The question of the day is this: can rainwater be used to fill an evaporative cooler’s reservoir? It sure would be a convenient feature, right? As long as the weather is wet and rainy, you’d just let it fill a clean bucket. Topped up and cool, you’d carefully fill the appliance reservoir with a resource that’s falling right outside your window. Well, read on, this FAQ has something to say about this option.
Is All Rainwater The Same?
Thanks to the evaporation effect, there’s next to no mineral contaminants in rain. There are, however, other contaminants. Soluble acid traces are one issue. If the acid is strong enough, it’ll eat through evaporative cooler hoses and seals.
What Are Rooftop Hazards?
Even if water from the sky is clean, it’s probably travelled through a less-than-clean route. Bouncing off rooftop tiles or tree branches, rain gathers muck. Germ-filled dirt, which might be carrying bits of bird-poop, cannot be used as an evaporative medium.
Why Is Rain Mostly Safe?
Just like the vaporization principle that makes this technology possible, rain vaporizes then collects in the sky as heavy clouds. The precipitation falls as a low-pollution liquid, straight into a collector tank.
What About Collection Vessel Safety?
Falling water has to be collected before it can be used. That’s a job for a collection tank. Strong plastic units are built for this job. They use advanced filtration systems and/or chemical disinfectants to ensure a contaminant-free water supply is on hand at all times, no matter the time of year.
Does The Time Of Year Impact Matters?
Unfortunately, yes, the seasons of the year will cause problems. During the winter, icy buildups will stop the water. That, of course, isn’t a problem if the property also cools down during the colder months. As for the summer months of the year, arid conditions could keep an appliance reservoir parched. That’s no good, not during the hottest, most in-demand period.
Conditionally speaking, yes, rainwater can be used to fill up an evaporative cooler’s parched tank. Only, there are the terms and conditions covered in the above Frequently Asked Questions guide to weigh. Keep the stored rainwater clean and filtered, because, believe it or not, rain isn’t as clean as it used to be. Acid traces will undermine hose and seal integrity. Also, remember to provide a sound and reliable collection vessel. Filters are important here, as is a tank cover that’ll keep out leaves and bird droppings. Flying pests gather around water supplies, so that last addendum really must be observed.