How To Buy Evaporative Coolers Low humidity and hot temps? Get an energy-efficient, portable evaporative cooler Evaporative coolers, also called swamp coolers, combine the natural cooling properties of water with a steady breeze to lower indoor temperatures. This guide will help you determine which type is best suited for your needs. Tip: Evaporative coolers are most effective in areas of low humidity and hot temperatures. They can be used as the sole cooling system, or to complement existing air conditioning systems. They should never be used at the same time, however, as evaporative coolers add humidity and A/C units remove it. SHOP ALL EVAPORATIVE COOLERS How Do Evaporative Coolers Work? Evaporative coolers lower indoor temperatures by combining the natural cooling properties of evaporating water with an efficient air moving system. Evaporative coolers add moisture, with the water-filled pads acting as a filter, removing dust and allergens from the air.

Evaporative coolers offer several benefits over air conditioning, including: • Lower installation and maintenance costs • 75 percent less electricity usage • Helps prevent fabrics and wood from drying out • Can be powered by standard 120 volt outlet • No ozone damaging refrigerants Evaporative coolers are not as controllable as air conditioners, and can use between 3.5 and 10 gallons of water per hour, a consideration for use in areas with limited water supplies. Evaporative coolers are typically distinguished by where they are installed and the type of pads they use. Most whole-house evaporative coolers are mounted on the roof and blow air downward, while others are mounted through windows or walls and blow air in from the side. Down-flow installations are most popular, but window/wall-mounted horizontal units are more convenient for maintenance and reduce the chance of roof leaks. Both down-draft and window-mounted units blow cooled air into the house either into a central location, which is effective for small homes, or through existing or specially installed ductwork in larger homes.

Tip: To ensure effective distribution, you’ll need to know how much air the unit needs to move to cool your home, which is measured in cubic feet per minute. • Cools small spaces up to 300 sq. ft. • Can cool one room or a garage • Installed on roofair handling unit data sheet • Discharge cool air downward into the structureheat pump unit dripping water • Typically installed on side of building directly into the attic areaac to dc power supply block diagram • Can be installed on roof using an elbow to direct the airflow through opening in roof The two types of pads for evaporative coolers are fiber (made of various materials) and rigid media pads. Fiber pads are inexpensive but require more maintenance and replacement, while rigid media pads are more expensive but require less maintenance and may last for years if properly maintained.

• For units with inlets on many sides • Usually 1 to 2” thick • Require regular maintenance/replacement • Aspen wood is most durable; • Cellulose and synthetic may be cut-to-fit Stacked corrugated sheet material • For units with single inlets • Require larger upfront investment • Usually 8 to 12” thick • Allows air to pass through at lower velocity, resulting in increased humidity and air a few degrees cooler than with fiber pads • Extremely long lifecycle if maintained For the most cooling power, you’ll need to know how much air the unit needs to move to cool your home, which is measured in cubic feet per minute. Evaporative coolers are rated by CFM. Use this formula to calculate the CFM for cooling your home: Determine the square footage of space you want to cool. Multiply this figure by the height of your ceilings. Divide that number by 2. The result is the CFM rating for the evaporative cooler you need.

Keep the rust- and corrosion-resistant galvanized steel that most whole-house evaporative cooler housings are made of intact with monthly inspections. Regular maintenance per the owner’s manual is the best way to keep your evaporative cooler working at peak efficiency. Maintenance is usually centered on draining water to remove mineral buildup, and adjusting the belt and water levels. If the unit isn’t going to be used for a few days, it should be drained to reduce bacteria growth, which can also be controlled by adding one of several accessories before operation. Pads should be inspected, cleaned or replaced, as needed. Add any of these accessories to match your evaporative cooler to your specific needs: • Purge pumps: Purge water automatically every six or eight hours, helping to avoid mineral buildup. • Ceiling vents: If open windows are a security issue, these ducts allow warm air to exhaust into the attic and out through the roof vents.

This option may require additional ventilation in the attic. • Pre-filters: Help prevent water droplets from the pads from being pulled into the fan blades. Most evaporative coolers also have filters to remove dust from the incoming air. Evap Cooler Parts & Accessories Ask A Home Depot ExpertMany factors are involved when determining what size of an air conditioner or furnace would have the required power output to cool or heat your home. Generally speaking, however, if you live in the Greater Toronto Area or Southern Ontario, you may use the following charts to estimate the correct size of the heating or cooling product that you may need for your home. It is very critical in the installation of furnaces and air conditioning systems that you are recommended the right size unit most suitable for your home. Under- or oversizing can cost you performance, comfort and efficiency related issues when it comes to both the furnace and the air conditioner. Undersizing will, of course, result in the unit being unable to meet the desired temperature setting.

Aside from the issue of your comfort, undersizing the equipment and/or material will most likely lead to the premature failing of the units. This being said, it is as important to make certain that the units are not oversized, either. It is rather a quite often observed misconception of consumers that the more powerful the furnace or the air conditioner, the better heating and cooling performance that will be achieved. Oversizing a furnace will result in many different shortcomings. First of all, what is most important in having a uniform distribution of the warm air is the optimum runtime of the furnace. The same statement is also true for an air conditioning unit with respect the uniform distribution of the cool air. When going with a more powerful hvac unit, it will satisfy the temperature setting quicker than when it should and it will not run that optimum length of cycle for you to have a uniform temperature everywhere in your home and the existence of those hot and cold spots in the house is inevitable in that case.

With an oversizing of the gas furnace, there also exists a great chance for the overheating of the furnace. This is mostly caused because in the case of oversizing of a furnace, the existing ducts in the home will not support such high volumes of air flow causing pressure build-up in the return air duct and therefore overheating. Also, do keep in mind that the maximum level of efficiency with the gas consumption of a gas furnace is achieved when the right size furnace is installed in your home. In fact, the right size furnace should almost continuously run during the coldest day of the year. Of course, it should be able to satisfy your desired temperature setpoint. Aside from the non-uniform air distribution, oversizing an air conditioner will lead to uncomfortable and higher humidity levels in your home. As you know, an air conditioner is also meant to dehumidify the air. This is done through the indoor evaporator coil - installed inside the plenum (duct above the furnace) - that removes moisture and water vapour from the airflow passing through.

When the air conditioner is oversized, it will stop running sooner than the optimum length of time it needs to run in order to also dehumidify the air. Another misconception is also the belief that by going with a bigger size furnace or air conditioner, there br will saving on fuel/electricity costs as a result of the units working less, which is certainly not the case. You always require the same amount of energy in order to heat or cool your house. The factor that determines this consumption is not the power rating; it is the efficiency of the unit. When the furnace or A/C is more powerful, it will use more power in a shorter period whereas a smaller size furnace or A/C would end up using the same energy but in the manner of less power in a longer period - which works out to have the same consumption levels. In fact, in the case of an oversized unit, some energy is wasted and the maximum efficiency of the unit would not be achieved. Keep in mind that the following furnace output power estimates are aside from the furnace's nominal power ratings.