Swamp Cooler Improvement

Steps I have taken to make my evaporative cooler more efficient.

[@svca12218]

Thank you for taking the time of doing and posting this video. It was very helpful

[@gizmo9987]

The last tip is golden!

[@Rev8]

Quick, direct, informative. Great video, youre better than most youtube video creators

[@ccsmith2937]

I like your upgrades. 👍🇺🇸

[@bccie1pres]

Thanks Cc Smith! I appreciate your feedback. I put a lot of time and gathered data to test the hypothesis about my upgrades being actual improvements. I wish you a good weekend and I hope everyone in your extended family is well!!

[@MorganBrown]

The "up ducts" are intriguing. Most of us with swamp coolers are venting to the outside, but great idea to cool the attic as well! I'm gonna have to buy a few of those!

[@bccie1pres]

Morgan Brown the product name is spelled UpDux. I got mine at Lowe's. the directions tell you to go up from inside the room. I went into the attic to better place the box between the joists. I drilled a 1/8 inch pilot hole from the attic then went down into the room to verify that it was not too close to the wall. I made a wooden template from a piece of scrap 1/4 inch plywood. I made sure it was square with the wall using a carpenter's square. You want the hole to just barely let the box up into the attic space. If you have insulation in your attic space you will want to move it away to allow easy installation. When you finish put the insulation back but be sure it does not block the lid from lifting when your cooler is running. With the UpDux in place my attic space stays under 95 degrees even on very hot days! Have a nice day and please be very careful. The attic space can be dangerous so never go up if you are not in good health and have a good forehead light to see with!

[@MorganBrown]

Steven Christiansen thanks for the quick response. What is your home square footage and how many ducts did you install? I did find a size chart (dialmfg.com/docs/Updux-Info.pdf) but they may be biased (in favor of too many ducts). I do note that they have plugs that prevent cold influx from the attic (cold is our bigger problem in Denver ). Do you use the plugs?

[@MorganBrown]

Steven Christiansen and sweet wheelie on your profile pic. I race road bikes but broke my hip two months ago...season over. To your point of being in good health...may have to hire a handyman, much to my chagrin. Perhaps I can cut the templates without going up.

[@bccie1pres]

1300 square feet, but I cool my garage too. I prefer to keep all my windows closed because of crime. I have 1 UpDux per room currently but I am planning to add more to increase flow in the bedrooms.

[@bccie1pres]

1) Installation from inside the house can be done. instructions are included with purchase. 2) Dang Dude! Sorry to hear about your injury! The wheelie is one of several pics of me doing one every time I saw a photographer on the side of the road every time I rode "Breathless Agony". It is put on by Santiago Cycles. The course is 114 miles with 12,000 feet of climbing. I have been struggling with my scrum being pushed out of place by phone hacker in an SUV back in 2009. I wish you a speedy recovery! My current hobby is making pens. Check out my ETSY page at etsy.com/shop/PedalingPenTurner if you are interested.

[@reddirtroots5992]

good pointer's. thank you!

[@firepoet6926]

Good ideas

[@bccie1pres]

They are available at Home Depot & Lowe's. I would imagine they are also available on Amazon.com

[@timfisher77]

the aspen pads work way way better than synthetic

[@bccie1pres]

You are not the first person to have that opinion. You are entitled to your opinion. However the series if careful measurements I have taken documenting a drop in temperatures inside my home prove your opinion to be unfounded. I will continue to use 2 synthetic pads stacked together in all 4 of the inlets of my rooftop evaporative cooler based on the decreased temperature readings inside my home on days when the external variables such as temperature and humidity were the same. Data always better than opinion. Have a nice day and I hope you and your family are all well.

[@swhit]

Steve did you also test with Aspen pads?

[@doginu]

Nice pipeline on the roof. Time to repair the stucco...

[@malakhpearson7285]

If you really want to free your swamp cooler from lime and calcium use distilled water well its expensive right, but I did try rain water kept from spring and it works.

[@alive-awake]

how do those vents keep the attic cooler? Isn't the hot air from inside the home going up there? We have these in our home.

