Mist Maker FAQ

Please read your manual carefully. There is a lot of important information included. Please also check out our FAQ Maintenance Section. Our "Things to Avoid" list will save us both time and money. Click here for troubleshooting a mist maker.

Check out our blog post on how to make a humidifier out of an Ultrasonic Mist Maker.

 While no output control is needed just to make mist, there are a few different ways to reduce output depending on your needs.

DO NOT Remove a disc to reduce output. It will damage the unit.

For precise control in applications like mushroom growing, laboratory environment control, home humidification ect.  you should consider our humidistat controller. It will automatically cycle the mist maker on and off at the precise levels. 

For general output control, consider our Mist Output Controller to easily turn down the output of or a mist maker.  This is a great option for special effects, or cooling applications.

NO! But yes, as long as you keep the water level and mist maker level static. You must supply at least 20mm of water over the surface of the disc. Too much, or too little can cause the mist maker to not work properly. The supplied float will hold the mist maker at the proper level.

The 120mm fan is our most popular. For most applications over 2x4' a 120mm will be used. For smaller applications like a terrarium or Martha tent, an 80mm could be used. Again, it depends on what you need out of it. 

Our 30mm fan is a very small fan with low air movement. It can be used for small aquarium humidifiers, small special effects, or getting that slow creeping effect out of the fog.  Although with our larger mist maker, a 120mm fan can be turned down to get a similar creeping effect.

DO NOT add bleach to the water.

The easiest way to help keep the water reservoir clean is to use our UV sterilizing light.  This light just drops into the water reservoir and will kill bacteria and algae greatly extending your cleaning intervals.  

Another option is Hydrogen Peroxide. You can add regular 3% solution at a ratio of 20 to 1 to the water reservoir once per week. Gradually reduce the ratio until there are ineffective results. Then increase the dose back to the previous amount where good sterilizing effects were achieved.

Depending on the project, most of the time the fan should/ can be plugged into the humidistat. If you need fresh air exchange inside your humidification area, then the fan can run constantly. 

If you're just using the humidifier strictly for humidification you can use a small GFI power strip to plug both the fan and mist maker into the humidistat. 

Most likely your output holes are too small. If you increase the size of the holes to let the fog escape, it won't push fog back through the fan. If your output holes are not adjustable, try turning down the speed of your fan. 

Choosing a size is tricky. Many companies will advertise "up to 2000 sq ft" for a certain sized humidifier. But there are so many factors for the different applications. 

Choosing the right size Mist Maker depends on a few different things. Ambient humidity, target humidity, air exchange, lighting, AC/heat, and the type of material your room is constructed of all plays a part.

A lower ambient humidity will increase the need for more discs, as well as a higher target humidity. The amount of air exchange you have will play the biggest part in deciding which size you need. If you are constantly bringing in new air, you have to work much harder to bring up the humidity. Rooms constructed of concrete tend to absorb moisture for quite some time before leveling out. This can increase your need for a bigger mist maker as well. 

With low air exchange, a smaller unit can be used. It may take longer to reach your target humidity level, but as long as drier air not being constantly introduced to the room, a smaller unit will suffice in most cases. 

It is better to have a capable unit that runs much less, than an inadequate unit that has to run 24/7. Mist Maker's heat the water that they are operating in, and heat can damage electronics. Very long run times in small reservoirs can push the max operating water temperature of 105°F.

