Swamp cooler

[ford35lh]

Does anyone here have a swamp cooler ???

How do they work ???

lynn

[texas webb]

For car-put it in the window load with ice then drive.If you mean for a house it is connected to a water line that flows down the medium fan pulls air thru the wet medium...cool air but damp.

[mrtexas]

They work great in dry Phoenix, AZ. Not so much in humid Houston,TX.

[Mark Slight]

Try using "The Swap Meet" listed in the red ribbon at the top of the page under parts wanted. You may have better results as far as replies.

Mark

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by ford35lh

How do they work ???

lynn

http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-i...amp-cooler.htm

[34PKUP]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by Mark Slight

Try using "The Swap Meet" listed in the red ribbon at the top of the page under parts wanted. You may have better results as far as replies.

Mark

I fail to see why some one asking if anyone who has a swamp cooler can explain how it works translates to using "The Swap Meet" for better results.

[Talkwrench]

This is mine I use in my 56 fairlane. Just add cold water and or ice it draws air through the wet media and goes to cold air. Puts out quite a bit of air, quite interesting on right hand corners you can get sprayed with cold water : )

[Old Henry]

I'm assuming that you are asking about this old vintage automobile swamp cooler.



I used one of these on my VW bug for years back in the 70's and it worked great.

Here's how it works.

The unit is mounted on the passenger door by inserting the tab above the vent into the window slot then closing the window on it.



A brace can be added to the outside attached to the tab there with the other end inserted between the window and window frame at the bottom of the window.

Then water is put into the cooler through the round door on the top outside seen in the first picture up to the bottom of the front opening. Ice can be added but is very time consuming to push one cube at a time through that small opening.



Then, as the car is driven air is forced into the opening on the front in through the medium that is contained within a hardware cloth cage attached to a spring that is wound up when the rope is pulled through the inside vent.



New coolers have a screen over the opening to keep bugs from entering. This old one for sale on eBay is missing that.



There are louvers in the vent to direct the air flow.

As the rope is pulled the cage is turned and the spring is wound. Then, the cage slowly turns as the spring is unwound such that the air going through the cooler passes through the wet medium in the top half of the cage. It takes a few minutes for the spring to unwind. Then, when the air doesn't feel cool anymore, the rope is pulled to wind it up again and the process is repeated. The water in the cooler can last for many miles before needing refilled.

The cooler worked great for my VW bug because the air space in the car was small and the car was air tight such that opening the driver vent window a bit created a vacuum that pulled the air into the car through the cooler. We traveled all through the southwest in the heat of the summer nice and cool inside.

As the family grew, we got a larger vehicle - an old Jeep Wagoneer. I installed the cooler hoping for the same great result. Didn't get it for two reasons, the air space in the vehicle was too large and the Wagoneer wasn't air tight enough to just suck the air in through the cooler without sucking hot air in through all the air leaks.

For those two reasons, (and because they are so darn expensive now, $300+ compared to $15 I paid for mine) I have not bought a swamp cooler to put on my 47 fordor sedan.

[keith oh]

ford35lh, Prof Henry explains how it works(operation of), Google "Swamp Cooler" to find out why and where it works.

[ford35lh]

Thanks,Prof. Henry
Great explanation and the photos were an finishing touch.

[scooder]

Originally Posted by Talkwrench

This is mine I use in my 56 fairlane. Just add cold water and or ice it draws air through the wet media and goes to cold air. Puts out quite a bit of air, quite interesting on right hand corners you can get sprayed with cold water : )

I kinda like the look of the one that sits on the passenger door, but this one here is amazing, damn cool thing.
Thanks for posting.
Martin.

[Ford Freak]

Where did the name "Swamp Cooler " originate from ? I understand the "cooler" part , but where's the "swamp" ? Is that what you got after the ice is melted ?

[jimTN]

They will break or crack a window in a heartbeat when the door is closed!

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by Ford Freak

Where did the name "Swamp Cooler " originate from ? I understand the "cooler" part , but where's the "swamp" ? Is that what you got after the ice is melted ?

They produce a very humid environment, swamp like! If you were ever around one for long you would understand the name. In a dry climate they work fairly well, but in a more humid location you will end up with a swamp!

[Ford Freak]

^^ Ok , I believe I get it now . Thanks JSeery ! ^^

[J Witt]

We had them in our shop in Tucson and they worked fairly well, except during monsoon season.

You need about 30% or less humidity for them to be effective, which was fine there. Humidity was generally in the teens in the summer.

[miwi]

My Swamp Cooler works well when we have a low humidity here in Germany. Most of the time it work not taht good like in Arizona. But it is a cool looking feature and many People here in Germany don't now what it is. And when I say it is an air condition, they are speechless. Often you see them on old Beetle.

[Ford Freak]

Great looking truck , miwi ! What do the people over there (Germany) think of your F1 ?