|
Swamp Coolers are the shiznaT!!!!
|
View this Thread in Original format
| DaveT |
If you live in Culver City, you know how it went from a nice day in the mid 70s around 4:00pm to ing 95+ at 5:30pm today. SUCKSwhen you have no A/C . THe high today was supposed to be 78!!!! I blame it on the fires in Santa Barbara considering as it got hot, I could smell the smoke from it and streaks of haze went across the sky.
The high winds haven't helped...cause they were warm winds!
Anyhow, electricity is included with my rent ($975 for my nice one bedroom in Culver City w/ all utilities included!!), and I didn't want to be a dick and get a Window A/C and get in trouble with my landlord as she is awesome and decided to try out a $200 Swamp Cooler from Home Depot...since they use 1/4th-1/10th the electricty as even the cheapest Window A/Cs, depending on the setting you ahve it. It's basically like running a 100watt (or 200watt, hehe) lightbulb.
This thing is shockingly good!!!
That said, anyone else use a Swamp (aka Evaporative) Cooler?
For those who are clueless, it's baically a fan with a water tank that you fill up and a pump sucks the water up into a filter=type thing and then works like a regular fan, but the air the comes out is nice and cold. It's only really useable in dryer weather (under 50% humidity, 30-35% below being the prime area).
I feel stupid for never even trying these things when I lived up in NorCal in PLeasanton and San Rafael. It will barely put a dent in the electricity bill and it cools nearly as well as a Window A/C. Plus this thing is on Wheels, so I can move it from room to room.
Anyone else use one? While I am happy this one, I am a bargain hunter (as evident from my previous post) and have no qualms with returning this one to Home Depot if I can find a better one for more then $50 less than I paid for this one. Which was $200!
Joosed up DaveT |
|
|
| Nerologic |
I have a real deal A/C a swamper didnt cut it for me when i lived on the second floor.
I would get home late from working the 2nd shift so i would sleep into the heat of the day, and the swamper wouldnt hang.
I bought a 400 dlr ac, but returned it because it sucked. I ended up paying 900+ for 14000BTU portable unit from lowes or home depot?
I looked it up online about a month after i bought it and the thing sells for 400 bucks, ! |
|
|
| DaveT |
This thing is literally blowing as cold as my window A/C I had up in Pleasanton. I'm shockingly surprised. It's a new model from a company well known for their swamp coolers (they make big ass units meant for central cooling...so if you live in places like Vegas or Arizona where it's always stupid dry, you can get this in stead of an A/C where it'll prob cool just as well and cost you 1/4th the cost of a full A/C...at most).
I did a ton of research and was going to order one online, but the unexpected increase (accuweather.com and weather.com had the high temps in the 70s!) in temp today made us buy this one blindly. I say that becausd it's new model that jsut came out and there's no online reviews of it anywhere. But it was from Home Depot, so if I wasn't pleased I figured it'd be rather easy to return and try somethign else. But I really happy with this one so far, plus it isn't some ugly ass bulky thing. Looks nice. But if someone can vouch for another one, always wiling to try that one out. I'm patient when it comes buying the right product at the best price. :) |
|
|
| Nerologic |
Not me, i am not patient for !
Especially when it has to do with me trying to sleep hahaha
But i paid the price, but hey after that night i was sleeping very well with it being 100+ outside!
:toothless |
|
|
| DjWoody |
| We used Swamp Coolers in Mexicali a lot!!! They're kick ass. I been telling my parents they should get one to cut on electricity bills. |
|
|
| Brian Scott |
Central Air FTW!
Swamp Coolers are great with no central air avaiable though. They're a godsend when you're in the desert and wanna save some $. Noisy as hell, but the cold air is worth it. |
|
|
| skell |
| Call me a snob, but I cannot live without central air. :cool: |
|
|
| gypsygirl |
i have a portable air conditioner i got from lowes for like $499 last summer, best investment i've ever made. i only have a window box air conditioner in my kitchen so it never even got close to hitting my bedroom and let me tell u, if you live in the valley you know, it gets freakin hot even at night in the summer!!!!( and this coming from someone who was raised in the south with extremely hot humid summers) ugh, so now i just turn on my magic little box of coolness and close my bedroom door and it's nice and cool in there!!! i love it.
not very familar with a swamp cooler though, glad that's working out for you dave :) |
|
|
| DaveT |
| quote: | Originally posted by Brian Scott
Central Air FTW!
Swamp Coolers are great with no central air avaiable though. They're a godsend when you're in the desert and wanna save some $. Noisy as hell, but the cold air is worth it. |
There are Swamp Coolers units you use as Central Air, too. They look just like the A/C units you see outside houses. Just think you have to run a water pipe or hose through it it so it always has water.
I miss my ole central air...But I do remember the $300+ electricity bills my parents would get during the summer. good ole florida heat, lol.
I just love how well it cools and it's only using like 200 watts of electricity. And I'll only need it during heatwaves and maybe a few hours a day at that. I think the Santa Barbara fires kept the temp warm during the night last night or something. Every once in awhile, I can smell the smoke from the fires. Anyhow, even on the moderately warms days (ie into the low 80s), I won't have to worry about the heat until the late afternoon I don't get any direct sun hitting any wall facing the outside until then so the place still pretty darn comfy inside all day long until then.
It sucked yesterday though. In two hours I went from a nice day to f'n torture in here....and the warm as wind didn't help a bit lol |
|
|
| LYNDSAYwhaaat? |
| I had a swamp cooler!!! (when I was poor and lived in the valley in 2001... ugh.. worst 15 months of my LIFE). Me n my ex husband got it for FREE from PG& E brand new... and they also weather sealed off my house pretty good, and replaced a broken window FOR FREEE!!! (sometimes its not so bad being broke.. u get HOOKED UP! ;) ) |
|
|
| HotDogWater |
hmmm, i'll have to look into this...
does it make the air noticeably more humid? |
|
|
| Cool1g |
| roof mounted swamp coolers = redneck A/C :stongue: |
|
|
|
|
