Swamp Cooler VS A/C (Tucson: how much, buying a house, buying)

[ashmatical23]

I"m thinking of buying a house that has a swamp cooler. It is an older house, 1953 it was built and does not have A/C

I've never lived with a swamp cooler before. Will I die in the summer? Does anyone know how much it is to add A/C?

Thanks

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by ashmatical23

I"m thinking of buying a house that has a swamp cooler. It is an older house, 1953 it was built and does not have A/C

I've never lived with a swamp cooler before. Will I die in the summer? Does anyone know how much it is to add A/C?

Thanks

LOL, Ashmatical . . .

You won't DIE but you will be a little uncomfortable during the Monsoons which usually peak during July and August. Otherwise, the Swamp Cooler is fine.

[lizziegee]

We've lived with swamp cooling until just last year when we had central air and heat installed. It was tolerable but I just LOVED the AC and can almost say I could look forward to a Tucson summer now.

It ran us about five-grand a year ago but a pricey bit of that was the duct work. I know it's a Rheem with a 10-year warranty.

[BSUEcon81]

I have lived with a swamp cooler, so perhaps I will be able to contribute some perspective.

A properly maintained swamp cooler will keep your house as cool as you like and save you money on your power bill at the same time. One advantage I noticed right away is that a swamp cooler cools the interior much faster than a refrigerated unit because it does not contain a refrigerant that must be cooled down first. In an area with low humidity, such as Tucson, a swamp cooler may actually work better than a refrigerated A/C because it cools by evaporating water, instead of using a compressor to chill a refrigerant from a gas to a liquid.

Further food for thought: a number of years ago, I got to chatting with some people living in Albuqurque, another low humidity SW urban area. They reported that in Albuqurque even the mansions had swamp coolers because they were much more efficient, and tended to be quieter than refrigerated A/Cs. Also, in low humidity areas, they provide the added benefit of adding a small amount of humidity into the air, which would keep the interior more liveable.

Ultimately you must decide which is best for you. However, I would reccomend trying the swamp cooler out before switching to refrigerated.

I hope this helps.

[twojulybabies]

A swamp cooler is cheaper to run so that's a plus. If you have allergies, a swamp cooler is NOT ideal because you are basically cooling the outside air (you keep a window or door open when you run the swamp cooler). Also, as Bummer mentioned, it is hard for a swamp cooler to work efficiently in monsoon season because it cannot remove moisture (humidity) from the air ( well enough anyway). An A/C unit cools the air and removes moisture.

I am "lucky" (depending on how you look at it) to have both. I will start to use the swamp cooler shortly - maybe another couple of weeks, and only use the A/C during monsoon season. The flip side of having both, is 2 units to properly maintain and service. I am also having a heck of a time trying to find a programmable thermostat for dual cooling now that I have gone uber Green.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by twojulybabies

A swamp cooler is cheaper to run so that's a plus. If you have allergies, a swamp cooler is NOT ideal because you are basically cooling the outside air (you keep a window or door open when you run the swamp cooler). Also, as Bummer mentioned, it is hard for a swamp cooler to work efficiently in monsoon season because it cannot remove moisture (humidity) from the air ( well enough anyway). An A/C unit cools the air and removes moisture.

I am "lucky" (depending on how you look at it) to have both. I will start to use the swamp cooler shortly - maybe another couple of weeks, and only use the A/C during monsoon season. The flip side of having both, is 2 units to properly maintain and service. I am also having a heck of a time trying to find a programmable thermostat for dual cooling now that I have gone uber Green.

I agree, TwoJuly . . . "Dual Cooling" is the best solution.

Quite often I'll use the A/C during a warm afternoon and then switch to the Swamp after Sunset. As for allergies . . . I'd rather take my chances with the fresh outside air over the same old stuff recirculating day in and day out.

[sickofIL]

How about a little information on how each function.

The first thing is that swamp coolers and a/c work on the same principle, evaporation. A swamp cooler uses the inherant cooling abilities of evaporating water. A refrigeration system works on evaporation the gas that is in the system.

Any time you change a liquid to a gas you get a cooling effect, even when you boil water. The biggest difference between a swamp cooler and a/c is the temperature that the evaporation takes place.

With a swamp cooler, the water is evaporated and this cools the air. It's effeciency is dependant on the ambient humidity level. The higher the humidity the less cooling it can do. Hense no cooling during the monsoons. Because of this swamp coolers are only effective in dry climates.

The reason it is more energy efficient than a/c is because the water does not need to be condensed first. Water is already condensed at room temperature. But it can only cool to a certian point. A/c can cool to a much lower temperature because the refrigerant used boils at approx. -40F. A/c "removes" humidity by condensing the water vapor. This is the water that drains from your evaporator in your house or car.

A swamp cooler works in the same way as your body does at cooling. In a dry climate (Tucson) you don't get sweaty like you do in high humidity areas. This is because the sweat evaporates very quickly. This is what makes you feel cooler than when you are in humid places. In humid area the sweat doesn't evaporate because the air is already saturated with water so it soaks your cloths. It doesn't evaporate and cool your body so you feel hotter.

[stilldirrty]

I lived with Both. A swamp cooler is going to save a lot of money.

IT works really well, and it cools your house right away. Vs an air conditioner takes a while.

It doesn't work very well during July/August, Those two months it gets uncomfortable. But a cooler is comfortable to have besides the two months.

[ZonyPony]

As 2JulyBabe indicated, if you can get a place which has both, you're doing great. A swamp (or evaporative) cooler would still get my vote if you can't get both. The many reasons pro and con given above by all are excellent!

[Ponderosa]

When I lived in Tucson, we had a new house and it only had swamp. That was pretty much standard (mid 70s). I worked construction on Marved homes and never saw one that had AC. I know that has all changed now but mostly because people today are spoiled wusses. A swamp is all that is needed for a Tucson summer.