Many homes in dry or desert climates are equipped with swamp coolers to keep their rooms cool when the inside humidity is too high or when it is too hot inside. The coolers are energy efficient compared to the traditional air conditioners as they consume less electric power during the summer seasons.
Generally, the coolers use a condensation process and only use electric power to run the fan that emits air.
But you can also make your swamp cooler colder and more efficient. Well, the secret lies in the knowledge of operating the unit. Note that the system works differently from conventional air conditioners, and there is a need to master several tricks and tips on making the cooler colder and more efficient.
How Swamp Coolers Work
A swamp cooler is made of porous surfaces that allow air to go through. It also has a fan that pulls the air outside through the sides into your room. The unit is made of water-absorbent pads on every porous side that helps it emit colder air.
The pads must be kept wet at all times to produce cold air. The pads absorb water from a pan located at the bottom of the cooler.
How to Make Your Swamp Cooler Colder and More Efficient
A swamp cooler is essential in your building if you reside in the desert climate areas. It is an excellent device for cooling rooms when the humidity outside is too low.
However, sometimes cooling is not enough, and you might need it colder and at the same time running efficiently. Well, here are some tips on how you can keep your swamp cooler colder and more efficient:
Dessert Climate
A swamp cooler is not appropriate in just any environment; it calls for a dry climate area where it will be conducive to use it. In case you live in dry areas, you have to consider the humidity level of the environment; if it is less than 50%, the cooler will work more efficiently and emit colder air.
Position Your Swamp Cooler
Swamp coolers are usually units made for cooling one room at a time. When investing in a swamp cooler, you should consider its square feet and airflow rating in Cubic Feet per Minute to identify which size best suits a room.
Ensure that you position a cooler where it can blow air directly to the target to achieve the best cooling effect. You can set the unit close to a window crack to take in dry air from outside and emit it inside the house more efficiently.
Keep Your Window Open
Many times, the humidity inside a building can be higher than outside when you are operating a swamp cooler in a confined room. If there is little or no circulation in space, the cooling effect is hindered; air will hit the saturation point faster and reduce the cooler’s cooling effect.
To solve such a problem, crack a small opening on your window that will allow the high humid air out of your space to be restored with drier air from outside.
After you crack a hole in the window, you will notice that your cooler emits much colder air in an efficient manner.
Add a Dehumidifier
Suppose you are in a situation where you cannot open a window due to high humidity outside. In that case, you can add a dehumidifier to the cooler to help absorb excess moisture released by the cooler.
Placing a dehumidifier near your cooler can improve your cooler’s efficiency since it makes it produce dry air, absorbed by the wet pads at the best evaporation rate.
Prime Your Evaporative Pads
Swamp coolers are made with pads that absorb water and allow air to pass through to create moisture evaporation.
Your cooler pads need to be kept wet for them to emit cold air. Most swamp coolers come with a water tank that you need to empty and refill after 6-8 hours to keep the water fresh as well as to wet cooler pads.
Plant Moisture Absorbent Plants
Sometimes, you can decide to go natural and use natural methods to enhance your cooler’s efficiency. You can invest in some household plants which absorb moisture from the surrounding air in space.
The plants make your room cooler, and swamp cooler has an easy time absorbing humid air and emitting colder air. You can store plants such as:
- Peace lilies
- Yucca
- Cacti
- Boston Fern
- Succulents
- Aloe
- Bromeliads
- Air plants
- Euphorbia
Avoid Using Ice
When it is too hot, you might be tempted to fill the cooler with ice to make the air emitted colder. Sadly, this is a flawed idea since the cooler will only cast cold air for a short time then normalize.
Therefore, it is advisable to use cold water instead of ice, keeping in mind that you should only use a temperature of 50°F maximum.
Keep Your Cooler Under Proper Maintenance
Just like any other equipment, evaporative coolers need proper maintenance to keep them working efficiently and so that they can be able to emit colder air in the long term. You should conduct a thorough inspection of your cooler a couple of times during summer to determine the technicalities it might be facing. In other words, you should:
- Clean the colder outlet area, intake grill, and fan to remove debris
- Inspect the pads to ensure they are absorbing water and moisture effectively and if not, replace them with new ones
- Wash your tank with a mixture of clean water and white vinegar regularly to remove accumulated minerals that might slow down cooler emission
- Wipe the cooler exterior to remove dust and to maintain its shine
- Pack your unit away and cover it with a canvas cover to protect it from dust when the summer season is over
A swamp cooler is an essential unit for people living in desert climate zones and during the summer. It keeps a building cool and helps you relax when you are in a room as you enjoy the cold breeze on your skin. Swamp coolers are affordable—you can invest in one or two units and follow the steps mentioned earlier to make it emit colder air and work more efficiently.
Learn More About How to Cool Your Home with an Evaporative Cooler
To learn more about how an evaporative cooler can help cool your home or business, or to purchase evaporative coolers in Phoenix, contact a professional company such as Premier Industries, Inc. Serving the American southwest for over 30 years, they know the precise strengths and limitations of swamp coolers, and will be able to help you determine the best option for you based upon your needs.
