What’s old is now cool: The swamp cooler rules

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Published Date 6/6/2024

Who’d ‘a thunk the ancient Egyptians invented the first form of air conditioning? The swamp cooler (also called the evaporative cooler) dates back that far, and today it is not only still being used but also being touted as one of the most cost effective and reliable ways to cool a room.

As homeowners across the nation are readying themselves for what’s predicted to be one of the hottest summers on record, keeping your home cool will likely be a top priority. A swamp cooler is about the same size as a room air conditioner, but it lowers the temperature in a home simply by adding moisture to the air.

“Although it has limits on where and how well it works, it’s a cheap, efficient alternative to a regular air conditioner—it’s well worth considering if you want to save money,” says Realtor.com’s Jeanne Sager.

Those ancient Egyptians figured out that you could cool your house by hanging wet towels or blankets over windows and doors. According to Sager, wealthier citizens would have servants fan them across containers of water. “Today, swamp coolers work by the same principle: A motorized fan pushes air through damp pads, which moisten and cool the air before blowing it into its surroundings,” she says. “When air passes over water, microscopic molecules of water evaporate into the air, turning from a liquid into a gas. This process eats up heat, thus cooling the air around it.

Leading-edge baby boomers (whose families did not own Cadillacs or Lincoln Continentals) might recall miniature versions of swamp coolers hanging off car windows in the ‘50s. The device was filled with ice cubes that melted as air filtered through them to cool the car interior.

Phoenix, AZ-based HVAC expert John Ricart says swamp coolers can drop the temperature anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit—all for a fraction of the cost of running AC. One caveat, however. The air must already be dry to begin with. “If the air is already humid—in other words if your typical humidity is over 50%—a swamp cooler won’t work. So if you tend to have hot, sticky summers, a swamp cooler isn’t for you.” Apologies to Midwesterners, Floridians and lots of East coasters.

Swamp coolers vary in size. Some can be installed in a window, similar to a window AC unit and others are on wheels, allowing you to move the swamp cooler from room to room the way you might move a fan to cool different areas of the home. They are less expensive than air conditioners, with smaller units going for anywhere from $150 to $350.

Can you install a whole-house system? Sager says yes. “Although swamp coolers operate as plug-in appliances, there’s also the option of a down-flow installation, typically done by a contractor who will install ductwork throughout your home and mount your swamp cooler on the roof, allowing the unit to blow cool air into many rooms at once.” She says costs for this sort of project vary by area and the size of your home, but HomeAdvisor says you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,562 to $3,741 for the whole job.

If you’re eco-conscious, the Department of Energy estimates that an evaporative cooler uses about a quarter of the energy consumed by a central AC system, along with a purchase cost of about half that of a central AC. Other green benefits include the lack of refrigerants — the chemicals used in AC units that have been linked to global warming. And a quality unit can last for as long as 15 years, according to experts.

Swamp coolers have their limitations, and you should know that going in. They are more difficult to control than their AC counterpart, as they are never going to offer frigid air. On days when the mercury rises above 100, a swamp cooler might just drop the temperature in a home into the 90s. Ricart also warns customers that the moisture fed into a home can wreak havoc on wood furniture and heighten the risk of mold growth, if it’s not controlled. “It can make everything in the house soggy,” he says.

Realtor, TBWS

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