- Swamp coolers enjoy greater popularity in drier areas, like deserts. Humidity above about 30 percent limits their efficiency, according to the Consumer Energy Center. However, regardless of location, consumers prefer air conditioners, which cool the air regardless of humidity levels.
- When dry, hot air moves over water, it absorbs moisture as the vapor pressure of the air and the water attempt to become more equal. In the process, the temperatures of both air and water also equalize. Upon saturation, the air stops absorbing water. A swamp cooler uses 3 to 15 gallons of water a day.
- Install a smaller coolers in a window so it can blow cooled air into the room. Put a large cooler in a central area, or use duct work to channel the air to other rooms.
- Unlike air conditioning, which is most effective in a closed room or area, evaporative cooling works best when you open up the areas into which you want to channel the cooled air.
- Adding humidity to the air doesn't just cool the air, it keeps wood and fabric from drying out. Swamp coolers use as little as 25 percent of the energy of air conditioners, can cost just half as much to buy, and run on normal 120-volt current. They don't require special circuits, unlike many air conditioners.