Evaporative coolers?

Question

Looking for information about evaporative coolers. Fans that use the evaporating water to cool a room. Has anyone used one before? How well did it work? I've also heard of some that use ice as the cooling medium, does anyone know of one?

Answer 1

Evaporative coolers are widely used in the Southwestern US, where you have very dry hot summers. The general layout is a large cylindriacal fan rotating inside a box with porous or vented walls. These walls are lined with pads that are wetted with dripping water. The dry airflow across the pads causes the water to evaporate thus absorbing the heat in the flowing air.

In the right climate they work great. You can actually cool a home to a point where it can be almost uncomfortable because the temperature is so cool.

This type of cooler also has the advantage that it uses much less energy than a refrigerated air conditioning system, because it has no compressor.

The disadvantages are that it uses water, and in most areas where they are used, water is in short supply. In addition, the water used promotes corrosion of the unit over time, and so the life is usually no more than ten years if they are made of metal. Newer units utilize plastic assemblies which extend the life.

If you live in a community with very low humidity and high temperatures, an evaporative cooler will be much more cost effective, than an A/C unit using a refrigeration cycle.

Answer 2

Evaporative coolers work great if you are in the west where it is dry. since they work on evaporation, they don't work very well when the humidity is high. i had one in my store for twenty years and currently use one in my loft which contains my office. the best one i have had is the one i am currently using which i purchased at Costco. it is very well made and very efficient. i believe it can cool better than my ac in the house. it works best when it is hottest and driest. there are folks in the Sacramento Valley,Nevada, and Arizona who use this exclusively. There are 2 things that i discovered over the years you need to keep in m mind. Change the cooler pads yearly or clean them very well. I prefer natural aspen pads to the foam ones they smell better, but you have to change them yearly. This is very easily done and since you have the louvers off you can inspect the pump and hoses at the same time. The other thing is something that a fellow firefighter i worked with who also was an ac contractor is that you have to leave windows or even a door open to allow the air to escape. it depends on the cooler size and room/house size. i have used ice but since you are using water constantly the water temp quickly gets cooler as the flow increases from the main supply. it is very easy to install, and service. hope this helps.

Answer 3

Evaporative coolers work very well in dry climates, like New Mexico.

Answer 4

Don't try it in Galveston Texas. High humidity