Swamp Coolers (Layton: house, neighborhood, buy)

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I realized that many from out of the area don't know what these are. It's a big rectangluar box that sits on the roof (or occasionally in a window). The sides have dense mats of reeds or straw (cheaper ones) and water runs over the mats keeping them damp. The fan draws air over the mats, adding humidity to the air and blows it into the house. In low humidity areas such as SLC, this is sufficient to cool a house. Think about the cooling mist off a waterfall. It's much more efficient than an A/C unit and way cheaper to run. My electric bill in the summer for a 2300 sq ft house is about $50/month. There is only an of/on and hi/low setting on them. No temperature control like a thermostat.

[DP525]

It is the evaporation of the water as the air is drawn through it that produces the cooling. You will see typical cooling of the outside air of 15 to 20 degrees. The drier the outside air, the more evaporation and cooling takes place. So actually, they would not work well in a swamp which is ironic considering their common name. You will also need to crack windows in the house so the air blowing in can push the hot air out. Fail to do this and you will turn your house into a muggy swamp. Another good thing about them: you can quickly replace all the inside air with outside air whenever it gets cool out, at night, after a rain, etc. No wind required to blow through the windows. And actually there are thermostats you can buy to control them automatically.

I don't know why they are not more popular here.

[alexei27]

I was told by a number of realtors in the area that it was the aesthetic quality (or lack of) that is driving the push away from swamp coolers. There are very few newly constructed homes with swamp coolers. Personally I had both central air and the swamp cooler in my home in Layton...best combo you could ask for.

You do go through a lot more water....but I am pretty sure in the long run your carbon footprint (and utility bills!) will be so much less with the swamp cooler!!

I wish I could use one in NY where I live now

[eggalegga]

For an illustrative look at a swamp/evaporative cooler, click here.

I have Dial manufacturing's Digital Cooler Controller. It allows you to set the temperature for your swamp. Much better than those Select-a-stats of years ago. After you set the temperature, the cooler will come on when the temperature goes above that. The pumps comes on and wets the pads for about 4 minutes before the fan comes on.

I'm considering getting central air conditioning. I like the swamp cooler's cool much better than the frigid cool of central a/c. But I hate trying to find someone to service it twice a year and I really hate all the mineral deposits that it leaves in my house. I also like my low power bills with my swamp much better. But for resale value, central air is the way to go.

[stycotl]

my dad has a swamp cooler in his house in the upstairs hall window. it is the coolest (pun intended) thing in the world during the summer. southernbelle made the allusion to the misty waterfall, and that is exactly what it is. reminds me of calf creek falls and the thousands of other waterfalls hidden in the desert.

my wife and i just bought a house without any kind of air. i am going to put a swamp cooler in, and then central air a little later when we have more money.

good post southernbelle. aaron out.

[Aerorick]

We're starting the groundbreaking on a house we've been planning for a year and a half. It's not real big, 1400 sq ft, and is just for two people. We planned on a central unit for air and heating. But after looking closer at "swamp coolers" we've changed course on at least the cooling. We just got a small portable "cooler" for our present living conditions and are sold on them. We're in Southwest Utah and and the climate here is just perfect for them. Sure they don't get the place refrigerated but the moisture they put out is well worth the trade-off. And with the price of energy going to who knows where, keeping a house at 70-75 degrees for one-forth the cost of 68 degrees makes all the sense in the world. We do, however, have a couple advantages that make it more attractive. We have our own well so the water required is not an issue. And since we're building our own house we can design a large side duct in the wall so it can be mounting on a pad near the ground. Sound-damping might be an issue but I think they've come a long way with that.
I agree with the previous post that one reason they aren't as popular as they could be is their appearance and the fact that many of us just grew up with central air. But things are changing fast and they deserve a second look.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

It was 102 deg. today in Sugar House, with 11% humidity and my house is a little chilly to me. Keep in mind that I grew up in the Deep South where a/c was NEVER too cold and I carry a lot of personal insulation (i.e., overweight) and you might see why my friends back south are amazed at me liking my swamp cooler!

[griffin]

Swam coolers have drawbacks. Roof mounted ones are a pain when they have to be serviced, closed up for winter, and they invariably leak on the shingles, or worse, into the roof. Installers often "forget" to install the little overflow hose that should carry extra water off the roof and away from the house, so your indication of this is discolored shingles below the cooler on the roof. The best swamp cooler is a window mounted one because it can't do all these things, and is easy to service. I've recently had to remove a roof swamp cooler from a house that caused a lot of damage to the ceiling sheetrock when the pan rotted through and leaked all over. I personally find those cheapie window air conditioners you can get at Walmart a great way to cool a room, and they don't cost much to run, but for whole house, a window or through the wall mounted cooler is a better way to go than a roof mount, albeit it doesn't look as official.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Well, as a handicapped "old" lady, I don't climb on the roof! One of the nicer things about SLC is that there is always some guy in the neighborhood who comes over and asks if I need the thing winterized (drained, covered, and line disconnected in basement) or turned on for the summer. Also, there are handymen who advertise that they do this. In 7 yrs, my 2 have never leaked; 1st one just rusted out, was old when I bought the house and the 2nd one, now 6 yrs old, has a lot of plastic parts that can't rust. My house, being older, is square and the cooler is in the middle hall. It blows into every room and also handles the basement as cool air falls (and heat rises). I think I like that arrangement better than a window-mounted one, altho' I do appreciate your points about ease of service and the leak issue. Maybe I've been lucky?

[eggalegga]

Mine only leaked when I added a scale eliminator to my water line last year. The nut connected to one side of the scale eliminator cracked. No major damage as the leak was gradual. I've been in my house almost 10 years.

I keep my house at 82 when I'm not home, 78-79 when I'm home lounging around, and about 75-76 if I'm cleaning or moving around a lot.

In ten year, my highest power bill was $42. Not sure I really want central air. The air is too cool compared with a swamp and I don't want the power bills that might come once I get central air. But it sure would be nice to not have to deal with getting it serviced twice a year.