It's important to understand there are many uses for mist makers. Some people may need 95% humidity for spawning mushrooms, and another may want to humidify a bedroom, or even build a DIY whole home humidifier to keep the home at a comfortable 55%. You may even be trying to build an ultra-realistic fake fire effect, like you may have seen in Katy Perry's video on our instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B0bRl5VAUHO/

Some of the most common uses for ultrasonic mist makers include:

Mushroom Fruiting

Fogponics

Reptile Enclosures 

Greenhouse Humidification

Home Humidification

Commercial Humidification

Some of the more rare and interesting uses include building DIY humidifiers for: 

Sterilization

Guitar Building

Gasoline nebulization

Automotive Water Injection

Wine Aging

Concrete Curing

Cheese Caves

Meat Aging

Fog screen for projections

Pond and Hardscaping

Hot Yoga

Haunted Houses

Dust Control

Swift Nest Breeders

3D Printing 

T-Shirt Printing 

Equipment Cooling

Odor Control 

Essential Oil  

Foliar Feeding

Incubator Humidification

Growing Sprouts

Spouting Seeds

DIY Fogponic Cloners

Realistic Fake Fire Effect

Wind Tunnels

Science Center Projects

Tornado Simulators

Laboratory Climate Control

Stage Fog

Mold Control/ Remediation

Fish Tanks... and more! 

 Choosing a mist maker for a reptile enclosure or terrarium is usually pretty simple. Most will use a single disc unit with a 30 or 80mm fan depending on the amount of airflow you want or need. 

Humidifying a small greenhouse or martha tent 2x4'  or smaller, can easily be brought up to the high levels of humidity needed for mushroom fruiting.  Area's in the 4x4 to 5x4 range should consider using a 3 disc, but a 1 disc may suffice. Consider the 3 disc if you have high air exchange, very low humidity levels, or plan to expand. Here's a great article on building a martha tent for mushroom fruiting.  Be aware that the recommended fan in the article will not last long in a humid environment. Our waterproof fans are a necessity to stay up and running. 

Mist Makers with 3 and 5 discs are commonly used for:

4x4 up to about 7x7 mushroom tents and grow rooms/greenhouses. 

They are also commonly used for humidifying bedrooms and other similarly sized projects that don't require high humdity. 

Check out this customers video on building a DIY humidifier. He's using it to regulate humidity in a guitar building facility, but can be used for any humidifying application. 

If you're looking to build a whole home humidifier, or humidify  a 7x10' to 10x15' grow room, fruiting room, ect, I would consider something between a 6 and a 12 disc unit depending on your needs.

Check out this customers video on building a DIY humidifier. He's using it to regulate humidity in a guitar building facility, but can be used for any humidifying application. 

 Choosing a mist maker for around a 10x20' room or larger will most likely need a 12 disc  or 12XL unit for higher humidity applications, or applications with high air exchange and lots of lights or AC. Much larger applications could take multiple units. 

Check out this customers video on building a DIY humidifier. He's using it to regulate humidity in a guitar building facility, but can be used for any humidifying application. 

Very large applications can be very tricky with so many variables. At 9000ml/ hour, our 12XL Mist Maker kit can handle most applications. If you're project is over 20x40' and you'd like a more personalized recomendation, please feel free to contact us at John@TheHouseofHydro.com

Either model has it's fair share of supporters. They're both solid units. The only real difference is that the Inkbird unit has two outlets, However, one is for a dehumidifier and the other is for a humidifier. So if you have a need for dehumidification the Inkbird may be a better choice.

The main benefit of the Willhi model is that it has an easily replaceable sensor which is why I prefer this model. We can ship sensors directly to you from our warehouse and you'll be back in business in 2 days. If you have a sensor go out on the Inkbird, you will need to contact the factory directly and have them send you a replacement.

The Willhi has easily replaceable sensors, whereas the Inkbird needs disassembled to replace the sensor. Aside from that they are both great units!

Choosing the right size isn't always easy. Everyone's setup is different, and judging the amount of fog you are seeing isn't as easy as judging water. For 100% fogponic grows, the biggest mistake is buying too small of a unit and not getting enough fog. It has to be VERY thick. Just because you see fog, doesn't mean that you have enough to feed a plant. It's always hard to give an exact model to use, but bigger is almost always better. I always recommend buying the largest unit you are comfortable affording, and here's why...

