Evaporative coolers, also known as swamp coolers, are a specific type of portable air-conditioner that uses condensation to lower air temperature. Unlike the typical air-conditioner—which utilizes refrigerants that are bad for the Earth’s atmosphere—the swamp cooler uses the natural process of converting liquid into gas to extract heat from the air. Evaporative coolers are known for their autonomy from exhaust hosework, as compared to their normalized, portable-air-conditioner vented counterparts. However, evaporative coolers can—and should—utilize ventilation ductwork. Just because the cooler does not need to exhaust heat from the unit does not mean that hosework has no place with these devices. In actuality, swamp-cooler ducting is incredibly useful for bringing cool air into different areas of your home. Evaporative-cooler ductwork works by carrying cool air to more than one room, instead of merely cooling the room it is placed in. Evaporative-cooling ducts are a viable replacement for central air-conditioning and are more cost-efficient. Swamp coolers can only be used in dry environments, but those who find themselves in the correct climate can consider themselves lucky to use these eco-friendly, energy-efficient devices. However, you may be wondering:
• What is a ducted evaporative-cooler?
• How does a ducted evaporative-cooler work?
• Is ducted evaporative-cooling good for the environment?
• Is ducted evaporative-cooling expensive to run compared to central AC?
“Air Ventilator Orange”
“PVC Flexduct General Purpose Blue”
“Wind Handler Insulated TU”
What is a Ducted Evaporative-Cooler?
A ducted evaporative-cooler is a powerful, portable air-conditioner that is connected to a system of ventwork. It is the same as a normal evaporative cooler, except for the fact that a ducted evaporative-cooler should have enough cooling power to support a swamp-cooler hose. An evaporative-cooler vent will direct cool air to wherever you want inside your home. An evaporative cooler without portable-air-conditioner duct-work can only sufficiently cool one specific area, as air disperses throughout the room without a sense of direction. Swamp coolers without hosework expel air from their portable-air-conditioner vent, successfully cooling the room within which they are placed. However, even with open doors or even an open floor plan, areas that are further away from the cooler will take a longer time to be cooled. The distance from the evaporative cooler to these isolated rooms means that the air must slowly travel this space on its own accord. This is not the case for a portable-AC with hose-work! With your portable-air-conditioner vented by ductwork, the cool air is channeled directly to rooms for quicker cooling. Imagine it like this. When fish farmers are trying to restock lakes with marine life, they do not simply throw the fish out of their tanks one by one. The distance from the tanks in which the fish are contained is typically not close enough for the fish to be flung into the body of water. Instead, farmers will use a long tube or series of tubes like a water slide in order to safely deliver the fish to the bodies of water they are attempting to supply. This is one of the quickest ways to resupply a body of water with fish without having to move the entire tank. The same concept applies to the delivery of cool air via ductwork!
A ducted swamp-cooler should typically contain more cfm than a room air-conditioner. Hose-work from a portable air-conditioner brings cold air to multiple areas, which requires a strong unit to support it. Evaporative coolers are measured in units of cfm, or cubic feet per minute. The standard formula for measuring how much cfm is required for your home is to take the space you are cooling in square feet and multiple it by the height of the ceiling. This number would then be divided by two. If you—perhaps—desire to cool a 2,000 square foot house with 8-foot-tall ceilings, then you would need an 8,000-cfm swamp-cooler in order to support the correct ductwork.
However, even a powerful evaporative-cooler can be severely diminished if it does not have the proper ducting to accommodate it. Swamp-cooler hose-work requires excellent resistance to moisture and abrasions, as well as flexibility. Take our PVC Flexduct (General Purpose) Blue as an example. This lightweight, PVC hose features resistance to moisture, chemicals, and abrasions. It is also flexible and compressible—exhibiting every desirable characteristic of an amazing portable-AC unit vent-hose, as well as so much more.
Why are these specific characteristics necessary for evaporative-cooler duct-work? First and foremost, evaporative coolers are ventilating cool, moist air into your home. Having portable-air-conditioner tubing that will not succumb to water vapor is very important. For example, metal ducts that are not moisture-resistant will erode and rust over time, compromising the structure of your ductwork. PVC, on the other hand, is resistant to moisture, as well as other chemicals. The PVC Flexduct Blue that can withstand the ducting of water vapor, as well as withstand physical abrasions to its exterior. This is also advantageous for keeping your portable-air-conditioner vented. For swamp-cooler ducting, it is useful to have a hose that can endure the amount of physical toil it might face when being dragged around or pulled through walls. Flexibility will also allow you to easily route your ductwork through the interior of your home. The durable PVC Flexduct Blue—which can be manipulated into twists or turns, as well as compressed at a ratio of 4 to 1—is the perfect option for swamp-cooler ductwork. Even its signature, blue-PVC exterior will allow you to identify your hosework amongst other, similar quickly and easily within your walls! Powerful swamp-coolers require strong and resistant, flexible ductwork in order to properly keep your portable-air-conditioner vented.
