Replies

1. 
   creekwood | Jun 09, 2003 04:42am | #1

   I hate to seem stupid, but could you please tell me about a swamp cooler?

1. 
   fredsmart48 | Jun 09, 2003 06:22am | #2

   you run water across a foam filter and then have fan blow air over the filter. 

   would not be my first choice.

1. 
   creekwood | Jun 09, 2003 06:56pm | #4

   Thanks, fredsmart. Won't work for me here in Florida, we have enough humidity. We sure don't need anymore.

2. 
   gpwest | Jun 09, 2003 07:06am | #3

   A swamp cooler works great  IN A DRY CLIMATE.  I live in the Mojave desert and have my cooler on in the afternoons in summer, when the temperature reaches 90 or above in my shop. I have a humidity guage on the wall, and the cooler usually raises the reading about 5-10 points. It's not just for my comfort either. It's pretty miserable trying to apply glue or finish when the relative humidity is so low the stuff dries almost as soon as it hits the wood.    They are also inexpensive to run. Just a small water pump distributing a flow of water over 3 large pads around the perimeter of the unit, and a good sized fan inside pulling the moistened air thru the pads into the shop.  Mine is installed outside the shop like a window A/C unit. You can get larger ones that are roof mounted.  I will repeat myself and say they only work in a DRY climate.     GP

3. 
   forestgirl | Jun 10, 2003 01:13am | #5

   A swamp cooler just might be OK in that dry heat.  I've experienced swamp coolers both in Florida (high humidity) and in the Sacramento Valley (dry in the summertime).  Certainly works far better in the dry heat.

   I'd keep a humidity gizmo in there so you can see what the swings are and keep them under control.  My shop, in the winter, varies probably 15% depending on whether I have the wood stove burning, and for how long.  The lumber is not reacting to that.  Also, IMO you'd want to be sure the vents aren't directed right at your lumber pile, and important to keep the filters clean so you don't get mold spores.  One thing comes to mind for consideration -- if the household RH is much, much lower than the shop, what steps do you need to take.  Chances are, though, that there wouldn't be that much difference.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

4. 
   dondownunder | Jun 10, 2003 03:01pm | #6

   Relative humidity here is 50-60 all year round, & I have one in my shop & another in our house. Apart from a couple of high humidity days each year they work really well with no adverse affect on any cast iron equipment. The swampy has been in for about 10 years now & runs around 8-10 hours most days during summer.

   Don 

5. 
   Knothead05 | Jun 10, 2003 06:35pm | #7

   I'm amused by this discussion thread...we who live here in north-central New Mexico (Albuquerque/Santa Fe) and are hobby or professional woodworkers consider the ubiquitous swamp cooler just a simple fact of life. 

   In many parts of the country where low humidity (40% or less - usually far less) is typical, swamp cooling is the norm.  And it's not just a low-budget solution - new homes here that are $1 million and more - use swamp cooling as a matter of choice.  Besides low operating cost, the added humidity actually increases personal comfort, eliminates dry skin, reduces checking and splitting of wood furniture, and eliminates the static electricity that plagues dry climates.  The few people who use refrigerated air conditioning are generally folks who have moved here and just assume "air conditioning" is best because it was that way in other parts of the country.

   That said, a few precautions for the woodshop are in order, but nothing really complex.  Forestgirl is right, don't direct the flow of air directly on your wood inventory.  Also, be sure to exhaust air from the shop directly to the outdoors (heresy for air conditioning, but essential for swamp or "evaporative" cooling.)  This actually aids dust control, bringing new, fresh and filtered air into the shop constantly.  I enclosed my central dust collector in a closet with an exhaust vent directly to the outside, with a damper arrangement to vent collected air back into the shop in cold weather to save energy.

   Also, don't overdo the volume and speed of the air.  The key is "disperse and deflect" for maximum comfort and efficiency.  Mold and mildew just isn't a problem if you follow the general guidelines by having good circulation and exhausting the air directly from your shop.  There are several good websites by cooler manufacturers that can help.

   I built our new home several years ago with a 1200 sq. ft. garage/shop and provided a moderate sized rooftop cooler for that space separate from the coolers for the occupied area.  The unit's on a t-stat (a very simple one) but also has a simple on/off switch to keep it off when I'm not going to use the shop.  It takes less than 30 minutes to bring a 90 - 95 degree shop down to a comfortable 78 - 80 degrees.  (In dry climates, 78 is very comfortable.)

   My only caution is that if you live in an area with a lot of farm irrigation (like the California central valley where I grew up), swamp cooling is much less effective now because the relative humidity in irrigated farmland areas can be fairly high.  Check with your local US Weather Service stations.

   
   

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   Edited 6/10/2003 11:41:48 AM ET by Knothead