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Space cooling can be conveniently and economically accomplished using an electric evaporative cooler (sometimes called a swamp cooler or desert cooler). Compared to a compressorized air conditioner, an evaporative cooler is inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to run, easy to operate, low maintenance, and able to cool areas where other cooling solutions might be difficult to install, expensive, or impractical.

Operating Principle
An evaporative air conditioner lowers the temperature of air by evaporating water, similar to the way the human body cools itself by sweating. The heat from warm, dry air is absorbed by the evaporating water and the result is cooler air with a higher moisture content.

A fan in the evaporative cooler moves air to be conditioned through damp pads moistened with water that is continuously pumped onto the pads.

Warm, dry conditions are best for an evaporative air conditioner – humid air absorbs less water and heat, providing less cooling.

Benefits
• Low maintenance
• Very reliable, only moving parts are fan and pump
• Lightweight
• Fast, easy setup
• Uses less energy than compressorized air conditioner

Things to Consider
• High humidity decreases cooling capacity. For example, at 90 degrees F and 10% relative humidity, a certain model evaporative cooler will discharge air at 65 degrees F. At 90 degrees F and 50% relative humidity, this same cooler has a discharge air temperature of 78 degrees F.
• Leaving air is 80-90% relative humidity and may cause corrosion, condensation, or discomfort
• Water is required to wet the evaporative pads and is typically supplied by manually filling an internal tank or hooking up to an external water source for automatic continuous operation

Configurations
Most evaporative coolers are mounted on wheels to they can be easily moved. Smaller units have internal water tanks, and larger units have external tanks. Standard ¾” hose connections are common for all capacities and allow automatic water fill and continuous operation.

Installation Overview
1) Fill water tank or connect to external water source.
2) Plug it in.
3) Start up and fine tune direction of cooling airflow.

Commonly Asked Questions

1) What is the best application for evaporative cooling?
ANSWER: Evaporative cooling is especially well suited for climates where the air is hot and humidity is low. The western/mountain states are excellent locations. In dry climates, the installation and operating cost of an evaporative cooler is much lower than refrigeration-based air conditioning, often by 80%.
In moderate humidity locations there are also many cost-effective uses for evaporative cooling. For example, industrial plants, commercial kitchens, laundries, dry cleaners, greenhouses, spot cooling (loading docks, warehouses, factories, construction sites, athletic events, workshops, garages, and kennels) and confinement farming (poultry ranches, hog, and dairy) all often employ evaporative cooling.

2) What size cooler do I need?
ANSWER: This depends on the temperature and humidity of the air you’re cooling as well as the size of the space. Evaporative coolers have performance charts listing temperature drop at different air conditions as well as area coverage – use these charts to select your unit. Check out the H-Mac Systems evaporative coolers page at http://store.h-mac.com/swampcooler.html and don’t hesitate to e-mail or call with any questions.

Get more details and pricing on these evaporative coolers at:H-Mac Systems Online Store.

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