Swamp cooler

[JMurphy97]

I'm not sure I need this yet since I don't know how warm my basement will be in the summer at night. It can't be too warm since in the summer we go to the basement to cool off when it's 90 outside. I also plan on using a cool mist humidifier and maybe a fan to blow across the whole area. I pretty much know I won't need to run it in the winter. But would this be a good one to get? Does the price look good or bad?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Portable-Swamp-...DVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200088742723

 

[seedjar]

A swamp cooler is the same thing as a cool mist humidifier if I'm not mistaken. You'd probably do better to buy an air conditioner and an ultrasonic humidifier - more power efficient and easier to clean.
~Joe

 

[JMurphy97]

I have a small ultrasonic cool mist humidifier right now and it only cools it down maybe 2-5 degrees. The bigger they are do they cool more degrees?

 

[adnedarn]

No a cool mist humidifier does not hold a candle to a swamp cooler. And swaps are WAY more energy effecient than air conditioning. What you need to remember, is if you're going to keep the humidity high (which will happen by recirculating the swamp cooler air back through... They "should be" fed fresh air, and the old air blown out doors/ windows in opposing sides of the room/house) it will not work too well. But in a basement, I really can't see that coming a problem.
Andrew

 

[Joseph Clemens]

No a cool mist humidifier does not hold a candle to a swamp cooler. And swaps are WAY more energy effecient than air conditioning. What you need to remember, is if you're going to keep the humidity high (which will happen by recirculating the swamp cooler air back through... They "should be" fed fresh air, and the old air blown out doors/ windows in opposing sides of the room/house) it will not work too well. But in a basement, I really can't see that coming a problem.
Andrew

Unless, of course, you're in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or a similar location, where the humidity in Spring, Summer, and Fall is so naturally high, the cooling effect of evaporating water is almost zero.:-( It should work best in Winter, when the humidity is lowest. Whenever the ambient humidity is high, 50% or better, the evaporation of additional water into that air will provide little additional cooling.

 

[seedjar]

What I was getting at was that having a cool mist humidifier and a swamp cooler would be redundant. Swamp coolers are great, if you have dry air on your side to assist in evaporation, but they aren't a reliable source of cooling, nor are they an efficient source of humidity. Without knowing the specifics of the setup, I'm guessing that it would be better to invest in two separate devices that can work independent of favorable conditions.
~Joe

 

[JMurphy97]

Well I was guessing I would be using this to cool the area down in the warm months. I really wasn't thinking of getting this for added humidity since I'm using these humidifiers. So come to think about I wouldn't be using it in the winter since the basement here is going to as cold as I would need it.

 

[terrestrial_man]

All in one unit? Only a 1/4 gallon ice capacity that's 1 quart.
I agree better with units designed to handle a precise function than one that is supposed to deal with it all-seems like that such a unit that would really do the job necessary would cost alot more than $70USD.

What do you want to accomplish with this

 

[JMurphy97]

I just want it to cool down at night during the warmer months.

 

[philcula]

Yes. Any cooling device that draws warm, dry air through a series of wet pads will significantly cool down your growing area at night far better than an ultrsonic misting unit which does not draw air through wet pads. Swamps use a powerful fan system to pre-cool the air before it enters your growing area; ultrasonics do not provide air movement or exchange in any way...they only provide extra humidity and have a marked cooling effect only in the smallest of spaces ie. aquariums, etc.

So definitely go for the swamp cooler to help alleviate your night temps. Just remember one thing...in order for it to work at its best capacity the back of the unit with the wet pads needs to be drawing air from outside your growing area with only the face of the fan located inside..say through a pre-cut opening. You will also need an area for some air to escape as swamp coolers will also pressurize the air within the intended area. Hence the reason for hot air exchange or ventilation louvers located at the opposite end of the cooling air intake. You need some place for the old hot air to be exhausted. If you locate the unit inside the growing room you are only moving the same moist air around and swamp coolers will not work properly unless the air being pulled through it is dry and from outside the source air being cooled.

Sorry for rambling. Hope it helps

 

[Joseph Clemens]

I guess no one realized the point I was making.

If you are actually located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA your ambient humidity caused by "Lake Effect" is going to make any significant cooling by evaporation of water with any device, nearly impossible.

http://www.wunderground.com/US/WI/Milwaukee.html

Don't forget that on those rare summer days when it gets its hottest, it is also highest in humidity, especially when it is raining. The humidity is an important factor causing the heat to be even more oppressive than it otherwise would be.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Phil pretty much hit it on the head. I just think you will find this to be quite a project for installation of this particular unit in a basement. I constructed my own swamp cooler for my greenhouse. Unfortunately since we live in a humid continental region (Northern NY) the pads only work best at about mid july all the way through august. Spring cooling isn't really so bad because outdoor temperatures are just cooler anyways.