Tired Of Struggling To Keep Your Home Comfortable During Summer? Could An Evaporative Cooler Be The Answer?

If you find yourself dreading the end of spring because of the dramatic spike May, June, July, and August bring to your energy bills, you may be considering converting to a more energy-efficient system. While the market is saturated with traditional compressor units, ductless mini-splits, window and portable air conditioners, and even pricey geothermal heating and cooling systems, the simple evaporative cooler (often termed a "swamp cooler") can provide an ultra-efficient way to reduce interior temperatures by utilizing water's natural cooling properties. Read on to learn more about evaporative coolers and how they may be the most energy-efficient way to cool your home.

How does an evaporative cooler work?

Unlike compressor-based coolers, which rely on a constant flow of air from which the condenser pump can extract heat, an evaporative cooler passes this air through a stream of microscopic water droplets, reducing the temperature of the ambient air in an energy-saving way. During milder weather, this evaporative cooler can double as a whole-house fan, helping you keep temperatures mild for much of the year without investing in portable fans. 

Evaporative coolers are great for drier environments where maintaining a comfortable humidity level within your home without using multiple room humidifiers can be a challenge, By opening and closing windows in certain rooms of your home throughout the day, you'll be able to control the flow of cooled air throughout your home, increasing efficiency even further by reducing the number of times per hour the "swamp" part of your swamp cooler needs to operate. 

What type of ductwork do you need for an evaporative cooler system?

For smaller homes or those with an entirely open floor plan, no ductwork is needed--this evaporative cooler will simply pump cool air into a central location in your home, where it will naturally dissipate to cool every corner of your home. 

Larger homes or those without interconnected rooms can operate a swamp cooler through traditional ductwork like that used for compressor-based air conditioners. In most cases, the swamp cooler will be on your roof, sending cool air down into your home; however, some homeowners opt for ground units that pump the air upward instead. 

Because swamp coolers can go through quite a bit of water while keeping your home cool, you may want to invest in a water softening system if you tend to get lime scale or calcium buildup on your sink or bathtub faucets; doing this can reduce the amount of preventive maintenance you'll need to perform on the water-processing parts of your unit. For more information, contact companies like D & R Service Inc.


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