Those evaporative water-cooled fan-thingies...

[sometimewoodworker]

Anyone have any experience with one of these things?

Lots of people replying with pure rubbish.

Like legionnaires disease, (cr*p), that is from recycling water, they don't work like that, use clean water no problem.

Too humid to work, equally wrong, when it's hot the humidity is usually below 60% I haven't seen over 80% unless the temperature is under 30 degrees, and yes I do have a humidity meter.

It's a swamp cooler, wrong again, they are a different system

We have a mist one, about 5,000, it is cooler than a plain fan and the fan itself is good quality. Cooler yes but only a few degrees. No replacement for AC but a supplement to it or when the fan is not quite good enough yes

The ones costing over 20,000 will probably work much better, certainly in restaurants where they are used they are effective, but they put out much more water so probably not good in an enclosed area. Don't sit too close or you will get damp.

Enclosed area, AC, works not very expensive to run

Outside, big water spray fan, works and not very expensive to run

[sometimewoodworker]

Evaporative coolers. The extent to which they are effective depends on the difference between the humidity % in the entering air and the amount it can be increased by blowing it over a wetted surface. The evaporation process uses the heat in the incoming air to evaporate water and thus causes the air's temperature to drop and the humidity % to go up. When the incoming air is dry (low humidity) the potential to increase humidity is high and and thus a large amount of heat is taken from the incoming air and the temperature of the outging air is cooled considerably. Unfortunately for most of Thailand when the temperature is high so is the humidity so evaporative coolers cannot work well. They are effective in dry hot areas of countries such as parts of the US and Australia. My recommendation: buy a 5 star rated conventional air conditioner.

Most of what you say is reasonable, but.

Sorry what you say about high temperature having high humidity in Thailand is wrong.

Non Sa-At about 3 weeks ago

I haven't seen anything over 80% over 30 degrees inland. It's usually under 60% when the temperature is over 30 degrees.

Edited April 9, 2015 by sometimewoodworker

[spacebass]

they don't work very well.. had one back in farang land and it didn't cool very well.. I even put ice in it.. Waste of money.

One of those water fans that blow a mist may be better. but not as good as a proper air con.

Ice does not help theoretically in any way

[themerg]

Yes, they do work well. It is like a large fish tank pump. Use 95% ice, 5% water.in Thailand, check constantly for mold in house and in water lines. Must clean and disinfect regularly. Water lines are clear plastic hoses. read about on internet.

You can also make your own with large trash can, 95% ice, 5% water. put clear plastic tubing in trash can with ice. make a cooling loop with tubing and inline pump from fan to deep into ice in trash can. You want to circulate cold air from the ice water.. get large fan. get plastic tubing ties. Tie plastic cooling loop to back of fan cage.

make something to collect water dripping from fan. Turn on fish pump. Turn on fan. Clean and disinfect garbage can and water lines regularly, and check your house for mold due to Thailand's humid climate.

This is a home made air conditioner.

It make time up to 2 weeks to work properly. An air conditioner can not become efficient until humidity is out of room.

This has been used in Florida for 40 years

[themerg]

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Yes, they do work well. It is like a VERY LARGE fish tank pump. Use 95% ice, 5% water.in Thailand, check constantly for mold in house and in water lines. Must clean and disinfect regularly. Water lines are clear plastic hoses. read about on internet.

You can also make your own with large trash can, 95% ice, 5% water. put clear plastic tubing in trash can with ice. make a cooling loop with tubing and inline pump from fan to deep into ice in trash can. You want to circulate cold air from the ice water.. get large fan. get plastic tubing ties. Tie plastic cooling loop to back of fan cage. Check all your wood surfaces for water problems, maybe.

make something to collect water dripping from fan. Turn on fish pump. Turn on fan. Clean and disinfect garbage can and water lines regularly, and check your house for mold due to Thailand's humid climate.

This is a home made air conditioner.

It make time up to 2 weeks to work properly. An air conditioner can not become efficient until humidity is out of room.

This has been used in Florida for 40 years

[HerbalEd]

I saw a bunch for sale at Makro a few days ago. No idea how well they work in this climate

What a pointless reply. We've all seen them.... big deal. If you don't know how effective they are, why respond ?

