Air Conditioning in homes in COS

[MGS]

Hello,

I am new here...I keep seeing / hearing about swamp coolers. Can someone elaborate about how these things work? Are they the same as a window A/C unit? Where do you put them? Do they have to have water to work? How much area do they cool - or are they more like a fan? Do you need 1 or 2 or many?

Thanks a lot for your help,

[vfrpilot]

Swamp coolers aka 'evaporative coolers' cool air by adding water molecules aka 'humidity', to air drawn. They use a lot less energy than a conventional air conditioner, but are limited to areas that are very dry. They also differ in use because they need to exchange the air in the house to be effective. So you have to crack open windows or install special vents that open under pressure. Most older coolers use aspen pads that are saturated with water. Newer coolers use thicker pads that are much more efficient. I'm sure you can find more details on Google.

[otowi]

Some are installed on your roof, some are just countertop units. They work very well, and they do use water.

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by vfrpilot

Swamp coolers aka 'evaporative coolers' cool air by adding water molecules aka 'humidity', to air drawn. They use a lot less energy than a conventional air conditioner, but are limited to areas that are very dry. They also differ in use because they need to exchange the air in the house to be effective. So you have to crack open windows or install special vents that open under pressure. Most older coolers use aspen pads that are saturated with water. Newer coolers use thicker pads that are much more efficient. I'm sure you can find more details on Google.

And the point about "very dry" is important. We used swamp coolers when I lived in Arizona, and during those 2-3 weeks of "monsoon" weather we got in the summer when the humidity would climb from 2-3% up to 10-20% the swamp cooler was almost useless. Lots of folks we knew had both a swamp cooler and an AC unit for those times.

In this area, I would think a swamp cooler would be a hit-or-miss proposition. I have an AC unit that I use for a few hours a day only about 5-10 days a year, when the temps get into the 90s and it's humid enough not to immediately cool off when the sun goes down. OTOH, we have a basement that stays 70-75 deg in the summer, and live down there during the day.