Originally Posted by

On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at 10:37:54 AM UTC-5, RickiRick wrote:

Can this small evaporative air cooler be the alternative to the air
conditioner? Or is it too small and better to buy the new air
conditioner?

Evaporative coolers, AKA Swamp Coolers, are best in very dry climates. As you are aware, they operate by taking advantage of the phase-change of water going from a liquid to a gas - which has the unfortunate result of greatly increasing the local humidity. Further to this, as the local humidity increases, the working efficiency of a swamp-cooler decreases.

So, depending on where you are and what you need to cool, that little device can be very effective (desert-dry conditions and using it as a cooling fan), or it can be a major source of mold and mildew (anywhere in temperate or tropical conditions, or used indoors. Its sole advantage is that it is far cheaper to operate and is far simpler than a conventional AC unit.

So, it depends. Here in south-central PA, a swamp-cooler would grow mold before my eyes. And we put tablets in our AC drain pans to prevent Legionnaires' disease.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA