Steve B wrote:
Well, it's the spring ritual in Las Vegas again.

Swamp cooler prep.

This year, my pads look like Carlsbad Caverns. Very thick with white and
yellow hard crud.

I really believe that the water is from the hose bibb loop, and not from the
water softener that provides water to the rest of the house. I could be
mistaken, though. But, it seems to me that softened water would have less
minerals in it, and if it were to be soft water, there would be less crud
buildup. Am I right?

I bought one of those automatic things that empty the water every day and
lets new water in. Do those work? I bought it two years ago and never
installed it.

Do the pads make a difference? I hate working with excelsior. One year I
used some pricey blue stuff, and it lasted two years. At the end of the
first year, I power washed it clean, but it didn't seem to have the
absorbency or cooling effect the second season.

Last year, I used some honeycomb looking slightly greenish tinged paper/wood
product stuff. Heavy, heavy buildup.

I know that this is a yearly thing. I grew up here.

But, what are some things that I can do so that there is not so much
buildup, it is easier to rehab every year, and, of course, to get the max
degree of cooling? In addition to the questions asked above.

Steve



I will guess that soft water really doesn't make a lot of difference.
More important is to change the water often.

I have a small hose running down to allow totally draining the tank. I
might do that as often as once a week during hot weather. I just let it
drain out on the lawn.

I used to have a hose hooked to the pump line so that a small trickle
was being pumped out at all times when the cooler was running. Either
method works good.

When I am going to be gone for a few days I turn off the supply and
totally drain the tank to let it dry out & kill off any mold that might
be forming.

I like the blue pads more than the Aspen because it doesn't have those
pieces of wood floating around.

The thick honeycomb paper seems pretty good too.