Portable Cooling Guide: How to Choose Between a Portable Air Conditioner and a Swamp Cooler

When it is impractical, too expensive or too hard to install a standard, permanent air conditioning system, it may be necessary to consider a portable cooling solution. The two portable cooling solutions that people are choosing from are portable air conditioners and swamp coolers. Both of these products are designed to cool homes but they use different technologies to perform this function.

These cooling solutions are often interchanged even though they are very different. For one thing, a portable air conditioner removes humidity from the air. A swamp cooler actually adds humidity to the air. When using a portable air conditioner, it is best to be in a closed environment. These units recirculate the same air over and over again and have superior cooling capacities. Swamp coolers need a constant supply of air, and can only provide an incremental cooling effect. Whether you choose a swamp cooler or portable air conditioner will depend on a few key factors: the area in which you live, your cooling needs, and energy costs.

It is ideal to use a portable air conditioner when you can't use a window or wall air conditioner or when you need to supplement existing central air conditioners. Some apartment complexes do not allow window units or a home may have a window that isn't appropriate for permanently installed window air conditioning units. Portable air conditioners are great in those situations as well. These units do not need to be permanently installed. Most portable air conditioners have casters so that they can be moved to whatever room in your home is in the most need of cooling. An exhaust hose does run from the unit to the outside, so you will need a window nearby.

Swamp coolers (or evaporative coolers) are simple devices that use the evaporation of water in the air. This method of cooling has been used throughout history to beat the heat. A box-like frame containing a fan that is walled in by moistened pads is what comprises a swamp cooler. The hot air from your room is taken in, sent through the moist pads, and cooled up to twenty degrees. This is a lot like when you splash your face with water on a hot day. Once the heat from the air evaporates the water on your skin, a sensation of coolness is created.

Portable air conditioners are great because they can be moved from room to room. They are also excellent supplements to central air conditioning and help dehumidify the air. They do need to be vented to work properly. Swamp coolers are compact and portable and use a lot less energy than an air conditioner. They are cost effective in terms of purchasing, installing, and maintaining. They also add moisture to the air and prevent furniture and fabrics from becoming too dry. They are only to be used in dry, hot climates. If there is high humidity, the unit will not perform properly and perhaps make you more uncomfortable because of the added humidity. You must also keep adding water to these units for it to create a cooling effect.

Portable air conditioners and swamp coolers are effective alternatives to central air conditioning, but you must be sure to choose the correct solution for your application.

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