Swamp coolers, or evaporative coolers, have been around in one form or another for hundreds of years. Evaporative cooling is one of the oldest and most basic forms for air conditioning – moving air over water to cool and humidify it. Advanced Misting Systems has a large selection of evaporative coolers to cool single rooms up to large warehouses. So how do you know if an evaporative cooler is right for you? We will cover the basics of evaporative coolers and compare them to standard air conditioning so you can decide.
Evaporative coolers combine moisture and a steady breeze, and can cool a room by as much as 30°F. The unit pushes warm air outside through open windows. Evaporative coolers increase humidity, and filter dust and allergens from the air.
Evaporative coolers work best in climates where the air is hot and the humidity is low. This corresponds with the weather in the Southwestern United States. Standard air conditioning removes moisture from the air, and works in any climate.
Evaporative coolers can be the only air conditioning system, or in addition to standard air conditioning systems. Never use them at the same time, as evaporative coolers add moisture while standard air conditioning systems subtract it and they cancel each other out.
Evaporative coolers have many benefits over standard air conditioning systems:
- Evaporative coolers have a smaller installation and maintenance cost
- They use 75% less electricity than standard air conditioning systems
- Evaporative coolers plug into a standard 120 volt outlet
- They do not use ozone damaging refrigerants
- Evaporative coolers move fresh air through the area, while air conditioning systems re-circulate the same air
- Airflow makes an area feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler
The downsides to evaporative coolers are that you cannot set a temperature like you can with a standard air conditioner, so there is less control with them. Also, they use between 3.5 and 10 gallons of water per hour, which can be a problem in areas with water shortages. Finally, evaporative coolers do not work well in humid conditions.
If you have decided that an evaporative cooler would work well for you, how do you decide what size you need? They are rated by the airflow the cooler can move through a space, measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). Use the following formula to calculate the CFM for your space:
- What is the square footage of the area you are cooling?
- For example, your garage is 1,500 square feet
- Multiply your square footage by your ceiling height
- For example your ceilings are 10 feet tall, so 1,500 X 10 = 15,000
- Divide by 2
- 15,000 / 2 = 7,500. You need a 7,500 CFM or more unit
Now that you have determined that an evaporative cooler will work for you and you know the size of the unit you need, contact the experts at Advanced Misting Systems. We carry a wide range of evaporative swamp coolers in several sizes to accommodate your cooling and humidifying needs.
