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Landscape - An Evolution of Lifestyle

January 22, 2009

Over the last twenty years the landscaping of our homes has changed and evolved into a multifaceted industry. The choices one has to enhance the outdoor areas are numerous and include: playground systems, swimming pools with elaborate water features, outdoor kitchens, patios, decks, ponds, intimate fire places, aesthetic lighting not to mention the choices of perennials, annuals and specialty plants spotted in and around these backyard wonderlands.

People seem to want to extend there homes to include the outdoors and offer their families more choices to keep them occupied and at home. With the threat of terrorism which has occurred over the last six years and the rising cost to travel, many families are creating their own backyard oasis, which complements their array of choices inside the home like video games, media rooms, spa like bathrooms and very up to date kitchens.

With all of the choices they have at their disposal, one would not have to venture out as all of the things any family would want can be created on site.

With the new landscaped areas bringing the families out into their backyard getaways comes a new way to help make those investments more usable year around.

Enter the high pressure mist cooling system. Mist cooling is the newest way to cool outdoor areas efficiently and economically -  making the backyard oasis usable just about year round. Mist cooling was once relegated to theme parks and dry climate areas, but not any more. With the development of new technologies, the mist cooling systems can even cool outdoor areas in humid climates like the Gulf Coast. These are successfully being cooled by as much as 20 degrees without getting people wet.

Twenty years ago, who would have thought you could not only have these wonderful outdoor extensions of your home but be able to lower the temperature outside from 95 degrees to 75.  Who knows what the future will bring to the backyard next. But for my money… cooler temperatures in August… that’s what I call a Landscape Evolution of Lifestyle

Landscape Misting - Adding Mist Cooling to Your Backyard

January 27, 2009

With the introduction of high pressure misting systems , the free thinking innovative landscaper can use this new technology not only to cool the great outdoors, but also as a tool to create wonderful aesthetically pleasing areas in and around the landscape.

The following areas have great potential in creating the look where talking about.

1. Misting placed high in trees for a fogging effect emanating from the tree. To accomplish this look, a tree of medium height say around 35 feet can have 5 to 10 mist nozzles placed into its canopy creating a magical fog. With addition of low voltage lighting and a timer the effect could be very dramatic and quite the crowd pleaser at parties and other functions.
2. Low mounted mist nozzles on lit pathways winding through the landscape or down a landscaped corridor into a courtyard is a stunning look that is sure to please any homeowner. These should be spaced out about every 10 feet for dramatic effect.
3. Addition of mist or fog around any water feature or fountain is always a winner and it only takes a few strategically placed nozzles to get great results. If you are having a swimming pool installed insist that the pool contractor install mist fog at the water level and on waterfalls. The effect is so great everyone will be talking about it and I am quite sure your neighbors don’t have it, but they will.
4. Misting is also beneficial to plants like Ferns, Hostas and most Tropical Plants. Adding mist in and around any plant material will enhance the look of the landscape.
5. Play ground equipment, trampolines and other play structures can have mist
   cooling adapted to them as well making these areas more fun and more comfortable during the hot summer months.

So as you can see there are many applications for this new and exciting thing we call mist. Put on your designing scarf, think outside of the box and see what mist can do for you.

GLOBAL WARMING?

January 30, 2009

Some think we have the power to actually change the climate of the earth just by what we do. Others will try to warn of great climatic doom and gloom coming soon. These confused folks give us much more credit for the power to control the global climate than we actually have.

Well I don’t know about Global Warming but I do know about mist cooling and the power we have over our immediate environment and how we can and need to cool the areas we work and play in.

It used to be you could control the environment meaning the temperature and humidity in our homes and cars. We could also manipulate a greenhouse to control the temperature, humidity and sunlight. Well now it is possible to control the outside temperatures in the areas we work and play.

You have seen the college football and professional football teams sidelines which now seem to all have mist cooling fans used during early hot games to bring the players temperatures back to a level below heat exhaustion. That same technology is being used in backyards, animal enclosures, playgrounds, restaurants, and manufacturing plants to do the same thing, manipulate the temperatures in hot summer months. Cooler temperatures means more productivity in manufacturing, more profits at outdoor eateries, happier more productive animals and lots more fun in the backyard.

Mist cooling will probably be one of the most influential additions to the landscape and outdoors that we have seen since the introduction of the swimming pool. Imagine living in an area which hits summer temperatures in August of 95 degrees plus, and lowering that to around 75degrees. Now that’s what I call climate manipulation.

While the so called experts are worrying about Global Warming and a 1 degree increase in temperature I will be lowering mine by 20.

Are Your Heads In The Right Place?

