Martyman
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Swamp Cooler or Air Conditioning?
With all this heat... We have an old solar system that we are trying to spruce up. And maybe put in some type of low voltage cooling. Water is at a
premium (tank) for cooling too.
Ant hot tips?
Thanks,
Marty
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DENNIS
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Swamp coolers, I'm told, don't work well in humid conditions so, I guess it has a lot to do with where you are.
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toneart
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Swamp coolers, I'm told, don't work well in humid conditions so, I guess it has a lot to do with where you are. |
I have heard the same information. Right now it is around 102 in Nevada City, CA. I have a swamp cooler and it works very well here because it is a
dry heat.
Regarding your water issue, the swamp cooler really doesn't use very much. It has a water wheel which keeps recyling the water and a fan blows the
cool air from the churning water, into the house. As water evaporates, it is replenished by a trickle of water until the float shuts off the flow.
Where are you, Marty?
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Pescador
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You are right on, in the summer when the humidity is approaching 90 % and above, a swamp cooler is pretty ineffecient. The last thing in the world
you want to do is add more humidity and it is not going to evaporate anyway at high levels of humidity. But when things are drier, like fall and
spring, they can be a real beauty and really cool things down.
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capt. mike
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think dew points. anything above 50 degrees and an evap cooler will not cool below about about 86 degrees.
and above about 110 even with acceptable dew points you won't get temps much below 84.
i have 2 large ground mounted side draft machines here in Snottsdale AZ.
now with the monsoon approaching i have thrown in the towel and gone to straight AC. but when it was the right WX to use swamps it is so nice, and you
save a munch of bunny.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Bob and Susan
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we had swamp coolers in the "old days" in the apartments in fontana ca
i got to repair them
the water molds
they stink
the metal rusts
the filters fall apart
bugs love them
the pumps last about two seasons
go with air conditioning IMHO
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toneart
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
we had swamp coolers in the "old days" in the apartments in fontana ca
i got to repair them
the water molds
they stink
the metal rusts
the filters fall apart
bugs love them
the pumps last about two seasons
go with air conditioning IMHO |
Why is everybody's opinion except mine humble 
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Cypress
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Sweet Sweet Summertime.
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Oso
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Much along the same lines here... They work cheaply and efficiently under just the right conditions. We have "dry heat" here, but like right now
we're talking HEAT. They are good for 80's up to maybe 95 or so but at 105-116, fugeddaboutit. Also, if you are near a canal, river or other source
of "mini-climate" humidity, forget it. I manage over 100 apartments and we used to have swamp coolers long ago. But, they gave so much trouble and
didn't cool enough 4-5 months out of the year, that they were taken out and replaced with ACs. Also what materials are in your interior? Moisture is
not a friend to houses. Got a drop ceiling with acoustic tile? After a year or so, it will be a "droop" ceiling, the tiles will bow in the center,
Drywall will become "Dampwall". and so on. I think mold and mildew have already been mentioned. They CAN save some money and some people here have
both, using the swampers for a couple months then switching to AC when it gets uncomfortable. It's all a matter of your exact location, building type
and tolerance level.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Barry A.
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Here is my take-----------
If you have "clean" water (little minerals, little alkali) and very low humidity, swamp coolers work just great and really consume very little water
and they are relatively cheap to run.
If you don't, then all that "Bob and Susan" say is true. But they are also correct in that you have to keep up with the maintenance if you want to
avoid problems with Swamp Coolers-------keep those puppys clean, watch for rust, and if found take care of it NOW, then they will be fine, at least
that has been my experience. I go completely thru mine and make them like new once a year-----really not a big job.
But, if in-house humidity bothers you, or a slight funny moldy smell turns you off, then avoid Swamp Coolers.
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Martyman
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I'm in Bahia de Los Angeles. Typically we won't be there in the summer heat but October thru May. With limited solar power sounds like a swamp
cooler might work. We won't be there all the time so the place will dry out. Thanks all for the comments
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Hook
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For those months, you probably will only NEED cooling for part of October and maybe part of May.
I think you are a candidate for a swamp cooler; well-maintained in the manner others are suggesting.
Ferget the sea water option with these things......you think the maintenance is bad with fresh water? You aint seen nuthin' yet.
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Martyman
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Any recommendations on a brand name swamp cooler? price?
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Steve in Oro Valley
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Swamp coolers are problematic in some other respects:
In addition to calcium carbonate (caliche in you cooler) type corrosion, mold, smell, and clamminess, where ever there is a drip along a seam, along
the sheet metal, or along the copper tubing, TERMITES follow the moisture and eat up everything that becomes moist....
Oh yeah, copper water tubing exposed to cold can freeze in the winter if you forget to drain the water and shut off the supply to the unit at the end
of the hot season...
As Mike mentioned, they do not work well when humidity is above about 10-12% or above 50 degrees dew point.
LA bay is on the edge of the fog desert and humidity is almost always above 15% and you are not likely to be comfortable with a swamp cooler even in
May or October, November..
Take it from a guy who lived under a swamp cooler for first 16 summers of his life in Casa Grande, Arizona
Steve in Oro Valley
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Barry A.
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I am thinking that "everything is relative", and perception varies from person to person.
In Redding, CA the humidity varies from about 20% to 50% in summer, and water coolers work just fine here, albiet better at 20% than 50%. Personally,
I don't have a swamp cooler, but many of our friends do, and they are happy with them and their houses always seem cool, but with a hurricane blowing
thru them all the time if you don't mind a small huricane they work
great!!!
----and for those of you who don't "know", Redding often is in the "tripple digit" temps. in summer------it is 99 degrees right now.
[Edited on 7-10-2007 by Barry A.]
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