Are High Pressure Patio Misters Worth It?
There are three main type of patio misting systems. Low Pressure Patio misters are certainly a cheaper option, Medium offer a halfway house and high Pressure misting systems are the premium option, coming in more expensive but are much more effective. With prices ranging from 500 to over 3000 dollars it is important to decide if a high pressure mister is worth it for your outdoor space.
High pressure misters can cool areas by up to 35 degrees F, compared to low pressure misters 20-25 F cooling. The finer vapor cools more effectively in high humidity climates and they come with many more features. If you live in a hot humid area with larger areas to cool they can certainly be worth the investment.
There are more difference between the misting systems than just the price, and we will examine the differences in the article below to help you choose which misting system would be right for you. These factors include the cost, but we will also take a look at the installation, the running costs, the water usage, the effectiveness and the appearance as well.
We also have an article on the differences between High and low Pressure misters here on the site if you are exploring both options.
What Are High-Pressure Patio Misters
Well, the high-pressure misting system is used to cool down areas where heat has been generated. When thousands of tiny water droplets are released in the air, the process of evaporation takes place.
They achieve this by pumping high pressure water through ultra fine nozzles creating clouds of mist, and if you have ever felt the chill of getting out of a pool even when its 100 F. Outside you know how effective small amounts of water on the skin can be as a cooling effect.
The heat in the air is used by the water to evaporate, resulting in flash cooling. This process can provide serious cooling to a location and considerably more than low pressure misters. They also, due to the smaller droplet / vapor size, are better and more efficient in high humidity areas where it is harder to evaporate water.
They often come with more features than cheaper low pressure misting systems, including timers, recycling of water, insect deterrents, mobile apps or remote controls, and filters.
The up to and over 1000 PSI pressure will create much finer mist and greater cooling effectiveness than other lower pressure systems.
However this does come at a price, and you can expect to see lower end high pressure misting system to start at 500 dollars.
You can read more about the types of patio misting systems on the site, including low, medium and high pressure systems.
Advantages of a High Pressure Misting system.
- High pressure misting systems are the top end of cooling options outside. They are more effective than outdoor air conditioners, fans, both traditional and misting and of course the features make them more effective than low pressure systems.
- High pressure misters are able to vaporize water into a much smaller and finer mist than low and medium pressure systems. This makes cooling more effective both in low humidity, but especially higher humidity environments.
- This finer mist / water vapor means that the chances of residual water is greatly reduced and your guests will remain dry and cool rather than damp/wet and cool.
- As they are higher priced they will often come with warranties and guarantees, especially for the nozzles and pumps giving a little more piece of mind for spending those hundreds of dollars.
- The mist being finer and less heavy has the ability to drift / spread more. this means it can cover a wider area than misting systems that produce larger vapor and which will head to the ground quicker.
- The higher pressure and smaller water vapor / mist size means even with the additional cooling they will use less water.
- Aesthetically, if installed well, they can look more pleasing than a low pressure systems series of hoses and DIY look.
- Due to the finer mist they cool more effectively in areas with high humidity and as a general (you can see the table below) rule they outperform low misting systems by up to 10 degrees extra cooling across all temperatures and humidities.
- Some high pressure misting systems have features or the ability to include insect repellent in their mist, making being outside even more comfortable. However this can come with cautions and rules depending on the state or country you live in.
We have a selection of Patio Misting System articles on the site to help you make a decision and we have some of these listed below. feel free to browse through them.
Are High Pressure Misting Systems Worth it.
Whether or not high-pressure patio misters are worth the additional price is a question that needs to be answered individually before purchasing one as each of you reading this will have different budgets, needs and locations you wish to cool. However if you answer yes to the following questions it is certainly worth considering.
Do you live in an area with high humidity?
High pressure system working significantly better in humidity levels over 50%. The finer vapor they are able to produce means that it is much easier to evaporate in humid areas. Lower pressure / larger droplets will take longer to evaporate and risk making surfaces, including skin, fabrics and clothes wet first.
Misting Systems use evaporative cooling, which water evaporates by using the energy of the heat in the air and results in cooling. If you live in a humid area you may need at the very least a pump to provide some pressure even if you don’t go straight for the high pressure systems, to create finer water vapor to cope with your environmental conditions.
Do you spend a lot of time outside?
If you are out more than in then it may be worth upscaling and keeping your patio, deck or balcony cool with a high pressure misting system. If you use it that often then the guarantees, the cooling, and the fact that they look better to the eye will possibly be worth the investment.
If you live in an area with a short Summer and wont get as much use out of the mister then, simply from the lack of use you will get it might be worth a medium, or if in a fairly arid or dry location a low pressure mister and save the money for outdoor heaters so you can extend your outside time into Autumn and Winter.
Do you live in areas with high temperatures?
If you are blessed, or burdened, with a location with preperual sun ( we are) and temperatures can reach the top of the thermometer then you might also want to consider a more robust and higher pressure misting system for your patio or outside space.
Higher pressure systems can lower the temperature up to 35 degrees F depending on humidity levels, and comfortably achieve 25 degrees on days where the mercury is heading towards 100. Low pressure systems in optimal conditions (dry and hot) will be able to lower the temperature about 20-25 degrees. However, in average humidity this may be up to 15 ( at a push just over) .