February 2, 2009

Several years ago when I first noticed the now familiar mosquito control system I was installing a backyard landscape when I spied an unusual looking nozzle thingy perched up on the eve of the neighbor’s home. Like any curious landscape irrigator, I followed the small ¼” tubing down the roofline of the house around to the side, down to the ground and over to a funny looking tank the size of a trash can with a pump on top.

When I questioned the home owner I was working for at the time about it he said “That is one of those new mosquito control systems”. I then remember reading about one of these systems and I thought I need to learn more about these systems and get one for myself. After about a year of research  trial and error on my own I had my system in my back yard and just like the first one I saw I too was spraying mosquitoes about ten feet up off of the ground sending overspray anywhere the wind would take it. Since I had no formal training, how was I supposed to know that the real control was down in the foliage and in the low areas behind the storage buildings and amongst the trees in the back yard. I was guilty of faulty head placement.

In an era of Global Warming and Ecological Awareness we all need to be aware of what we do and how it effects the environment and others. As I learned working with the leaders in mosquito control and mist cooling “Cloudburst Inc”. And as I became one of their first authorized dealers in the country I came to understand the importance of head placement and just where the mosquitoes are so the systems that I now install are targeted where the mosquitoes actually hang out.

While there are times when heads need to be placed up high for unique applications I hope that others will take the lessons to heart that this mosquito wrangler has learned and get their heads in the right place.

COOL WIND BLOWIN

February 12, 2009

There is a cool wind blowing across the northern suburbs of the Houston area and more than likely will blow a cool breeze in your neighborhood soon. Hydro Breeze LLC., a new company located in Spring TX. Is offering something new to the landscapes of The Woodlands, TX. Spring TX. And all across Harris and Montgomery Co.

With addition of high pressure mist cooling Hydro Breeze is bringing comfort to the backyard areas of homeowners wanting to get full use of the investment of there backyard pools, patios and outdoor kitchens.

High pressure mist cooling or flash cooling takes water and breaks it into tiny droplets about 10 microns which is smaller than the diameter of a human hair. These small particles of water evaporate quickly releasing energy that cools the air.

Owner David Wolff a landscape Irrigator with 20 years experience in the landscape industry believes that mist cooling will become as prevalent as irrigation systems in the next ten years.

Wolff says it not only does a great job cooling the air temps quite often about 20 degrees lower it also is just fun. Mist or fog looks very inviting and adds a certain ambiance to the landscape.

When added to trees, walkways, waterfalls and other features the effect in mesmerizing. It is a soothing as the sound of water appealing to the senses of sight and feel.

When asked about the effectiveness in humid areas Wolff is quick to explain how the use of new technology primarily the nozzles used and the addition of properly placed fans have enabled the mist professionals to cool you without getting you wet. While the temperature drop is more dramatic in dryer less humid climates the benefits in humid areas will be about a 20 degree drop in temperatures.

Hydro Breeze is currently working with several restaurants that have outdoor eating areas and the public will notice more mist cooling in high profile areas like The Woodlands Mall, The Market at the Woodlands and surrounding areas.

Hydro Breeze is an authorized dealer for Cloudburst the industry leaders in mist cooling and Mosquito Coast mosquito control systems and has gone through a complete comprehensive training program to ensure a high quality installation.

Tis the Season for Home Improvement Shows

February 25, 2008

 Now that the holiday season is behind us and Easter is near many of us are turning our attention to projects around the house. Some will focus on the inside improvements but many of us are drawn to the great outdoors with projects from landscape improvements to pools, decks, patios, clean-ups and painting.

This is also the time of the year home improvement shows, auto shows and boat RV shows swing into high gear.

This will be Hydro Breeze’s first foray into the fast paced world of displays and demonstrations at the home shows. Hydro Breeze will be showing home owners the wonderful world of mist and the many opportunities mist and fogging has in the landscape and backyard oasis.

Hydro Breeze along with its demonstration of mist will be giving away at both the Annual Spring Home and Garden Show in The Woodlands, March 8 & 9, 2008 and 1st Annual Cy-Fair Home and Garden Show, March 1 & 2, 2008, a patio mist system including installation a $1,500.00 value.

 Owner David Wolff will be on hand to demonstrate mist and the components used along with the various applications that mist is used for.

Hydro Breeze will also be introducing their rental program to the public which will offer mist cooling for all events outdoors such as weddings, birthday parties, sporting events and reunions.

A trip to the home shows is always a good way for a family to spend some quality time together. These days finding something for the whole family is not as easy as it used to be but hopefully the many exhibitors will put together a show with all of the new things available for today’s homeowner.

Make sure you make the time to come out and see what mist and Hydro Breeze can do to make your summer a cool time of family memories.

