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I don't think there is any reason that you couldn't put an air filter that could
catch allergens upstream from the pads.
The filters would have to be taken in when it rained or protected somehow.
Try it... How big is an "allergen" how fast do you think a filter would clog trying to filter 5,000 cubic feet per minute all day long on a hot dusty July day?
I said I didn't think it was impossible not that it was
something I was likely to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poncho_NM
How big is an "allergen"
1-500 µ. Some home air conditioning filters will filter down below 1 µ.
I used to use them because the filter change interval was 3 months instead of every month.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poncho_NM
how fast do you think a filter would clog ...
Ummm .... just guessing here: fast?
Seriously, I have no idea. Maybe it would last a month or so ... or not.
Part of the fun of using an evaporative cooler is user intervention to make
it better. Refrigerated air is more of a set-it-and-forget-it operation which
probably suits an old retired guy. ( Know any of those? )
If I had filters on the intake of my swamp cooler, I would turn it off
or run it on low while dust was blowing about. Generally, when the wind
blows in the hot season, it is because natural evaporative cooling is taking
place somewhere near and the air it getting to a more pleasant temperature.
During the real heat-up time from 11 am to 3 pm or so in July, the air is pretty still.
how fast do you think a filter would clog trying to filter 5,000 cubic feet per minute all day long on a hot dusty July day?
Rich
Since a typical home furnace runs about the same (and there are plenty of dusty January, February, and March days), I'd say you'll be able to get by without clogging the filter after about 3 years depending. Once a year's a good enough filter replacement for my household's furnace.
The curtain of water in a swamp cooler also acts as a filter; perhaps not ideal, but it definitely agglomerates particles into larger, heavier chunks, and should reduce the particle count significantly versus a straight blower. You may run in to mold or dust issues from the increased humidity, but plant pollens have never been a problem in my household once the swamp comes on (and most pollen-related misery comes from people being outside to begin with).
Since a typical home furnace runs about the same (and there are plenty of dusty January, February, and March days), I'd say you'll be able to get by without clogging the filter after about 3 years depending. Once a year's a good enough filter replacement for my household's furnace.
The curtain of water in a swamp cooler also acts as a filter; perhaps not ideal, but it definitely agglomerates particles into larger, heavier chunks, and should reduce the particle count significantly versus a straight blower. You may run in to mold or dust issues from the increased humidity, but plant pollens have never been a problem in my household once the swamp comes on (and most pollen-related misery comes from people being outside to begin with).
A furnace does not take all its air from outside the house, which can be quite dusty, heat it and then blow it into the house. It is recirculating the interior air which would already have been filtered or partially filtered.
I believe by experience that a furnace fan does not run as long per day as a swamp cooler fan.
Back in Oklahoma in the 70s, we had water coolers for taking the temperatures down indoors. Actually they may not have been called water coolers but I can't exactly recall what they were named. They were big metal boxes with vents and a fan inside. The interior of the box was lined with straw and you ran a water hose over the straw constantly. Does this sound like the same thing as a swamp cooler?
Back in Oklahoma in the 70s, we had water coolers for taking the temperatures down indoors. Actually they may not have been called water coolers but I can't exactly recall what they were named. They were big metal boxes with vents and a fan inside. The interior of the box was lined with straw and you ran a water hose over the straw constantly. Does this sound like the same thing as a swamp cooler?
Yes, technically they call them evaporative coolers...
Rich
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 09-03-2011 at 07:42 PM..
I must say, I was very suspicious of the idea of swamp coolers, probably due to their unfortunate name, lol. But they do do the job, and inexpensively. We are cooling 3500 sq feet and our electric bill hasn't exceeded $150. This includes heating a sauna and jacuzzi, a dishwasher running 2-3 times a day, a washer and dryer doing 1-2 loads a day, hot water for 7 people, and the usual electronic gadgets and appliances of the modern age, lol. Back east, it would have cost at least $400 a month to "air condition" a house this size. I see from another thread that August was preternaturally warm, too. I have never been uncomfortably warm, and in fact, night before last I was cold. So my message to other "foreigners" like me, is don't knock it till you've tried it.
Evaporative cooler is a much better name. A rose by any other name, etc.
To find out if you like swamp coolers or not, visit stores on Central
Avenue in Nob Hill and ask them if they are using a swamp cooler or
refrigerated air. Compare a few shops and see if when they say
evaporative/swamp, you find the atmosphere OK or not.
Don't base your judgement on just one location.
Unlike refrigerated air, swamp coolers are subject to operator error.
I bought a portable swamp cooler this summer to use it in our west-facing room from 3-6 PM to take down the worst of the heat. (Also added solar shades to the west porch just outside.) Both really helped - especially when I filled the swamp cooler's tank with a mix of water & ice cubes.
I had to mail order the thing because every single store in ABQ that normally carries them was sold out in July, so I must not be the only believer!
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Is a swamp cooler what I think it is?
