Fogging Machine Differences

The Difference Between Wet and Dry Fog

When it comes to dry or wet fog produced by foggers, the main difference is the droplet size.

Dry fog usually has droplets that are 10 to 15 microns in diameter. This is because the droplets are so small that they create a seemingly dry fog.

On the other hand, a fog that has droplets that are 20 to 30 microns in diameter is considered wet fog. This fog appears to be wetter and more like a mist than a fog. All fogs whose droplets are above 30 microns are usually mists or sprays, not fogs.

Dry Foggers

So, based on this explanation, wet and dry foggers differ based on the fog they emit.

Most thermal foggers are dry foggers because their mist usually consists of droplets of around 10 microns in diameter. These foggers are perfect when you need to distribute the fog over quite a large area. This is because the smaller particles will be able to diffuse widely and travel quite far thanks to air currents and wind.

The downside to this is that the fog might not thoroughly cover the entire area you wanted to treat. This means that it might be better to fog the area at least two times for more complete coverage.

Wet Foggers

Most cold or ULV foggers can disperse dry and wet fog. Their nozzles allow you to regulate both the spray volume and droplet size within a range of 5 to 50 microns. As long as you keep the droplets small, you’ll get a dry fog (to which the previously mentioned factors will apply).

If you adjust the machine to produce a fog with droplets that are 20 microns or larger, you’ll have a wet fog. These larger droplets are better for applications such as disinfection, mold control, or targeting specific areas with an insecticide. These larger droplets mean that the fog will wet specific surfaces and coat them thoroughly with the chosen solution.

Conclusion

No matter which kind of foggers you use – dry, wet, cold, or thermal – you should experiment to see which droplet size best suits your application purposes. This can also differ based on

• the weather conditions (very windy places vs. places where the wind is a rarity),
• the treatment area (indoors or outdoors), and
• the liquid used (water- or oil-based solutions).

When you take into consideration all these factors and merge them with the knowledge of dry and wet fogs and the different types of foggers, you should find it quite easy to make the right decision as to what type of fogger is best for you.

It will largely depend on what type of disinfectant you’re planning on using. The disinfectant solution should have information on which kind of fogger it should to be used with. But in general, you can use both thermal and ULV foggers for disinfecting purposes.