Should I get an evaporative cooler for my home or a standard window unit?

In today's Parade magazine (it comes in our Sunday paper every week) there is an advertisement for a "Cyclonic Water Vaporization System." Here is the webpage: http://www.ihsmall.com/catalog/product_i...





For those of you who are heating and cooling experts, do you recommend this type of cooling unit? Why or why not? Is it all the ad claims it to be? Or, is it best to buy a standard A/C window unit?





We are trying to come up with a solution for my son's bedroom. It gets very hot, but he only has one small window, too small for a window unit unless we got a contractor to build him a new window. A contractor could also make a hole in the wall for the window unit.





Please help us! We don't know what to do, and we want to a) cool the room really well and b) not spend a lot of money if possible.





THANKS!

Should I get an evaporative cooler for my home or a standard window unit?
Evaporative coolers have a low first cost, use a lot less electricity than conventional air conditioners, and do not use refrigerants, such as chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), that can harm the ozone layer.


There are two types of evaporative coolers: direct and indirect (all called two-stage). In a direct evaporative cooler, a blower forces air through a permeable, water-soaked pad. As the air passes through the pad, it is filtered, cooled, and humidified. An indirect evaporative cooler has a secondary heat exchanger which prevents humidity from being added to the airstream which enters the home. Evaporative coolers can be used as a sole cooling system in a home, as an alternative cooling system to a conventional refrigerant air conditioner.


Unlike air conditioned rooms, windows or ceiling vents need to be open when an evaporative cooling system is operating. The large volume of fresh air added to the home replaces a significant amount of air that exits from the home.


Indirect, or two-stage, evaporative coolers do not add humidity to the air, but cost more than direct coolers and operate at a lower efficiency. Two stage evaporative coolers combine indirect with direct evaporative cooling. This is accomplished by passing air inside a heat exchanger that is cooled by evaporation on the outside. In the second stage, the pre-cooled air passes through a water-soaked pad and picks up humidity as it cools. Because the air supply to the second stage evaporator is pre-cooled, less humidity is added to the air, whose affinity for moisture is directly related to temperature. Cool air with a relative humidity between 50 and 70 percent, dependent on the regional climate. A traditional system would produce about 80 percent relative humidity air.


Direct evaporative coolers cost about $700 to $1000, installed, compared with several thousand dollars for conventional air conditioner and ductwork. In addition, operating costs are about 1/3 that of conventional air conditioning (including the cost of water, depending on electric and water costs). Indirect evaporative coolers cost are much higher.


Energy Efficiency





Evaporative coolers use about ¼ the electricity of conventional air conditioners.


Environmental Performance





Evaporative coolers can improve the indoor air quality inside a home by drawing a large supply of fresh outdoor air through the home. However, they consume between 3.5 and 10.5 gallons of water per hour of operation.





I believe there is tax breaks on this type of cooling too being a "green" alturnitive.
Reply:First the evaporative water vapor system. If you live in say, Phoenix AZ. it will work. I used one while I was there. If the climate is very, very, dry it will cool. It will be a wet cool but that is not uncomfortable IF the climate is bone dry. Otherwise, I would advise a window unit.

wallflower