Need help with Evaporative Cooler Install (house, to buy, taxes)

[illinoisphotographer]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any recommendations on someone who installs evap coolers? I'm wanting to install one on our roof this spring and can do a lot of the internal duct work myself, but need help actually bringing up the unit, and doing the roof-work and mounting to ensure there are no leaks.

A lot of the larger companies I've contacted aren't interested in just doing the labor for the install part- they want me to buy the unit and everything through them too.

Thank you!

[daprara]

try thumbTack.com

hint(s):
-use a junk email for thumbtack as they will continue to send you emails after the initial project is done
-Internet security, meet your trades person half way. Have him make a statement of work that you keep. have the trades person buy materials and than than that vendor gives you a call. Vendor emails you a pdf of a invoice with list of materials. You pay the vendor on the phone with your visa. The trades person totally completes the task any you pay him with cash, he marks the statement of work as "Paid".
-if you plan to deduct the repair or improvement on your taxes you need to read up on the irs1099misc.
-evaporative cooling technology has not changed any time recent. New crop of units have expensive pads that claim a life time of several years. The catch is you have to exhaust an extreme amount of water. All good if you have a near by garden you can dump the water into. The old style of cooler is more forgiving and the paper pads are not that expensive that you can replace them mid season. also you can exhaust much less water if you want.
-have the installer run a permanent water line through the walls up to the cooler. Either copper or pecs but something that take a few freeze thaw cycles. Get a nice ball valve shut off back at the source. also address the over flow plus the exhaust water and have him install some permanent plumbing for this into a roof gutter.
-if you have a choice mount the cooler on a North side and or out of direct sun light
-one last thingy, especially for a ranch style house put vents through the ceiling in each room. exhaust cooler air into the attic space instead of opening a window. Block these vents during the winter. Block the main cooler vent for the winter too.