Editorial standards
These standards apply to every page on MistGuide, including guides, calculators and the glossary. They exist so you can judge how far to trust what you read here, and hold us to it.
Our principles
- Accuracy over reach. A correct, qualified answer beats a confident, wrong one. When the honest answer is "it depends," we say what it depends on.
- Show the working. Where a recommendation rests on a number, we show the number, where it came from, and how to check it yourself.
- Independence. No manufacturer, retailer or installer pays for coverage, reviews or rankings, or sees content before publication.
- Usefulness. Every page must help someone make a decision, do a job, or fix a problem. We do not publish pages that only restate what is already easy to find.
- Safety first. We flag electrical, pressure, water-hygiene and code issues wherever they apply, even when it makes a project sound harder.
Sourcing
We rank sources in this order and cite them on the page under "Sources and further reading":
- Physics and engineering references: psychrometrics, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics from standard texts and published formulas (for example the Stull wet-bulb formula and the Tetens vapor pressure equation).
- Public agencies and standards: the CDC on Legionella, the National Weather Service on heat index, the USGS and EPA on water quality, and model plumbing and electrical codes.
- University extension and research publications, especially for greenhouse misting, propagation and humidity.
- Manufacturer specifications: data sheets, flow charts and manuals for nozzles, pumps and tubing, compared across several manufacturers so no single catalog sets a number.
We do not cite anonymous forum posts as evidence. We do not invent statistics, studies, quotes or test results, and we do not describe hands-on testing we have not done.
How we handle numbers
Figures that appear across many pages (nozzle flow rates, pressure ranges, filtration ratings, evaporation energy) come from one shared engineering reference so the site stays consistent. When a figure is a planning assumption rather than a measured fact, such as the share of the wet-bulb depression an open-air system achieves, the page labels it as an assumption. When published sources disagree, we give the range and explain how to measure your own equipment. Details are in our research methodology.
Review before publication
Each guide is checked before it goes live for:
- technical accuracy against the shared reference and cited sources, including a recheck of every calculation and worked example;
- consistency with related pages, so a nozzle flow or pressure range never contradicts itself across the site;
- safety and code guidance, including when a licensed professional is required;
- clarity for a non-specialist reader, with specialist terms defined in the text or the glossary.
Updates and dates
Every guide shows the date it was last updated. We change that date only when the content changes in a meaningful way (new information, revised figures, corrected errors), not for cosmetic edits. Guides are reviewed at least once a year, and sooner when products, codes or public-health guidance change.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it promptly and, for substantive errors, note the correction on our corrections page with the date and what changed. Readers can report errors through the contact page.
Products and brands
Our guides explain categories and specifications, not specific products. We may mention a component type that is closely associated with one maker, but we do not rank brands or tell you which one to buy. If we ever publish product-specific content, it will follow the same rules on independence and disclose any relationship at the top of the page.
Limits of our advice
Our content is general information. Always follow your equipment manufacturer's instructions and local plumbing, electrical and building codes, and hire a licensed professional where the law requires one. See our terms of use.