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Why Cold Rooms Lose Moisture
Every hour a cooler runs, its coil condenses moisture out of the air. Produce replaces it from its own water, which shows up as weight loss, wilting and shrivel. Door openings and warm product add swings on top.
Too dry: weight loss and shrivel
Fresh produce is mostly water and loses it quickly in dry air. Lost moisture is lost sellable weight, and it shows as wilting, shriveling and soft texture. Most fruit and vegetables keep best at 85 to 95% RH; leafy greens at 95 to 100%.
Swings every time the door opens
When doors open, warm, moist air rushes in and condenses on cold surfaces, then the coil dries the room again. These swings stress produce and create drips and frost near doors and coils.
Too wet: mold and decay
Free water on produce or packaging encourages mold and decay, and soggy cartons lose strength. That is why cold storage humidity has to be high without wetting anything.
Cold Store Humidification Without Wetting
For fresh produce cold storage, Smart Fog adds moisture as dry fog that evaporates in the cold air, so humidity stays high without water on produce, packaging or floors. Sensors and controllers bring humidity back to setpoint after every door opening.
High humidity without wet product
Droplets of about 4.2 microns evaporate before they land, so you can hold 90% RH and above without soaking cartons or produce.
Built for cold rooms
The ES100-H operates in rooms down to 26°F. Evaporation absorbs heat rather than adding it, so the humidifier does not add to the refrigeration load the way a steam humidifier would.
Optional treatments
The INJ-1 injection system can add measured amounts of water-soluble treatments to the fog for storage applications, as part of a food-safety program designed with your team.
How Humidification Improves Cold Storage
Holding the right humidity keeps produce close to its harvest weight and appearance for longer: less shrink, firmer texture, better color, and packaging that keeps its shape. Postharvest guidance, such as USDA Agriculture Handbook 66, lists the recommended temperature and humidity for each commodity; the right system holds those conditions through every door opening.
Benefits of a Cold Storage Humidifier
What steady, non-wetting humidity does for a cold store:
Less shrink and weight loss:
Produce keeps more of its water, and more of its sellable weight.
Fresher appearance for longer:
Less wilting and shriveling from receiving to dispatch.
Fits any cold room:
Wall-mounted, in-duct, portable and custom grid options.
Lower energy than steam:
About 0.4 kW per unit at full output against roughly 8 kW for electric steam, with no heat added to the room.
Less spoilage and waste:
Steady humidity without wet product, cartons or floors.
Cold Store Humidification Systems From Smart Fog
From a single walk-in cooler to cold storage warehouses and crop stores, systems scale by adding units.
Choose by how your cold store is built:
ES100 Direct Space Humidifier
Mounts on a wall and humidifies the room directly. The ES100-H version runs in rooms down to 26°F.
TS100 In Duct Humidifier
Installs in the supply duct to humidify every room the system serves, with no drain pans.
ES100M Portable Industrial Humidifier
A portable unit on wheels for trucks, containers, seasonal peaks and temporary storage.
MS100 Custom Grid System
A custom grid for large cold stores and packhouses, covering up to 10,000 sq ft per system.
FAQs
What humidity should a cold storage room be?
It depends on the commodity. Most fruit and vegetables keep best at 85 to 95% RH, leafy greens at 95 to 100%, and onions and garlic much drier, around 65 to 70%. Postharvest guides such as USDA Agriculture Handbook 66 list the target for each product.
Why does my cooler dry out produce?
The refrigeration coil runs colder than the room, so it condenses moisture out of the air every time it runs. Produce gives up its own water to replace it, which is where weight loss and shrivel come from.
Will humidifying a cold room cause frost or condensation?
Not when it is controlled. Dry fog evaporates in the air rather than landing on surfaces, and the controls hold humidity at setpoint instead of overshooting into saturation.
Does humidification add to my refrigeration load?
Not with an evaporative system. Evaporation absorbs heat from the air, while a steam humidifier adds heat that the refrigeration then has to remove.
Do I need a specialized humidifier for cold storage?
Yes. Ordinary humidifiers struggle near freezing and can wet produce. The ES100-H runs in rooms down to 26°F and adds moisture while keeping product and packaging dry.