The Best Way To Know How Many Windows Should Be Left Open For A Swamp Cooler

You’ve probably heard that evaporative coolers and swamp coolers require open windows to operate. You need to know how many windows must be open for your swamp cooler to operate at its best effectiveness. You could be concerned that if the cool air escapes completely, you won’t be as effective. All of your queries will be addressed in this post, along with all the necessary information.

For every 1,000 cubic feet per minute of air flow, you should have 1 to 2 square feet of window or open door space (CFM). For instance, your windows open to a space of 4 square feet outdoors and your ventilation system has a CFM of 4,000.

To run this system, you’ll need 4–8 square feet of area, which is equivalent to 1-2 windows open.

You now know the mathematical formula for calculating how many windows to leave open for evaporative cooling. A slight breeze from outside keeps the interior space from getting too stuffy. Most likely, you still have more inquiries concerning swamp coolers. We will discuss how long a swamp cooler pump should operate and how long a swamp cooler can run in total. We’ll also go over how much it costs to run a swamp cooler and how to make it work better.

How Many Windows Must Be Left Open For A Swamp Cooler?

To relieve any pressure that might accumulate from the swamp cooler drawing air into the house, windows should be opened. The size of your windows and the effectiveness of your swamp cooling system are both critical factors in determining the answer to this question. For every 1,000 CFM that the swamp cooler utilizes, 1 to 2 square feet of airflow are advised. Swamp cooling units can have airflow capacities ranging from 3,000 CFM to 25,000 CFM.

Based on the recommended range of air changes per hour, these calculations (ACPH). Simply said, this represents how frequently the air is changed over the hour. In order for the swamp cooler to take in additional air from the outside, doors and windows must be left open to let old air out of the house. The suggested ACPH range is 20–40. This indicates that the air in the space is changed once every two to three minutes.

Your home’s air quality will be better overall if there is better air movement. This holds true for all rooms in the house, including those that your swamp cooling system can’t access.

Is Cool Air Leaking Out When The Windows Are Open?

To chill the outdoors, you don’t want to pay the power company. Open windows won’t necessarily result in your system operating less effectively, though. To release the pressure in the room, open the windows. Additionally, it forces moisture-rich air outside, lowering the relative humidity in the space.

The swamp cooling system will work more effectively in a room with lower relative humidity

. Evaporative coolers are much more affordable and efficient at cooling low-humidity environments.

How Long Should The Pump On A Swamp Cooler Be Run?

Water is added to the pad by the pump on the swamp cooler, which cools the air that is released. You can switch on the pump for two to three minutes if you feel that the air coming out of your unit is not cool enough. After that, you can switch the machine on high cooling while keeping the windows wide open to let fresh air in. If the air coming out of the unit does not appear chilly enough after a couple of hours, you might wish to repeat the procedure.

Can A Swamp Cooler Run Continuously?

Running a swamp cooler continuously has no negative effects on the environment or your utility bill. You won’t have to manually fill the reservoir all day if your swamp cooler has a continuous fill system. As long as the cooler has access to water all day, you can leave this running.

Once the pad inside the cooler dries down, the manual reservoir swamp coolers lose their effectiveness. To avoid the pad drying out, it is recommended to use this type of evaporative cooler when you can add more water.

How Can You Boost The Performance Of Your Swamp Cooler?

Swamp coolers function most effectively when the relative humidity is less than 50%. The humid eastern coast of the United States does not have as many swamp coolers as the dry western states do because of this.

You might want to open more windows if you live in a humid environment to keep the humidity down. In order to counteract the swamp cooler’s humidifying impact, you can also run a dehumidifier.

Make sure your unit has adequate water capacity to maintain a moist but not wet pad. This will give your machine the best performance possible. At the end of the season or the start of the following season, replace the cooling pad once. Examine the water level and the pad of your swamp cooler if you’re having trouble using it. Replace the cooling pad if it is frayed or has any exposed spots.

Do Swamp Coolers Cost A Lot To Run?

A swamp cooler typically costs $0.26 per hour to run on electricity. That comes out to around $2 per day for 8 hours of swamp cooler operation. That amount needs to be multiplied by 30 days to equal a total of $60 per month to operate your swamp cooler.

Compare that to the expense of using an air conditioner, which you can anticipate to cost on average $0.55 per hour. If you operate the machine for eight hours, that equals $4.40 every day. That amount times 30 days equals $132 per month to operate an air conditioner. Based on the amount of energy the device uses and the cost of electricity in the location, these figures can vary considerably.

Conclusion

When windows are opened, the idea is to create a space where air can flow in and out of the house in proportion to the amount of air the swamp cooler is sucking in. The suggested range for air changes each hour is 20 to 40. For every 1,000 CFM that your swamp cooler uses when it’s running, you need to have 1 to 2 square feet of room available for air to flow outside the house in order to achieve this ACPH.

Even in 3-6 square feet of area or with only one window open, small manual coolers that only have 3,000 CFM will function properly. Larger units, which may demand up to 25,000 CFM, will require 25–50 square feet of area, allowing air to exit the house. It could be necessary to open up to five tiny windows or more for this. Three windows may be plenty for this larger system if your windows are larger.