The bigger units put out the fog very fast, and reduce the required run time, thus reducing your water temps and creating a very dense fog. To get the fog thick, you need to run the fan as slow as possible to get the fog into the root zone. The more air you add into the fog, the more diluted/ thinner your fog is. I almost always recommend our 80mm fan for fogponics.  The 120mm is overkill unless you have a very large setup.

A 6-12 disc unit is typically advised for 100% fogponic grows with multiple sites. You can use a smaller unit if you have a water chiller or large reservoir (so you can extend your run times) or if you do a hybrid grow such as fog with a shallow DWC, NFT, or the Kratky Method.    In other words, the bottom 25% of the root is in nutrient water, and the top 75% is in fog. You can use a smaller unit with this method Typically a 3-5 disc for multiple sites, or a single disc for a 5 gallon bucket type grow. 

To get a starting point for cycle times, turn on your Mist Maker and run it until the fog is as dense as possible in the root zone. This is your on-time. Shut off your Mist Maker and see how long it takes for most of the fog to dissipate. This is your off time. This will give you a good starting point for your cycle times. It is hard to give ]exact times as every setup is so different. 

Cloning with a mist maker is fairly straightforward. In most small cloning applications a single disc unit can be used. Keep in mind that fog is heavier than air, so you may need to raise the water level to hold the fog up in the root zone. Check out our DIY Fogponic Cloner video for more information. 

The Kratky Fog Method uses the Kratky Method combined with Fogponics. Introducing a fogger to the upper 2/3 of the root ball, while leaving the bottom 1/3 immersed in the nutrient solution is a great way to get started in Fogponics. 

With this method, a much smaller mist maker can be used to feed the roots. 

Making your own Nutramist unit is easy:
Find an airtight container such as a five gallon bucket.  
Drill a hole for a micro-waterproof fan and a hole for your output hose. 
You can make a separate nutrient reservoir by connecting an external 5 gallon bucket via a mini float that keeps the main units water level at the correct level. 

See our Blog Post on Making a Vertical  Fogponics Tower for more pictures and videos.

Making a Vertical  Fogponics Tower is an easy way to start growing with Fogponics. Although, the easiest way to start growing with Fogponics is the 5 Gallon Bucket Hybrid Kratky Method. The one thing to remember with vertical hydroponic towers is that fog is heavier than air and tends to settle at the bottom. Therefore, we need to introduce the fog at the top of the tower and not the bottom.One of the best ways to do this, and also use a smaller mist maker is to create a hybrid drip/fog system. To do this, you will  have your Ultrasonic Mist Maker mounted at the top of the Fogponic tower (without the black float) inside an overflowing container that is fed nutrient water via a pump located at the bottom of the tower. (see pictures of our Vertical Fogponics Tower Diagram)Depending on the size of your Vertical Grow Tower, you could use anywhere from a Single Disc Mist Maker up to a 12 Disc Mist Maker. The customer uses a Single Disc Fogger mounted at the top of the tower in this Vertical Fogponic Tower Video . They pump nutrients to the top of the tower which feed the fogger and then overflows back down over the roots on its way back to the nutrient reservoir in the base of the tower. The fog that was generated during the cycle is then left behind for several minutes until the pumps next cycle commences.  100% Fogponic grows can also be achieved in a vertical tower as well. To do this, you would have an external fog generator that supplied fog directly to the top of the tower, and the condensated waste would be collected at the bottom of the tower. Check out our video on how to make a Nutramist fogger. A 100% Fogponic Grow requires a larger fogger to supply very thick fog allowing the plants to receive enough nutrients. A 5 disc Mist Maker (minimum) should be used in a similarly sized fog tower if growing with 100% fog. 

Water droplets from a Mist Maker will carry anything that the water contains, unlike the humidifiers that heat the water. Minerals, nutrients, antifungals can be carried from the reservoir in the fog. This allows for excellent results while using a mist maker for fogponics, greenhouse humidification and sterilization. How can you argue with these results!

-Running the unit for more than 8 hours on, one off. 

