Fogging machines, or foggers, are used to dispense chemicals for a range of purposes in a wide variety of applications. The two main types are Thermal foggers, which heat the chemical prior to dispensing it, and Cold foggers—also known as Ultra-Low Volume (ULV), which produce tiny droplets or mist. This article will explore these two types, their benefits, and how to use a fogging machine.
- Thermal Fogger Benefits
- Thermal Fogger Considerations
- ULV Cold Fogger Benefits
- ULV Cold Fogger Considerations
- Applications
- Best Thermal Fogger Applications
- Best ULV Cold Fogger Applications
Thermal (Hot) Foggers
Thermal foggers use heat to pre-heat the barrel of the fogging machine, vaporizing the chemical into a true fog. Thermal foggers have several advantages that best suit them for particular applications:
- Visible Fog: Heating the chemical solution creates a white fog you can see, which makes it easy to know where it’s going to ensure coverage of the areas you want treated. It also helps you to avoid previously fogged areas, reducing contact with the chemical.
- Fine Droplet Size: This fog is composed of tiny droplets that can be as small as .5 microns in diameter. Like smoke, or air, this fog can penetrate into cracks and crevices for more thorough application.
- Efficient: Thermal foggers generally use less chemical solution to treat an area, thereby allowing expensive chemicals go further and making them very efficient.
Thermal Fogger Considerations
The downside of thermal foggers is that they require some source of power to heat the chemical. There are basically two ways these foggers are powered.
Gasoline: Some use gasoline to power them, which makes them more mobile than electrically-powered machines, but they only operate for a fixed amount of time before needing more fuel. This is also an added cost to operating the machine.
Electric: The limiting factor for electric machines, obviously, is that they need a power outlet to operate. Depending on the length of the power cord and the accessibility of power, especially in outdoor situations, a thermal fogger may not be the best choice.
One other factor that should be considered is that, because they use high heat, there is some risk of fire during use.
Cold (ULV) Foggers
As you might suspect, ULV cold foggers don’t use heat to disperse chemicals and are a very safe and reliable way to treat a variety of spaces, especially indoors. This type of fogger produces a high-power, low-pressure stream of air, which is pushed through a nozzle to create super-fine mist with these benefits:
- Invisible Mist: Cold foggers don’t produce a visible fog; however, you can still see a very fine mist as it leaves the nozzle.
- Adjustable Droplet Size: ULV foggers are equipped with nozzles that can be adjusted to produce droplets of a consistent size—from about 5 to <50 microns. This makes them useful for a wider variety of applications.
- Coating Action: The cold mist produced covers surfaces with the solution, creating the damp layer usually required for full effectiveness of the chemical treatment.
ULV Cold Fogger Considerations
Because the mist created is fine and harder to see, users tend to cover the same area more than once, which uses more solution and can create pooling and dripping. This means they are less efficient than thermal foggers.
Their larger droplet size doesn’t allow cold fogger mist to penetrate into tight crevices and prevents them from hanging in the air very long, making them a poor choice for some applications.
Using a ULV cold fogger can take longer to complete a thorough treatment of some spaces, especially outdoor areas.
Applications
Both types of foggers are used in many of the same ways; however, some applications are better suited to one versus the other. In neutral situations, it may depend more on the power source or the time allowance.
They can both be effective for treating mold, insects, and odors in a variety of indoor areas such as warehouses, storage spaces, and gyms. For outdoor applications, depending on the size of the area, they can be effective for home gardens, patios, decks, and small greenhouses.
How to Use a Thermal Fogging Machine
- Outdoor Insect Control: The visible fog and finer particle size allow chemicals to be more easily dispersed in outdoor spaces. Treatment remains in the air longer, making these foggers very effective for mosquito and pest control in agricultural settings, barns, outdoor community arenas, and more.
- Odor & Smoke Remediation: Because the super-fine fog penetrates into cracks and crevices, chemical remediation solutions can go anywhere smoke and odors can go, increasing their effectiveness. Most effective in pushing through barriers where the source of the problem is found, in order to eliminate it.
How to Use a ULV Cold Fogging Machine
- Disinfecting: Cold foggers are better suited for applying disinfectant in schools, clinical settings, gyms, and other indoor areas. Most disinfectants must be applied wet and allowed to dry for full maximum benefit.
- Molds: For serious mold intrusion, ULV foggers can be left operating to battle indoor mold, thoroughly saturating the air in an enclosed environment to eliminate mold and spores. This can include plants and greenhouses.
- Indoor Pest Control: Cold foggers are the best choice for indoor pest control because they are the safer option for indoor use. They can be used effectively outside homes to apply treatment around foundations, on decks and patios, and around windows and doors for mosquito and spider control.
In Summary
Both thermal foggers and ULV cold fogging machines can be effectively used to treat a wide variety of spaces with chemicals. Whether a super-fine visible fog is called for, or a fine, cold mist would be more effective, these machines provide a way to disinfect indoor areas, control pests both inside and outside, and effectively fight mold, odor, and smoke problems.
Electrostatic sprayers, or foggers, are another type that add a small charge to the particles prior to dispensing them. You can see our article for more information on these sprayers.
