Proper Swamp Cooler Care For The Season.

What is a Swamp Cooler?

Swamp Cooler, also known as Evaporative Coolers, Desert Cooler or Wet Air Cooler is a device that cools air through the simple evaopration of water.

The process of evaporating the water is difficult on the swamp cooler because the water is very hard in Arizona. It leaves a lot of hard water deposit and calcium in the cooler.

To ensure a swamp cooler's long life and efficiency, it should be maintained twice a year. We call it Start Up and Shut Down or Winterization.

The Start Up phase, is basically to get your cooler ready for the cooling season. A licensed contractor comes out, opens up your cooler, and inspects it. The cooler should be thouroughly cleaned. and adjusted.
Cleaning The Wet Section:
The contractor should really clean the sump area, make sure that no dirt, salt or calcium is left. He should also do the same to all areas of the cooler. The contarcator should inspect the pads and if they are in OK conditions, rinse them. If they are heavy, worn out or show a lot of hard water build up, they should be replaced. Next on the list, is the water distribution line. It should be taken out (if applicable), opened and cleaned. A lot of salt and calcium gets stuck in there and reduces the water flowing to the pads severely. Next, the water pump baskets should be cleaned to remove dirt, debris and buildup that would restrict the water flow and make the pump work harder and hotter. Same should be done to the purge pump if your swamp cooler is equipped with one. You are now done cleaning the wet section.
Maintenance Of The Dry Section:
The dry section of your cooler consists of the electrical, the blower housing, the blower wheel, the bearings, the pulleys, and the belts.
The electrical should be inspected and make sure that all the connections are nice and tight, and make sure that the electrical compartment is properly sealed to avoid any moisture to enter.
A visual inspection is required of the blower housing. We just want to make sure that it is not rusting out. The blower wheel should also be visually inspected for its integrity.
The bearings should be oiled or greased depending on the application and the type of cooler.
The pulleys should be cleaned and the contractor needs to make sure that they are still smooth. A rough rusted pulley will chew through a belt fairly quickly .
The belt should be check for cracks and tears. A cracked belt should be replaced asap.

The cooler is clean. Now What?
It is now time to reinstall the pads, the water distribution line and the pumps.
Make sure that the standpipe used to drain the cooler is put back correctly to avoid leaks.
Reconect the water line to the cooler and start filling the sump with clean water. At this time, we can adjust the float valve. An old float valve should be replaced if you want trouble free operation this summer.
Once the water is adjusted, we turn the pumps on and make sure they are operating properly and we make sure the water flow to the pads is adequate.
Once that is checked and OK, we can now turn the motor on and start getting the air moving. At this time, the amp draws will be checked on that motor so we can properly adjust the belt tension.

That is how a cooler should be started up. It takes time but the professionals at Desert Comfort Mechanical are trained to do ot properly.

Desert Comfort Mechanical is Licensed (ROC261627), Bonded and Insured. We are BBB Accredideted and hold a 5 star rating through all the major search engines and local directories. We are professionals and the quality of our work reflects it.

We service the entire Phoenix metro area to include cities like Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Carefree, Glendale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Avondale, Peoria, Surprise and more.

Give us a call at the office at (480) 483-3099 to schedule service.

Visit us online at www.desertcomfortmechanical.com
or view our swamp cooler page directy at www.desertcomfortmechanical.com/swamp_cooler_services