Evaporative coolers really do make a difference when they’re installed as open space cooling units. Out in the middle of a warehouse floor, the windows and doors are open, and the water cooling effect is in full flow. Comparatively speaking, air conditioners find it hard to match this space-friendly feature. For evaporative appliances, however, as long as the reservoir is large enough, it’ll cool a large open space.
Full-Featured Open Space Coolers
As every warehouse or factory worker knows full well, sustained levels of thermal energy lead to less than comfortable work environments. Even at a midsummer party or wedding reception, the outdoor heat takes its toll. Well, evaporative coolers are designed to operate at their optimized best under such open conditions. To effectively cool a large area, the fan and cooling media perform their task, and they release large quantities of chilled air. Only, this effect tails off if the reservoir drops low. Either the appliance operator must keep the little water tank full, or he must plumb the system into the water supply. Alternatively, the reservoir should be large enough to accommodate the open area cooling effect for hours at a time.
Battling the Sawtooth Cooling Effect
This is where some of the lesser appliances fall short. An evaporative cooler has a powerful fan, plus specially shaped water absorbing media, so an open area cools quickly. Except, the water tank is rated as a low-capacity fixture. It can’t hold enough water to cool the whole area. Plotted on an energy auditing graph, the cooling curve arcs downwards, then it flattens and begins to rise. A sawtooth-shaped graph forms. By employing an appliance that uses a larger water tank, we widen the spikes on the graph. Implemented properly, the system loses these cooling and heating peaks altogether. That’s the goal, at any rate. Practically speaking, then, the best open space evaporative coolers, even the portable models, recruit larger fans and more complex water pads. Honeycombed media is common here, so the equipment owner should probably keep a few of these specialized water absorbing pads in storage.
Finally, in addition to the powerful fan, large fan blades, and intricate water absorbing media, the larger reservoir is selected. A high capacity tank is essential if the appliance is on wheels. Otherwise, the sawtooth cooling effect will follow the equipment as it roams an open space. Following close behind this undesirable effect will come the operator, sweating as he chases it with a refillable canister. Again, just for the permanently installed equipment, the larger than average reservoir can be connected to the mains water supply, along with a more active fluid filtration solution.