Air Coolers vs aircon

It must be mounted to a timber structure in the roof.
Do not jyst screw it to the ceiling.
Do not screw it into the battens.
Rather build a support attached to the trusses....
 
Air Coolers can be effective, but you need quite a big one to cool a house nicely. They're also very sensitive to humidity in the air as a by-product of their cooling is humid air, so if the air is already very humid it can't cool it much more. That said , i know someone with a big unit in their house and it can bring the internal Temp down by 6-8C when at full tilt on a dry day.

Ceiling fans are good, they work like most fans by moving air around so they cool using the wind-chill effect, where you have need to feel the wind.

AC's we all know are the ultimate for dropping and increasing temperature. They are extremely effective and in Inverter range, also extremely economical. But, high cost of purchase, install and they need maintenance once a year to maintain warranties etc.

What does differ greatly, and i've seen this in people's houses is the amount of insulation, the how much sun it gets, furniture etc.

My previous town house had think pink in the ceiling, the 500 one i think is its code - quite thick. It was completely useless, our lounge was 30C in the summer, and 8C in the winter lol... I've been in some people's houses with insulation obviously done right and it can make a world of difference.
 
In this Thread they refer to Air Coolers.
I know it as an Evaporative Cooler.

I'm no expert and have done no research, but these are my thoughts.

Here are the Pros and Cons of both:

Evaporative coolers are cheaper to buy & run.
But you generally put them on throughout summer.
They use water.
Lots of water.
6 to 8 liters per hour.
They can cool, but they cannot heat.
You usually fit it centrally with ducts in the various rooms you wish to cool.

Air Conditioners cost more to buy and run.
You only run them when needed.
No water use.
Can heat.
Usually 1 per room.
You need 337 btu per m2.
 
Last edited:
Insulation:
It is a requirement that all areas built after 2008 contain a minimum 135mm thick insulation.

The law should be retrospective, but isn't.

Aerolite (Think Pink) & Isotherm (green) are the best, in my view.
You also Fabufil (white).

I install a lot of Isotherm for clients.

I only install 135mm thick, if the client wants 100mm or 75mm I refuse ~ waste of time.

Think Pink is itchy, my guys don't like working with it.

Fitting any cooling and NOT having insulation is just plain stupid.
Insulate 1st.

PS, I do not like these Eco, blow in, vermiculite type insulations, they are fire retardant, not fire proof.
They make a mess when doing ceiling replacement.
 
Last edited:
neoprema said:
Air Coolers can be effective, but you need quite a big one to cool a house nicely. They're also very sensitive to humidity in the air as a by-product of their cooling is humid air, so if the air is already very humid it can't cool it much more. That said , i know someone with a big unit in their house and it can bring the internal Temp down by 6-8C when at full tilt on a dry day.

Ceiling fans are good, they work like most fans by moving air around so they cool using the wind-chill effect, where you have need to feel the wind.

AC's we all know are the ultimate for dropping and increasing temperature. They are extremely effective and in Inverter range, also extremely economical. But, high cost of purchase, install and they need maintenance once a year to maintain warranties etc.

What does differ greatly, and i've seen this in people's houses is the amount of insulation, the how much sun it gets, furniture etc.

My previous town house had think pink in the ceiling, the 500 one i think is its code - quite thick. It was completely useless, our lounge was 30C in the summer, and 8C in the winter lol... I've been in some people's houses with insulation obviously done right and it can make a world of difference.
Click to expand...
Think pink only works IF at least 100 mm thick. 150 mm is better. There is a chart dealing with this where the thickness is specified per location in SA.

Now most people go and get the thin version and put down one layer, usually less than 50 mm thick and then complain that it is useless.

roofinsulations.co.za

Aerolite Insulation Energy Saving Insulation For Homes

Installing Aerolite Insulation offers a lifetime of home comfort an energy savings, the Aerolite Ceiling Insulation is the premier version saves energy
roofinsulations.co.za roofinsulations.co.za
 
Mannydefreitas said:
In this Thread they refer to Air Coolers.
I know it as an Evaporative Cooler.

I'm no expert and have done no research, but these are my thoughts.

Here are the Pros and Cons of both:

Evaporative coolers are cheaper to buy & run.
But you generally put them on throughout summer.
They use water.
Lots of water.
6 to 8 liters per hour.
They can cool, but they cannot heat.
You usually fit it centrally with ducts in the various rooms you wish to cool.