Mist Cooling and Mosquito Control - Two Birds with One Stone

February 18, 2009

 Well in this case solve two problems with one company. The two biggest things to overcome when it comes to enjoying the outdoors in South Texas, is heat and mosquitoes. Enter Hydro Breeze the only company from Galveston to The Woodands and all of Houston in between maybe in all of Texas that has solutions for both. Imagine sitting out in your new back yard oasis complete with pool, outdoor kitchen, covered patio and lush gardens and actually enjoying this huge investment.No other company can give you solutions like Hydro Breeze. No other company has the experience in mosquito control coupled with mist cooling to achieve results like Hydro Breeze, and no other company has the landscape and horticultural background to combine all of the elements from design to installation to execution of all of the components from outdoor lighting to plant selection that Hydro Breeze brings to the table.

If you want the latest in tank less, automatic mosquito control that utilizes totally organic solutions for fighting flying insects Hydro Breeze is your answer. If you want the latest technology in “dusk to dawn” mosquito control Hydro Breeze, if you want an inexpensive solution to mosquito control without the bells and whistles well its Hydro Breeze again.

Couple the choices of mosquito control with our solutions to reduce the heat and you have almost achieved Shangri-La. With our custom designed misting systems we can cool any outdoor area by as much as 20 degrees in the summer. Through the use of high pressure mist known as flash or evaporative cooling and convective cooling, which is fans or air movement we have achieved amazing results leaving our customers cool and dry at the same time.

Well there you have it the solutions for the two biggest problems the outdoors can hit you with in the summer and the only company that can solve both problems. Hydro Breeze, “making outdoor life livable”.

No Cooling For Old Men 

Recently I had the privilege of experiencing a home show. You no where all kinds of companies bring their products and services to an arena and demonstrate there wares to the public. This was Hydro Breeze’s coming out so to speak. We were there to show people and demonstrate the wonderful world of mist.Well quite an experience it was with close to 8,000 people per show for two weekends in a row one at the Berry Center which was the Cypress Home Show and the second weekend at the Woodlands Home Show. I had the privilege of meeting all kinds of folks and explaining the virtues of mist cooling.

Let me tell you what a great place for people watching a home show can be. You get all kinds. Big ones, little ones, nice ones, mean ones, believers and skeptics. You see I had my booth set up to demonstrate actual mist cooling so when people would come by I would hit the remote control sending a dry mist across the isle and then see what the reaction was. Well it wasn’t always as I would have hoped. Some would cringe at the sight of the mist as if they were going to be catching a disease, children would run to it and beg for more, women would put their hands over their hair and protect their peculiar doos and it almost became a game to see what the reaction would be.

The one constant in the whole mist show experience was the old men. These guys would come down the isle trying to avoid any eye contact and determined not to talk to any of the exhibitors. When they saw the mist they would immediately scowl and say “that will never work Houston, Texas, too much humidity”. That was it, they were not going to listen to the fact that the new technology reduces the size of a water droplet to around 10 microns; they would not have anything to do with fact that evaporative cooling coupled with convective cooling or fans could get you cool without getting you wet. August in Houston, Texas was hot and by god that was the way it had always been and that was the way it was going to stay.

Well I tried every technique I new and nothing would bring them over to the cool side and by the end of the last day of the last show I finally had to accept the fact. No Cooling For Old Men.

February 18, 2009

COMMERCIAL A/C PRE COOLING

Hydro Breeze is pleased to announce it's entrance into the commercial air conditioning pre cooling market. A/C pre cooling has been around for a while and has been experimented with for many years by A/C technicians and many other people to try to make the traditional A/C compressor unit to be more effecient by lowering the air temperature that is cooling the compressor.

It has been studied by major universities and others where it has been proven to have validity. The main problem has been the hard water build up or minerals on the aluminum which reacts with the soft metal and deteriorates it over time. Some of the companies that used high pressure got the evaporative idea down pat but relied on expensive reverse osmosis systems to get the water free of mineral deposits makeing the overall systems very expensive but were still usefull and had good paybacks on very large industrial uses.

Cloudburst misting systems in conjunction with Cool N Save have finally overcome the water filtration problem in 2008 with the introduction of a new in expensive filtration system that overcomes the hard water build up through the use of polyacralate.

It is now possible for commercial applications as well as large residential projects to reduce their electrical cost on their A/C units by as much as 30%. With our dual zoned pump system and our filtration system cost effective pre cooling is now availablefor any A/C applications.

In a world that is "going green", that requires you to reduce your"carbon footprint", and that has every concievable cost going out of reach, you now have the power to actually do something about it.

This ain't checking your tire preassure savings, this is real proactive solution to reduce cost, emissions, and all of that stuff to make you a " tree hugging environmentalist" while you save big bucks. All this without giving up your preciouc A/C or turning down your thermostat.