Air Coolers, does it work ?(the one where you add water and ice)

[pizzachang]

On 4/15/2023 at 4:06 PM, Ralf001 said:

Google "do swamp coolers work in humid climates"

 

As mentioned by others they are not suited to humid climates but should be ok if you only want to lower room temp by a few degrees........ dont expect it to do more than that though.

Those swamp coolers add extra moisture to the air. Low moisture air is easier to cool. Investing in 'attic space insulation' is a much better way to get lower daytime temperatures. Most Thai style roof/attic spaces can be insulated inexpensively with the R36 (shops even sell foil - covered batts) Adding a thermostatic vent fan, to exhaust hot air from the attic space will ensure a lower room temp. But, if you don't do that, the insulation will still keep your space cooler. The hot air will eventually invade your insulated space but much slower and during the rest of the year the room will be much cooler. I did this process and it really does work and I will add the exhaust fan, but haven't done that yet. Identical floor plan houses, in our moo baan, are "ovens" during the afternoons - without the attic insulation.

[Ralf001]

32 minutes ago, pizzachang said:

Those swamp coolers add extra moisture to the air. Low moisture air is easier to cool. Investing in 'attic space insulation' is a much better way to get lower daytime temperatures. Most Thai style roof/attic spaces can be insulated inexpensively with the R36 (shops even sell foil - covered batts) Adding a thermostatic vent fan, to exhaust hot air from the attic space will ensure a lower room temp. But, if you don't do that, the insulation will still keep your space cooler. The hot air will eventually invade your insulated space but much slower and during the rest of the year the room will be much cooler. I did this process and it really does work and I will add the exhaust fan, but haven't done that yet. Identical floor plan houses, in our moo baan, are "ovens" during the afternoons - without the attic insulation.

Adding roof insulation will help greatly but is not realistic if you are a renter not an owner.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Aren't these things ideal breathing ground for mold and mildew?

[lopburi3]

8 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Adding roof insulation will help greatly but is not realistic if you are a renter not an owner.

But as a renter you have a choice - make that known to those you rent from.  There is no shortage of rental property in Thailand.

[jimn]

I bought one 6 weeks ago and hardly use it. The air is too humid and wet at the moment it just makes things worse and gives you a bad chest.

[Ralf001]

44 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

But as a renter you have a choice - make that known to those you rent from.  There is no shortage of rental property in Thailand.

Absolutely and I would never rent a house in a hot humid climate that is not insulated.

 

[rickudon]

Waste of time. I bought one when i first retired here (limited income, as pensions not all taken yet) 11 years ago, about 2000 baht, took water and a little ice. Not effective. Once i took a thermometer to the inlet and outlet to see how much cooler the air was - answer 0.5 C! Got a better effect from a bowl of ice and a fan, and cheaper too.....

 

Next year bought a second hand air-conditioner.

[Expat68]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:23 PM, DJ54 said:

Bought a new portable air conditioner on wheels … it cooled good in the air conditioned store but so much in in a very small room… not even if you parked next to the bed…. Waste of money gave it away… bought a split unit not too expensive… 100x better… 

Split unit?? What is this?

[lopburi3]

6 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

Split unit?? What is this?

Normal 2 piece system.

[brianthainess]

Having to buy ice and keep a supply, front up and pay 10k for a real A/C. not sure if you have a chest freezer to keep big bags of ice, if not it could cost you near 20+ baht a day! over 500baht a month. more than 6k a year for ice 😱 if that were the case in 2 years that would be the same price as an A/C unit. Edit; my room is 20 sq. mt. with a high ceiling 9.5 BTU is enough. 

[KannikaP]

23 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Having to buy ice and keep a supply, front up and pay 10k for a real A/C. not sure if you have a chest freezer to keep big bags of ice, if not it could cost you near 20+ baht a day! over 500baht a month. more than 6k a year for ice 😱 if that were the case in 2 years that would be the same price as an A/C unit. Edit; my room is 20 sq. mt. with a high ceiling 9.5 BTU is enough. 

Bht 10k - 12k for a 9.5BTU a/c. What make is that, bought from where please?

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Bht 10k - 12k for a 9.5BTU a/c. What make is that, bought from where please?

12290 (and get additional 1,200 baht discount with a click on promotion) for 9200 BTU Daikin - bought two larger units last week and delivered next day.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/daikin-ftkq-x-inverter-9200-20500-btu-pm25-i4452571657-s17905421283.html?

[KannikaP]

9 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

12290 (and get additional 1,200 baht discount with a click on promotion) for 9200 BTU Daikin - bought two larger units last week and delivered next day.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/daikin-ftkq-x-inverter-9200-20500-btu-pm25-i4452571657-s17905421283.html?

Thanks for that. I cannot see whether it is a split unit, ie one part inside, one outside. Can you tell me please if you have one. Thanks.

[lopburi3]

12 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Thanks for that. I cannot see whether it is a split unit, ie one part inside, one outside. Can you tell me please if you have one. Thanks.

Yes it is a split inverter system and considered by most to be the best brand for sale in Thailand.  Installed the two units last week and working fine with no issues.  Cost was 3k to remove old/install each new but long time ac worker and no extra costs.  We know not cheapest install but trust worker as have used for several decades.

[brianthainess]

17 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Bht 10k - 12k for a 9.5BTU a/c. What make is that, bought from where please?

There are a few but Mine is a Samsung inverter 9.4 BTU I find it very good as it has a lot more settings than others, and I liked it as the indoor unit is slimmer, 11,140baht on Lazada, I brought mine from an electrical shop, even Tesco/ Lotus sell them, I think I paid 1,500b for fitting from a local shop. I live too far for their "Free" fitting service which is BS as I got a 2k reduction if I took it it with me. 