[@bccie1pres]

Due to sunlight beating down on the roof of a home attic temperatures can reach 180 to 200 degrees. The higher temps are more likely due to the popularity of dark colors of roofing material which absorbs more more heat which then radiates into the attic. These high temperatures in the attic will radiate into the home, even through thick insulation. This effect is similar to heat in your oven making the kitchen warmer. Hot air in the attic without an exhaust fan or air flow from UpDux will flow out, but at a very slow pace. The cool air coming in from a swamp cooler has to be allowed to flow out of the home to keep the temperature inside comfortable. This is traditionally accomplished by keeping windows partially open in every room. The UpDux redirect that flow of cool air into the attic forcing the very hot air out through roof vents. You can experience the heating of attic air this spring on a warm or very warm day before it is hot enough to turn on your swamp cooler. *Safety First* DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE YOU WILL BE SAFE!! Place a ladder under the access to your attic. Climb up and put your head and shoulders in the attic. You will be surprised by how much higher the temperature is in your attic on a warm day. Have a nice day and please be safe!

[@harryweiser9645]

I installed 2 UPDUX in my 1400 SQ house and have a Master Kool type cooler and it works great. The only problem my wife has is that when you open the door the UpDux door slams down. Do you have the same problem? Have you heard of a fix for that? I live in the Mojave desert whit temps in the 100s often.

[@bccie1pres]

My home is 1,150 Sq Ft. I have 1 UpDux in each of the 3 bedrooms. My setup has less air flow per UpDux. I also I have the master bedroom bathroom window open and the door into the garage open about 2 inches. That results in a relatively low air flow which means the "lid" on the UpDux is not standing straight up resulting in a more gentle closure. I suggest you refer to the information in the UpDux box or their website to find out what their recommendation is for the number of UpDux for a home your size.

[@kjrchannel1480]

I always reuse pads, just spray them out. I clean mine once a year, but there is only a few months that it is needed. The same goes with the water pan there really isn't tons of sediment to even bother with after the preseason clean. Now if they could invent plastic tubing that didn't break in the hot sun. That cheap fridge line is leak prone to.

[@bccie1pres]

KJR Channel I use copper tubing to feed water. Even with 2 filters in the feed line and descaling packs in the pan my pads weigh about 10 pounds each at the end of the season due to mineral deposits from the hard water we have here in inland Southern California. I would reuse if I could!

[@paulbadu3547]

Doesn't the double pad make the fan motor work harder to draw in air? Also,did you drill a new hold in the bottom of the cooler for you by-pass drain?

[@bccie1pres]

Paul Badu, No I do not believe the double pads create any excessive drag. The air flow is still the same as far as I can tell. all I did for the out flow was remove the pipe that used to work as an overflow. I used a 1 inch pipe to reduce the chance of clogging, but I still put in 3 flange fittings in case of a scale clog during the spring cleanup. it hasn't happened yet!

[@bccie1pres]

No I do not believe the double pads create any excessive drag. The air flow is still the same as far as I can tell. All I did for the out flow was remove the pipe that used to work as an overflow. I used a 1 inch pipe to reduce the chance of clogging, but I still put in 3 flange fittings in case of a scale clog during the spring cleanup. it hasn't happened yet!

[@tonylopez9936]

Enjoyed this. Very good ideas. However, I do see a potential problem. Removing the old water eliminates the "swamp" smell that happens with stagnant, overnight water. However, the overflow serves a necessary function. While the unit is running, the water level valve opens up to offset the water level because water is now in the pads. This keeps the water pump from running dry. However, when the water pump is turned off & water is not in circulation, all that water in the doubled up pads is gravity fed to the holding pan. Without the overflow tube that water will overflow over the sides & on to the roof. Therefore, another hole would be necessary to drain the unit. We like the idea of draining the water but but also need the overflow tube. What do now is leave the water pump running throughout the hot season then buy a new one the next year. By keeping the water in circulation it does not get that stagnant swamp smell. There is a pump available to drain the cooler @ regular intervals but that too is too pricey for us. Good presentation & great ideas. I shall implement what I can & work on the rest. Thank you.

[@mandywilliamson]

Hello my wife and I run a Doggy Daycare in Utah. The temperature today whats 103 degrees, wow it was hot! I wanted to ask a question. I seem to be having a a lot of excess runoff from my roof, is this normal? I also wanted to mention that I have 3 swamp coolers, so the amount of excess water is exponential.

[@bccie1pres]

I am absolutely NOT recommending that you go up on the roof of your home. That is a decision you must make on your own. You may have a damaged float causing your water to constantly flow instead of stopping when the pan is full. Another possibility is a hole in the pan from rust causing water loss. Do you perform maintenance on your swamp coolers? They need work to perform properly.

[@ronnetteharvey2002]

Where did you get that inline scale reducer.

