Best Outdoor Patio Misting Fan 2020 Detailed Review.
Best Outdoor Patio Misting Fan: Nothing says “summer” quite like a barbecue on your backyard patio. You can relax with friends, enjoy some delicious meat. Exactly what kind of meat qualifies as barbecue will depend on where you live. And we’re not even going to begin to wade into that kind of controversy
Overview
A misting fan is exactly what it sounds like: a fan that blows a water mist throughout the area. It works on the principle of evaporative cooling; as the water evaporates, it lowers the temperature.
This is the same principle that makes a swamp cooler work. It’s worth pointing out that evaporative cooling only works if the air is dry enough to absorb the water.
NewAir AF-520B
The NewAir AF-520B is a robust oscillating fan that’s fairly large. It’s advertised as an 18-inch fan, but the actual diameter is 17 inches. Regardless of this small discrepancy, it still pushes a lot of air.
It’s capable of moving 2,400 cubic feet per minute (CFM), which is sufficient to cool 500 square feet. Even if you’ve got a fairly large patio, you’re going to get plenty of cooling power.
The fan housing itself is constructed from matte black ABS plastic that’s easy to keep clean. The three fan blades have a wide, propeller-like design that speaks to their power. And on the front vent, you’ll see three nozzles that release the water mist.
Water Supply and Other Features
The NewAir AF-520B gets it water supply directly from a standard ¾-inch water hose. A small tube extends down from the fan housing, with an adapter that threads right onto your hose end. That said, there’s one common complaint about the AF-520B; the mist is too strong.
Instead of evaporating, it can end up soaking your patio. There are a couple of effective solutions to this problem. First off, you can only turn your hose on partway. This will limit the amount of water coming through the nozzles. Alternatively, you can switch out the mister nozzles for ones with a smaller aperture.
The Orbit 10106H Misting Nozzle is a popular, compatible choice. Whenever you’re mixing water with electronics, safety is a concern. Thankfully, the AF-AF-520B is exceptionally safe to use. It has a leakage protection device inside the fan housing itself. If the device gets wet, it will automatically shut the fans off.
Geek Aire Battery Operated Outdoor Misting Fan
The Geek Aire Battery Operated Outdoor Misting Fan is a bit more lightweight than the NewAir fan. Instead of a tall, oscillating design, you’re looking at a smaller 7.1-pound floor unit.
At 16 inches in diameter, it can still move a lot of air, or 1,500 CFM at the highest setting. That said, the small size makes it easy to transport. Throw it in your trunk, and take it to your friend’s barbecue or pool party without any issues.
Water Supply and Other Features
Like the NewAir fan, the Geek Aire Battery Operated Outdoor Misting Fan gets its water from your hose. It has a long water inlet tube that screws onto your hose’s existing threads.
The adapter also sports a valve, so you can open or close the water supply at will. The tube is also removable from the fan itself. A blue tension ring holds it in place, and can easily be released for cleaning.
This is a great feature if you accidentally left the tube with water in it. You can run some cleaner through to eliminate any mold or mildew. Just make sure to rinse it thoroughly after washing, so you don’t blow cleaner all over your patio.
Perhaps the Geek Aire fan’s best feature is that it’s battery-operated. The battery carries an impressive charge of 15,000mAh, which provides up to 24 hours of power.
That said, at the maximum setting, you’re looking at 3 hours of performance. In addition, Geek Aire sells extra battery packs so you can extend your fan’s life. The battery pack even sports a USB plug, so it can double as a power bank!
Ventamatic CDMP 1420BLU 14″ Premium Misting Fan
The Ventamatic CDMP 1420BLU 14” Premium Misting Fan is a bit different from our last two choices. Instead of getting its water supply from your hose, it has its own supply tank. This offers a few benefits, which we’ll talk about in a second.
But one of the best features is that the tank doubles as a storage case for the fan itself. The fan mounts on the top of the lid, which snaps onto the tank with a quick-connect system. For storage, simply disconnect it and turn it upside down. Then, just snap down the lid and you’re ready to throw the fan in your trunk.
Water Supply and Other Features
The Ventamatic fan’s tank has a capacity of 20 gallons. This provides for 6 to 8 hours of misting time, depending on the fan speed. The pumps themselves are rated at 80 PSI, which provides more than enough power for misting.
Here’s the great thing about a fan with a tank: you aren’t limited to room-temperature water. You can actually fill the tank with ice water for an even cooler mist. That said, if the ice doesn’t melt fast enough, you’ll have to refill the tank sooner than you otherwise would.
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Final Verdict
Now that we’ve looked at the fans, let’s sum up what we’ve learned. To begin with, we looked at the NewAir AF-520B. This is a big, beefy unit that’s ideal for cooling the largest patios.
The oscillating design makes it easy to disperse the mist where you need it. That said, if you want a lighter mist, you’re going to want to replace the nozzles.
The Geek Aire Battery Operated Outdoor Misting Fan is almost as robust as the AF-520B, but much more compact. It’s capable of pushing 1,500 CFM, which is impressive given the size.
Not only that, but the battery-operated design is very convenient. And the ability to use your battery as a power bank is a nice bonus feature.
The Ventamatic CDMP 1420BLU 14″ Premium Misting Fan isn’t quite as powerful as the last two fans. That said, it’s the most portable, with a tank that doubles as a carrying case.
It’s also the most rugged. Not only that, but you can mist with ice water, which somewhat makes up for the weaker fan.
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