A Makati-based businessman and inventor, who introduced the prefabrication technology in the housing sector more than two decades ago, unveils his latest innovation—a cooling solution for open areas.
Edgardo Vazquez calls his latest innovation Misty Kool—a patented misting system with a timer that lowers outdoor temperature by 3 to 5-degree Celsius. He offers the technology in two forms—a line machine and electric fan-type unit that can produce Baguio-like breeze instantly.
He says Misty Kool is a misting system that sprays ultra-fine microns of water that can cool off any area. It conserves energy while offering an air-cooling effect and repels flying insects, dust, smoke and pollen, he says.
Vazquez says Misty Kool is different from other products because the mist machine has an oil monitor and programmable timer.
“This is ideal for a tropical country like the Philippines. We are near the equator. The only way to reduce the heat [outdoors] is to put vapors in the air,” says Vazquez, a 65-year-old innovator who developed the VazBuilt modular housing technology in the early 1990s.
“It is ideal in the Philippines and other countries in the line of or near the equator. I have inquiries from as far as East Timor,” he says in an interview.
“The heart of it is water. It has to be clean water. The water goes through a high-pressure misting pump. If you compress water, then you extrude it through a high-pressure pipe and comes out with a very fine nozzle, it becomes fog. The water vapors now start to float in the air,” he says.
“Now because it is floating, you can make it ride the wind. Where the wind goes, left or right, it will follow. Immediately, the moment it runs, you will feel the temperature drop 5 degrees,” he says.
Vazquez narrates that he was sitting at the patio of his Makati home during a hot afternoon in 2014 when the idea of Misty Kool clicked in his mind. He noticed that the plants were drying up because of the heat of the sun, and a lot of water was needed to keep them fresh.
“I wanted to conserve water, so I thought about using pressurized cleaner, like the spray gun which is used to clean the car. When I sprayed water using the spray gun, the water vapors floated in the air,” he says.
Vazquez then studied the braking system of cars to create a high-pressure pump. He looked for brass, copper tubes and fine nozzles, but the first device he developed created noise and vibration. In his experiments, he discovered that he needed finer nozzles and a timer to make it work better. Those devices are not available in the Philippines.
With the advice of two friends, he went to China in search for the components, which he found in Guangzhou. He began developing the prototype high-pressure pump and added switches, monitors, timer, automatic shut-off mechanism, hose and water tank. Now, Misty Kool is the only outdoor cooling solution with a timer, which is crucial in order to conserve water, reduce wetness on the floor and ensure the smooth operation of the misting system.
“It is very important that the machine is not running all the time, especially when there is no water. If there is no water, the friction will destroy the pistons inside the pump,” he says.
Vazquez came up with a prototype of Misty Kool early this year and has completed a commercial product just recently. A religious group has already placed an order for 100 Misty Cool high-pressure electric fans which are being sold for P35,000 plus VAT or P39,200 apiece. Vazquez says the price is just a tenth of the cost of other products with foreign brands.
It is the leader of the religious group who encouraged Vazquez to pursue the invention and committed to buy as many as 3,000 units if the invention proves successful.
The invention consists of a high-pressure misting fan, 41-liter water tank, heavy-duty wheels with locking mechanism, programmable timer, automatic switch-off feature, oil indicator and automatic water pump. A unit can cover an spray area of 85 square meters.
Vazquez says misting works by forcing water through a brass and stainless steel mist nozzle, producing a micro-fine mist.
Vazquez says the mist is so fine—about half the diameter of a strand of hair—that it quickly evaporates to create the cooling effect. He says the misting system can cool off different open areas, porches, backyards, gardens and patios.
He says it can also be used in restaurants, hotels and resorts with open areas, sports venues, churches with open doors, gardens, playgrounds, event venues, concert grounds, zoos, veterinary clinics, wildlife parks, poultry farms, greenhouses, construction sites, manufacturing facilities and public places. He showcased his line machine at a station of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 last year and deployed five units of Misty Kool electric fan-type units during the recent boxing bout of Manny Pacquiao to cool off a gymnasium in Malasiqui, Pangasinan.
Vazquez says for every pound of water that evaporates in the air, 1,100 Btu (British thermal unit) of heat is used out of the air. When heat is removed from the air, it becomes cooler. The Misty Kool machine can cool the air down to a comfortable 25 degrees Celsius, he says.
Vazquez, who studied Commerce at San Beda College at the time President Rodrigo Duterte was taking his Law degree, says he learned his common sense from the streets of Manila and his
technical know-how from his father, who was an engineer and architect.
His father taught him how to fix the family car and work on the fuse box, when the lights were out. “My father told me that the day would come when he won’t be there, and I had to do what he was doing. Then somebody could not fool me, because I knew what needed to be done. All of these, combined together is one big common sense. Life itself is one big common sense,” he says.
Now, he passes on his skills to his son, Edgardo Vazquez Jr., who is a chef and restaurateur.
The father-and-son tandem is now promoting Misty Kool to provide comfort to millions of Filipinos seeking respite from the heat of the sun, especially during the dry months.
Vazquez says he has already obtained a patent for Misty Kool. He also owns patent for more than 200 innovations, mostly in the construction industry. “In everything that I do, in every step, I have it patented,” he says.
Vazquez, a supporter of Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative, says he also wants to teach his skills to other people. “I cannot do it by myself. The only way you can see a product fly is when people look for it, and people use it. If the inventor just keeps it to himself, it is useless. But when you see everybody using it, it is not about money, but about contentment that you help mankind. The moment you start teaching people, that’s when you succeed,” he says.