room cooler

[sam ward]

I want to get a room cooler for a couple that is living through this heat without air conditioning. Coolers with or without water? etc. Any help appreciated.

[freeradical]

Swamp coolers need water to work. You also need low humidity conditions.

[testcase]

A couple of fans strategically placed to get air moving. Early AM and late PM, open windows to get fresh air. Most of the day, have the windows closed and shades / curtains drawn to keep the sun out.

Hard to beat a real AC though; even if one one room can be kept cool.

[AllGold]

To elaborate on freeradical's comments, if you're talking about a "swamp cooler" or evaporative cooler, it won't work and will be a waste of money in a high-humidity environment (like what has been experienced in the eastern half of the U.S. over the last week or so). They are only effective in low humidity climates like the southwest.

In the midwest or northeast, on any given day if the humidity is low enough for an evaporative cooler to be effective then it will already be cool enough that you won't need it.

[Grateful11]

How large is the living space where you want to help this couple?

[M>B>]

Whole-house fan...

[DP]

>They are only effective in low humidity climates like the southwest.
Where all the swamps are... Always thought they were misnamed.

[modelamac]

The most effective investment other than a window AC unit is a variable-speed attic fan. It may require adding a larger vent at one end of the attic area to really be effective.

The swamp coolers will not always be effective without a dehumidifier running constantly. A window AC would do the work of both.

[davester]

DP wrote:
>They are only effective in low humidity climates like the southwest.
Where all the swamps are... Always thought they were misnamed.

I think they're named that way because their insides often start looking like a swamp after a while.

[macphanatic]

Using fans without some type of cooling or fresh air will just create a large convection oven.