While heat pumps are the most dominantly used air coolers, evaporative coolers, otherwise called swamp coolers, are a must in hill stations or low humidity areas to maintain air balance and the cooler to function appropriately and efficiently. One important thing to note if you are using an evaporative cooler is to leave your windows open.
You might be consulting a mechanic, not knowing why open windows are a prerequisite for the effective functioning of evaporative coolers. If you fall under those unaware users, this guide is written for you.
Keep scrolling to know everything regarding evaporative coolers and why open windows are necessary for the cooling effect of the evaporative coolers.
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Heat pads are the most energy-efficient air coolers, but evaporative coolers are no less miraculous. Evaporative coolers are small box-like appliances with porous outlets that pass the air through them.
The fan inside the cooler absorbs the outside air and pushes it into the house through the porous surface. And, to cool the air, water-absorbing pads are fitted on the porous surfaces. A small pump lifts this water stored at the bottom of the cooler to each porous side continuously to keep the pads wet.
For an effective and right amount of cooling, the water-absorbing pads should be damp but not heavily soaked. You can adjust the amount of water the pump lifts to maintain the dampness of the pad and hence, regulate the cooling of air.
Why are open windows required for evaporative windows?
The main functionality of evaporative coolers works on drawing the air from the outside environment and pushing it into the house through a porous surface of water-absorbing pads. So, without open windows, these coolers cannot absorb air to pump it into the house.
Distance and the direction of open windows also play an equally significant role in the efficient working of evaporative coolers. Generally, evaporative coolers work in two modes—one, in vent-only mode, and two, as an evaporative cooler. In vent-only mode, an evaporative cooler works as a mere fan as it doesn’t pump water to the pads attached to the porous surfaces.
Hence, humidification of outdoor air isn’t done. In this mode, the air you receive is not as cool and is similar to the outdoor air since the cooling operation is not being carried out. In the second mode, you can regulate the water pumping and cooler’s air direction and movement by adjusting the direction of open windows.
For example, make sure that your windows are open leeward side for the 1000cfm cooling capacity of your cooler. This is not a hard and fast rule, and you experiment according to your house construction, cooler placement, and the distance between your windows and the cooler. But, if the windows are too far from the cooler, all you can receive is hot air. Less distance between the windows and cooler will build humidity in your house.
Issues with open windows
However, both of these can be controlled. By adjusting the distance between your cooler and windows, opening windows only near your cooler, and closing windows in unoccupied or far away areas from the cooler are a few tips to adjust the temperature and humidity of the cooler.
If open windows are creating security issues, installation of up-ducts can be one effective way to make sure that your windows are open without facing any security issues. But, you must remember one thing when you get up-ducts installed. Evaporative coolers with up-ducts installed may require extra attic ventilation.
If you are concerned about the dust and spilling water from evaporative coolers, you can attach dust filters to remove both specks of dust and to spill water. This is an effective alternative for people who are concerned about allergies from dust coming from the incoming air. While few coolers have filters pre-installed, few others don’t come with pre-installation, but you can fit them during or after the installation of coolers.
Maintenance
Evaporative coolers can turn out to be high-cost maintenance if timely care is not taken. Do not drain your time and money by delaying the cleaning of evaporative coolers. Since these coolers continually draw air from the outside, a lot of dust accumulates on fans, surfaces, and filters.
The more you use, the cooler, the more maintenance it may need. Otherwise, it will spill the accumulated sediments into the house and turn the air impure, which in turn may cause allergies, including skin and eye allergies, in addition to causing breathing difficulties. However, cleaning the evaporative cooler is not a tough task.
All you need to do is dust the accumulated sediments on the porous surface frequently and open the cooler to clean the water pan and water-absorbing pads to dust off all the soil sediments and other impurities.
Conclusion
Primarily, evaporative coolers are designed to pull water continuously. Hence, they are not an ideal alternative for cooling equipment in areas with restricted water supplies and for humid climates. However, if both of these are not concerns, there is nothing much that can hinder your experience of using evaporative coolers. We hope that this information has helped you better understand air coolers and how to use them for the best results.
