Part of why Colorado is such a great place to live is the climate. Yes, the winters are cold, but our summers are very comfortable thanks to the cool nights and low humidity during the warm days. This also means evaporative coolers (also called swamp coolers) are a great choice for cooling homes and businesses in Glenwood Springs, Aspen, or Vail, CO and the entire front range. Even better, swamp coolers can do the job at a fraction of the cost of traditional air conditioners. Climate Control Company wants to help you understand why they are often a good choice and some ways to make sure they keep blowing cool air.
- Humidity level—Evaporative coolers are only effective in areas where the humidity is low. This is why you won’t find them in the Midwest or South. It’s also why many homes and businesses will have some form of backup air conditioning to use on those rare days when our weather is more humid.
- Water supply is key—Whenever I’m asked how swamp coolers work, I use this simple example. When you go swimming on a hot day do you shiver and feel cold when you get out of the water? That’s because the water evaporating off your skin lowers the air temperature. In an evaporative cooler, water saturates absorbent pads. A fan blows hot outside air across the pads causing the water to evaporate and cooling the air. If there’s not enough water, the cooler won’t work right. Regular maintenance is needed to remove debris and scale buildup (especially if you have hard water) and make sure the pump is supplying enough water.
- Ventilation is vital—You also need to rethink the way you do things with an air conditioner. Most evaporative coolers don’t use ducts. Instead, a fan circulates the cooled air through the house. As a result, the swamp cooler requires natural airflow to work efficiently and one or more windows should be open to improve ventilation. Sealing up your house like you would with A/C makes a swamp cooler less efficient.
- Check the pads—Many times a problem with the absorbent pads causes a swamp cooler to blow warm or hot air. Over time the pads lose their absorbency and don’t hold enough water to make the evaporative process work efficiently. This is a big reason why Climate Control recommends using one of our professional technicians to assure proper maintenance during the spring startup and the fall shut down.
Always here to help
Climate Control Company has been servicing and installing evaporative coolers for decades. If yours isn’t keeping you comfortable or you want to know if a swamp cooler is the right choice for your Glenwood Springs, Aspen, or Vail, CO home or business, call now to make an appointment. We are “Comfort Driven, Colorado Style since 1956.” Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
