Frequently Asked Questions
Purchasing a Cooler
You will be working with your local engineering firm or contractor to start the process of buying a commercial evaporative cooler.
A list of sales reps in your area can be found by clicking >> HERE
- Evaporative air coolers are excellent for health
- They provide basic moisture that the human body needs
- They remove unhealthy pollution from your indoor environment
- They supply 100% fresh, filtered air into your building that is NEVER recirculated
- They remove static electricity; they can assist in reducing the effects of illnesses such as asthma.
Yes, evaporative coolers are the same as evaporative air conditioners.
How it Works
Yes. With the MagIQtouch controller you can set up your evaporative air cooler up with a 7-day program: program mode divides each day into four different time periods. You decide how you want your system to work. With the MagIQcool controller, you can decide how long you want the evaporative cooler to delay power on and off.
Yes. With no recirculated air (as from traditional refrigerated systems), evaporative cooling is the best solution for industrial plants, especially in production and packaging areas. Keeping doors or windows open (or using an exhaust fan), the fumes, germs and odors are drawn outside while the cooler brings in 100% fresh air.
Yes. The water drained from your evaporative cooler can be used for industrial or agricultural purposes like irrigation.
There are several options with ducted evaporative cooling, the most common being on the roof with simple “drop ducts” to deliver the air where you need it. Because evaporative cooling moves more air than traditional air conditioning does, it’s usually easier to place cooling where you need it without extensive ductwork.
In most cases, Evaporative air coolers slightly increase humidity. But remember that the temperature has also dropped. It is the combination of temperature and humidity that creates human comfort, and evaporative air coolers are used so widely around the world because they can create comfortable conditions. For example, 80% humidity and 30°C (86°F) is very uncomfortable, but 80% humidity and 16°C (61°F) is quite comfortable. Furthermore, comfort is also improved by increasing air velocity in hot conditions and evaporative air coolers create sufficient air movement to also minimize the effects of humidity.
Properly maintained evaporative coolers / evaporative air conditioners will not transmit the disease because they do not produce aerosols. Evaporative coolers should not be confused with cooling towers or evaporative condensers, which involve different technology. Secondly, in a high quality evaporative cooler, water is drained from the unit when it is not being used, so there is no standing water that could rise to ambient temperature.
But above all, as we have said, well-designed evaporative coolers do not produce aerosol, meaning that even if bacteria were present in the cooler, there is still no mechanism that could transfer the bacteria to humans.
Moreover, there are no recorded cases of an evaporative cooler causing Legionnaires’ disease and research indicates transmission of the bacteria is not possible by the evaporative cooling method.
A high water temperature does not have a marked effect on the supply temperature of an evaporative cooler.
In an evaporative cooler air conditioner, a pump circulates water from the reservoir on to a cooling pad to fully saturate it. A fan draws air from outside the unit through the moistened evaporative cooler pad. As it passes through the evaporative cooler pads the air is cooled by evaporation.
It is extremely important to properly manage water quality to extend the life of the pads and reduce maintenance. Evaporative air coolers have a bleed feature that discharges a small amount of water to reduce the salt concentration in the tank reservoir. The automatic bleed feature (WATERManager system) constantly checks water quality with a probe that sends a signal back to the electronic module, which then drains some water that has higher salt concentration and replacing it with fresh water.
Yes. Outdoor areas have no walls to contain the cool air: these spaces would be impossible to cool using conventional air conditioning because this relies on recirculating and reusing air from a sealed area. Evaporative air coolers can easily supply a flow of fresh and cool air to open areas since the air is exhausted naturally at all times.
Conventional air conditioners tend to give off less cooling the hotter it gets, and eventually will end up failing altogether in extreme temperatures. The way evaporative coolers work is that they give off more cooling the hotter it gets, and there is no limit – the evaporative air conditioners will keep you coolest when you need them most.
