Air leaving a well-maintained evaporative cooler can approach the outdoor wet bulb temperature, so in a hot dry climate it can drop air 20 to 30 degrees F using only a fan and a small pump. It adds humidity and needs open windows or relief paths, and it does little on humid days. Pads, water distribution and bleed-off need regular service to control scale and odor.
Swamp cooler on the shop is barely cooling, pads are crusted with scale and half the drip lines are plugged.
Also heard as
- evaporative cooler
- evap cooler
- desert cooler
Related terms
Wet bulb
The temperature a wet-wicked thermometer reads in moving air, lowered by evaporation in proportion to how dry the air is.
Relative humidity
The moisture in air as a percentage of what would saturate it at the same temperature, the number a humidistat shows.
Cooling tower
Equipment that cools condenser water by evaporating a small part of it into an airstream.