How Does a Ducted Evaporative-Cooler Work?
A ducted evaporative-cooler works by pushing cold air through a series of hoses in order to cool down temperatures inside your home. The ductwork routes the cool air from the unit directly to the interior vents of your house. Ducted swamp-cooling starts the same way as typical swamp-cooling: with evaporation. As stated prior, swamp coolers remove the heat from the air by converting water to water vapor. The conversion of the liquid into gas dissipates the heat and creates cool, humid air in its place. Putting your running-swamp-cooler through ducts will allow the clean, cold breeze to be directed to other, potentially isolated rooms in your home. There are also different types of ducted evaporative-coolers. A side-draft swamp-cooler refers to a unit that is mounted on a wall or window, while the down-draft unit is one that is located on the roof. Wall units require side-draft swamp-cooler ducting while roof units need a downdraft swamp-cooler duct. These are long-worded terms to explain the obvious fact that wall units use hoses that go sideways, while roof units use hoses that go down. Swamp-cooler-duct installation can include two different types of evaporative-cooler ducting: semi-rigid or flexible. Semi-rigid ducts are more unyielding than their flexible counterparts but can still be manipulated. Semi-rigid ducts are malleable and can be bent by hand to form curves that do not need additional support to maintain their structure. This can be useful for applications where a duct needs to hold its shape without any extra help. However, when a job requires constant flexing, or access into tight, obstructed spaces, it is best to opt for flexible ductwork.
For many applications in the realm of the portable AC, flexible hose-work is the ideal choice. Semi-rigid, metal ducts are perfect for exhausting fumes and chemicals at extreme temperatures, but because portable air-conditioners do not require such applications, it is generally unnecessary. Again, flexibility and compressibility are the perfect attributes for a swamp-cooler air-duct. At Ducting.com, we have many options of flexible ducts that can be utilized for evaporative cooling. Compared to the PVC Flexduct (General Purpose) Blue mentioned beforehand, the items with Air Ventilator series exhibit similar features due to its PVC-coated compositions. However, the PVC Flexduct Blue displays better durability than the Air Ventilator because of the walls’ thickness.
The Air Ventilators, in return, offer more flexibility and compressibility. The Air Ventilator Orange Flexible Ducting, for example, can be pressed from a length of 25 feet to just over 2 feet in order for easier transport. This is especially useful for roof swamp-cooler ducting. Placing your swamp cooler atop your house is a common way to utilize the portable air-conditioner, as you can easily route your hoses through attic space to reach your interior rooms. Having a hose that is lightweight and compressible means you do not have to worry about lugging an entire 25-feet duct onto your roof.
Flexibility also comes in handy when you are routing your hosework through your home. Whether it is through your attic, walls, or ceilings, there is rarely a straight path from your cooler to the air vent you are trying to reach. Flexible ductwork allows you bend your hose to avoid obstacles and reach your destination. A ducted evaporative unit works by using ductwork to bring cool air to multiple areas of your house. However, flexible and compressible ductwork makes setting up and routing your hose more convenient—simplifying the process.
Is Ducted Evaporative Cooling Expensive to Run Compared to Central AC?
It is less expensive to run a ducted evaporative-cooler than it is to run central AC! This, of course, is subject to change depending upon your unit, how long you are using the air conditioner, and if you are using an automatic water pump. Generally speaking, however, the swamp cooler uses less electricity than central AC, making it cheaper to run. Evaporative coolers have fewer internal pieces that require electricity, as compared to a central AC which needs many more energy-consuming components in order to work. Swamp coolers typically need an exhaust fan (and perhaps a water pump, if you so choose to add it) to draw air into the unit. With only a couple of working components that requires electricity, the swamp cooler is an energy-efficient option that will cut costs on your monthly utility-bills. Evaporative coolers do need to be maintained—especially in preparation for the times of the year they will not be used—but with the right swamp-cooler-ducting supplies, it is a simple procedure that does not need to break the bank! Cooling pads should be cleaned around once or twice a year, especially after frequent utilization to avoid the growth of mold or any nasty allergens that might interfere with air quality. You should also plan on replacing these pads every 3 to 4 years. Pads can range anywhere from $5 to upwards of $100, with thicker pads being the most efficient. They can hold more water to stay wet longer. These are one of the few expenses required of your ducted evaporative-cooler, though you can also opt to purchase a water pump to automatically bring water to the tank located inside of the unit. This is perfect for stationary units such as rooftop, window, or wall swamp-coolers. Instead of having to travel through treacherous landscapes with a bucket of water to fill the tank of your unit, you can instead hook a water line directly to your unit. This autonomizes the swamp cooler, making it easier for you to simply enjoy the cool air being blown into your home.
