swamp coolers?

[7window]

Does anyone use this? Does using this save on energy bill compare to a regular air conditioning? Thanks

 

[mnewsham]

A lot less efficient, but in a pinch (when th AC is broken or when there is no AC installed) it will cool you down.

 

[IronWing]

Whole house swamp coolers are much cheaper to purchase and operate than A/C however they only work well at very low humidities. Coolers start sucking at humidities over 30% and are about useless at humidities above 50%. Our cooler runs about $75$35/month in electricity in the Summer months for cooling a 1350 sf house. Repairs are dirt cheap and easy for DIY.


Portable swamp coolers work pretty well on patios or other open spaces but suck indoors. Evaporative cooling requires the ability to exhaust the moist iar.


Nifty animation of a swamp cooler

 

[vi edit]

Where do you live?

 

[PricklyPete]

A LOT of people use them here in CO and they seem to work well. That being said, we have very low humidity.

I've heard some people complain that it adds humidity to your house which can cause other problems...but I have not looked into it as our house has AC.

 

[imagoon]

Swap coolers are all about the location like IronWing mentioned. They may work fantastic in Arizona but be worthless in say Houston, Texas due to the ocean humidity.

 

[7window]

Where do you live?

tucson for a nephew going to college. This is not portable but a unit that goes in a guest house where he is staying. We don't know anything about swamp coolers.

 

[vi edit]

Ok, for Tucson, yes a swamp cooler is very viable and likely more efficient than conventional AC.

 

[astartz]

Ok, for Tucson, yes a swamp cooler is very viable and likely more efficient than conventional AC.

For most of the year yes. BUT the monsoons in Tucson are horrible with a swampcooler. Its 6 to 8 weeks a year the humidity is high and the swamp cooler just wont help.

Most homes here have AC or Dual cool, where you can use swamp cooler for the dry months and AC during monsoons. If you cant do that look into a window unit or just suffer.

I have lived in Tucson since college and i will never go back to swamp cooler. I had that for 5 years and F that.

 

[7window]

Ok, for Tucson, yes a swamp cooler is very viable and likely more efficient than conventional AC.

You dont happen to know the difference in price as far as running the unit compare to a a/c wall unit? He is a Poor student on a budget.

 

[7window]

For most of the year yes. BUT the monsoons in Tucson are horrible with a swampcooler. Its 6 to 8 weeks a year the humidity is high and the swamp cooler just wont help.

Most homes here have AC or Dual cool, where you can use swamp cooler for the dry months and AC during monsoons. If you cant do that look into a window unit or just suffer.

I have lived in Tucson since college and i will never go back to swamp cooler. I had that for 5 years and F that.

What months are monsoon? I think for monsoon he won't mind not using the swamp cooler and just use the fan with open windows.

 

[Humpy]

As others have said, they are much cheaper overall and dead simple to install and maintain compared to AC.

It is how I cool my house but there are some things that suck about them. They don't work when it rains. The pads will start to smell moldy if you turn the cooler off. The only option is to replace the pads if they get moldy, not a huge deal. Hard water will quickly crust everything up inside the unit. They are noisy-ish. They add enough humidity that wood floors and furniture can sometimes swell up.

I live in Albuquerque and the cooler works good most of teh summer, though it has rained a lot this year. I simply leave it running all summer long. That avoids any musty smells but increases the effects of humidity on the rest of the house. Being that NM is dry and dusty I actually like the extra moisture in the air. In the fall I clean it, replace pads, and stuff some old pillows in the ducting to seal it up. It seems to cost a combined $50 a month in added electricity and water.

 

[astartz]

What months are monsoon? I think for monsoon he won't mind not using the swamp cooler and just use the fan with open windows.

Early July to mid/late August.

and yes he will mind a fan and open window as during the day it will be 104 and 70% humidy.

He is young and Tucson has a huge college population that all deal with this. Its not the end of the world, so have him deal with it for a year or 2 and then he can look for a place with AC/ dual cool.

Everyone in Tucson deals with this. the entire city has AC, so worst comes to worst he can hang at the student union or shopping to kill time till it cools off in the late evenings.

