Maintaining cool and comfortable temperatures in Arizona is critical. Evaporative coolers have become a popular solution because of being eco-friendly and affordable. Knowing how effective they are in the hot and arid environment of Arizona can help you decide if it’s the best cooling solution for your home or business.
Understand How Evaporative Coolers Work
Evaporative coolers can be used in a variety of environments – homes, RVs, warehouses, office buildings, and more.
Whether you have a large evaporative cooler installed on the roof or a portable one that you place in an open window, these coolers work well when windows and doors are open. It ensures that warm indoor air escapes and is replaced by cooled air. Additionally, it ensures that you have a constant source of fresh air circulating within your space.
The systems are known as swamp coolers because of the moisture released into the air. Just as central AC dehumidifies, swamp coolers humidify.
Air passes over water-saturated pads known as cooling media. The water evaporates into those pads so that the cooler air is pushed out into the environment. It’s not uncommon for an evaporative cooler to reduce the temperature inside of a building by 20 to 30 degrees. When you consider that Arizona temperatures can quickly exceed 100 degrees, you need an option that works quickly and effectively.
Humid vs. Arid Conditions
It’s important to understand the weather conditions in Arizona to determine when you should and shouldn’t be using an evaporative cooler.
During the summer months, you experience arid conditions. The air is both hot and dry. When the air is dry, the evaporative coolers perform well because the air crossing the wet cooling media carries water molecules into the environment. It ensures the evaporating process is working precisely the way that the cooler is meant to work.
During the monsoon season and throughout the fall, you will start to encounter more humidity in the air. This is when the evaporative coolers will cease to be as effective. As soon as there’s 50% humidity (or more) in the air, the evaporative process doesn’t work as well. There’s too much water in the air, so the evaporative coolers won’t be able to reduce the temperatures as dramatically as you wish.
Depending on the environment you work in, you may find that it’s beneficial to have both an evaporative cooler and central AC. You would only need to rely on central air conditioning when the humidity levels are high. Otherwise, you can take advantage of the more cost-effective evaporative cooler when the temperatures are scorching.
How Evaporative Coolers Can Vary
Evaporative coolers come in a variety of sizes, allowing you to cool a single room or a large open space. Systems can be mounted in various locations, and without ductwork, making them a cost-effective solution in comparison to central AC.
You will be able to find models rated anywhere from 1,000 CFM to 60,000 CFM to get the actual air delivered that you need. Additionally, you can find ones that offer various accessories, such as:
- Cooling towers
- Misting systems
- Misting fans
It allows you to take your evaporative cooler to the next level to cool your space and take advantage of more humidity in the air. This is particularly useful if you have a greenhouse, a produce stand, or even a farm in Arizona.
As you shop systems, you want to make sure that it is installed where it works for you. Not all systems are built the same, so you’ll want to look for stainless steel construction as well as a high-efficiency cooling media. Further, you’ll want to consider the size of the motor so that it is capable of cooling your space as quickly as desired.
At Premier Industries, Inc., you can explore how residential, commercial, and industrial evaporative coolers are built and how they can be customized. Custom options can include thermostats to give you more control over the temperature and humidity level, the type of housing, how the unit is configured to discharge, and more.
Get the Most Out of an Evaporative Cooler
The reality is that evaporative coolers work exceptionally well in Arizona because the hottest months are also the driest. Regardless of whether you’re cooling a home or a business, you want to make sure that everyone is comfortable. There are a few things to consider so that you can maximize the benefits of a swamp cooler.
Installation
Where you install your evaporative cooler is critical. It’s all about location, location, location. There are various ways that you can install – and you should have a professional provide you with recommendations based on where the air is entering the building. In some instances, you may even want a portable unit. This way, you can move it around based on where the air is coming in – and where the most people are. With portable units, you may be able to get a smaller unit simply because of your ability to move it around as needed.
Low Maintenance
One of the great things about an evaporative cooler is how low maintenance they are. You’ll want to choose to run this unit over a central AC unit for as long as you can in Arizona. Let it save you money on electricity. You’ll simply need to change the cooling media as recommended by the manufacturer.
When the unit isn’t in use, you can winterize it. That way, it will be ready for the hot, dry summers again next year.
Operation
You’ll have the ability to control the evaporative cooler to set the temperature and humidity levels so that everyone is comfortable. By adjusting vents and using the thermostat, you can determine how the air moves through your location.
In no time, you, and everyone around you can tolerate the hot Arizona summers with ease.
Knowing all of the benefits and features of an evaporative cooler demonstrates how useful it can be to you in Arizona. You can use it throughout the hot and dry months to gain comfort and save money on your energy bills.
