For those who rely on a swamp cooler/water cooler, they can save a lot of money for maintaining it properly during hot weathers. They may cost you a lot, even though they only make your home colder by using natural process of manipulating evaporation.
It uses electricity to run the fans in the air cooler, which then pushes cool air into your house. If not properly maintained, the electricity bill can skyrocket during summer.
Best Tips to Maximize the Efficiency of Swamp Cooler Pads
I am going to discuss about how to properly maintain your evaporating cooler. Here are 7 simple tips to maximize the efficiency of swamp cooler pads.
Open the window
First you need to know how your swamp cooler works. It is not like traditional air conditioning. As you run the swamp cooler, It pulls air into your room from outside. After that the swamp cooler convert that air with the water supply into cold breeze. Then it pushes that air inside your home.
For this process to effect on your home’s interior, there need to be correct ventilation system for the air to circulate. Keep your windows open, so air from the cooler is allowed to escape. Then fresh air can enter and pass through creating breeze that is effective for cooling the interior of your space. Open it little bit around 5 centimeters, so the air can escape.
Use seasonally
Your swamp cooler works at it’s best when you are in a dry climate. When the humidity crosses above 75, they may lose effectiveness. Observe the weather if you live in a humid area, this will help you on saving utility bills.
Try to use your swamp cooler on dry days as a way to keep your swamp cooler use to a minimum. If the humidity is high your air cooler will perform miserably, eventually making the air damp. Swamp cooler is great appliance for those who live on a dry place, where humidity is around 70 percent.
Correct size
When selecting a swamp cooler, make sure it is the appropriate size for your house. To select the correct size for your cooler, measure the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air the unit can pump.
How do you find the CFM? You find out the total home’s square foot area first, then you multiply them with average ceiling height/ 2 air changes/min. The size of the cooler will depend on the window heat load.
Use cold water
Make sure the tank is full when you are running the swamp cooler. It needs water supply to the swamp pads in order to convert outside air, and push them as cold air into the home.
While many thinks hot water evaporates quickly, cold water actually works better for cooling room temperature. It is true water close to boiling point dissipates into the air really fast, but cold water will work fine in an evaporative cooler.
The water from your tap eventually gets warmer by the time it reaches your swamp cooler, and performance may decrease the warmer the water get.
Although the effects of cold water are limited, adding ice to the water won’t help much. When you add ice, it has to melt before it can evaporate. It takes time for the ice to evaporate, which is not increasing efficiency for the swamp cooler in any way.
Do not expect much more to cool down after adding ice, because that is what the water is already doing for the cooler. You will not be doing much improvement after adding some ice, as it takes time to evaporate.
Allow your cooler to run before turning on blower
Before you turn on the cooler, make sure the cooling pads has absorbed enough water to convert hot air to cold. The cooler needs some time to properly kick in.
Give it around 15 minutes to allow the water circulate the padding system before you turn on the blower, otherwise it won’t be blowing cold air. Just like you give car engines run and warm up, allow your swamp cooler some time for cooling pads to fully absorb the water.
Doing this will save you a lot of energy by allowing it to reach full cooling capacity, otherwise you would be wasting it on blowing hot air.
Maintenance for cooler
It is important to clean your swamp cooler on a regular basis to ensure its peak performance. For greater efficiency, it is important that your cooler is annually checked.
Cleaning and maintaining your cooler is necessary because dirt and environmental pollutants may start to cluster in, and the motor in a swamp cooler has to work harder or might stop working at all.
You do not want frequent occurrence of system malfunction to your swamp cooler, which is why it is advisable for you to wipe down the exterior from time to time. To maintain it properly, vacuum your air intake fans and grills.
Inspect your cooling pads if there is mildew or cracks, and replace when needed. Doing this will help you reduce the cost of repairs, you don’t want it to breakdown during hot weather. Wash out the water tank using a water solution and mild soap before you decide to store them up during winter.
Make sure to clean thoroughly and do not pack it away before it dries. Follow the earlier mentioned instruction rules for maintaining your swamp cooler.
Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier can draw the excess moisture from the atmosphere, and collects it in the water tank for swamp cooler. It keeps doing that until you’re ready to empty the tank. You can add a dehumidifier to your cooling system if it is too hot to open windows.
It will help your home feel cold during summer or a humid day, it will dry the air that helps your body’s natural perspiration. It can give your swamp cooler a boost, if the dehumidifier is placed near your swamp cooler where the air intake grill is.
Frequently Asked Questions
The followings are some F.A.Q that are commonly asked by people:
How can I increase the efficiency of my swamp cooler?
Ans: The following 4 Steps helps to increase the efficiency of your swamp cooler:
- Open the Swamp Cooler window
- Check the Tank is Full and swamp cooler pads are wet
- Make sure the swamp cooler is running before turning on blower.
- Clean your Swamp Cooler regularly.
Can I run my swamp cooler without the pump on?
Ans: Of course, you can run swamp cooler without the run the pump on and it will not damage to the product.
How many degrees does a swamp cooler cool?
Ans: 72.3 degrees Fahrenheit (22.3 degrees Celsius)
Can you leave a swamp cooler on all night?
Ans: It is better not to run your swamp cooler during the hottest part of the day. The ideal and great time to run the swamp cooler is the evening hours.
How can I make my swamp cooler colder?
The following tips can make your swamp cooler colder and more efficient:
- Use the swamp cooler in the dry climate
- Don’t use the swamp all the time, use it seasonally
- Always open the windows while running swamp cooler
- Run dehumidifier besides the swamp cooler
- Add houseplants to reduce your home humidity
- Experiment your swamp cooler to change the position
- Use cold water and try to skip the Ice
- Clean your swamp cooler regularly
Bottom line
The trick is, these systems don’t operate like regular air conditioning but you need to know these simple facts about swamp cooler in order to make it work at peak efficiency.
It is good for your swamp cooler if you change swamp pads, but it can save you a great deal of money if you can prolong the life of your swamp cooler pads. By following these simple tricks and tips will definitely help you to maximize the efficiency of swamp cooler pads.
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