Swamp Cooler Sizing

The capacity of an evaporative cooler is measured in CFM, (cubic feet per minute). This
is the amount of air, in cubic feet, a swamp cooler will push through your home in one
minute.

A small window unit may be 2,500 CFM, while a whole house unit will be 6,000 CFM or
larger. Whether it is for a single room or a whole house, there is a simple formula for
determining the proper size of swamp cooler you need.

Figure the cubic feet of space you want to cool, and then divide that number by two.
The quotient will give you the CFM rating for the proper-sized swamp cooler.

For example, if you have a 1,500 square foot home with 8 foot-high ceilings:

1,500 x 8 = 12,000 cubic feet 12,000 % 2 = 6,000 CFM needed

Before you start your swamp cooler, consider these resource saving tips from the
Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona:

• If you can wait until the temperature reaches at least 85 degrees, you'll save 50% on water usage compared to starting it at 79 degrees.
  

• Turn on the water pump five minutes before turning on the fan. This will saturate the pads first, and make your cooler more efficient.
  

• In the evenings, or when it's relatively cool outside, run the cooler fan without the water pump.
  

• Use the fan only on rainy or high humidity days.
  

• Use ceiling fans to circulate air.
  

Water Usage

Typically a swamp cooler will have a float valve in the reservoir to maintain the water
level. This keeps water usage to a minimum but promotes the build up of scale on the
pads and reservoir pan.

To counter this problem, some coolers have been designed with a bleed off valve that
periodically drains water from the reservoir or a "sump dump" that flushes out the
contents of the reservoir including debris that accumulates from natural Aspen pads.

Both of these systems reduce scaling and keep the pads working efficiently, but they
also use substantially more water than a float system.

Swamp Cooler Pads

Much research has gone into the design of cooler pads and materials. Aspen pads are
effective and inexpensive, easy for the home owner to change, and are biodegradable
when disposed of properly. Synthetic fibers cost a little more and may last longer, but
they are seldom biodegradable and don't really cool much better than natural pads.

What is air cooling? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia .....

Air cooling is a standard method of system cooling used to method of dissipate heat. The object being cooled will have a flow of air moving over its surface. Most air cooling systems use a combination of fans and heat sinks, which exchanges heat with air.

Apartment, Air Cooler VS Air Conditioner, What's Better?

Q:
I live in a tiny little apartment, maybe 800 sq ft or so. I am in desperate need of something to cool down the air. It's in the 90's all the time and if it were just me and the b/f I wouldn't care, but we have 3 kids and 1 of them is a baby so cool air is a necessity.
I can't decide on whether to go with an Air Cooler or an Air Conditioner (either one would be the floor portable version for we have slider windows that aren't capable of holding window AC units). Obviously the AC wuld be better for it would be soo much cooler and all, but do the air cooler's work just as well? Are they good for making the room feel nice? I don't want to go the cheap route and buy the air cooler and it not work, but then again I don't want to spend more than need be and get the ac and the air cooler would have worked fine.
PLEASE HELP!!! WHAT WOULD YOU DO???

A:

It depends where you live.
If by air cooler, you mean an evaporative cooler, they work by passing dry hot air (desert southwest) over water using the heat to evaporate the water and cool the air. They work well in dry heat. But if you live in Alabama where the temp is 98 and the humidity is 17,000 you can forget an evaporative cooler. Then you need AC.

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Swamp Cooler vs Air Conditioner

Although swamp coolers and air conditioners were invented to turn hot air into cool, the science behind each method is quite different.
What is a swamp cooler? It’s just another name for an evaporative cooler. Water is used to wet absorptive pads around the sides of the cooler.
A fan or "squirrel cage" draws outside air through the pads and the air is cooled as the water in the pads evaporates.
The major benefit of this type of cooler is that you only need to power a water pump and a fan to draw the air through the pads.
They typically use between three and 10 gallons of water per day. That's equivalent to a few toilet flushes or, on the high end, a short shower.
Unless the relative humidity is less than a maximum of 40%, swamp coolers are not very effective. They work well in the Southwest, West Texas, and parts of Idaho, Washington, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. In these areas you could expect a swamp cooler to achieve a 15- 20 degree difference between outside and inside temperatures.
Also, for a swamp cooler to remain effective it must exhaust as much air as it takes in. This necessitates keeping a
window open. If you don’t, the humidity will rise and so will the temperature of the air blown from the cooler.
Air conditioning, on the other hand, is popular because it will reliably dehumidify and cool the air, no matter where you live. This how an air conditioner works:
The compressor compresses cool Freon gas, causing it to become hot, high-pressure Freon gas. This hot gas runs through a set of coils so it can dissipate its heat, and it condenses into a liquid.
The Freon liquid runs through an expansion valve, and in the process it evaporates to become cold, low-pressure Freon gas. This cold gas runs through a set of coils that allow the gas to absorb heat and cool down the air inside. Mixed in with the Freon is a small amount of lightweight oil that lubricates the compressor.
Swamp cooler cost vs air conditionerAs far as hard costs, evaporative coolers are less expensive than air conditioners. For example, a 4500 CFM evaporative cooler costs about $700 to purchase and install. A similarly sized AC unit would cost about $2,500. In addition, repair parts are often more expensive for AC units than evaporative coolers.
Which is cheaper to operate?The swamp cooler wins handily. For similar sized units, the annual utility costs for an air conditioner are three times those of a swamp cooler (water & electric).The difference is the amount of energy required to power an air conditioner compressor versus the electric motors used in a swamp cooler.
MaintenanceThe evaporative cooler can easily be serviced by any home owner with a minimum of mechanical knowledge, a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench. On the other hand, repair and maintenance of air conditioning systems should be left to professional service technicians.
Which is better for the environment?Unless you believe that soon to be outlawed R-22 refrigerant leaking into the atmosphere from your air conditioner is a good thing, the swamp cooler wins again. The swamp cooler maintains a Green profile by mimicking nature’s way of cooling.How an air conditioner or swamp cooler affects the indoor environment of your home is determined by the way each circulates the air. Although an air conditioner re-circulates the same air, it's helpful in controlling allergens such as dust and pollen.Since open windows are necessary when running a swamp cooler, you’ll be letting in everything the air conditioner keeps out.
Swamp Cooler vs Air Conditioner: Which one wins?I think swamp coolers are an inexpensive alternative to air conditioning if you live in Phoenix, Arizona or anywhere the humidity is around 30%. But if you call Little Rock, Arkansas your home, nobody’s going to talk you out of your air conditioner.