoor dust control applications. This nozzle can be used with any pressure.
- .020″/.50mm Nozzle (Green O-Ring): The largest sized standard nozzle orifice. At 1,000 psi, the mean diameter of the droplets from this size orifice are 15.2μ with droplets ranging from 9.5μ to 49.9μ and a spray diameter of between 80 and 90 degrees. The .020″/.50mm misting nozzle is ideal for applications requiring extreme flow with larger droplets where complete evaporation is not required. It is most commonly used for outdoor dust control in demolition applications. This nozzle can be used with any pressure.
Fogco High-Pressure Misting Nozzles
At Fogco, we pay attention to each component of our mister systems. This means that we design the pumps, the tubing, and the mister nozzles to integrate fully with our systems. They can also be used with your existing system to create a fine, even mist for cooling and humidification. We have many different nozzle options to provide the right types of mist for industrial, commercial, and residential misting systems. We only use brass or stainless steel in our nozzles which allows for durability, effective droplet size production and low maintenance requirements.
With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, we can find the misting solution that’s right for your residential or commercial environment. Contact us today to learn more.
