What Size Evaporative Cooler Do I Need?
The truth is, it can be quite frustrating (and expensive) keeping your home cool and comfy during the hot summer months. An evaporative cooler, also known as a swamp cooler, is an eco-friendly, cost-effective alternative to traditional AC systems. However, there are some things you must keep in mind when considering purchasing one of these units, such as how to determine the size evaporative air cooler you need for your space.
How to Decide What Size Air Cooler to Get
In order to obtain the best results from an air cooler in your home, you’ll want to make sure that you have the right size. If you choose a unit that is too small, it will have to work harder, which is a waste of energy. CFM, or cubic feet/minute, is how evaporative air coolers are categorized. The CFM is the amount of fresh air that is cycled through your space per minute. In order to find this, use the following formula:
Square feet that need cooling x ceiling height (in ft.). Then, take this number and divide by 2. For example, if you have a room that is 450 sq. ft. and 8 ft. ceilings, your equation would look like this:
450 x 8 ÷ 2 = 1,800 CFM
In order to ensure that your evaporative cooler is effective, it should have a rating of at least 1,800 CFM.
In addition to size, there are some other factors that you need to consider when choosing an evaporative cooler. We’ll explore them below.
Will an Evaporative Cooler Be Effective in My Environment?
An evaporative cooler is a simple and cost-effective way to cool your indoor space, but depending on the climate in your area, it may not be the best option. Understanding how these units work will help you decide if it is.
Evaporative cooling is a natural process. When you get out of the pool on a hot day and feel chilled, it is because as the dry air passes over your wet skin, some of the water is absorbed. This occurs because the temperature and vapor pressure of the water is attempting to equalize with the air. The water molecules turn into gas and the higher air temp switches to the lower water temp.
In order to keep your home consistently cooled, these units build on this phenomenon, bringing in the warm, stale air passing it over damp pads to be cooled. The air is cooled up to about 20 degrees and then circulated through the room. The cooled air is constantly circulated, which makes the ambient temp feel about 4-6 degrees cooler than it really is.
An evaporative cooler is most efficient in an area with hot, dry air. They work best in the hottest times of the day when humidity levels are below 60%. So, if you live in an extremely humid climate, it may not work for you.
How Do Evaporative Coolers Compare with Traditional AC System?
The primary goal of both types of units is to cool your space. You should be aware that you can get evaporative coolers for a variety of spaces from residential to industrial. Some are more energy efficient and environment-friendly than a traditional AC system.
Some of them are permanent setups and some are portable and can be moved from one room to another without much trouble. The most important thing to be aware of is that they only need a moderate amount of effort to set up and maintain.
These units use simple technology to cool the air in your space, which makes them extremely energy efficient. Experts say that an evaporative air cooler will cost you about half of what it costs to run an air conditioning unit, which uses refrigerated cooling. In fact, it should cost you less than $1 to run a 36-inch evaporative air cooler for 8 hours because the only associated costs are electricity and water. This is nearly 3x less than traditional cooling costs.
For those consumers who are concerned about the environment, an evaporative air cooler is a great way to keep your space cool without causing harm to the environment. A traditional air conditioning system uses refrigerants to cool the area, which are harmful, but an evaporative air cooler uses a natural process that cools your area with water. This process doesn’t add pollutants or other harmful chemicals to the environment.
Additionally, an evaporative air cooler is most efficient when there is a source of fresh air available, such as an open window/door. Since the air is constantly being circulated, the indoor air will be much fresher with this method than with a traditional AC system, which requires an airtight space to work. Finally, the dry air is naturally humidified, which decreases symptoms of dry air irritation such as itchy skin, eyes, and throat.