Often, in large industrial buildings, there are locations inside the plant where heat is concentrated for a variety of reasons. It might be a furnace operation, part of a painting process, a concentration of people or a cluster of injection-moulding machines. In all these cases, when we do not need to air condition the whole building, we only need that particular spot to be more comfortable. Spot cooling by an evaporative air cooler can dramatically improve the conditions in that location and the productivity of the plant, costing much less than conventional air conditioning.
The Chillcel filter material works well and lasts longer than other types of filters…but it is a bit smelly when you first turn the evaporative air conditioner on! The good news is: the smell doesn’t last for long. If your evaporative air conditioner has a MagIQtouch Controller you can reduce the odor by using the ‘Pad Flush’ function in the SETTINGS menu.
Air pumped into the building collects heat, moisture and impurities from inside the building and it must be exhausted. The evaporative cooler doesn’t recirculate the inside air: if you close the building, the effectiveness of the machine will be reduced. Mechanical extraction or even just leaving some doors or windows open helps remove unhealthy air from the indoor environment by supplying 100% fresh, filtered air. For this reason, evaporative coolers are much healthier than conventional air conditioning.
Troubleshooting, maintenance and servicing my air-conditioner
Seasonal maintenance servicing is essential to ensure your evaporative air cooler operates efficiently for a long time. We suggest that any maintenance or checks be carried out by an authorized contractor or properly trained maintenance technician. We require that the maintenance service checklist in the evaporative cooler service manual, be completed after the first year of use.
Seasonal maintenance services must be performed before and after the summer season. For evaporative coolers working for more than 12 hours per day all-year-around, follow the instructions described in the service manual for your evaporative air conditioner. Of course, the frequency of the cleaning depends on the quality of the water used and on the conditions of the environment.
With Aspen or Woodwool pads, you should expect to change these every 3 or 4 years. This can vary with water quality and local conditions.
WARNING With any evaporative cooler, failure to replace filter pads when they are past their useful life may result in reduced efficiency/performance of the evaporative air conditioner. Water may carry over into the ductwork and/or electrics, which may result in expensive damage and repairs.
With ChillCel Pads, you should expect to change these every 7 or 8 years. This can vary with water quality and local conditions.
WARNING With any evaporative cooler, failure to replace filterpads when they are past their useful life may result in reduced efficiency/performance of the air conditioner. Water may carry over into the ductwork and/or electrics, which may result in expensive damage and repairs.
This is normal and means your water management system is working correctly. Our evaporative cooler systems are designed to monitor and control the quality of the water in the tank. So, it only drains water when the system really needs to. The evaporative cooler does this by bleeding off water down through the drain, which is replaced with fresh water via water inlet float valve as the water level in the unit drops. The frequency at which the water manager bleeds off is determined by the quality of the water in the tank. A probe in the tank measures the water salinity (impurities) and, when this rises above a set level, the unit will drain some water.
Spare Parts
If you are a residential customer, please reach out to one of our contractors click here in your area to find spare parts.
Coolerado air conditioners
No, the humidity is at optimum levels in the summer months throughout most of the western USA, including the deserts. Traditional air conditioners dry the air out too much in this region, causing many people to run humidifiers to make it more comfortable.
Direct evaporative air coolers add too much humidity. When the air becomes too humid, the skin cannot evaporate moisture off easily and use the body’s natural cooling system. This humidity, and the musty smell that sometimes comes from such a cooler, is why many people refer to a direct evaporative cooler as a “swamp cooler”.
There is direct evaporative cooling advertising stating humid air feels colder. That is true for temperatures 50°F and colder; however, in the summer months, room air is generally held at about 70°F or above, where high humidity feels like a swamp. Skin becomes clammy and can’t evaporate water easily.
Coolerado air conditioners use up to 90% less electricity depending on the humidity and elevation above sea level. As a result, electrical demand is significantly reduced, thereby reducing the amount of pollutants created by power plants. The hotter it is outside, the better Coolerado air conditioners work, making them much more efficient than traditional air conditioners during peak cooling periods*, and further reducing peak power loads. In addition, Coolerado air conditioners do not use any chemical refrigerants, and the hearts of our air conditioners are made from completely recyclable materials, so if they ever wear out, they won’t clutter up our landfills.
