| I remember several years ago I took a job in the | | | | have a ready water supply and switched it on. It |
| California desert, where the temperature regularly | | | | worked, the patio temperature dropped about 10 to |
| reached the triple digits. One day with the | | | | 15 degrees, getting the air temperature down to |
| temperature in excess 100 degrees, we went to an | | | | about 80 degrees. Much more comfortable. |
| upscale restaurant with friends and they wanted to | | | | The down side, the misting system did not produce |
| sit on the patio. I was shocked that they would want | | | | the fine mist that the upscale restaurant produced. |
| to sit in the heat. | | | | As a result, the deck got wet, and we got wet and |
| I was even more amazed when we went out to the | | | | the furniture got wet as well. Most of the time, this |
| patio dining area it was at least 30 degrees cooler | | | | was not a problem, we were a lot cooler and could |
| than the outside temperature. In fact, the patio dining | | | | turn off the misting system before we got too wet. |
| area was a more comfortable temperature than the | | | | But we were still disappointed. We could not afford |
| inside dining area. | | | | the really good system, and the inexpensive system |
| This was caused by a misting system that sprayed a | | | | just did not work as well. |
| fine mist into the air. The mist evaporated before it | | | | Fortunately, there has been a lot of progress in the |
| reached us, and cooled the air temperature by 30 | | | | past fifteen years. You can get a power system |
| degrees. We had a great dinner, outside in the | | | | now, just like the restaurants had for about one fifth |
| California desert, in the middle of summer. This | | | | of the cost. They are still expensive, but much more |
| quickly became one of our favorite restaurants to go | | | | affordable. |
| to and to take visiting friends to. | | | | They have also made a lot of progress with the |
| We later moved to another location that still got | | | | misting heads and other fixtures on the less |
| extremely hot in the summer, and we missed the | | | | expensive systems. They now produce a much finer |
| patio misting system of our favorite restaurant. I | | | | mist using regular house hold water pressure. So you |
| started wishing that we could get a system for our | | | | can get the lower temperature (as much as 30 |
| own patio. However, the systems, if you could find | | | | degrees lower) without the soggy mess that the old |
| them, caused several thousand dollars. | | | | cheap systems used to make. |
| About that time, the big box stores started carrying | | | | You need to be careful which system that you buy, |
| a misting system that was a lot less expensive (also | | | | some of the inexpensive systems still use the misting |
| known as cheap). These systems cost less than | | | | heads that have too large an opening that produces |
| $200, so we got one for our patio. I hooked the | | | | the big water droplets that will get you and your |
| system into my sprinkler system so that I would | | | | patio soaking wet. So it pays to shop around. |