Brian Peppers, vice president of marketing for HH Technologies Inc., points to two areas managers must be knowledgeable about related to spot coolers. They include:
Electrical requirements. “Most units require a standard 120-volt plug with a 20-amp breaker, but when you move into larger units, they can require special plug types, larger than normal breaker requirements — like 5 amps — and some units specify 240 volts,” he says.
Water source. Most portable evaporative coolers are designed to be connected to a water supply. The units can evaporate large amounts of water per hour, and typically facilities will not allow a hose to be stretched across the floor. Placing units at or near water supplies is recommended.
“Consider dropping the water line from overhead,” Peppers says. “Some look for units with large reservoirs and plan to refill a couple of times per day or add an external water reservoir or tank.”
Fans on the market often offer variable speeds.
“It’s nice to have that max power when those peak temperatures are there, but being able to lower that speed makes your product much more usable all year long,” Peppers says. “There are lots of benefits to good ventilation.”
Managers also can read manuals to become familiar with shut-down routines and extending pad life.
“The evaporative cooling media is your most common wear item, and with some good shut-down habits and a cleaning schedule, you can greatly increase your pad life,” Peppers says.
Managers also need to understand the quality of their water supply.
“If it is hard water, high PH or heavy calcium, then plan for that and work to clean your reservoir, or look at water treatment options,” Peppers says.
Among the other mistakes that managers commonly make with spot coolers is confusing evaporative coolers with air conditioning units.
“They are not made to cool a space or building. They are spot coolers,” Peppers says, who adds that not allowing fresh-air intake is another potential issue. “Evaporative systems in enclosed buildings just compound humidity and are not effective.”
Another error is not knowing what to expect on temperature drop.
“Evaporative cooling is a direct correlation between the dry bulb and wet bulb temp, or humidity,” Peppers says. “Units will perform better in Arizona and Southern California than Florida due to humidity levels.”
Managers also should understand what they can reasonably expect from the units.
“A good thing is that as temps rise humidity drops, so a unit will perform better in the heat of the day than early morning and late evening,” Peppers says.
Howard Riell is a freelance writer based in Henderson, Nevada.
