Mini Swamp Cooler (Arctic Air) - Legit?

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Back in the day before I could afford AC I made my own simple swamp cooler.
A plastic tub, couple blocks of ice, and a fan. Done.
It actually worked amazingly well.

Gotta have a supply of block ice though. Works better than just water.

Blowing air across a block of ice is not a swamp cooler.

Swamp coolers rely on evaporation. The phase change from liquid to gas absorbs heat.

They work well in low humidity environments as evaporation can occur rapidly absorbing lots of heat. They do add humidity to the air but that's often a good thing in arid environments.

In a humid environments, evaporation occurs much more slowly to the point where they offer negligible cooling and they make the already muggy air even more moist.

Have used a couple of those devices
They do work
Not as well as advertised in most cases
but they do work.
They work best in "Dry" Climates
And the science behind them is solid
Short of failure of the pump or blower there is almost no way they can not work.

Back in the day before I could afford AC I made my own simple swamp cooler.
A plastic tub, couple blocks of ice, and a fan. Done.
It actually worked amazingly well.

Gotta have a supply of block ice though. Works better than just water.

In general swamp coolers work well in arid climates, but don't work at all in humid climates. I think this is not understood by many people which is you get such varied opinion from people. I also think that the sellers of these type of system should do a better job of pointing out where they will and won't work. If you read most of the advertisements they are always great.

3 tons wrote:
I see little risk (at $40’ish), I cant attest to the durability but the swamp cooler principle has been well vetted for about a century…A nice back up when the generator wont start the air conditioner…

3 tons

and for only 20 bucks more you can get a second one.
bumpy

Search youtube and the 'net. Dozens and dozens of people in RVs who say it's largely a waste of money. The last thing I need in my RV, on a hot day, is more humidity in the air.

I’m sure it works, I just wouldn’t expect it to put out a lot of cool air. I’ve used large portable swamp coolers and they work well and move a lot of air.

I see little risk (at $40’ish), I cant attest to the durability but the swamp cooler principle has been well vetted for about a century…A nice back up when the generator wont start the air conditioner…

3 tons

If it sounds too good it probably is.