If the water tank in an evaporative cooler is full of purified water, why should the appliance owner ever think about replacing its cooler pads? Shouldn’t they last forever? Enough with the questions, the water isn’t likely to be pure. Moreover, cooler pads age. Generally speaking, then, the equipment operator can just slot in a new set of cooling media when the summer season arrives, right?
Pesky Environmental Factors
Agreed, according to the user manual, the cooler pads can be replaced when the climate sends the thermometer mercury climbing. One problem, however, is that there’s no such thing as a set of “ideal conditions.” Spring waters don’t tumble out of faucets, and the air in any given location is rarely clear. Minerals will accumulate in the honeycombed pads, the media will clog and become ineffective. Meanwhile, in the air, fan-driven particulates will settle on the pads.
Weighing the Pad-Impacting Variables
Don’t assume the sponges will last all season, not if the equipment is employed in a dirty warehouse. Even in an outdoor area, the pads will clog over time. Secondly, water quality varies. All around the globe, there are bacterial moulds, minerals, and heavy metals. And those soil-trapped materials tend to be soluble. They dissolve, end up in the mains water supply, and it’s only a matter of time before they find their way into an evaporative cooler’s reservoir. To cut to the chase, those materials collect in cooler pads.
Spotting Pad Fatigue Telltales
The water pump and equipment tubes are operating, plus the cooler fan is spinning at full speed. Strangely, the equipment isn’t cooling anything or anyone, not like it normally does. Replace the cooler pads as a fault narrowing step. If there’s dirt or slime on the pads, a mould that can’t be identified, a media replacement action should not be delayed. If the dirt is loaded with mould, spores could be released into the air when the fan activates. Respiratory issues are likely unless the situation is quickly corrected. To be absolutely diligent here, though, the best way forward is to pull out the user manual. Obey its instructions.
Some cooler pads can last for several years. That’s a point that’ll be noted in the manual. The same instruction books also tell us that this longevity factor can be curbed by certain environment-specific elements, including air and water impurities. Moving away from those two cooler pad incapacitating forces, there are actions that can be taken to extend their lifespan. Clean the tank, use water treatment tablets (if recommended by the user manual), and replace old appliance filters.