Evaporative Coolers
Evaporative Coolers
Have you ever noticed how cool it feels near a waterfall on a hot summer day? That's evaporative cooling: the reduction in air temperature that occurs when water evaporates. Evaporative coolers, commonly called "swamp coolers," use this effect to cool homes. Evaporative coolers have a low first cost, use a lot less electricity than conventional air conditioners, and do not use refrigerants, such as chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), that can harm the ozone layer.
Evaporative Coolers |
Report on Evaporative Cooler Use
Evaporative coolers are major summertime residential water users. In Phoenix, 43 to 46 percent of the city's single-family homes use evaporative cooling, alone or in conjunction with refrigerated air conditioning.
Report on Evaporative Cooler Use |
Two-stage Evaporative Cooler
Getting out of a pool and standing in a breeze will help you feel cool, even on a hot day. This is the principle behind evaporative cooling. Evaporative coolers, often called "swamp coolers", are cooling systems that use only water and a blower to circulate air. In the system, warm, dry air is pulled through a water-soaked pad. As the water evaporates, a cooling effect on the surrounding air occurs. Evaporative coolers use only a fraction of the energy of traditional air conditioning systems. Unfortunately, except for in very dry climates, they may increase humidity to a level that makes occupants uncomfortable. Two-stage evaporative coolers do not produce humidity levels as high as that produced by traditional single-stage evaporative coolers.
Two-stage Evaporative Cooler |
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