What is a Swamp Cooler?
Are you lucky enough to live in a climate that has 30 percent humidity or less? If so, you may be surprised to know you don’t have to waste a fortune running an air conditioner all summer! Some people dread the start of summer for this reason. After a winter of using wood heat or another renewable resource for home heating, it is almost cringe-worthy to depend on electricity. Why? The average homeowner spends about $120 per month on air conditioning! This amount can be cut in half by choosing a swamp cooler.
Evaporative Cooling
Today air conditioners are in 91 percent of homes. Before electricity was commonplace in the United States, they used evaporative cooling without realizing it! The idea goes back to ancient Egypt and is still sometimes used in it’s most primitive forms in America. This is when families hang damp sheets in windows or screened porches. As the breeze pushes air through the sheets, it's cooled by the water molecules there, resulting in cooler air. This science has been “boxed” in units that do the job of an air conditioner. Thus using less electricity, and costing less to install.
How Swamp Coolers Work
When hot, dry air passes near water it cools naturally. A swamp cooler, or evaporative cooler, draws air from the outside and cools it by running it through a unit which harnesses this process. Swamp Coolers utilize filter pads that draw in air from outside the house. These pads are made damp by a reservoir inside the unit. The water is cooled as it moves through the damp pads. This causes the water to be evaporated, so the unit will need water refills periodically. Since this principle of evaporative cooling happens naturally, it uses less electricity. The water doesn’t have to be at a low temperature to cool the air. It only has to be cooler than the air.An air conditioner cools the air with a refrigerant, reusing the same air from the home repeatedly. Swamp coolers require warm, dry air, so they constantly bring fresh air into the house. Many homeowners prefer the fresh air circulation. However, with the many benefits, swamp coolers do have some drawbacks.
Drawbacks to Swamp Coolers
Swamp coolers require warm, dry air to cool the air. So, they aren’t effective in humid clients like the mid-west. The desert climates in the southwest and Rocky Mountain regions of the U.S. have the perfect climates for swamp coolers. Plus, they’re quite popular in these areas. Swamp coolers, like air conditioners, can be quite large and are not always appropriate for large areas like stores or auditoriums. Having said that, they do save homeowners a large amount of money, so placing more than one in one home is not out of the question.White Glove sells and installs swamp coolers in the Chico area. Our service area has an ideal climate for evaporative cooling, and we make it our goal to educate the public about green options for the home. The swamp cooler is good for the environment and easy on the wallet. Learn more about the swamp cooler here, and call White Glove today for a consultation!