[KannikaP]

10 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Installed the two units last week and working fine with no issues.

Thanks. Get back to me when they have been working for 10 years with no issues, as have my Mitsus. which now need replacing with inverters.

[brianthainess]

15 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Thanks for that. I cannot see whether it is a split unit, ie one part inside, one outside. Can you tell me please if you have one. Thanks.

All A/C are split units, the old type that fit in a window or wall are all but gone, the split systems only need about 2.5'' hole, you can also have the pipes extended if needed, or/and have outside wall brackets fitted to hang the outside unit on, for example not on your balcony but outside, if your building allows that. 

[VocalNeal]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:52 PM, renegade2000 said:

they say it can lower the temperature of 5 degree (C)

 

They work well when demonstrated in Makro or a shopping mall. Most forgetting of course that both places are already airconditioned so the air coming out of these, said, coolers feels cool.

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

All A/C are split units, the old type that fit in a window or wall are all but gone, the split systems only need about 2.5'' hole, you can also have the pipes extended if needed, or/and have outside wall brackets fitted to hang the outside unit on, for example not on your balcony but outside, if your building allows that. 

Thanks Brian, I know what you tell me, just that on the Lazada page it only showed an inside unit. 

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Thanks. Get back to me when they have been working for 10 years with no issues, as have my Mitsus. which now need replacing with inverters.

Have had that brand also - did not last 10 years however - but they are considered a top brand.  One thing I can say about a 5 year old Daikin is that the plastic is as white as the day bought - can not say that for any other brand we have had.  Also Daikin seem to use the same mounting plate for different size air handlers so easy to replace if needed.

[brianthainess]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Thanks Brian, I know what you tell me, just that on the Lazada page it only showed an inside unit. 

If you click on "Show more" you will see the outside unit, and a cute picture of a baby sleeping, thankfully the baby is not 'in the box' or included in the price.  and not included in the one year warranty   

[JBChiangRai]

7 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Have had that brand also - did not last 10 years however - but they are considered a top brand.  One thing I can say about a 5 year old Daikin is that the plastic is as white as the day bought - can not say that for any other brand we have had.  Also Daikin seem to use the same mounting plate for different size air handlers so easy to replace if needed.

 

Not my Daikin's they have gone yellow and the air flap even more so.

 

They also have major problems with gecko ingress, we have installed over 100 A/C units, the only 2 I won't buy are LG & Daikin.  

[lopburi3]

6 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

Not my Daikin's they have gone yellow and the air flap even more so.

 

They also have major problems with gecko ingress, we have installed over 100 A/C units, the only 2 I won't buy are LG & Daikin.  

It must be your air up there 🙂 - here in polluted Bangkok amazing clean white.  But perhaps this is a newer unit and plastic has been improved as only 5 years old and you won't buy Daikin.

[JBChiangRai]

2 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

It must be your air up there 🙂 - here in polluted Bangkok amazing clean white.  But perhaps this is a newer unit and plastic has been improved as only 5 years old and you won't buy Daikin.

 

I put them in 2 houses about 7 years ago, I still have one of the houses, it's rented out long term.  They are Daikin Smile inverter units, but I was advised they were their budget brand at the time.  My customer in the other house lost a logic board to gecko's and I have replaced 3, also a whole unit when the compressor electronics went and it was more to repair than fit a new unit.

 

The units we fit now are TCL, stunning value for money, still brilliant white but the oldest unit is 3 years or so, it's maybe too soon to say. I have 11 TCL units, 1 Mitsu heat/cool and 1 Fujitsu heat/cool cassette in my house.  Chiang Rai can get cold every few years.

[JBChiangRai]

Swamp coolers are best used outside or indoors where you sit in the draft and leave a window open.

 

They are no use in closed rooms, they will lower the temperature by a few degrees until humidity reaches 100% then they stop working and your room temperature then climbs back to what it was.  Only now you are sitting in a hot, very humid room which is far worse than when you started out.

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

I put them in 2 houses about 7 years ago, I still have one of the houses, it's rented out long term.  They are Daikin Smile inverter units, but I was advised they were their budget brand at the time.  My customer in the other house lost a logic board to gecko's and I have replaced 3, also a whole unit when the compressor electronics went and it was more to repair than fit a new unit.

 

The units we fit now are TCL, stunning value for money, still brilliant white but the oldest unit is 3 years or so, it's maybe too soon to say. I have 11 TCL units, 1 Mitsu heat/cool and 1 Fujitsu heat/cool cassette in my house.  Chiang Rai can get cold every few years.

I agree TCL appears very good value and have had good luck with older TV sets of that brand.  Believe there used to be a lot of issues with inverter electronics but (hope) most have been resolved - but agree often better to buy new if major failure.

[Negita43]

I think they work by using the latent heat of vapourisation ie when you evaporate water it cools the air around it. As suck they probably cool somewhat but I suspect they will raise the humidity in the room.

[steven100]

I have had used a water cooler before ... and I bought a portable AC - 9,000 BTU.

The water cooler is cheap and nasty,  it will cool you if facing direct at you with ice ...the problem is you have to clean them every few weeks or you will get mould build up in the honeycomb filter at the back.  I gave mine away in the end.

Now the Portable AC was fine,  it was about 7,000-8,000 baht if I remember, it worked well, cooled a 30sqm room down to early 20's ...21-24c ... 

[daveAustin]

As others, only okay if it’s right next to you and initially cool down/dehumidify room with aircon. Mine just became a glorified fan/drinks holder in the office before it went on the rubbish tip.