*Peak cooling periods: The period of time during the day that power plants are producing and consumers are using the most energy.
There are several variables that determine how much air is needed. These include the size of the space being cooled, activities taking place in the space, desired temperature in the building, moisture in the outside air, temperature of outside air and altitude. Generally, you need about as much airflow as a traditional air conditioner for the same heat load.
Coolerado air conditioners can be controlled with standard heating and air conditioning thermostats.
Not if the water hardness is low (below 60 PPM). Coolerado units allow dissolved minerals in the water to wick out and flow down an incline where minerals are flushed away to the drain. A sodium based water softener can be used to lower the water hardness.
In some cases, these water sources can be used as an alternative to fresh water by:
• Filtering out undissolved minerals
• Determining the total alkalinity (must be less than 175 PPM)
• If there are dissolved organics in the water, they may need to be removed – such as in a water treatment plant or a continual addition of chlorine, or some other biological killing chemical.
• Hard water, (presence of calcium and magnesium in the water, represented by a total alkalinity being over 60 PPM), along with soap will create soap scum that could create problems.
Coolerado cannot know the details of your water supply and therefore how the water will react with our evaporation process. You should have your water tested first to properly address any water quality concerns.
The average amount of water used for our 6-ton unit will be about 4 to 6 gallons per hour depending on the climate and water quality. It will consume more water during the day through peak periods* and less in the evenings and transitional seasons.
Even with the high water rates in desert climates, it will generally cost less than $15 per month to supply water to our 6-ton unit. Assuming average electricity rates during the summer months, a consumer would likely spend a total of less than $60 per month. Additionally, Coolerado air conditioners are net-zero water products.
*Peak periods: The period of time during the day that power plants are producing and consumers are using the most energy.
ower plants use water as part of their process to create electricity – therefore products that use a lot of energy require power plants to use more water to create the electricity required. Traditional air conditioners use 80% to 90% more electricity and energy than Coolerado air conditioners – therefore, requiring more water to create this needed power.
Coolerado air conditioners use water as part of the operating requirements. Net-zero water usage means that the amount of water used by the electrical power plant to generate electricity, combined with the amount of water a Coolerado unit will use, is less than or equal to the amount of water a power plant would use to produce energy for a traditional air
conditioner.
This is referred to as being net-zero water, or net-water neutral.
Yes, a sodium based water softening system is required, if your water is considered hard (more than 60 PPM). The 30 micron water filter that is supplied with the units must be used regardless of the water hardness.
Is there any fungus problem in the water side of the unit? Does it need treatment? Coolerado’s plate material is a polypropylene with a biocide impregnated into it to keep organics from growing. If your water contains organics then it should have a biocide, such as chlorine, added.
Yes, Coolerado air conditioners are compatible with photovoltaic (PV) systems. This application uses our Electronically Commutated Motor (ECM) which allows for significantly greater power generation from the PV system by ducting Coolerado exhaust air behind the PV panels (to cool them).
We currently have an award-winning, commercial Roof Top Unit (RTU) with an optional heat application that will be in limited production in 2011. This air conditioner model is utilized for commercial applications. These units are typically larger and much heavier than residential air conditioners.
They are very quiet with a sound rating of 59.9 dB. The heat and mass exchanger media deadens the sound coming into the building. The fan itself is very efficient and quiet.
Maintenance needs are dependent upon the local water quality, as well as the outdoor air quality. Under normal conditions, there is a start-up procedure at the beginning of each cooling season that includes removing any winter duct blocking, ensuring the filters are clean, checking the fan for obstructions, cleaning and filling the water strainer with a liquid soap, turning on the water valve and powering up the unit. The water strainer needs to be cleaned more or less frequently depending on the quality of the local water. Air filters need to be replaced monthly to seasonally, depending on the amount of dust in the outside air. This is no different than changing the filters on a furnace. There is a winter shutdown procedure to drain the water, as well as dry the unit out. These general maintenance procedures are simple to perform and quick to complete.
It depends on the air quality, but usually once a quarter, which is about $20.