Air Coolers (not A/c)

[Sheryl]

Has anyone had any experience with those "air cooler" machines that are sold in appliance stores (air coolers, not air conditioners)? I need to get something for the living room of my niece's apartment, it's university owned housing and the electric costs are very high (they tack on a surcharge to the actual) so I really don't want to get another a/c (already one in each of 2 bedrooms), as it is her tuition plus room & board are costing me a significant amount...but I also can't see letting her go into the hot season with just one small fan in the LR. So choices are adding a large ceiling fan or trying one of these "air cooler" devices, would appreciate any feedback on folks who've tried any of the brands available here.

hanks

[bonsaimax]

Those box fans are alright if you have a constant supply of ice, and it doesnt cool the room at all. It's supposed to be directed at just one person. For the living room, I'd rather go for the ceiling fan.

[BambinA]

Is it evaporative air cooler? (fan fogger or mist fan)

If so, (I have nerve had it.but i used to sit in my friend's room who has that kind of air cooler)I think it's fine.. it's COOOOOLLLLL but i don't think it's good if you use it in a closed room which has not so good ventilation.(mold problem)

Edited March 21, 2007 by BambinA

[Farma]

I found in a dry climate the air coolers work adequately. They do cool the area by a few degrees. I’m not sure how well they work in humidity. A lot of Thais I know won’t use them as they claim they cause people to catch colds.

[jingjoe]

Designed entirely for area's with low humidity. i.e. Useless on the coast.

[Neeranam]

I bought one a few weeks ago and it is great - 1500 baht from Tesco Lotut.

Costs about 20 baht a day on ice. Really cools our bedroom down. I also bought those insulation tiles for the roof which keeps the cool in. They were only 3 hundred and something baht from Homepro(sale) for 20 tiles.

It has a swing mechanism inside so can reach more than 1 person.

[Austhaied]

Please do not buy one of these, as they are as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike..Seriously.

[h90]

Is it evaporative air cooler? (fan fogger or mist fan)

If so, (I have nerve had it.but i used to sit in my friend's room who has that kind of air cooler)I think it's fine.. it's COOOOOLLLLL but i don't think it's good if you use it in a closed room which has not so good ventilation.(mold problem)

If closed room:

I want to add to the mold (fungus), both on the wall and between the toes....

Both can be pretty harmfull.

some insects get much more happy at very high moisture (but maybe you can also cultivate frogs in the same room to balance that)

computer/electronic/metals might get big problems as well.

If open room it might not help very much.

[popshirt]

I use an evaporative cooler system at my house in the Palm Springs desert of Southern California. We have almost 0 % humidity there in the summer and it works very well in that climate, often bringing the temperature down as much as 15 degrees. But the minute there is humidity--even one tiny puffy cloud in an otherwise clear sky--they don't work well at all, making the house damp and hot. Then it is time for the ceiling fans or air con. I can't imagine them working well anywhere in Thailand, anytime.

[Naam]

I bought one a few weeks ago and it is great - 1500 baht from Tesco Lotut.

Costs about 20 baht a day on ice. Really cools our bedroom down.

another proof of "faith can move mountains"

[Ulysses G.]

I use an evaporative cooler system at my house in the Palm Springs desert of Southern California. We have almost 0 % humidity there in the summer and it works very well in that climate, often bringing the temperature down as much as 15 degrees. But the minute there is humidity--even one tiny puffy cloud in an otherwise clear sky--they don't work well at all, making the house damp and hot. Then it is time for the ceiling fans or air con. I can't imagine them working well anywhere in Thailand, anytime.

They don't work in Thailand because of humidity. They just make one more uncomfortable.

[naka]

I've used these before.

As Jingjoe said they work (sort of) in the Aussie outback

when the humidity is 30%. However in Bangkok today it

is 83% and this type of cooler will probably push it up

to nigh on 95%. with little reduction in temperature.

Better to stick with a good overhead fan.

Naka.

[Sheryl]

Thanks for all the feedback, seems they nays have it. A ceiling fan it shall be....

[Neeranam]

Well I'm sitting at my computer with my box fan turned on high, giving me a great cool breeze, ten times better than the normal fan. Also great for cooling a room down before going to bed - all it needs is 20 minutes. Makes a big difference.

[Heng]

but i don't think it's good if you use it in a closed room which has not so good ventilation.(mold problem)

It's not just the room ventilation that is the problem. The machine itself is a mold machine. I've seen tenants of ours throw away (whenever they happen to relocate) more than half a dozen over the years. Just open the various water fillable areas and you'll see enough carcinogenic fuzzy furry reasons not to keep the things.

Nothing beats a well maintained reputable brand air conditioner or ceiling fan if that happens to be your budget.

[elkangorito]

Designed entirely for area's with low humidity. i.e. Useless on the coast.

I use an evaporative cooler system at my house in the Palm Springs desert of Southern California. We have almost 0 % humidity there in the summer and it works very well in that climate, often bringing the temperature down as much as 15 degrees. But the minute there is humidity--even one tiny puffy cloud in an otherwise clear sky--they don't work well at all, making the house damp and hot. Then it is time for the ceiling fans or air con. I can't imagine them working well anywhere in Thailand, anytime.

