Evaporative cooler

Garson007

Garson007

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So, it's almost summer and I'm looking for possible methods to keep cool in my bedroom. I'm not a big fan of air conditioners, especially since they also need an exhaust beyond making air unbreathable.

I'm on the lookout for portable evaporative cooler that can cool around 15 square metres. However, the internet has proven completely helpless in this regard - which is why I turn to you guys. Any recommendations? Where can I buy? Do the normal appliance brands even make these?
 
I am not a fan.

We have an industrial one on the roof of one of our departments.

It does "cool" but needs lots of special care to keep it running.

We have a portable one in one of the factory offices as well. More often than not it's running dry due to the mission of constantly refilling the thing.

What unbreathable? I don't get it.
 
Garson007 said:
the internet has proven completely helpless in this regard - which is why I turn to you guys. Any recommendations? Where can I buy?
Click to expand...
Nobody sells them because they are entirely unsuited to home use...

Just get a normal aircon...and no they don't make the air "unbreathable"...they literally change nothing beyond the temperature....its a simple heat exchange system not some demonic ritual.
 
I have a normal aircon in my bedroom.
It works fine

However I am looking for a ducted solution for the rest of the house.
Came across breezeair.

I also see that the are homes in waterfall estate that are bring built with evaporative cooling as opposed to aircon.
 
Evap coolers increase the humidity in the room, might not be good for a Library or office.

A cheaper form of aircon is called an inverter type unit, aparently use 30% less electricity than standard units.
 
I have two units from the other Australian evap cooling maker, Cool Breeze. They're fitted on the roof and have ducts to each room upstairs and the main inside living areas downstairs. I also have full aircons, but they're mainly for heating in winter because the evaporative cooling works so well in summer.

I can't comment about the indoor units, but can't imagine that they're nearly as efficient as the external units.

Evap cooling is brilliant for conditions in the Little Karoo, where it can get very hot. What's really pleasant is that it requires open doors and/or windows, so we can leave doors open to the stoep and live an uninterrupted inside-outside lifestyle. Regular compressor-driven aircon works best with closed doors and windows.

The evap cooling system always draws fresh air into the house. Because the air pressure inside is slightly higher than outside, dust is kept to a minimum.

My wife and I absolutely love it. No aircon smell. Air is scrubbed free of dust by the for large evap-pads/filters.

You can't of course dial in temperature as the cooling is a function of the external air temp and humidity. It works best in lower humidity, of course.
 
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Hi Arthur

I am also looking at the units that fit on the roof and feed the house thru ducts.

Are you living on the coast or inland ?
What are the weekly , monthly or yearly maintenance costs an effort?
Have you assessed the impact on your electricity bill ?
Do you run the evap coolers the whole day and night ? Or at scheduled times?

Thanks.
 
Hi

I did some extensive research on 4 different products that are available in the South African market. I drew floor plans with dimensions and submitted to several companies to provide quotes.

Finally chose coolbreeze d195 to cool 8 rooms. The company that imports the product offered excellent advice. The GM responds to emails and phone calls and offered advice on the design and installation. The installers are from a different company. They also offer good service. Barring one or two small issues with the installation they responded quickly and showed flexibility.

Also chose to install relief vents in all the rooms because sleeping with open windows is not possible in joburg. All vents are fully adjustable for flow and direction.
The installation is in progress. Initial estimate was 2.5 days , but it's turning out to be 4 days.
Let's see how this turns out...
 
When I moved from Joburg to the Little Karoo a few years ago we installed two Cool Breeze evap coolers. Double story house. One of the best things we've ever done. The systems basically run 24/7 from Decemberish to whenever it gets cooler ... they're still running today.

Apart from the cooling - which is enough to keep the house pleasantly habitable in summer - the next best thing is that you have constantly fresh and clean air, doors and windows open (required for it to work), and no dust from outside. The house air pressure is slightly higher than outside, so no/little dust intrusion.

Another advantage: You can run the fan in reverse, so it becomes a massive extractor, which has been a boon when something's gone wrong with the cooking or the fireplace.

Pity you can't keep doors/windows open - it makes the system so much more pleasant than aircon.

And of course they use a fraction of the energy of aircons. Just the fan has to run, no compressor.
 
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Hehe. Am on a phone and so didn't see my previous reply from last year, just two or three posts above. Sorry for repeat.

Good luck with your new system.

The guy who supplied and installed mine moved back to Joburg a few years ago. First name is John with surname beginning with B.
 
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Arthur said:
Hehe. Am on a phone and so didn't see my previous reply from last year, just two or three posts above. Sorry for repeat.

Good luck with your new system.

The guy who supplied and installed mine moved back to Joburg a few years ago. First name is John with surname beginning with B.
Click to expand...

Hey Arthur
I use the same guy that you used. He is back in George this weekend.

The system is running today. Absolutely awesome feeling to walk into a cool fresh environment.
 
midnightcaller said:
Hi

I did some extensive research on 4 different products that are available in the South African market. I drew floor plans with dimensions and submitted to several companies to provide quotes.

Finally chose coolbreeze d195 to cool 8 rooms. The company that imports the product offered excellent advice. The GM responds to emails and phone calls and offered advice on the design and installation. The installers are from a different company. They also offer good service. Barring one or two small issues with the installation they responded quickly and showed flexibility.

Also chose to install relief vents in all the rooms because sleeping with open windows is not possible in joburg. All vents are fully adjustable for flow and direction.
The installation is in progress. Initial estimate was 2.5 days , but it's turning out to be 4 days.
Let's see how this turns out...
Click to expand...

Cost?
 
HavocXphere said:
Just get a normal aircon...and no they don't make the air "unbreathable"...they literally change nothing beyond the temperature....its a simple heat exchange system not some demonic ritual.
Click to expand...

I can sympathise with where he's coming from. I'm not a fan of aircons either. I don't know what it is, but I start feeling sick if I spend too much time in an air-conditioned room. It has nothing to do with the temperature either.
 
Update:
So the evaporative cooler is paying of big time.
House is a lot cooler during the day as summer is starting.

Running it in the evening to bring in fresh air from outside.
Air quality just feels better.
Less dust in the house as well.
 
Cannot comment financially.
It uses water and the fan is 750w.

The motor speed goes from 1 to 100. So far , I have been running it on 1.

The comfort and convenience because SO is at home full time .
 
Zewp said:
I start feeling sick if I spend too much time in an air-conditioned room. It has nothing to do with the temperature either.
Click to expand...
Actually it does. Lower temps > Lower immune system response > More sick
 
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