Tips on How to Stay Cool with a Swamp Cooler
Just sent this out to the announcement list for our condo assocication. May as well post it here for public consumption, as well.
Having trouble keeping your home cool enough during the heat wave? Here are some tips to consider, especially if your unit has an evaporative swamp cooler rather than refrigerated A/C.
1. Open Windows a Little. Unlike refrigerated A/C coolers — which operate by recycling already-cooled air — swamp coolers operate by turning dry hot air into moist cool air. (That’s why they’re used only in desert climates.) This means they work much better when the moist air has some way to escape again after it enters your home. By keeping your windows slightly open, your swamp cooler will work more efficiently and keep your home colder than when the windows are closed tight.
2. Replace Your Filter. Swamp coolers operate more efficiently when they have a fresh filter. If your filter hasn’t been replaced in a couple years, chances are it’s become crusted and is evaporating much less efficiently than when it was new. I went to Lowe’s today to buy fresh filters for our swamp cooler, and discovered a new brand of filter called “Dura-Cool” which can cool air up to 10% more than traditional (paper or aspen) filters. They’re easy to spot in the store because they’re colored baby blue.
3. Other Stuff. Finally, if nothing else is working, remember that taking a cool shower in the afternoon, or just before bed, can be not only refreshing, but also make the heat much easier to tolerate. And keeping lots of ice on hand for ice-water or iced tea is useful as well, keeping you cool on the inside even when it’s hot outside.
If you have neighbors who might benefit from this information, please print it out and give it to them. Not all of our homeowners are on this announcement list, and elderly homeowners in particular may be suffering more from the heat than the rest of us.
