What is a Swamp Cooler?
A swamp cooler (also known as an evaporative cooler) is essentially a box-like frame containing a fan that is walled in by moistened pads, usually made of cedar shavings or cellulose. The fan takes in hot air from the room and sends it through the dripping pads (which are kept soaked by a water pump), cooling the air by about 20° F as the water molecules evaporate from the pads. The fan then blows the water-cooled air back into the house and out a vent (usually an open door or window) to maintain a balance in the air pressure of the building. Swamp cooling units can be either portable or stationary, or roof or window mounted, systems. Portable swamp coolers can be moved from room to room while the stationary systems, especially the roof mounted units, remain in one place and create a central cooling system for the entire building.
Those living in dry, hot climates have long heralded swamp coolers as effective at cooling and humidifying homes. An alternative to an air conditioner, a swamp cooler uses evaporation, rather than chemical coolants, to lower the temperature of air. In ideal conditions, a swamp cooler can make a difference of a staggering 30° F (17° C). A swamp cooler uses the basic principle of evaporation along with simple technology and electrical power to create cold airflow. First one motor pumps water into pads of a fibrous, absorbent substance similar to hay, called cellulose. Then another motor powers a fan that pushes air through the pad, always pregnant with fresh water. When the entering air is very hot and very dry, some of the water evaporates into it. Evaporation needs molecular energy, otherwise known as heat, which ends up reducing the temperature of the air and adding humidity. Finally, the cooler air is pushed through a duct into a central location in your house, like a hallway or livi
A swamp cooler, also known as an evaporative cooler, is a relatively simple mechanical device that uses evaporating water rather than a refrigerant to cool the air. Swamp coolers cost about one-half as much to install as central air conditioners and use about a third as much energy. A more appropriate name for the swamp cooler would be desert cooler since it’s only effective where the relative humidity is less than 40%.
In the hot Southwestern summers during the 1920’s, people would often rest on screened-in “sleeping porches”, and on especially hot nights, water-soaked sheets or blankets would be hung outside these screens with electric fans pulling the muggy night air through these moist cloths. Subsequently, residents were able to experience cooling comfort before the advent of modern air conditioners or cooling systems. While this process has become more refined, the above example reflects the technology of the modern swamp cooler. If you live in a hot, arid climate, a swamp cooler is one of the best ways to stay cool in the sweltering heat and costs much less to operate than a standard air conditioner. Swamp coolers produce effective cooling and can reduce the ambient temperature by up to 20 degrees by combining the natural process of water evaporation within a simple air moving system. Therefore, they provide a low-cost, low technology alternative to standard refrigerated cooling.