Who are you? The response police?

[kennw]

Hi sometimes woodworker, yes it could be in your Sa-At region you have lower humidity. But actually the performance of evaporative coolers are better gauged by the dewpoint in the area of proposed operation. Today in bangkok the dewpoint is 27oC temperature 34oC thus theoretically the cooling effect could be 7 oC of course in practice these units cannot and do not achieve 100% saturation. So say they (assumption) achieve about half the 7 oC difference, the cooled air will be 30.5 oC still along way from a comfortable 25- 26OC and the air will be humid and your body's natural cooling effect (sweating) will be reduced.

[kennw]

Sorry "themerg" but why dont you just use the electricity used to make the ice in an air conditioner. Much greater electrical efficiency

[nodomino]

They are EVAPORATIVE coolers based on the instantaneous cooling effect of moist air coming into contact with very dry air. I lived in the desert southwest of the USA and there, where humidity ranged between 5 and 25 percent, they are lovely. In the humid climate of Thailand where humidity ranges are much higher, evaporative coolers cannot be effective and the cooling effect on a person's body is primarily just the result of the fan moving air about. Over an extended time this hyper-saturated air becomes more distressing than the heat. There are evaporative coolers that can eliminate most of the moist air before it is discharged into the room but they are quite sophisticated and as expensive as conventional air conditioning.

[NanLaew]

Anyone have any experience with one of these things?

...

It's a swamp cooler, wrong again, they are a different system

....

Yes, and they are not worth the extra expense.

Swamp cooler is an evaporative cooler, the way the moving air gets humidified may vary but the principle is same-same the fans the OP is asking about.

[elgordo38]

they don't work very well.. had one back in farang land and it didn't cool very well.. I even put ice in it.. Waste of money.

One of those water fans that blow a mist may be better. but not as good as a proper air con.

I agree they are a waste of money. I bought one at Central and took it back the next day and bought a second fan. Buy a second fan, wet yourself down. The heat is another reason we moved into a Condo with a pool.

[malt25]

Sorry for the hijack - will they destroy electronics, like computers?

If your laptop or ipod is on the floor & the cooler falls on them, very good chance they will be destroyed.

[matman]

Bought one as the two fans in my room weren't keeping the room as cool as I'd like. Absolutely useless, back in the box after two days

[malt25]

I saw a bunch for sale at Makro a few days ago. No idea how well they work in this climate

What a pointless reply. We've all seen them.... big deal. If you don't know how effective they are, why respond ?

Who are you? The response police?

Yup, sure am. Especially in instances such as this.

The OP was looking for information, advice. "No idea how well they work in this climate" Very helpful response....not.

What point are you trying to make, other than to admit you have nothing to offer ?

At least my reply got a few likes, so some agreed with me.

Mind the splinters while scratching your head trying to think of a reply.

[how241]

They suck, the last thing you need in a hot and humid room is more moisture in the air.

+1...Too hot + humid here to work well.

[morrobay]

They are EVAPORATIVE coolers based on the instantaneous cooling effect of moist air coming into contact with very dry air. I lived in the desert southwest of the USA and there, where humidity ranged between 5 and 25 percent, they are lovely. In the humid climate of Thailand where humidity ranges are much higher, evaporative coolers cannot be effective and the cooling effect on a person's body is primarily just the result of the fan moving air about. Over an extended time this hyper-saturated air becomes more distressing than the heat. There are evaporative coolers that can eliminate most of the moist air before it is discharged into the room but they are quite sophisticated and as expensive as conventional air conditioning.

Not really instantaneous : dQ/dt = -kA(dT/dx) Time rate of change of heat transfer.

dQ/dt = joules/sec

k = thermal conductivity of air

A= surface area of air boundary layers

dT/dx = temp gradient.