You may welcome those extra 10 degrees of cooling if they turn an unbearable temperature into a great one.
Do you want to cool a larger area?
Low pressure misters rely on the water pressure from your faucets, and the further along the pipes, tubes or hoses the water goes the more pressure it loses, also the longer or larger the area, the more nozzles you need and each one will reduce the pressure available to the next. this means as the water travels round the pressure will be reduced, resulting in both less cooling and more chances of getting wet.
A high pressure system still has these issues but as it is start with a water pressure of 10 to 15 ( and more) times the faucet they are barely if at all noticeable. A high pressure system can transport the water with a more controlled and uniform pressure all around the space and is much more suited to a larger cooling area. So if you have a large patio, Deck, terrace, balcony or any other outdoor space you might want to consider scaling up to keep it cool.
Do you want to save water?
Despite initial logic or first thoughts dictating that higher means more or bigger, the higher pressure misting systems actually use less water than their cheaper lower priced and pressure misting systems cousins.
The smaller size of water droplets and vapor means the difference is actually quite marked as you can see from the table below.
| Nozzle size | Pressure | Gallons per hour | Gallons per day |
| 0.006 | High pressure | 0.72 | 17 |
| 0.012 | Medium Pressure | 1.86 | 43 |
| 0.015 | Low Pressure | 2.58 | 61 |
So while you will have a nominal power cost to pay, it might make up for it in a reduced water bill in the longer term.
Do You live in a Very Hot Area?
Hi to all the those living in Florida, Texas and Nevada! Although of course many places suffer 100 degree F days nowadays, even the UK as we are writing this just suffered 110 degrees for the first time ever.
If you do live in an area that has consistently high temperature then a high pressure system is just better at dealing with those, humid or not. As we mentioned above it can cool air temperature by 35 degrees, and even lower pressure mid levels should not struggle to much to lower the temperature by 20-25 in dry areas. this can make a huge difference to comfort levels.
Can you fit a High Pressure Mister yourself?
While it is possibility fit most patio misters yourself, including high pressure systems you are paying considerable more then the under 100 dollars a low pressure system costs. It may be worth, if you buy it from a store, availing yourself of the installation serves that come with it. They may charge a fee but this shouldn’t be huge considering the price of the mister.
If you buy one from Amazon or online retailers you may not have this option ( although you can always call someone to help) and although they can be straightforward to install, especially if you have a frame like a porch, balcony or veranda, it is still advised to take some time to plan the layout and anchoring points before just jumping in in over excitement.
Cost of high pressure Patio Misters
When choosing patio misters, price does generally equal quality and effectiveness of misting systems. While ther eis a ceiling to this and it will depend on the features you are looking for, you can expect to pay 500 dollars for small effective high pressure misting system, and with extra nozzles, timers and app controls this can rise to over 1500 dollars.
To mist a small ish (50 to 200 square feet) for example then a small but good quality high pressure would suffice and these can be picked up for under 500 from most relevant retailers and online from Amazon.
However they are difficult to scale up, and may not be from recognised brands. if you intend on using your mister a lot then heading up the pricing scale just a little might be worth considering.
Make sure you pay attention to the misting area figures for the mister to make sure you are not over paying for something larger than you need.
In essence the following features all effect the price of a high pressure misting system.
- Technology like app control
- Timer functions
- Water filters
- brand name
- size ( pump especially)
- Water pressure capability
- Nozzles and build quality.
it is up to you to decide which of these features are essential, desireable or unnecessary.
Benefits of patio misters
Patio misters can make an unbearably hot day perfect. they will help prolong your outdoor time and make spending time outdoors much more pleasurable on those scorching days. Lowering the temperate from 100 degrees to 80 degrees is a marked difference in comfort levels.
With the higher pressure systems meaning wetness and dampness is keep to a minimum it is certainty worth considering scaling up to a pumped or powered mister if you are in the market for one any way.
You have already invested time, emotion and money into your outside space it would be a shame if you can’t use it just because the weather gets too hot!
You can check out all of our in-depth mister cooling articles on the links below.
- The differences between high and low pressure misters
- Where should patio misters be placed
- Can you put patio misters on a balcony
- How do patio misters work
- Are high pressure patio misters worth it
- Are low pressure misters worth it
- Do patio misters use a lot of water
Conclusion
While we still maintain that the extra cost and functionality of purchasing a high pressure mister is one you have to make, there are certainly worth the money if you have need for increased cooling, live in humid areas and spend or plan on spending more time outdoors.
They do cost upwards of 500 dollars and the high end large scale high pressure misters can cost over 1500 dollars but for most home use cases this is not the amount you will need to spend to create your own cooling area in your outdoor space.
You have to decide if the extra cost is not only worth it, but necessary for the area you live in, however if you do choose a high pressure system get ready to spend a lot of time outside, you will love it.
References
- https://theplumber.com/the-pros-cons-of-outdoor-misting-systems/
- https://www.rapidcool.com/blog/which-is-more-effective-for-patio-misting-cooling-systems-high-medium-or-low-pressure/#:~:text=The%20high%20pressure%20misting%20systems,really%20make%20everyone%20more%20comfortable.
- https://www.aquamisters.com/pages/high-vs-low-pressure
- https://aquascienceaz.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-outdoor-misting-systems/
- https://www.cool-off.com/articles/misting-systems