They don't work in Thailand because of humidity. They just make one more uncomfortable.

I completely agree with the above posters.

Also, they can cause the growth of mould in poorly ventilated areas. Another issue, which hasn't proven to be a problem, is the prospect of Legionella growing in the water if it has been sitting for quite a while without use. It is therefore safe practice to drain all the water from these units if it is not going to be used for some time. I would never buy one in Thailand...bad idea.

[Neeranam]

Anyone want to buy one - 500 baht?

[duratanium]

Anyone want to buy one - 500 baht?

Give me 500 baht and I'll get the g/f to take it off you and dump it

[Jet Gorgon]

I always used a ceiling or standing fan with open windows for cross breezes. In really hot season, I sometimes put a bowl of ice in front of the fan head so the breeze was cooler. Then gave the cool water to the dogs.

[Yamantaka]

They are useless. For a short time, right after you've put ice into it, if you sit maybe 60cm away from it and have it aiming right at you, it will cool you a degree or two. But barely more than a good fan.

[NguuMuu]

Sorry for the revival, but didn't want to start a new topic for this.

What about the versions that have a humidifier/ionizer built in? A friend has a Claret model from HomePro that cost about 6000-7000 baht and he says it works great. Cleans the air and keeps the room dry(er) while cooling with just a little bit of power and a bag of ice.

I'd like to get one, but don't want to buy one based soley on his experience and I can't find any other info on the net. Anyone have experience with air coolers like these?

[mrt273nva]

I found in a dry climate the air coolers work adequately. They do cool the area by a few degrees. I’m not sure how well they work in humidity. A lot of Thais I know won’t use them as they claim they cause people to catch colds.

i'm sitting in front of one right now and it isn't doing anything. and yes i do have a cold now but that might be coincidence.

when i lived in nevada i had one and it worked well because of the dry climate, but here it is just a fancy looking fan.

[Kerryd]

Please do not buy one of these, as they are as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike..Seriously.

I agree with Austhaied 100%.

I bought one of the better models of these things in '04. Tried everything I could think of (water, cold water, ice cubes, small blocks of ice) and it didn't seem to do anything at all (in Pattaya at least).

Finally gave up and had an air-conditioner installed. Gave the cooler to the landlady. She tried it for a couple of weeks with no better results. Now it sits in an alcove with all the other bits and pieces of junk she just can't seem to get rid of.

As for a humidifier/ionizer, not sure. But for the price mentioned, you may be further ahead to spend a little more and just get a normal air-con.

[NguuMuu]

As for a humidifier/ionizer, not sure. But for the price mentioned, you may be further ahead to spend a little more and just get a normal air-con.

You are correct in that the cost is pretty close to buying a normal AC unit, but I see one of the big advantages of an air cooler as it being portable. In my case I have several extra rooms with no AC, but it would be nice to have an air cooler if I had a guest over or needed to do some temporary work in one of the rooms.

[jackr]

Mine works, in a fashion, up in Chiang Mai if I can be assed to bung some ice in there and if it's about 2mm away from my leg, but in all fairness it's about as much use as tits on a kipper . I just use it as a fan now and turn on the aircon when it gets overly sweaty.

Better off getting a portable aircon unit and wheeling that bugger around. Make sure it comes with a hose/window blank attachment so you can poke the hot exhaust outside or you'll defeat the object. A 10,000 BTU unit will use less than 1KW so not too much consumption when compared with an installed unit, although considerably more than any type of fan of course. You can pick em up from Central for about 17-20k.

[english_farang_lady]

What about a dehumidifier and a ceiling fan? It is the humidity here which is a killer, not the heat, far as I am concerned.

In the Gulf, ceiling fans going one way dragged the air down, and the other way, sucked it upwards I seem to remember.

We had one of the machines you are considering, mould was a problem, and it just did not cool. But was less costly than the other alternatives. I too was concerned about Legionaires Disease but actualy I think that is more prevalent with older systems, although not sure.

Seems to be more against than for.

[sukanyacondo]

I bought one once as we didnt have air con and it was no substitute for air . It should lower temps a bit but not much as the ice melts, without the ice it just shoving warm air round the room.

[chanchao]

I'd say a long term solution would be to seriously look at passive cooling. (i.e. anything other than air-conditioning).

Now, I don't know where the apartment is and how it's positioned. It may be that it gets unusually hot and uncomfortable, so do also consider moving to a different apartment (which may be a different unit in the same building, but not on the sunny side!)

Passive cooling means keeping direct afternoon sun off your walls and windows. It means having a way to get a natural breeze in. A lot of apartments don't have much in the way of windows, which is bad. Ideall you want to create a draft which may mean opening (or venting) the main entrance door.

In addition to that, put ceiling fans in every room; either metal ones which are cheaper and work better, or wood/brass ones which look nicer. Metal ceiling fans go for under 1000 baht each, wood fans start around 1500 baht.

Doing all of that will be a huge boost in comfort and huge reduction in your electricity bill; even if in a very hot and humid area you can still use the ceiling fan in combination with the airconditioner, meaning it can be on a lower setting, or can be in 'dry' mode as opposed to cool mode.

Edited June 7, 2007 by chanchao

[Etrigan]

These machines will ruin all your books if you use in the house.