June 17, 2021

Temperatures are rising, and many places are already seeing heat waves. Are you ready for the Texas summer heat?

If not, or if you’re looking into climate control solutions anyway, you might be interested in learning about the innovations of evaporative cooling. In this post, we’ll be talking about everything evaporative coolers.

What is an Evaporative Cooler?

An evaporative cooler is a type of air conditioner that cools the air through the power of evaporation. As water evaporates, turning from a liquid into a gas, it cools whatever it’s touching.

You’ve probably noticed that the air is cooler around a body of water on a hot, sunny day. That’s evaporation at work! That’s also why we sweat; our sweat evaporates off our skin and cools us down.

Evaporative coolers harness this power in order to work as air conditioning. The unit takes in the hot air around it and sends it across its cooling pads.

The pads soak up water from a tank in the cooler, like a sponge, and saturate all of its layers. Water evaporates off the pads, cooling the air. The unit then releases that cooled air back into the room.

Why Use an Evaporative Cooler?

There are many benefits to using an evaporative cooler over other air conditioning systems:

• Evaporative coolers lower the temperature in a room by up to 20 degrees without sucking out all the humidity. Even in humid environments, traditional air conditioners can lower the humidity level in a building to the point that people inside can experience dry skin. Evaporative coolers cool the air using water, so humidity doesn’t get lost along the way.
• Evaporative cooling can clean the air, reducing allergens. When water evaporates, it leaves behind any non-water stuff. Air that passes through an evaporative cooler, especially one equipped with allergen reducing microfiber-enhanced cooling pads, gets cleaned through evaporation. Any gunk that may have been in the air gets stuck in the pads instead of your nose.
• By using water instead of Freon to cool down the air, evaporative coolers are more environmentally friendly than traditional air conditioners.
• If you are conscious about energy consumption, evaporative coolers use less than half the electricity an air conditioner uses. Evaporative coolers only use 1.5 kilowatts of electricity, which is good for the planet and your wallet.
• You can even use an evaporative cooler outdoors. If you want to sit out on the porch or patio but it’s just too hot, an evaporative cooler can cool down your favorite spot and make it usable again.

Evaporative Coolers: Facts and Figures

Did you know that an evaporative cooler can save you up to 30% on your energy bill? It’s true! The cost of running this type of cooling unit only costs about one dollar per 8 hour day using home electricity.

They’re not just for cooling tiny rooms, either. At Preferred Climate Solutions, we offer Portacool evaporative cooling units. Their JetStream 220 unit can cool up to 700 square feet, and that’s just the smallest unit. The largest we offer is the JetStream 270, which can cool up to a whopping 5,625 square feet at a fraction of the cost of operating a traditional air conditioning unit.

Cons of an Evaporative Cooler

We’ve talked about the benefits of evaporative cooling, now let’s look at the aspects that may make it the wrong choice for your needs. Here are the cons associated with an evaporative cooler:

• Frequent Maintenance

Because evaporative coolers are constantly passing the air through their cooling pads, sediment can build up in the unit. When using the cooler constantly, such as during summer, the pads and filters need to be changed as frequently as once per month. Otherwise, you’ll need to change them twice or more while they’re in use.

You will also need to check for and clean out any sediment buildup throughout the unit regularly. The unit requires deep cleaning every year to keep it running smoothly and safely. However, you can perform all the routine maintenance by yourself without having to call in a professional.

• Not Ideal for Humid Climates

Evaporative coolers add humidity to the air as part of their operation. Because of this fact, they can’t work as effectively in places that are already humid, if at all. In places that are mildly humid, an evaporative cooler may add humidity and exacerbate any problems with humidity such as mold growth.

• Not Ideal for Locations with Limited Access to Water

As you can imagine, these machines use water. While they are environmentally friendly in the sense that they aren’t using harmful Freon to cool the air, they are not ideal for use in places that frequently experience droughts. You should also refrain from using them when your area is under water use restrictions.

They would be effective in desert climates, but not without free and ready access to water. If you’re conserving water, don’t use an evaporative cooler.

• Not as Cold as an Air Conditioner

Evaporative coolers cool the air naturally. As with a lot of natural things, it’s not as powerful as industrial solutions. Where an air conditioner can get you pretty much as cool as you want, evaporative coolers are limited to about a 20 degree or less decrease in temperature.

If it’s 115 degrees in the shade, an evaporative cooler might help a little but it won’t get your house down to a cool 72 like a traditional air conditioner might.

As we discussed, evaporative coolers are a natural, energy efficient method of cooling that can save you a good chunk of money on your energy bills. They use water instead of Freon to cool the air, and even clean the air as they cool it. However, they do have some drawbacks, mostly depending on where you live and how much maintenance you’re comfortable with.