Air Conditioners cost more to buy and run.
You only run them when needed.
No water use.
Can heat.
Usually 1 per room.
You need 337 btu per m2.
Click to expand...
They don't use 6 to 7 liters an hour, we have a 15l one and it's used in 7 hours, the little 3l one uses that in about 4 hours.
They work well in low humidity areas, throw in a ceiling fan and you can cool a room down
 
Lupus said:
They don't use 6 to 7 liters an hour, we have a 15l one and it's used in 7 hours, the little 3l one uses that in about 4 hours.
They work well in low humidity areas, throw in a ceiling fan and you can cool a room down
Click to expand...
Are yours the mobile obes or one that is mounted on the roof serving the entire house...?
 
Geoff.D said:
Think pink only works IF at least 100 mm thick. 150 mm is better. There is a chart dealing with this where the thickness is specified per location in SA.

Now most people go and get the thin version and put down one layer, usually less than 50 mm thick and then complain that it is useless.

roofinsulations.co.za

Aerolite Insulation Energy Saving Insulation For Homes

Installing Aerolite Insulation offers a lifetime of home comfort an energy savings, the Aerolite Ceiling Insulation is the premier version saves energy
roofinsulations.co.za roofinsulations.co.za
Click to expand...
They come in 50, 75, 100, 135 and sometimes 145mm thick.

Using anything under 100mm thick is a waste of time.

Referring to Aerolite and Isotherm here....
 
Can anyone install an split unit today?

Do they come pregassed?
 
Mannydefreitas said:
In this Thread they refer to Air Coolers.
I know it as an Evaporative Cooler.

I'm no expert and have done no research, but these are my thoughts.

Here are the Pros and Cons of both:

Evaporative coolers are cheaper to buy & run.
But you generally put them on throughout summer.
They use water.
Lots of water.
6 to 8 liters per hour.
They can cool, but they cannot heat.
You usually fit it centrally with ducts in the various rooms you wish to cool.

Air Conditioners cost more to buy and run.
You only run them when needed.
No water use.
Can heat.
Usually 1 per room.
You need 337 btu per m2.
Click to expand...
You are missing the biggest issue with evaporative coolers, and that is they need a low air humidity to operate.
 
I have a mate who installs them in Kimberly.

He says they work very well.

It's very hot and dry there...

This is his reply to me asking about them...

"Pro's

It is healthy, it is not recycled air that is continuously cooled and distributed back to the room, With evaporative cooling fresh air is sucked in over cooling pads and natural cooling via evaporation is done, every 2 minutes you have completely fresh air in your house.

It is cost effective, It runs at 1/10 of the price of 1 split unit and it cools your entire house.

It is very effective in less humid regions.

Fot me it is a very comfortable cooling method, refrigeration aircons tend to make it too cold and when it switches off it becomes hot fast. (but that is my opinion)

It doesn't dry out the air in your house , so you can leave it on while sleeping it, wont give you a dry nose like refrigerant aircons do.

It work very well with solar, the motor is "soft start" and running amps wont be more than 5.4Amps.

Services are easy, people with little technical knowledge can repair it. Not a specialised refrigeration technician.

Parts are relative cheap.


Cons

It cant do heating in Winter.

It is central system, if the one rooms occupant gets cold easily.........tuff **** for him/her get a jacket.

If you don't have water, you don't have cooling!!!!! Get a Jojo

Humid days they don't work well. (But still okay and if design is correctly done the effect is less)

Only Cnuts don't buy it..."
 
Mannydefreitas said:
I have a mate who installs them in Kimberly.

He says they work very well.

It's very hot and dry there...

This is his reply to me asking about them...

"Pro's

It is healthy, it is not recycled air that is continuously cooled and distributed back to the room, With evaporative cooling fresh air is sucked in over cooling pads and natural cooling via evaporation is done, every 2 minutes you have completely fresh air in your house.

It is cost effective, It runs at 1/10 of the price of 1 split unit and it cools your entire house.

It is very effective in less humid regions.

Fot me it is a very comfortable cooling method, refrigeration aircons tend to make it too cold and when it switches off it becomes hot fast. (but that is my opinion)

It doesn't dry out the air in your house , so you can leave it on while sleeping it, wont give you a dry nose like refrigerant aircons do.

It work very well with solar, the motor is "soft start" and running amps wont be more than 5.4Amps.

Services are easy, people with little technical knowledge can repair it. Not a specialised refrigeration technician.

Parts are relative cheap.


Cons

It cant do heating in Winter.

It is central system, if the one rooms occupant gets cold easily.........tuff **** for him/her get a jacket.

If you don't have water, you don't have cooling!!!!! Get a Jojo

Humid days they don't work well. (But still okay and if design is correctly done the effect is less)

Only Cnuts don't buy it..."
Click to expand...
It's the same air that's sucked in over the cooling pads that later ends up smelling like a wet hond. Not different from aircon except in efficiency.
 
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