The heat wave recently has taken a toll on all of us, and thanks to global warming, the Summer months are becoming hotter than usual. While most of us love to blast our ACs, sip on our favorite Summer drinks and hardly bat an eye as to what’s happening to the environment around us as long as there’s food in our tummy, and money to buy that food! Anyhow, that topic is for another day, today we want you to take note of the humble Cooler and give this environmental friendly option a chance to fill your homes with a cold wave. We’ll tell you how!
Proper ventilation is directly proportional to effective cooling
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Unlike air-conditioners, air-coolers work best in the place that is properly ventilated. If you are going to shut doors and windows thinking it will help the cooling, think again! A ceaseless airflow is necessary for air-coolers to cool effectively, and good ventilation will only help push the humidity out of the room.
Air coolers work on the simple phenomenon of evaporation, by blowing hot air through cooling pads that have been soaked with water. It’s only obvious that an airy environment will help increase their efficiency!
Ice it up
We are not kidding. In peak Summers when we refill our coolers, the overhead water tanks in our buildings or houses also dispense warm water. Adding some ice to the water can do wonders if it’s about cooling. Some coolers actually come with dedicated ice compartments these days. As you add ice to the water, the pads become cooler, which results in cooler air. One easy way to achieve this can be filling large plastic containers with water and freezing them, this way you can dump in more amount of ice at once and achieve a perfect cooling.
However, don’t add to much ice thinking it will cool more, this will rather slow down the evaporation process, thereby hampering the efficiency of the air cooler. Also, adding ice is best when you’re dealing with very high temperatures.
Use a window to place your cooler against
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Some people install their coolers out of their houses, in front of the window. And indeed, it’s the best way to use a cooler. As we know that air-coolers work on the principle of evaporative cooling, faster the hot air reaches inside, faster the evaporation will be, resulting in the cool, chilled air.
As we said, it’s also important to create good ventilation in the room to push the humidity out. To achieve which, you’d have to open windows in the room, but don’t open them too wide, or let hot air from outside come indirectly, it will only result in increasing the room’s temperature. You can experiment by adjusting the window panes a little to improve the amount of cooling as per your convenience.
Do a deep clean
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Every year you pack your coolers before the Winter season, make sure you clean the pads before you store them thoroughly packed for the next year. Or, once you’ve unpacked the air-cooler for the Summer season, you can clean it then. They are prone to accumulate dust and pollen especially considering how dusty Indian homes get. In case they are in really bad shape, it’s better to replace them. You should also clean the water tank regularly and look out for any leaks. A quick swipe clean over the fan blades will also help improve the efficiency of your air-cooler.
Handle with care
Make sure you place your coolers on a sturdy stand, instead of uneven platforms. Dragging air-coolers while they are on, and interfering with the rotary blades, can be hazardous, and result in quick wear out of air-coolers. If you need to change the position of your cooler, do it when the water tank is empty, these simple ways can help your cooler function well for longer periods of time.
As we said, you can use a brush to clean the pads once a week. If a lot of dust has accumulated, then the best option would be to replace them.
Saturate the cooling pads
Ensure instant cooling by letting the pump run, while you fill the water tank. As the pump will run the water through the cooling pads, they will get soaked in advance. Once the tank is full, you can turn on the fan to experience the cooler air.
Cultivate a Green Thumb
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Another way to reduce humidity in your home is to add houseplants that suck up all the extra moisture they can find. Many plants have evolved to satisfy some or most of their water needs through the air rather than the soil so they can help keep your house a little drier, which will help your swamp cooler to do its thing. Know about effective indoor plants here.
