Lone Star Cooling and Heating
Get help with Evaporative Coolers
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Call (325) 219-0005Servicing, repairing and seasonally starting up and shutting down evaporative coolers, which cool dry air by evaporating water through wet pads, and keeping their pads, pump, float and belt in working order.
01Evaporative coolers
Most evaporative cooler trouble comes back to water, pads or the belt.
Dry pads are the usual reason: a failed pump, a stuck float, a closed water supply or clogged distribution lines. On humid days an evaporative cooler also cools less, because damp air takes up less water.
Old pads, standing water or mineral and algae build-up in the pan give the air a stale smell. New pads and a cleaned pan usually clear it, and a working bleed-off line helps keep it away.
A float valve stuck open overfills the pan, and a rusted pan or loose line lets water out. On a roof-mounted cooler, that water can reach the roof or the ceiling below.
A worn or loose belt slips on its pulley and squeals, and the blower turns slower than it should. A new belt and a check of the motor bearings usually restore it.
02Does it suit
The climate decides whether an evaporative cooler is a good choice more than anything about the building.
Where the summer air is dry, water evaporates readily from the pads and the air coming through them is noticeably cooler. An evaporative cooler can carry a building through most of the season on much less electricity than a refrigerated system, while adding some welcome moisture.
Where the air is already damp, little water can evaporate, so the cooling effect shrinks and the building grows clammy. In those climates, and during a humid monsoon stretch in drier ones, refrigerated cooling does the job an evaporative cooler cannot.
Evaporative Coolers
Serving Abilene, TX.
03How it works
An evaporative cooler has no compressor and no refrigerant. Its parts are simple, and each one matters.
A float valve keeps water in the pan at a set level, and a small pump lifts it through distribution lines to soak the pads on the sides of the cabinet. A belt-driven or direct-drive blower pulls outside air through those wet pads and pushes it into the building, and the water that evaporates along the way takes heat with it.
Because water evaporates and leaves its minerals behind, pads and pans slowly scale up. A bleed-off line or purge pump drains away some of that mineral-heavy water so fresh water replaces it. When the pump, float, belt or bleed-off stops working, the cooler usually tells the building through warm air, a smell or a leak.
04Seasonal service
An evaporative cooler is serviced twice a year, at each end of the cooling season.
The water supply is reconnected, the pan is cleaned, pads are replaced as needed, and the float is set to the right level. The pump, distribution lines, belt tension and motor are checked, and any cover or winter seal over the duct opening is removed.
The water supply is shut off and drained so the line cannot freeze, the pan is emptied and cleaned, and the unit is covered. The duct opening is sealed so warm indoor air does not escape through the cooler during the heating season.
05Questions
It cools by evaporating water into the air passing through it. When the air is already carrying a lot of moisture, less water can evaporate and less heat is removed. That is how evaporative cooling works rather than a fault.
Yes. An evaporative cooler pushes a steady stream of fresh air into the building, and that air needs a way out through partly open windows or relief vents. Without one, the building fills with damp air and cooling drops off.
It depends on the type of pad and how hard the water is. Thin fiber pads are commonly replaced each season, while thicker rigid media lasts longer. Pads crusted with minerals or starting to fall apart are due, whatever their age.
What the system is doing, when it started, what the thermostat is set to and what it reads, and whether the outdoor unit is running. The age of the equipment and a photo of its label help a technician arrive prepared.
Lone Star Cooling and Heating
Call Lone Star Cooling and Heating, have us call you, or describe the issue.
Prefer to talk?
Call (325) 219-0005