Evaporative Cooler putting too much humidity into my house

[Mtmartin71]

Title says it. I live in CO and have a ductless home. It's heated through hot water heat/radiators. Problem with my swamp cooler is that it's getting my indoor humidity up to 70% or more which is much higher than the outside RH. Will opening more windows help the humidity go down? The problem is the humidity is really messing up the tuning and position of the necks on my electric guitars. It's not good for this wood to constantly expand and contract during the seasons. Anyone else experience thiss? Were you able to change something that allowed you to get closer to the 45-50% range?

Thanks,

Matt

[jmeehan]

That is how they work. The more cooling they provide the more water they will be adding to the air. If you want less humidity, and I would, then you reduce the use of the swamp cooler or switch to an air conditioner. I don't know what all may be available in your area or work best.

[ransley]

Its not going to hurt the instruments, it will just as you know change neck bow and tuning, maybe get a window unit it will cool and dehumidify.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Wed 23 Jul 2008 10:11:06p, Mtmartin71 told us...

I'm not sure why, living in CO, you chose to use an evaporative cooler, as they are only really effective where the humidity is extremely low, as in AZ where I live. Even I won't have one because I don't want that much humidity in the house, and they aren't as effective at cooling as is an air conditioner. Adding that much humidity to an enclosed space will encourage mold and mildew growth, a decidedly unhealthy situation. I would rip it out and install A/C, as I don't know of anything else to remedy the situation. The negative tradeoff, however, is higher installation and operating cost.

[HeyBub]

Could you, like, switch to the trombone?

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm, Swamp cooler in CO? It belongs to places like AZ. Here in Alberta we don't use swamp cooler, just a/c units.

[nicksanspam]

I suggest you make a duct to allow the swamp cooler to use indoor vs outdoor air and turn it on with a thermostat when the indoor air temp reaches 75 and run an exhaust fan with a humidistat when the indoor air RH reaches 50%.

Nick

[terry]

Could you temporarily use a small dehumidifier in the room where the instruments are kept?

It's kind of wasted electrcity cos the electrcity the dehumidifier uses will also add heat to the air but that will also help the 'relativve humidity' in that room.

We run one in our basement to reduce humidity and thereby reduce tool rusting.

In our cooler climate in which we do not need or install AC we do get a few relatively humid warmer days and some humid outside air gets into our in-ground cool basement and condenses on things. The higher humidity can occasionally also cause doors to swell, furniture to change shape and furniture drawers to stick etc.

[lp13-30]

Swamp coolers are not that uncommon in parts of Co. I would definitely think that some windows should be opened so that the humid air escapes and the unit does not just continue to pump more and re water into the air. Larry

[Mtmartin71]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm going to have a Heating/Cooling guy come in and look at what I have and see if we can augment with some AC so I don't have to run the evap cooler much if at all. Just sucks to have dumped $2K into the wrong solution 2 summers ago.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

*************************************************

But a $99 room AC will at least keep the guitars in good condition.

[Reed]

snip

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Living in Denver CO the last 34 years with a swamp cooler, I can tell you they work just fine here. (and I prefer it after 1 year of A/C in Chicago.) We do have low humidity, but not the 100+ temps of AZ. That's when you need A/C vs cooler.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Thu 24 Jul 2008 06:57:19p, Reed told us...

To some extent preference follows what you're used to. Many people in the Phoenix area have both a swamp cooler and a/c. They use the swamp cooler during most of the hot weather except when our monsoon hits with high humidity. Then they switch to a/c. If you have low humidity, a swamp cooler is fine if you like it. If you have average or high humidity, a swamp cooler can destroy your home.

My dad was an HVAC engineer, beginning in the early 1940s. I can't remember ever living in a home without a/c. This certainly drives my preference, even though a swamp cooler would work fine for me here in Phoenix during most of the season, I wouldn't like it.

[AZ Nomad]

piggybacking

You can't use a swamp cooler when the outdoor air is humid. You also must have decent airflow through the house. All the windows should only be closed so that a tissue will get pressed against a window screen. Typically open all windows 3", especially those farthest away from the swamp cooler.

You might need a swamp cooler with a bigger fan, if there isn't enough airflow.

[AZ Nomad]

A swamp cooler can only be used the the temps are below about 100. Above that, the evaporating water can't cool the air stream enough to keep indoor temps below 90.

For phoenix, it means that swamp coolers are only usefull from march to may, and from october (after monsoon season ends) to november.

[AZ Nomad]

They're great for dry climates. Where I've used them in Colorado and New Mexico, they work like a champ.

The air doesn't get that humid if you don't let it build up.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Fri 25 Jul 2008 05:17:32a, AZ Nomad told us...

You're absolutely right, but what they can't do is keep my house at an even

68-70°F., which is what I prefer. Providing relief from extreme heat, yes. Maintaining a controlled and dehumidified environment, doubtful.

[AZ Nomad]

When I lived in Colorado, I had a swamp cooler w/ a 3/4hp motor for

2000 sq. feet of home. It was on a thermostat so at least the temperature in the living room was constant. The rest of the house was equalized by opening/closing windows.

Keep in mind that running a swamp cooler costs about $30-50/month versus $200-300/mo for refrigerated air. It's also a heck of lot cheaper to install a swamp cooler to a house that lacks an existing cooling system.

[Mtmartin71]

Hide quoted text -

Guys,

How many windows should I be opening? I have a two story home at about 1800 total square feet and then also about 500 sq feet of finished basement. My humidity in the basement hit near 80%! Now that I've turned the damn thing off, it's dropped below 70% in the basement. The house feels sticky and damp and it's a complete pain in the a$$ for my guitars. I couldn't find the dang documents to see the model and specs, but I'm pretty sure the guy spec'd me the right type and it wasn't a home depot job. This is one of those coolers that has just one panel opening that you can put a closed panel on for the winter (vs. the fully open ones you see at Home Depot that require a cover).

Anyhow, the one thing I can use it for without adding moisture is to circulate cold night air through my house with just the fan function. I'll see what this other HVAC guy has to say and just go from there.

[charlie]

Guys,

How many windows should I be opening? I have a two story home at about 1800 total square feet and then also about 500 sq feet of finished basement. My humidity in the basement hit near 80%! Now that I've turned the damn thing off, it's dropped below 70% in the basement. The house feels sticky and damp and it's a complete pain in the a$$ for my guitars. I couldn't find the dang documents to see the model and specs, but I'm pretty sure the guy spec'd me the right type and it wasn't a home depot job. This is one of those coolers that has just one panel opening that you can put a closed panel on for the winter (vs. the fully open ones you see at Home Depot that require a cover).

Anyhow, the one thing I can use it for without adding moisture is to circulate cold night air through my house with just the fan function. I'll see what this other HVAC guy has to say and just go from there.