If you’re interested in trying out an evaporative cooler for yourself, we can certainly help! At Preferred Climate Solutions, we’ve been providing the Dallas-Ft Worth, Austin and Houston areas with top of the line HVAC services for the better part of 17 years. Contact us today to ask about our evaporative cooler renting options or for more information. We have the experience to help you with all your heating and cooling needs.

Spot coolers are a great way to cool off in the summer heat. They’re efficient, affordable and compact. In this article we will address some of the top things you should know about spot coolers.

How Spot Coolers Work

Spot coolers work by sucking in the air around them and sending it across a closed-loop coil which contains refrigerant. The coil not only cools the air but also reduces the humidity of it.

After the air passes over the coil, the supply vent pumps cold air back out into the room. Most spot coolers have adjustable vents so you can point the cold air wherever you need it. The cooler releases any excess heat up through a flexible tube usually connected to a ceiling vent or pointed out a window or door.

Condensation from the cooling and dehumidifying process collects in a container. When the container is full, the spot cooler automatically shuts off to allow you to empty the container of water. Once you return the empty container, you can restart the cooler cycle.

Spot coolers cool and dehumidify their immediate surroundings. So, they are a good option for rooms that require consistently low temperatures and humidity levels. Because they only cool a small area, spot coolers are ideal for cooling select locations such as server rooms without the inefficiency of using the central cooling system.

How to Install and Use a Spot Cooler

Spot coolers are easy to set up and use. Once you have one, either by purchasing or renting it through Preferred Climate Solutions, the next step is to take it to the location where you need it.

There is no installation involved with using a spot cooler, so your next step is to set up the exhaust vent and plug in the unit. Simply connect the exhaust tube to a ceiling vent, point it outside, or point it away from the area you want to cool if you are using it outside. Now all you have to do is plug it in and play, or in this case turn the unit on.

When you are finished using the spot cooler or the water tank gets full, make sure the unit is turned off. Remove the container and empty it outside or into a drain, then replace the container.

How to Maintain a Spot Cooler

Maintaining a spot cooler is easy. All you have to do is replace or wash the air filter regularly, and keep the unit clean.

How to Know What Size Spot Cooler You Need

Spot coolers come in a range of capacities. They are rated based on their BTU.

You might see spot coolers listed as being between 1 ton and 5 tons. They don’t weigh that much, though. The unit “ton” refers to the BTU, which is the heat load it is rated for.

A 1 ton spot cooler, or 12,000 BTU, will sufficiently cool up to two people in normal summer temperatures. If it is especially hot, upwards of 100 degrees, you will need a spot cooler with a higher BTU.

To make sure you get the right unit for your needs, make sure to have the following information ready when you go to get a unit:

• A rough estimate of the amount of people that will be in the cooling zone.
• The dimensions of the space you want to cool. These dimensions should include not only the square footage but also the ceiling height if there is one.
• Whether you need a spot cooler for indoor or outdoor use.
• What type of space are you looking to cool with a spot cooler. For example, is it an office space or a workshop?
• What you will be cooling. Electronics have different cooling needs than people.

Being able to provide this information will help us determine what type of spot cooler you need. Contact us for a consultation if you are not sure what type of spot cooler is right for you.

How to Decide if a Spot Cooler Will Work For You

If you are considering different air conditioning options, you may be considering a spot cooler. Spot coolers are great for all kinds of applications. What sets them apart from other air conditioners is their efficiency and portability.

Spot coolers are effective air conditioners that don’t make as much noise or use as much power as central air conditioning. They can cool and dehumidify a small area quickly without affecting the rest of the space.

Whether you should choose a spot cooler for your cooling needs depends on a few factors:

First, do you have the right conditions for a spot cooler to work properly? Spot coolers work best when they have sufficient room around the unit to pull in air and have a good place to let out hot air from their exhaust tube. A spot cooler would not be a good choice for cooling an area if you want to hide the unit in a confined space.

Second, do you have a place for the exhaust to go? The unit needs to be able to let off hot air to run. You will need access to a window, door or vent through which the exhaust can go if you will be using the unit indoors. 

Third, is the environment you want to cool free of airborne debris? While spot coolers have filters, they will not be as efficient in, for example, a wood shop where there is a lot of saw dust in the air.

Now that you know the top things you should know about spot coolers, you’re ready to get cooling! We at Preferred Climate Solutions have over 17 years of experience serving the Houston, Dallas-Ft Worth and Austin areas and solving their climate control needs. If you are interested in renting a spot cooler or getting more information, contact us today.