Here in Phoenix we see allot of evaporative coolers or “Swamp coolers” during our home inspections, these coolers work by blowing exterior air over a moist filter pad and circulating it into the home. These coolers work during dry times but on humid days they are not effective. While evaporative coolers are simple in design, they should be properly maintained and correctly operated to prevent damaging your home with water or humidity.
Evaporative coolers should be inspected annually to ensure they are in working order. Most of these evaporative coolers consist of the following components:
- Blower fan – This high volume fan circulates the outside air through the pad and into the home.
- Water trough – This is the reservoir at the bottom where the water collects. Water is drawn from this reservoir by the pump.
- Fill valve – This float valve refills the water trough and shuts it off when it gets to the proper level.
- Pump – The pump takes water from the trough in the bottom and pumps it to the top of the pads where it distributes it through a spray bar or nozzles.
- Pads – The pads get moistened from the pump discharging water onto the top, as the water soaks down it moistens the entire pad. These Pads come in many different shapes and types for different brands of evaporative coolers.
One of the most common problems we find with evaporative coolers during our Phoenix home inspections is an inoperative float valve. If this valve is not properly adjusted, the trough will overfill and spill out of the evaporative cooler case. There is an overflow standpipe installed in the trough that should discharge extra water to a safe place but this standpipe can be quickly overwhelmed if the fill valve is stuck completely open. This situation can cause allot of property damage due to water overflowing onto the roof for an extended period of time or even worse, overflowing into the ducting system of the home.
Another common problem with evaporative coolers is corrosion of the metal case. The case is in constant contact with water and therefore has to be properly protected. During the annual inspection, you should treat and repair any areas of failed paint or visible corrosion of the metal. Water constantly dripping from the case onto the roof can cause deterioration of the roofing material and leaks into the home.
Most evaporative coolers have a barometric damper installed at the outlet duct to prevent air from back flowing from the homes ducting system through the evaporative cooler to the exterior. If this damper fails or is weak, the air from the homes cooling or heating system will force it’s way to the exterior resulting in a huge air leak and energy loss.
When you operate your evaporative cooler, make sure you open a sufficient quantity of doors or windows. Since the evaporative cooler is drawing fresh air from the exterior into the home instead of recirculating air from the interior, the air has to be able to move and circulate. If all doors and windows are closed, the home will pressurize and not allow the air to flow properly through the home, this renders the evaporative cooler ineffective. Some homes have barometric vents installed throughout the home that open on their own with the pressure to prevent the need for open doors and windows.
This information was provided by Southwest Premier Home Inspection, the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection Leader. Visit our website at www.swpHomeInspect.com or call us at 623-203-0106 to schedule your Phoenix Home Inspection.
