[Tfug] Tfug] *Way* OT: Swamp coolers, ACbrrs, etc

[Felix Tilley]

1.  The swamp coolers are ineffective when the dew point exceeds 55 
degrees F.  Also, you need to replace the excelsior or what ever, every 
year.  I used to run my swamp cooler when the dew point was 65 degrees 
F.  Totally useless.

2.  Don't switch between swamp cooler and air conditioning in the same 
season, as this may rust your furnace.

3.  Drain the swamp cooler when mosquito season starts.  And seal it 
off.  West Nile virus isn't funny.  This is usually in August.

4.  If you encounter any Cajuns, tell them a swamp cooler is not a cocktail.

5.  Running a swamp cooler is the difference between $80 per month and 
$200 per month in electric bills.

6.  A window or door has to be open to exhaust the air.  This can allow 
cats or other varmints to get in.

Felix in Tucson



>
>
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:53:29 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Bexley Hall <bexley401 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Tfug] *Way* OT:  Swamp coolers, ACbrrs, etc.
> To: tfug at tfug.org
> Message-ID: <994427.86750.qm at web32909.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Hi,
>
> This is *way* OT so, perhaps, answers off-list
> may be better?  (though I have found this topic
> usually interesting to hear "folk-lore" and 
> related pseudo-science...)
>
> As a Tucson-transplant, swamp coolers were a
> *huge* adjustment for me -- in psychological as
> well as practical terms!  The idea of putting 
> water *into* the air to make it more comfortable
> was, in my previous life experience, unheard of!
> (indeed, the goal was always to take water OUT
> of the air to make things even *tolerable*!)
>
> So, after many years, I have finally got a handle
> on when and why the cooler should be applied vs.
> the ACbrrr...  I've yet to undertake an empirical
> study of which is most *economical* to operate
> (if I get time, perhaps I will do that this week)
> though I have definite preferences about which I
> *like* best, and when...
>
> Now, I'd like to try to codify rules for when to
> use each of the above (we have dual cooling).  It
> would be nice to build an expert system to tackle
> this instead of relying on the "expert system" (ha!)
> in my *head*!
>
> But, this is a non-trivial algorithm!  (hence the
> beauty of an expert system approach)
>
> I think I can come up with an instantaneous assessment
> of what is right (or wrong!) to use -- but, that
> doesn't hold true when you think about "the rest
> of the day"...
>
> For example, we can typically get a 25 - 30 degree
> delta from outdoor temperature (based, of course, on
> RH, condition of the pads, etc.).  So, a simple
> rule of thumb for the cooler is:
>
> if (outdoor_temp > indoor_temp + 25)
>    dont_use_cooler;
>
> But, beyond that, it gets murky.  I.e. early in the
> day, the outdoor temperature *tends* to be on the
> rise.  So, even if the above conditional is false,
> it may be foolish to run the cooler since it will
> soon be *true*.  And, once all that moisture has
> been introduced to the house, running the ACbrrr
> thereafter puts a greater load on the ACbrrr to
> *remove* it (to achieve a given level of cooling).
>
> So, what have folks observed from their experiences
> here that might add something to a "respectable"
> ruleset?
>
> [Apologies if this is *so* far OT that it annoys...]
>
> --don