Large Scale Central

Swamp coolers

Modeling
#1

Does anyone know of a supplier of swamp coolers aka evaporative air conditioners?
Or how to build a model of them?

Roger

#2

Real or miniature? The Home Depots out here in Colorado are neck deep in the real ones. In terms of miniatures, they’re–quite literally–big metal boxes with louvers on all four sides, not too unlike an A/C heat exchanger but without the fan on top. Typiclal sizes for a residential unit range from 3’ to 5’ cubes. They’re usually mounted on the rooftop, though there are window units as well.

Inside the cooler, the bottom is a pan of water with a small recirculating pump that pulls that water up and runs it through the fiber media that line the inside of the louvers. Air gets drawn across this now quite damp media via a blower (or sucker, as the case really is), cools off, and gets circulated through the house. They work well in dry climates where the air can pick up moisture. Not so good in humid climates.

Later,

K

#3

Kevin

Thanks for the info. I thought they were about 4 ft cubes. The louvers will be the hard part

I lived in El Paso 26 years ago. Here in northeast Texas they don’t work, so no one even knows what one is, much less having one to look at and measure.

Roger

#4

I used a swamp cooler while living in Dallas. They were pretty common around there in the early 80’s.
On humid days, we would turn off the water and just run the fan. The big squirrel cage blowers would move some serious air.
Ralph

#5

I agree with the 4 x 4 box and would think you could use screen wire or something like that to represent the ventilation. In the 60’s that was the way the farm house was cooled in Oklahoma and it was quite affective. Usually a very dull gray color with the vent areas being darker.

#6

Here’s one on an old building in Carlin, NV:

(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Carlin_NV_files/Media/IMG_3086/IMG_3086.jpg)

I got some more swamp cooler pics on this year’s trip, which I will post shortly. (Just got back yesterday afternoon, still trying to get caught up.)

#7

Used to be some screen made that sort of looked like louvres. Might check with the local glass shop. Would not find it in a big box store.(hate them)

#8

All we use here on the desert is swamp coolers. Ours is 3x3x3 and mounts through the wall like the one pictured. I installed one through the wall in the workshop too but it’s smaller.