How does a swamp cooler work?
The way a swamp cooler operates is fairly simple. There is a motor which pumps the water from the bottom of the cooler to the top, where it falls down the sides and along porous filter pads. A second motor drives a fan which pulls hot air through the swamp cooler and then pushes it into the hot room. The main cooling action is the water evaporating as the air passes through the cooling unit. (Coincidentally, the water level is kept constant in the larger units with the help of a floating sphere functioning similar to the one in a toilet tank reservoir. The portable units have tanks that require filling on a regular basis or have tanks for ice, which also needs to be replaced on a regular basis.) The hot air enters the swamp cooler, where two small motors power nothing more than a fan and a pump, which sends cool air into the hot room.
