Tony Shelton
BS Detector, Esquire
You don't see too many swamp coolers in the south. They usually work best with humidity of 25% or less.
They work by evaporative cooling. The earliest depictions of this go back to around 2500 BC with embossings showing slaves fanning as water runs over corrugated walls.
Evidence all of evaporative cooling in writings goes all the way back to the Egyptian Pharaohs. Ductwork has been found in living areas that lead from areas where water was accumulated and it is surmised that slaves were used to fan over wet tapestries or linen to blow air through the ducts and into the sleeping and resting areas of the palaces.
Modern swamp coolers consist of a pooling area for water where a pump continually sends water to the top the unit where it drops evenly down the four sides keeping media pads wet. A squirrel cage fan continually pulls air through the water soaked pads. When air is pulled over the pads the water evaporates putting out cool air.
They work great, use very little energy and are fairly easy and cheap to repair. The main drawback is they don't work worth a darn in higher humidity and they put a lot of humidity into the living space.
Here is a video I made the other day showing how efficient they are at cooling when the temps are hot outside.
NOTE: the temperature of 84 or so that I took in the shade was low because it was right next to the door that had been open and a lot of the cool air was getting outside. The ambient temperature outside when this was taken was 104 according to the outdoor thermometer.
They work by evaporative cooling. The earliest depictions of this go back to around 2500 BC with embossings showing slaves fanning as water runs over corrugated walls.
Evidence all of evaporative cooling in writings goes all the way back to the Egyptian Pharaohs. Ductwork has been found in living areas that lead from areas where water was accumulated and it is surmised that slaves were used to fan over wet tapestries or linen to blow air through the ducts and into the sleeping and resting areas of the palaces.
Modern swamp coolers consist of a pooling area for water where a pump continually sends water to the top the unit where it drops evenly down the four sides keeping media pads wet. A squirrel cage fan continually pulls air through the water soaked pads. When air is pulled over the pads the water evaporates putting out cool air.
They work great, use very little energy and are fairly easy and cheap to repair. The main drawback is they don't work worth a darn in higher humidity and they put a lot of humidity into the living space.
Here is a video I made the other day showing how efficient they are at cooling when the temps are hot outside.
NOTE: the temperature of 84 or so that I took in the shade was low because it was right next to the door that had been open and a lot of the cool air was getting outside. The ambient temperature outside when this was taken was 104 according to the outdoor thermometer.
