Many hi-desert households rely on an evaporative cooler, or swamp cooler, to keep cool when temperatures rise. Reporter Mike Lipsitz offers some tips on how to get the most out of your swamp cooler…
Most evaporative coolers have six settings: Pump, Hi Cool, Low Cool, Hi Vent, Low Vent, and Off. Many people instinctively start their cooler by turning the dial from Off to Hi or Low Cool. It’s a practice that will keep the cooler from producing the coolest air possible because water being distributed over the pads will evaporate too quickly to cool the air flowing over them. You’ll be far more comfortable if you first turn your cooler to Pump and let it run for about five minutes then turn the dial to Hi or Low Cool. This allows the pads to become thoroughly saturated before drawing outside air through them. You’ll enjoy the coolest air your cooler can deliver, usually 25 to 30 degrees below the outside temperature. In the evening, when the outside temperature drops, you might want to set the dial to Hi or Low Vent.
