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PLEASE HELP!!! Swamp Cooler!!!

Nepenthesis

Formerly known as Pineapple
So my swamp cooler completely crapped out and the motor won't work anymore. I need urgent help on picking one. I won't be busy this month so I'll have time to work on setting it up, but it's urgent I get it now. I need help finding a swamp cooler that will work for me, or even JUST A SWAMP COOLER SELLING WEBSITE would be great!

What I'm looking for...
- Preferably a huge cube that would be able to sit on a shelf in my greenhouse right next to the wall where I can hook it up to the outside air
- Hose to hook up to outside easily
- Largest water tank possible
- 1000CFM, but as much as possible would be awesome
- Thing to put ice in would be greAT
- Around $275 max

Link me to anything you have in mind and it will be greatly appreciated! Even a website where I can look through would be good too. :)
 
Your price restriction eliminates any piece of equipment I'd recommend. Cheap stuff breaks easily. Oh wait, you already found that out. ;-)

This device is the LEAST expensive cooler worth consideration, IMO.
 
If you have a swamp cooler of any type of quality now... chances are the start/run capacitor has failed... I replace them all the time on mine (and on ac units actually) (I forget your age... get an adult to help?) Anyway, look at the wires that go to the blower and see if 2(usually) go over to a oval or round metal thing... If so, that's the capacitor. Unplug the cooler use something with a plastic or rubber handle but is metal and touch both terminals at the same time with it.. That will remove any potential voltage from it. Then unplug it and take it to a Naughtons or something, they can test it and get you a replacement... You may need the info off of the blower motor though if you can't read the label on old capacitor.
Good luck
andrew
 
Well I already boxed up the cooler and sent it back for a refund. They paid shipping and everything. I need to find another to replace it with. I am on a budget, but this cooler worked fine for me before it broke. It worked in my climate and it worked in my greenhouse. I just need to find another... So I mean any suggestions for a specific cooler or a website to buy from would be good because I can't fix the other one since it got sent back. Plus, some of the parts were broken off and laying in the water.... So IDK. :(

As I said, I'm looking to do it pretty cheap and my climate will allow that. I just need it for the summer months and to keep humidity up in winter months. That's all...
 
Unfortunately, "doing it cheap" often means buying a replacement unit every three months. It's called "false economy". This will be your second cooling unit on this project. I bet there's a third in your future.
 
Buy the one Whim recommends. The only way to save money in the long run, is to spring a bit extra now.
 
Whimgrider- I agree but, you already said that. :p


Pineapple- Why not mount it outside to have it blow inside rather than ducting outside air into it? Seems like that would open up some options. Have you checked craigslist.org? I bought 2 from there... I've used the old portable mastercool version mmb12 for years for my smaller g/h. I just added a $100 thermostat system to it. The new version, I was not impressed with so I now have a regular swamp cooler rather than a portable one. I still have a mmb8 sitting in the shed as my back up... It can barely do anything in either g/h but hey- when my cooler is down and it is a sunny 130f out- ANYTHING is better!!
Andrew

also, the one whimgrinder recommends looks pretty good.... It's one of the better units like I was referring to where parts can be bought and replaced locally and readily.
 
Ugh... I really don't want to drop $100 more on a swamp cooler, but IDK.... I'd have to talk to my dad and maybe go to HD with him to take a look at it if they had it. We would be able to see how it works better in person. So I will go check that out I guess.

Any other suggestions I could check out in the meantime? I have a tiny bit of time to look around before having to make my purchase. Right now all of my HLs are in LL conditions and my sphagnum is blackening from the low humidity in the greenhouse (but luckily 75% of it is around nep pots)... :(
 
Bumpity.

quagmire.gif
 
  • #10
Bump... :p
 
  • #11
Looks to me like you have already gotten some very good advice.
 
  • #13
I don't know anything about swamp coolers, but to give yourself more time you could make some temporary highland terrariums.???
 
  • #15
Any other suggestions I could check out in the meantime? I have a tiny bit of time to look around before having to make my purchase. Right now all of my HLs are in LL conditions and my sphagnum is blackening from the low humidity in the greenhouse (but luckily 75% of it is around nep pots)...

Just trying to help.
 
  • #16
Yeah, well I can get it to maybe 68F at night but it goes to around 85F during the day... Just because its summer. :(
 
  • #17
My parents said no... I need suggestions for something around $250-$275... Would you rather me not want to even spend $50? I mean I need help with this... Even just a place to buy that is reputable would be good. Maybe somewhere online IDK. ???
 
  • #18
In my part of the country, where it's too humid for swamp coolers to work well anyway, the solution would be go to Walmart or Lowes and get a small ac unit and a fogger. I don't know how big your greenhouse is, don't know if that would be feasable for your setup.
You would have to vent the back of the ac unit outside somehow, and crank up the fogger to counteract the drying effect of the ac unit.
 
  • #19
In my part of the country, where it's too humid for swamp coolers to work well anyway, the solution would be go to Walmart or Lowes and get a small ac unit and a fogger. I don't know how big your greenhouse is, don't know if that would be feasable for your setup.
You would have to vent the back of the ac unit outside somehow, and crank up the fogger to counteract the drying effect of the ac unit.

My parents specifically said they don't want an AC out there because it will eat up too much money in energy costs. Even if one doesn't cost too much, they still said no to the idea and they're no the people who will budge when it comes to putting an electrical thing outside.

I just need a freaking swamp cooler from somewhere. Does anyone have suggestions of places online I could buy from other than Air & Water? :)
 
  • #20
Have you checked Craigslist.org for a used something?
 
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