Product of the Month
Mist Cooling - Kits
(ASNSW Meeting - October 2013)
(Printable Version - PDF file - Free Adobe Reader download)
Presented by Paul Henry
Paul brought along a mist cooling kit that he had purchased to try in his aviaries explaining that it was one of the cheaper kits available. He passed it around the members present so that they could see what comes in the kit, emphasising that it is just one example of the various models that are available.
This is not a paid advertisement but just one example of the type of equipment that the editor (Paul Henry) has found suitable in his own experiences for mist cooling.
Nearly all bird keepers keep their birds in metal roofed cages and over the last year we had those days when the temperatures reached 45o to 50o Celsius and a lot of people lost lots of birds. This prompted them to think about what to do to cool the cages down.
Last week we had that day when the temperature was 38o or so and I was at a breeder's place that morning. By about lunch time all his birds were really panting and hot and he turned on these misters and they were very good.
You have got a watering tube with various nozzles along the tube and they put out an extremely fine mist. The ideal situation in a metal roofed aviary is where you would have them up about 3 metres in height if you can and then the mist would evaporate by the time it got to the ground. If a mister is installed at a height greater than 2.5 metres little moisture is detected on the ground surface however at lower heights there is some moisture on gound surfaces.
Misting works on the principle that the higher the humidity then the cooler the air becomes as it is absorbed. In Sydney you have humidity in summer that may vary between 70% and 90% so there is a limited amount of mist that you can put into the air. If you are out at Penrith or further west than that the air is going to be a lot dryer and you would get a large temperature drop. You could possibly get up to 15o for example. If you are in country towns like Wagga Wagga or Dubbo some people have coolers on their rooftops which use the same principle.
The poultry industry has used misters for years and years and they have had no problems that I am aware of with them at all. Some folk might say "oh yes, but it will get the floor wet and I will get all these diseases"; but when you get these days that are around 35o to 40o, if you set these misters up correctly there is very little moisture that gets on the ground. What I have found from my limited experience with the finches and birds that I keep that are already on the ground because it is so hot, they'll move around and they'll start showering in the fine mist.
I have seen a few different types of cooling misters. One type is the type that I have just circulated for you to see which is a basic kit. It cost me $30AU and for that you get 5 misting nozzles with a 3m hose. I connected mine up so that it is two hoses connected together and for my set up that is fine. If you have got a bigger setup, which a lot of the breeders have, where you have got 10 or 12 of these lined up there is a firm called Hoselink that has a 15m hose with 8 nozzles. It is easy to assemble; you can just use electrical wire clips or little staple type clips that will fix it onto wood. There is also a more expensive kit that has a misting timer that sprays at shorter bursts and brings about a drop in temperature.
I think that with summer just around the corner it is something for everyone to think about - how to manage high temperatures in your aviaries and cages.
There is one breeder that I know who would have probably lost almost 50% of his birds in the unusually high temperatures that we experienced earlier this year. He had a metal shed. He came home from work and they were nearly all dead. When you start getting one or two days of high temperatures in a row the birds will die.
To give you an example, in 1960 we had a heatwave in Sydney where we had three days in a row where the temperature was over 44o. It is a bit late then to start thinking about getting someone to spray the birds for you while you are at work because by the time you get home they will be all gone.
It is definitely something to think about with the very high summer temperatures predicted for the coming months.
HOSELINK
15m Misting Kit
- Custom kit for a super-fine cooling mist
Entertain outside in comfort on hot days or set up in your greenhouse to provide a cooling mist. Installing this custom it is easy.
Set up example
Kit (shown right) includes 15m hose, 8 misting nozzles, accessory connector, hanging clips and 8 snap clips.
Misting Timer
- Short misting cycle for automated cooling.
Stay cool without getting drenched! Use with the 15m Misting Kit to create a cooling system that sprays at shorter intervals and duration than a regular timer.
Requires gv battery, not included.
Hoselink order online www.hoselink.com.au or call 1300 554 688.
As previously stated in this article, this is not a paid advertisement but just one example of the type of equipment that the editor (Paul Henry) has found suitable in his own experiences in relation to mist cooling. Readers should rely upon their own inquiries in making any decisions relating to their own interests.