Overall, swamp-coolers are cheaper to run than centralized AC due to their tendency to use less electricity. This is why many people opt to connect their swamp-cooler to ductwork, thereby replacing their central AC with a more cost-effective alternative. However, the most efficient hosework for air conditioning will be a flexible, insulated air-conditioning hose. Insulation that is built into your hose will preserve the temperature of the air that is being delivered into your home. This will ensure that the air stays cold and is not affected by any temperatures that might warm the outside of your hosework. At Ducting.com, the HVAC Insulated-Flex Ducting is the perfect choice for venting your portable AC. This insulated duct is composed of aluminum foil and PET-film layers, insulated with glass wool. It can handle temperatures between -20 °F and 160 °F, ensuring a consistent temperature. These hoses, just like many of our other hoses, are flexible and compressible—making them easy to handle and store. The efficiency of these hoses will keep the cost of swamp cooling low.
How so? An insulated hose will ensure that the temperature of the air inside the hose will be preserved as it travels from your unit to when it exits the ducts. With the air coming from your vents being so cold, you will not have to run your swamp cooler as long in order to cool your home. This will reduce the productivity of your unit, resulting in less work. The HVAC Insulated-Flex is the ideal choice when it comes to keeping your portable-air-conditioner vented. With its affordable pricing and efficiency, it will keep the cost of ducted evaporative-cooling low!
Is Ducted Evaporative Cooling Good for the Environment?
Yes, ducted evaporative cooling is good for the environment! Evaporative coolers are more energy-efficient than centralized air conditioners and are eco- and allergen-friendly. They also use evaporation instead of liquid refrigerants, which are common, dangerous chemicals in most air conditioners. Normal air conditioners house refrigerants, which leak dangerous chemicals that make their way into the Earth’s atmosphere. These chemicals contribute to greenhouse gases, which are directly responsible for the holes in our ozone layer. These holes allow for the Sun’s radiation to enter and warm the Earth, contributing to global climate change such as global warming. Evaporative coolers use a more natural, environmentally friendly process of cooling. Swamp coolers are also perfect for people with allergies or sensitivities to allergens. These units are constantly pulling in fresh air from the outside, filtering out dust and pollutants, and delivering clean air to your home. Because of their humidifying features as well, they are ideal for people with respiratory or allergy problems and can help ease symptoms such as dry skin or sinuses, cracked lips, or bloody noses. Of course, the humidity of your house should not exceed over 60%, as this can promote the growth of mold and bacteria. Keeping your moisture level between 30% and 50% is a good target-range for humidity.
As mentioned prior, the evaporative cooler does not require much energy to run because the exhaust fan is one of the few pieces of machinery that uses electricity. This is why people will opt to use ductwork to connect their evaporative coolers to their homes instead of using central AC. It is cheaper and more environmentally-conscious to have your portable-air-conditioner vented! The only downside, however, is that swamp coolers do not work efficiently in humid environments. Because these portable air-conditioners pump out cool, wet air, areas with already-high levels of humidity cannot accommodate for this.
The pressure gradient of water in the air will not allow for over-saturation. This means that past a certain limit, air will not permit water vapor to enter, rendering the swamp cooler ineffective. These moist climates tend to be on the eastern side of the United States. However, if you live in the western half of the United States, climates tend to be drier. As long as your moisture levels are under 60%, ducted evaporative-cooling will work for you and you can practice environmentally-friendly tactics to stay cool during the summer.
Evaporative coolers are hoseless portable-air-conditioners that use evaporation in order to remove heat from the air. Even though they can only be used in dry climates, they are environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient—making them the perfect replacement to general AC. Instead of utilizing chemical refrigerants or a plethora of internal machinery, the swamp cooler relies on the cooling powers of water and evaporation to cool and humidify the air. Evaporative coolers employ ductwork to connect the unit to the vents inside your home, bringing cold air to more than just one area of your house. This does mean that your ducted-swamp cooler must contain enough cfm to support such an endeavor. Keeping your portable-air-conditioner vented, however, is an easy task with insulated, flexible, and durable ductwork! An excellent unit requires excellent hosework. At the end of the day, most portable air-conditioners necessitate some sort of ventwork in order to function efficiently. Whether it is an evaporative cooler or a regular, portable air-conditioner, it is in your best interest to invest in high-quality, flexible ductwork!