Then solution , dQ/dt = -kA (T_water - T_air)/d (thickness of boundary layer)

Edit : This is not including increased evaporation (breaking Hydrogen bonds between water molecules) rate with fan

Edited April 9, 2015 by morrobay

[mikiea]

half price of small air con but about 1/4 the efficency

ehhh, if in a closed door room everything will be wet, moisture gets in clocks, radios, watches, computers pictures in frames, everything. must have free flowing air to give you the illusion of being cool, that will only last for 15/20 minutes then you start sweating. centeral plaza uses giant coolers, its cheaper but it also is the reason moisture forms on your head in that place, its not sweat. cannot sleep and it is to hot and he is to cheap for a/c? well thats another broken thing that cannot be fixed here , :-)

[mikiea]

they don't work very well.. had one back in farang land and it didn't cool very well.. I even put ice in it.. Waste of money.

One of those water fans that blow a mist may be better. but not as good as a proper air con.

I agree they are a waste of money. I bought one at Central and took it back the next day and bought a second fan. Buy a second fan, wet yourself down. The heat is another reason we moved into a Condo with a pool.

coolers work wonderful in " death vally az" not so much here, need a dry climate to work :-)

[Keesters]

A complete and total waste of money. All they will do is make your room more humid while giving you a false sense of cooling. Might be OK in dry climates but not for Thailand.

[nithisa78]

bakes, get an a/c

cool it.

[iamariva1957]

Yes they work for the most part. But only about 1/4 of an A/C unit. Also they have a problem if things are very humid. But good enough to cool a room for say sleeping (as your body temp goes down while asleep) or reading, but for a dinner party.... not really.

[fgmr]

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Interesting, but I do wonder just how much noise is generated?

[shaurene]

They are water evaporative air coolers. They are useless in a high humidity country. In Australia they call them swamp boxs. It is a very old type of cooling system.

They have a fabric belt normally the width of the rear of the unit they have 2 rollers 1 connected to a small rotary motor that turns the pad on the rollers in a tank of water the pad passes in front of a fan that sucks air through the back of the unit and through the damp pad which in theory takes the heat out of the air. They work good in hot DRY weather. Tip, if you buy one fill around 4 x 1lt bottles with water and keep the water in the fridge to have it as cold as possible to pour in the water tank.

[swissie]

After 53 Posts: Evaporative cooling devices will only work in an extremely low Air-Humidity Environment. Is Thailand a "low humidity environment" ?

Case closed. If not sure Google it.

Cheers

[mikecat]

Not much better than a fan really. I had one in Australia but only used it for a few days, gave up and got air conditioning.

To me it felt like it actually increased the humidity in the room.

[willyumiii]

All they do is move the air and increase the humidity.

In my country, they are called " Swamp Coolers"

There is a reason behind tht name.

[connda]

I have both. Sometimes the sump-cooler is just fine, but when it gets over 38 outside, we usually hit the A/Cs on. They work well enough though during times of low humidity, especially if you used refrigerated water in them or place bottles of ice in the reservoir. Gotta be careful with putting anything in the reservoir that might get sucked into the pump. If you don't have A/C, they're an inexpensive alternative and they work better than a fan. You will be cooler. You can find various models at Markro. We bought a small one at Marko, and we bought a larger model for our home. I've attached a picture with a chair next to it for reference. If you're interested in the larger sized, PM me and I'll give you contact details. FYI, I have no business connections with their company, I'm just a customer.

[connda]

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Interesting, but I do wonder just how much noise is generated?

Yeah, these are actually kind of cool (no pun intended). I looked up DIY Air Conditioners online. 12v fan, battery, container, tubing, and you're in business. Oh, and a block of ice.

[douginbkk]

I've tried two of these machines here in Bangkok. The first one was about 5000 Baht and didn't work so I decided to try a more expensive one for 8000 baht and that one didn't work either. During the really humid months like April-May, They can actually make you feel hotter because they increase the humidity in the air.

[Derek M]

TBH, no idea if they are effective or not. But if it is any use I seen one for sale in Big C at 11,000 THB, same price as a small cheap Air con. For what it's worth you may get a better deal in terms of money's worth and savings in electricity and efficiency if you get a larger system of Air con.

Spray fan thingys I'd avoid also for reasons stated by other users legionaires disease and..the possibility of spraying around water based bacteria and viruses.