Greenhouse Canada | Humidity Control Option Tips

Tech Tip: Humidity Control Options

To ensure consistent quality and production, some greenhouse operators and growers are turning from traditional humidification techniques to Fogco® Revolution®, 'an innovative system that dramatically improves humidification coverage, responsiveness and productivity while reducing water/energy use, over-wetness, maintenance and installation cost', notes Fogco Systems, Inc.

This new greenhouse technology is helping greenhouse growers win a longstanding battle against low humidity and high temperatures - conditions that trigger plant water stress. Through leaves, plants lose most of their moisture from evaporation, and they get most of the carbon needed for growth from carbon dioxide. Controlling plants pores by effectively controlling the climate can result in stronger, healthier plants.

Fog systems are a proven way of providing needed humidification along with cooling via evaporation. Among high pressure fog systems, static line systems and vertical fan systems have been common choices.

Developed using customer input, the Fogco® Revolution® aims to achieve complete humidification of greenhouse areas up to 10,000 cubic feet without fallout or wetness. The technology achieves continuous, even, 360 degree humidification coverage by broadcasting an 'invisible mist' outward in a horizontal circle along a stream of air. By integrating the air stream with the fog, its micron-sized water droplets are suspended much farther and longer than traditional systems. This provides even humidification, more complete evaporation, and virtually no fallout. Through flash evaporation, temperatures can be reduced up to 30 degrees F and humidification levels maintained near 90 percent.

Because the Fogco unit can adapt to humidity or temperature changes up to three times faster than static line systems, plants continue growing longer and healthier within tighter humidification and temperature ranges.

Fogco® Revolution® can save up to 35 percent on water/electricity costs - up to 75 percent compared to vertical fan systems. Simplified installation also reduces costs.

Fogco® Revolution® can be mounted from any overhead structure, indoors or out, and comes with an outdoor rated fan and powder coated enclosure. It is portable when mounted to a custom stand. It is designed to operate with any Fogco® pulley driven or direct drive 1,000 psi fog pump and is customizable with the appropriate Fogco® nozzles.