-Using Bleach or other "slimy" additive that can cause an immediate buildup on the discs (Vinegar for cleaning and hydrogen peroxide for water sterilization is recommended) 

-Not having the 2 part mist maker float fully seated/ pressed together. This can cause the unit to sit too high out of the water. Partially activating the U-Shaped water level sensor. 

-Running in too little water, or running the tank out of water. This can overheat the water as the level drops. The water acts as a heat sink to keep the unit cool. 

-Allowing water temp to exceed 105F-120F can shorten the lifespan considerably. Always operate in as much water as possible. Preferably a 27 Gallon container for 6-12 disc units. 

-Getting water in the spring area during a disc change. NEVER let any liquid in the spring area. Always dry the unit before maintenance, and remove the discs before long term storage. 

-Lifting the unit out of the container by the power cord, or damaging/ manipulating the water level sensor. Do not try to adjust it. 

-Pinning the power cord with the lid of your water reservoir. This can cause the unit to lift out of the water at an angle as the water level drops.  

- Using distilled water, or very high-quality RO water, or A/C discharge water. TDS below 15PPM, give or take a few, can cause intermittent operation or a stutter and stress the unit. Use salt, calcium carbonate, or cut low TDS water with tap water to increase your TDS level slightly.  

-Leaving the white discs installed while storing the unit long term after using it. This can leave trapped moisture under the discs which can result in failure.    

- Running more than one fogger in the same tank. This can cause quick disc wear due to electrical interference.   

If your output drops, the first thing to check for is water under your discs. If the area is dry, then you probably just need to clean the discs. 
First, take the silver disc key that you received free with your order.
Unscrew the silver retaining rings. 
Remove the white disc by popping it out with a soft instrument or your thumbnail. Be aware that the discs may stick to the o-ring. DO NOT lose your o-rings, or you will allow water to enter the unit. 
Soak the discs in white vinegar for a few minutes and then wipe them clean!

ALERT: If you are installing brand new discs, the black protective ring is to be thrown away. It is NOT to replace the clear o-ring. The o-ring is good for the life of the unit. 

Check out our video on changing mist maker discs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=135&v=oJcJa003SM4&feature=emb_logo

To keep your humidifier's water reservoir clean, we recommend adding Hydrogen Peroxide at a ratio of 20 to 1, once a week if you're using 3% drug store strength.

Do not use Bleach in your water!

We also recommend considering the UV sterilizing light which will also greatly extend cleaning intervals. We recommend the UV Sterilizer Light be run on a timer for 3 hours per day. 

Cleaning the humidifier is extremely easy. Just empty the water reservoir, and spray down the inside of the container, and the mist maker with vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it all clean. The white discs can be gently scrubbed with a toothbrush, and then rinsed off without removing them.

If mist output is still low after cleaning, you can thoroughly dry the silver transducer, and then remove the discs for exchange with new ones. DO NOT allow any moisture to get under the discs when removing them. Dry the unit 100% before removing discs. More info can be found in the video: How to change the discs in an Ultrasonic Mist Maker.

DO NOT clean the water level sensor aggressively. It is fragile, and can break. 

DO NOT USE BLEACH to clean the unit, reservoir, or discs It will corrode stainless steel, and will leave a film on the discs that will ruin performance, and possible the entire transducer.

Storing your mist maker properly is important. Make sure to remove your ceramic discs if storing the unit for more than a week or so. Any moisture trapped under the discs can cause corrsion. 

The max run time for a mist maker is 8 hours on, 1 hour off. This can be broken into smaller increments as needed. 

The most important factor is keeping the water temperature under 105F/ 40C. This is easily done by keeping enough water in your reservoir. A Mist maker with 5 discs or less can be used with 5 gallon bucket, but it's important to keep it pretty full. Larger units should be used in a 20 gallon container or larger. 

It's important we determine if it's the silver fogging transducer or the black transformer that is the problem. In most cases, the silver transducer is the problem and the black transformer is fine. 

Click this link for troubleshooting an Ultrasonic Fogger.

