Well, it’s that time of the year to start thinking about the cooling season with the start-up of your swamp cooler. The experts at Affordable Service Plumbing, Heating, A/C, and Electric have some tips to help make your swamp cooler run well and cool more efficiently—but please be safe when working with your swamp cooler.
Pump. There are many choices in swamp cooler pumps, so don’t overdo it! Your pump is measured in cubic feet per minute or CFM. This lets you know how much water will flow out of the pump and onto your cooling pads. To effectively measure the CFM needed to cool your home, you need two measurements. Use the square footage of the area you would like to cool and multipy by the height of the ceiling, then divide by 2. A 1,500 square-foot home with a typical ceiling high of 8 feet would suggest that you need at least a 6,000 CFM pump to cool that area.
Bearings. Your swamp cooler has bearings that keep the squirrel cage (rib cage fan) operating smoothly. Purchase an oil that is specifically manufactured to oil the bearings. Typically, this will be a plastic bottle of thin oil with a pull-out nozzle that is designed to deliver oil to the fill holes in the unit. Keeping your swamp cooler’s bearing running smoothly is important for efficiency. More importantly, changing worn-out bearings can be an expensive task.
Pads. The key to cooling are healthy swamp cooler pads. Efficient swamp cooler pads distribute water more evenly, thus increasing the cooling area. Most manufacturers suggest that swamp cooler pads be changed at least every one to two years with our hard water. However, if you see scale build-up on the pads, you might need to change them sooner. Mastercool® swamp cooler manufacturers indicate pads should be changed every three to five years.
Safety. Remember that you’re dealing with water and electricity in the same compartment with a large squirrel cage fan. Injuries can and do occur. If you’re not comfortable with servicing your swamp cooler, give Affordable Service a call and schedule your swamp cooler to be serviced today.
Efficiency. Many of the swamp coolers made today use less energy than older models so more energy efficient models can help reduce your energy use. Many homeowners are also converting a swamp cooler to refrigerated air, which also means a reduction in your water bill. If you’re considering a conversion to air conditioning, call Affordable Service for a free estimate.
