How to Find the Best Swamp Cooler for Your Needs
Have you ever felt the chill of wind hitting your skin
after swimming on a hot summer day? If so, you've experience
d the
natural power of evaporative cooling. Swamp coolers - also known
as evaporative coolers - use this same technology to offer efficient
cooling.
Although they work best in areas in areas with low
relative humidity, swamp coolers are a great way to stay cool and
comfortable without wasting a lot of electricity. Read this short
guide on how to choose the
best swamp cooler
for your needs.
What's the difference between a swamp cooler and an
air conditioner?
An air conditioner uses a compressor, dehumidifies the air
and is much more efficient in cooling than a swamp cooler. Air
conditioning units can lower the temperature based on a thermostat,
turning off and on automatically, rather than manually, or by remote
control. Air conditioners displace hot air to the outside and cool the
inside air with refrigerant that is contained in the system. However,
air conditioners need to be vented in order to remove hot air. If
you live in a humid area, an air conditioner would best for you because
it doubles as a dehumidifier and won't add unneeded moisture.
On the other hand, if you're in a dry, arid climate with
relative humidity below 50%, a swamp
cooler may be a better choice for your cooling needs. Not only are swamp
coolers more effective at cooling, but they'll humidify the air as
well.
Will a swamp work where I live?
This chart illustrates some examples of temperatures relating to
we bulb (accounts for moisture in the air) and dry bulb (the temperature
you see on your thermostat). If you live near a city where the wet
bulb range is well below the dry bulb range, you're in an area where a
swamp cooler will work great for you.
How do swamp coolers work?
Swamp coolers employ the same natural cooling process described in
the scenario above. They basically blow air over water soaked
cooling pads to reduce temperatures by as much as 15 degrees F.
The construction is very simple: a box-like frame contains a fan
that's walled in by
water-soaked pads, usually made of cedar shavings or cellulose. The
fan sends hot air through the dripping pads (continually soaked by a
water pump), to cool the air as the air evaporates water molecules
from the pads. The fan blows the water-cooled air throughout the house
and back out through a vent (usually an open door or window) needed to
create a balance of air pressure in the building.
What types of swamp coolers are available? Swamp coolers vary in size from very large, roof-mounted units, to
smaller, portable units. The best swamp cooler for your needs will depend on
the amount of space you'd like to cool and the relative humidity in
your area.
Portable swamp coolers are the most versatile systems for a home or
small office and can be moved from one room to another for cooling
smaller areas. This is much more cost effective when there are specific
areas or rooms where people tend to congregate regularly. Portable swamp
coolers can range in size from approximately 20 to 42 inches high. Don't
be fooled by the size of the portable swamp cooler, though. Some of
the smaller units can cool up to 600 square feet of area, while larger
units may only cool smaller areas!
For very large spaces such as office building, a
roof-mounted swamp cooler is probably the best choice as it mimics
central air conditioning. Using the same type of duct work as a central
air conditioner, a swamp cooler can be used to cool a number of rooms in
only one building.
What size swamp cooler do I need?
The first step in choosing a
swamp cooler is to find a correctly
sized unit. Like air conditioners, the best swamp cooler for your needs
will need to be the right size in order to adequately cool your room or
space. A swamp cooler's power is rated by CFMs, or the cubic feet per
minute of air a unit can blow into your home. To determine how
many CFMs your area will require, take the cubic feet of your room
multiple your ceiling height by square footage) and divide that number
by 2. For example, if you're trying to cool a 250 square foot room
with 9 foot high ceilings, you'll need a swamp cooler with about 1125 CFM.
A good choice would be the
Symphony
Sumo-J, which offers 1100 CFM.
Room Square Footage: 250 square feet
Ceiling Height: 9 feet
Cubic Feet = 2250 feet
CFM = Cubic Feet / 2
2250 / 2 = 1125
CFM = 1125
How much maintenance does a swamp cooler require?
Larger window- and roof-mounted swamp coolers require
maintenance at the beginning of the cooling season (usually around May
or June) and at the end of the fall season, depending on the location.
To maintain large swamp coolers, be sure to have all of the necessary
tools at hand. A screwdriver will be needed to remove screws from the
access panel, wrenches or pliers should be ready to hook-up the water
supply, and an oil can should be close-by for oiling the motor of the
swamp cooler. Use your garden hose for cleaning up any debris, and a
flashlight to help view the corners of the cooling unit for anything
that may clog the air or water passage in the swamp cooler. If the swamp
cooler is mounted on the roof, it means that you will have to climb to
take proper care of your swamp cooler. Please be sure to take all of the
necessary precautions when maintaining any type of outside cooling unit.
Maintaining a portable swamp cooler is quite a bit easier than
maintaining a larger one. In fact, most portable swamp coolers hardly
require any maintenance at all, other than adding water to the tank when
necessary. Depending on your needs and on whether you are able to climb
or tolerate heights, a portable swamp cooler might be the winning choice
when it comes to maintenance.
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