Almost any​ type of​ water can be used with a mist maker as long as there is at least 15 PPM  of total dissolved solids in the water. The water sensor on the fogger requires at least some dissolved solids in the water in order to create a strong connection. 

Using something such as distilled water will cause the water fogger to operate erratically, and can cause damage over time. Hard water can also be used with a mistmaker, however, it will require you to clean the ultrasonic discs more often. This can be easily done just by using a clean rag or q-tip to wipe off the built-up calcium on the ultrasonic discs.

You will notice with hard water that you may get a white dust that lays on surfaces if the TDS count of your water is too high.

House of Hydro ultrasonic water foggers use high output ceramic discs that vibrate 1.7mhz to silently create microscopic (<5 micron) water droplets. Ultrasonic humidifiers make a cool "dry" fog that is great for reptiles, greenhouses, and home humidification. Mist Makers use a piezoelectric transducer for a high frequency mechanical oscillation just below the surface of the water. Mist Makers do not use dry ice, fog liquid, heat, chemicals. 

I first discovered this coating when I sold a mist maker to a University Professor that had been commissioned to test the top 5 leading Corrosion Inhibiting compounds (CIC's) used by the airline industry. He was using our mist makers to create a high salt (salt fog chamber) environment for the experiment. They tested the top 5 anti corrosion sprays used by aircraft manufacturers, and he shared his results with me.  
The spray I am using came out well on top, repelling corrosion many months longer than the others.  These coatings are not for sale to the general public and used by the military and the airline industry. They do sell online in a few aero-specialty stores, but It's extremely expensive at $48 for 6oz! I have commissioned local body shop to spray and bake of CIC to provide a superior mist maker that isn't available anywhere else. 

For protection of all commonly used aerospace metals and alloys:

Organic Super penetrating Water displacing Heavy-duty hard wax based coating Tack-free film (except on plastics/rubbers where is does not cure as well. ie the base of the power cord) Superior salt repelling properties DO NOT use Tuff Coat in strong chlorine. 
This is a must for any users with abusive applications such as fertilizer, gasoline, perfumes, salt water, or hard water.  Even with regular water the Tuff coat will help extend the life of your mist maker. 

Some chemicals can cause the coating to turn chalky white. This is normal. 

This coating is not paint. It is extremely tricky to spray, and may have a run or two, but does not affect the quality of the coating. 

We double the warranty when protected with Tuff Coat!

Image below is Tuff Coated. 

Use these articles to answer questions that customers have about your products and services. You can use text, links and images and also group articles into categories.

Similar to a subwoofer turned upside down, House of Hydro ultrasonic water foggers use high output ceramic discs. The ceramic discs vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency to silently create microscopic (< 5 micron) water droplets. Ultrasonic humidifiers make a cool fog that is great for reptiles, greenhouses, and home humidification. Mist Makers use a piezoelectric transducer for a high frequency mechanical oscillation just below the surface of the water. This vibration creates a very fine, very dry fog that is instantly evaporated into the air. Water foggers do not use dry ice, fog liquid, heat, or chemicals.

Yes, they can be placed just about anywhere. The fog is dry so it can be used around (not above) electrical appliances, animals, and fish.

Do not touch the discs while the unit is in operation. The ultrasonic vibrations from the fogger hurt! Touching the disc while it's running will feel almost like a shock or burn that you can feel all the way to the bone. We know, we've tried.

You can use many different oils with a mist maker, including essential oils. These oils can increase surface tension of the water and reduce the output though. To help correct this, you can use a plant safe product called Coco-Wet to greatly improve performance. 

The factory life span of Mist Maker discs is approximately 3,000 to 5,000 hours. This can be reduced or improved based on your water quality, and whether or not you maintain your Mist Maker by cleaning the discs. 

 Aside from having the low output 16mm disc, the Led's are causing algae growth in the nutrient water due to all the light. This will cause a myriad of problems with a hydroponic grow. 

