When it's the middle of the hot, hot summer, you don't care what it takes, you just want to cool down! One way to cool the air around you, without spending your life savings on air conditioning, is with an evaporative cooler. Read on to learn how evaporative coolers work.
Also known as swamp coolers, evaporative coolers lower the temperature around you by evaporating water from a reservoir within the machine. That's the easy explanation, but how and why does evaporation actually cool the air? A certain amount of heat, referred to as latent heat, is required to evaporate liquid. An evaporative or swamp cooler draws latent heat from the air in order to evaporate the water in its reservoir. As the water evaporates, it is atomized into micro-sized droplets that flash evaporate and create a noticeable drop in temperature.
This type of thermodynamics is much more common than you may think. In fact, your body probably does it on a daily basis. When you become overheated, you start to sweat and the perspiration evaporates exothermically, thereby reducing the temperature of your skin.
Evaporative coolers work more effectively in dry climates than in humid environments because if there is already a lot of moisture in the air, evaporated water has no place to go (this is also why you feel more sweaty on hot, humid days, because your perspiration can't evaporate as easily).
Evaporative Cooler Uses
Depending on the dewpoint and relative humidity of an area, an evaporative cooler can lower surrounding temperatures up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit or more. For that reason, they are seen in many areas where air conditioning would be impractical. For instance, rather than attempt to cool an entire stadium, portable evaporative coolers are often seen at sporting events to cool down the athletes.
The same goes for warehouses or plants where a lot of space may be taken up by stock and materials, but employers still want to keep their workers comfortable. A simple portable evaporative air cooler can be the difference between keeping a valued employee and needing to replace them with an untrained person willing to work in hot conditions. For very little money, companies can show workers the respect they deserve by lowering work temperatures. Additionally, once temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, worker productivity drops by 45%, so keeping your employees cool and comfortable can actually increase productivity.
Evaporative Coolers vs. Air Conditioners
The power consumption of an evaporative cooler is limited to just a fan and water pump, so operating costs are about 75% less than the operating costs of an air conditioner. Evaporative coolers also increase the humidity in the air, which can actually improve the breathability of air in dry climates.
If you are in a location that is relatively dry, evaporative coolers may just be what you need to chill out! Stay cool and get an evaporative or swamp cooler today!
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A Plus Warehouse is an online business-to-business distributor of quality industrial equipment including many lockers, evaporative coolers, swamp coolers, and stainless steel cart selections. Since 1996 they have provided A-Plus customer service to consumers and businesses all across the country.