 

[IronWing]

I live in Tucson so my cost estimate above should give you an idea. And yes, during the monsoons it pretty much sucks. The air is colder but swampy.

The house has to have lots of screened windows that can be opened. Swamp cooling requires constant air exchange with the outdoors. If the windows don't open, forget swamp cooling, all it will do is pump moisture into the house.

On the mold issue: get aspen pads, not paper. Aspen resists mold better. Never turn the water pump off even if the fan is off, keep the water circulating. Pour a couple cups of bleach in the cooler pan once a month or so.

 

[natto fire]

You dont happen to know the difference in price as far as running the unit compare to a a/c wall unit? He is a Poor student on a budget.

Do you know if he has to pay for water too? If based solely on electric usage, a swamp cooler provides a very large benefit in cost over phase change (normal A/C) cooling, which is much more energy intensive. That said, the water used in evaporative (swamp) coolers, while not a huge amount, is something to consider.

IIRC, the monsoons in Arizona are around mid to late August, at least in the Prescott area.

 

[JBT]

Lived in Tucson 8 years. Swamp only during monsoon (Mid June to late August) would be terrible. Pick up a portable AC unit for $2-400.
Is he really going to stay there in the summer? if not swap cooler would be fine.

 

[7window]

Early July to mid/late August.

and yes he will mind a fan and open window as during the day it will be 104 and 70% humidy.

He is young and Tucson has a huge college population that all deal with this. Its not the end of the world, so have him deal with it for a year or 2 and then he can look for a place with AC/ dual cool.

Everyone in Tucson deals with this. the entire city has AC, so worst comes to worst he can hang at the student union or shopping to kill time till it cools off in the late evenings.

He spends a lot of time at the library. He just got this guest house with a swamp cooler but knows nothing about it.

 

[7window]

Do you know if he has to pay for water too? If based solely on electric usage, a swamp cooler provides a very large benefit in cost over phase change (normal A/C) cooling, which is much more energy intensive. That said, the water used in evaporative (swamp) coolers, while not a huge amount, is something to consider.

IIRC, the monsoons in Arizona are around mid to late August, at least in the Prescott area.

Water is free

"On the mold issue: get aspen pads, not paper. Aspen resists mold better. Never turn the water pump off even if the fan is off, keep the water circulating. Pour a couple cups of bleach in the cooler pan once a month or so"

Does it have to be on even during the winter?

 

[IronWing]

Water is free

"On the mold issue: get aspen pads, not paper. Aspen resists mold better. Never turn the water pump off even if the fan is off, keep the water circulating. Pour a couple cups of bleach in the cooler pan once a month or so"

Does it have to be on even during the winter?

Nope, for winter turn off the pump, turn off the water flow to the cooler, drain the cooler pan, and remove the pads. Some coolers have a cookie-sheet damper to insert between the house ductwork and the cooler to close off the cooler for the winter. Other houses have a louvre that self closes when the fan is off to keep cold air from entering the house via the cooler. Some houses that share the duct work between the furnace and cooler also have a similar cookie-sheet damper to block the furnace during the summer months so be sure to look for that during switch-over or the furnace won't work.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Some window air conditioners can be very cheap....they just aren't very efficient and lack the fan capacity to cool multiple rooms. If the space is 300 sq feet, you can get away with a 5000-6500 btu a/c unit. 500-750sq feet, you'll want a 9000btu unit. If you move up to 1000+ sq feet, you'll want multiple units. A single 18000+ btu unit will work, but you won't get the efficiency because the fan won't be able to pull air (return) from the furthest point unless it's all in 1 room.

I know those numbers may not be on par with recommendations, but I'm speaking from experience and the assumption of multiple rooms causing efficiency to decrease.

 

[who?]

Humidity from the Gulf of Mexico rises up over a lot of the American south not just cities on the gulf like Houston.

 

[IronWing]

I just got our last electric bill and compared the Winter/Summer costs. The swamp cooler is cheaper than I had stated above, costing us ~$35/month to operate throughout the Summer months for a 1350 sf house.