We've had quite a few customers in the past use our transducers to replace the Dimplex unit.  I do think the cord is quite a bit longer though. I think most customers managed just fine.

 You may either have to replace just the discs, or the entire transducer. If there's no water movement at all, then you'll probably need the transducer. If you have some water movement, then you may be able to change the disc only. It's not a guaranteed fix though. You can check the size of your Mist maker discs with a standard penny. If the disc is larger than a penny, then it is the 20 mm disc. If it's smaller than a penny, then it's the sixteen millimeter disc. It just needs to be removed from the unit in order to measure it.

We have discs available here, replacement transducers here, and the whole Mist Maker kit here. 

Yes! The humidity created by a Mist Maker is great for reptiles. You can make your own reptifogger with a small container and a fan. You can also just use gravity to drop the mist into the tank. It's that easy! 

Yes! The mist produced by the water fogger is negatively charged. Dust and allergens in the air are positively charged. The two particles bind together and become heavy enough to fall to the floor where they can be easily vacuumed up! 

We have a customer that owns a large pet store with puppies. He's using shredded newspaper for bedding. It makes a ton of dust that lingers in the air and causes the place to stink. He has a 12 disk mist maker with a 120mm Hydro Flow Fan that does the trick!

No, you cannot use it in distilled water, but you can use a Mist Maker in RO water if the PPM/TDS level is over 15 or 20ppm. The water level sensor uses the dissolved solids in the water to activate the water level sensor. If you are using low TDS water (Such as RO water), you may notice a stutter or pulse from the unit if the PPM is lower than 20. (sensitivity varies, but under 15PPM tents to cause stuttering) This can stress the mist maker and wear it out prematurely. Please increase the total dissolved solids in the water by adding tap water, a pinch of calcium carbonate, or salt. This will allow your water sensor to make a stronger connection.

The 6 disc has a linear configuration that improves efficiency, while the 9 disc unit has 3 inner discs that are in a very turbulent area. 

Shipping to the USA is Free. 

Shipping to all other countries is at the lowest possible price. 

Please be aware that your country may or may not charge import duties if you live outside the USA. 

Yes, we do! We have shipped to almost every country in the world! Our 230V units come with a UK style plug only. Most customers use a heavy duty travel plug adapter.  International shipping cost varies from $7 to around $60 for typical sized orders. 

The product ships via UPS for most orders and arrives around 7 days from your order date. 

 We ship most orders within one business day using the US Postal Service and UPS.

Most small orders ship via the US Postal Service 3-day priority and larger orders ship via UPS ground 5-day delivery. (Usually 6-disc units and larger) 

International orders of smaller items usually take 10-13 days via the US Post.  Orders of 3-disc units and larger usually ship via UPS and take about 5-7 days depending on location and customs clearance. 

Yes, you may be charged if you are in Canada, Mexico, or other countries outside of the USA. We do our best to keep them low. A recent customer had $29 worth of fees for a $450 order. Your fees may vary based on location and order total.

Depending on the size of the unit, we often remove the exterior packaging to reduce the shipping costs you have to pay. Domestic orders are almost twice the cost to ship with packaging, and international order typically have increase prices of almost 40%. All 1 disc units come in product boxes. Most others come removed from the original packaging to allow for reduced box size during shipment. All units are brand new! 

Only if you live in Florida. 

Sometimes, to save customers on shipping, we ship larger kits in two boxes. The heavy items in a flat rate box, and the light items in a regular mailing box. 

Occasionally they get seperated in the mail, and almost always arrive within one day of eachother. 

The HOH offers a 2-year warranty on the transformers and floats. The transducers have a 180 day 100% warranty for non-Tuff Coat units, and a 1-year warranty for the Tuff Coated units. 

All other products have a one year warranty. 

Customers who would like to exchange a unit for a larger unit may do so within 14 days if the product is in near new condition. Please contact us for more information.  

* Mist makers purchased alone within one month of Halloween will have a 20% restock fee added to any returns.