Is there a way to fix a small leak in a swamp cooler pan? The swamp cooler over 14 years old. The pan is rusting and there is a hole about the size that a 16d nail might cause. I'm hoping to be able to patch the hole and not have to replace the swamp cooler quite yet.
How about maybe put a 16d nail in the hole..... Seriously just about anything from duct tape to a dab of silicone will work for at least the rest of the season. Then you could look for an after season discout sale this fall and get a new swamper for next year. You will probably have other holes to fix and/or other mechanial problems soon anyway. Kevin
I would expect the rust to continue to spread. Would a small patch hold for the entire season?
yet.
Go to a dive store and get some neoprene glue and some scraps of their wet suit material. Clean the metal as best you can without making new holes. Put glue on both areas and let it sit for ten minutes. When you touch it together, it will stick, so get it right. You might have to put a patch on both sides. It might buy you a couple or three more seasons.
Go buy an anode for your cooler. It will help lengthen the life of it by giving the electrolysis something to chew on besides the metal in your cooler.
Steve
I've also had good luck with spray-on automotive undercoating. The pan has to be completely dry for it to stick. Wire brush the loose crud and wipe or vacuum it out. Wire the pump up high so you don't get any goop on it.
The stuff sprays on like tar but dries hard and waterproof. I have gotten another two or three years out of rust-bucket swamp coolers with this stuff.
John
Thanks, everybody. I did a temporary patch with epoxy putty. It looks like it will hold for a while. I already have another small leak. I'll see if I can nurse this swamp cooler through the summer, then find a way to coat the pan and see if I can get another couple of years out of it.
two things...
1)a feedwater bleed takes a small percentage of the circulating water and dumps it out (onto your lawn if you wish) limiting the buildup of minerals in the swamp cooler 2) sacrificial anodethese two things can extend the life of a swamp cooler..
Mark
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