Evaporative Coolers (Swamp Coolers) in Las Vegas, NV

How well a cooler performs depends almost entirely on how dry the outdoor air is. On a typical June afternoon with very low humidity, a well-kept cooler can deliver air 20 degrees or more below the outdoor temperature, for very little power.

Monsoon season, roughly July through September, changes the picture. When humid air moves in, less water can evaporate, so the air leaving the vents is warmer and already damp. Indoors it feels sticky, and on the worst days the cooler does little more than a fan would. Those humid spells land in the hottest part of the year.

A swamp cooler on its own suits people who can live with some warm, muggy days, or spaces that do not need tight temperature control. If you want the house held steady all summer, you need refrigerated air, either central air conditioning or a ductless mini split. Some homes have both and switch between them. If yours does, run one or the other and never both at once, because the air conditioner ends up fighting the moisture the cooler adds.

Las Vegas tap water is very hard, about 16 grains per gallon. Every gallon that evaporates leaves its minerals behind, and they build up as crusty white scale on the pads, the pump, the water distribution tubes and the pan. Scaled pads pass less air and cool less. A cooler needs attention twice a year:

• Spring start-up. Clean out the pan, replace or rinse the pads, check the pump and float valve, clear the distributor tubes, inspect the belt, oil the bearings where there are oil ports, then reconnect the water line.
• Fall shutdown. Shut off and disconnect the water supply, drain the pan and the line so nothing freezes on a cold desert night, cover the unit and close the damper to keep drafts out of the house.

During the season, look at the pads once a month. A musty or fishy smell usually means stagnant water or pads that are overdue. A bleed-off line or purge pump, which dumps mineral-heavy water at intervals, slows scale at the cost of some extra water.

Most repair calls come down to a short list: a pump that has stopped circulating, a float valve stuck open or shut, a worn belt, a failed motor, plugged distributor tubes that leave dry streaks on the pads, or a pan that has rusted through. A roof-mounted cooler that leaks deserves prompt attention, since the water ends up on the roof deck or in the ceiling.

Replacement makes sense when the cabinet or pan is rusted out, or when the motor, pump and pads all come due together. For a new or replacement cooler we size the unit by the airflow the space needs and check that the ducts and relief openings can pass that volume. Coolers with thick rigid media pads typically cool better and last longer between pad changes than traditional aspen-pad units.

If you have decided to move to refrigerated cooling, see AC installation. Cooler ducts are sized for much higher airflow and are often uninsulated, so a conversion commonly involves duct changes.

The best time to arrange a start-up is before the first hot week. Call 702-497-0888 and tell us where the cooler sits, on the roof, a wall or in a window, and what symptoms you see. Any make or model is fine, and our licensed technicians service coolers on homes and commercial buildings across Las Vegas and nearby Clark County communities. For water coming through a ceiling or another urgent problem, we answer emergency calls around the clock.