[@radioman140]

Steven, at 10 grains per gallon (17 mg/L), hardness those filters will only treat between 155-300 gallons.The only ones that really work are the old school sodium exchange softeners or the acid base exchange ( commercial) exchangers which substitute hydrogen and hydroxyl ions giving you a pure water exchange. Since you did mention scale you would need many filters of the kind you are using in parallel to effectively treat the flow used ( extra contact time). And for God's sake don't let any snake oil sales people talk you into the magic magnet filters. Also having tried many evaporative cooler pads, the aspen pads are the best, much better than the blue synthetic pads. The corrugated honeycomb type pads are ok if they are VERY thick only.

[@arne6787]

I had two blue pads in my cooler, had to throw them out. Replaced them with the aspen. Works so much better now. Biggest problem with the blue material, it does not absorb water like a sponge. That is essential to develop the large surface area for evaporation, and prevent "channeling" which causes dry spots for hot air to be sucked in.

[@Pomiferous]

Some guy in another video said the UPDUX messed up the insulation in the attic from the moisture.

[@bccie1pres]

I live in Southern California inland where the humidity is low. Also, I have multiple vents in the roof and in the eaves. I have had the UpDux in place for several years now and I have been in the attic checking for for problems. I have not seen any. Have a nice day!

[@bccie1pres]

Hello everybody! This is an unprecedented heatwave here in Southern California. The sky is obscured by smoke and clouds. The official temperature outside is 113 degrees as I write this update message. I installed a larger swamp cooler with a 1 horsepower motor. I have 3 thermometers inside my home. They show 3 different readings: 75, 80 & 83. Even if we accept the highest number that still means that my home is at minimum a full 30 degrees cooler than outside!! So, to everyone who has claimed that the blue pads do not work as well as Aspen pads, my data proves you WRONG!

[@koreylatimore7732]

The filters are a good idea for short term but those blue pads are not as efficient as the straw pads.

[@bccie1pres]

I get that same comment on a regular basis. Even in 35% humidity I get a temperature differential of greater than 20 degrees. 103 outside andless than 80 inside works for me.

[@psygn0sis]

Tip: Turn your phone 90deg. then hit record. I'm gobsmacked that most people STILL haven't figured this out.

[@Josh-ew1le]

Not everyone especially older people are as cool as you are. Please forgive them for not being super cool like you.

[@vonLubrich]

blue pads clog up to fast

[@cryptonoob520]

updux wont help an AC adapted into the system all the AC air will spill into the attic. need a way to close them off. my house requires 10 UpDux.

[@bccie1pres]

Crypto Noob UpDux are for evaporative cooling systems only.. they would be counterproductive for a refrigeration cooling system.

[@anthonygonzalez7488]

1. 6* temperature drop for the sake of shorter motor life and increased current draw is not efficient. Efficiency can only be gleaned by use of a manometer to check w.c. or static pressure's. 2. A filter is a filter, a polyphosphate cartridge is a polyphosphate cartridge. It is the responsibility of service technicians to properly educate lay persons.

[@presidenteldermarkhoffman8304]

aspen pads better

[@bccie1pres]

My experience is the exact opposite. my home is cooler and more comfortable with the changes I laid out in my video. Yesterday day it was 111 degrees here in San Bernardino and the temperature inside my home never got above 78.

[@bccie1pres]

David M Thanks David M. You are right about the temperature difference between L.A. and San Bernardino! Have a nice day Dude!

[@anthonygonzalez7488]

1. Using 2 pads does not make a cooler run more efficient. Using 2 pads causes a restriction in the air flow and can cause the motor to run hotter due to the higher resistance. 2. The 2 white containers on the water supply lines are Not filters. They are polyphosphate cartridges. Polyphosphate is a mineral compound that sequesters calcium and magnesium salt, ( also compounds ) ( remember your high school chemistry ). When you sequester, ( prevent a chemical bond ) the calcium and magnesium salt do not combine.

[@bccie1pres]

Anthony, (1) based on my my personal experience with temperatures inside my home decreased by up to 6 degrees after I doubled up the pads you are 100% wrong. (2) canisters that sequester dissolved mineral salts perform the action of "filtering" as understood by the average lay person. You are simply being arrogant & argumentative without any actual data. Go away and bother someone else.

[@bccie1pres]

Anthony, (1) based on my personal experience with the temperatures in my home dropping by 6 degrees following the installing the doubled up blue pads you are 100% wrong. (2) any object that sequesters is performing the function of "filtering" as understood by the average lay person. You are simply being arrogant and argumentative for the fun of it. Go away and bother someone else...BLOCK

[@ericlaettner635]

@@bccie1pres You tell him. My thoughts exactly!

[@Pomiferous]

If you don't vent a cooler properly the blower along with amp draw slows down.The motor only gets too hot by when the amp draw goes up.