Evaporative Air Con (not happy!)

[RIPGMH]

The pads can only be hosed out so many times before you have to replace them. I replaced our's about 3 months ago and it dropped the house by 10 deg (we cop 40deg heat here) If your getting good air volume than the unit size is probably big enough. Look into a thermal paint for the roof, I dropped 20deg from inside my shed (no I'm not full of ****) just by putting on a couple of layers of thermal paint.

[Falcon Coupe]

I had mine installed just before summer and i love it, the whole house is cool, my split system used to cool one room and the rest of the house was roasting.
If the house is 28 degrees and i switch it on it will be 22 degrees in 20 minutes.
Remember to close up the sunny/hot side of the house and open windows on the other side, it drags the cool breeze right through.
The fact it's 12 cents an hour to run is great, the air con used to double my power bill.
Nearly Evey house i build has it these days, it does work or people wouldn't use it, make sure the unit is in good order and ask the installer about the correct way to use it, they tell me most people that say they don't work well are using them wrong.

[AC/DC]

Simple really, , Evaporative AC is HOPELESS with any humidity.

AC/DC

[Sam]

I used to install these things with a mate, in the Riverina NSW, as far as i was concerned unless you had good fan speed, sat still under a vent and didn't mind waking up "moist" from the amount of water pumped into the house they were great. I'll never forget a bloke who made us put an industrial unit on his house, as soon as we switched it on it nearly blew the windows out of the house. I've had both, evaporative at $2500 installed vs refrigerated at $11000 for the same house, its a financial decision but by god you'll love refrigerated.

[EL XR8]

For the money though, Evaporative is still good for (as everyone has said, drier climates).
The only problem with ducted refrigerated systems, is the price of the unit and installation, plus running costs.
Other than that refrig units are great.
I have evap, in my house atm and as i'm out in the hot weather all day being a tradie, the cool breeze that it blows throughout every room in the house, is good enough for me. Plus you can still live an outsoor lifestyle without having to basically board up the windows and doors, and make sure that they stay shut all the time.
In saying that though, when i move to QLD later in the year, i'll definately be putting a ducted refrig system in...

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Brent

Hi all.

This has been bugging me all summer, so I'm seeking the experiences of any forumites who have ducted evaporative air conditioning in their houses.

We have evaporative air con at our place (Brivis unit), and I'll be buggered if I reckon that its not the most overrated method of cooling ever devised. Yep, I know... it relies on air movement rather than absolute cooling of a regrigerated air con. However, it seems if its sub 30 degrees outside, you get a nice, calming temperate breeze through the house, however, when you NEED air con is when its 33 degrees and upwards, and this is when it really struggles. I can barely get the inside air temp less than 28 degrees if its mid to high 30s outside. The breeze out of the vents never really seems 'cool'...just temperate. Almost muggy.

Is this normal? I've stuffed around with changing the angle of the ceiling vents, opening more windows, less windows, higher fan speeds, lower fan speeds, the works. Yep, I know that ambient humidity also affects it, but even on hot & dry days, its performance is ordinary.

PS. Unit is about 3 years old and was serviced last summer.

These are apparently very popular, so, does anyone else have similar issues?

Thanks,
Brent.

Never ever considered one - not a big fan I must say. Got a Daikin split systen instead for the Living / dining area. It's brilliant and worth the extra bucks.

[normxb]

We've got a Reverse Cycle Split System in the back half of the house and wouldn't change it for QUIDS . (South West Slopes , NSW)
Front of the house is double brick , middle 2 rooms are 15" thick granite walls (built 1861) so this section is always cool (Potbelly for heating in Winter). The house is a real "Bitsa" . hahaha.

But back portion , Kitchen , Dining , Bathroom , Laundry and Enclosed Verandah which has 2 ,8 X 6 ft windows facing West is Fibro/skillion (sp) roof with 3.5 insulation and the Split System heats & cools very well , at least 10+ deg cooler in summer and no humidity . The wife was even doing the Ironing on a 38 deg day .

Couple of things to keep in mind is some asthmatics and people with Lung problems can suffer badly with Evaporative Coolers , too much moisture in the air . Also people with Wooden Musical Instruments , Piano's , Guitars , Stereo's , Computers , TV's Etc. have got to be careful , too much moisture can damage them .

The only thing I would change would be the Brand , our's is a Mitsubishi (Itsrubbishi or Mitsubitchy ) , this is the first year we haven't had a serviceman out . (5 yrs old ) . Idea is great , but maybe a better Brand (or we just copped a dud) .

Our neighbour has an Evaporative and compared to our's , theirs is very humid .

[XR6-VCT-2000]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

You couldn't get much drier than here... well, maybe Outbackjacks, but they work well here. Ours is an old one with the straw type (is that the right word?) not the air filter pad type.

Yep the older units with the straw pads worked heaps better, the straw pads had a much better airflow through them. The only reason why they changed the pads was they were slow to drain the water (sometimes held water in them / they sometimes didn't drain properly ), they were harder to service/clean, and they were heaps easier and cheaper to make the newer cross weave laminated cardboard pads (same stuff used to make laminex) . But all that said , so long as you keep them serviced they still seem to be outdoing the newer units.

[Dazza XLT]

Originally Posted by AC/DC

Simple really, , Evaporative AC is HOPELESS with any humidity.

AC/DC

Right on!
There is no better! :evil3:

[Dean C]

I have a 3 phase refridge type & its awesome. If used properely, as in keeping the house cool from the morning it can maintain my home which is about 36 sq @ 20 degrees all day long. We usaully keep it at 25-26 during the summer and its extremely comfortable. I also have insulated exterior and some interior walls and insulated roof with thermal blankets and whirly birds.
With the over price of the system it was only $1200 dearer than the evap system.

[Tote]

You are leaving the doors and windows open aren't you? Evaporative coolers will only work as long as there is sufficient airflow out of the house. If doors and windows are shut it just gets muggy.
Apart from that keep the pads clean and don't expect too much if it's muggy.

Regards,
Tote

[Interceptor]

i've got a breezeair unit on my place, i virtually never turn the water on, most of the time unless its REALLY bloody hot, the fan speed is set at is lowest.

at work we do some servicing on evap's, and i've found that the biggest problem with them is the strainer basket and water lines gradually calcify and dont allow water to flow through them

[Silver Ghia]

We have a Breezair which we've had for about 8 years now.

Wasnt working too well when installed, then I looked behind the control panel, and found that the installers hadnt connected the wires per the manual. Changed the connections and it works much better.

Works well here in Melbourne, helps a lot on somewhat humid days also. You must have all the windows wide open for it to work best, to get as much circulation as possible.

[dan.76]

i have both in my house , have refrig put it first but hate having the house shut up all the time and the split in the lounge would get the smell from last nights dinner in it lol.
got given a wall mount breezair and now never use the split

[XR8-260]

We had evaporative in our old house - it was cr@p! We now have reverse cycle which much much better but also a lot more expensive to use.

[OXR60W]

We couldn't live without our ducted air. We are bad tho, its set on 21 every day and most nites in hot weather. Our electricity bill is around $600 / qtr i think. Its 18yo and never been serviced. Now that i think of it i better do it, i'd be guessing it would be expensive to repair.

[angelfury]

the one thing about evaporative that really gives me the ****s is the noise. 2 of our neighbours have got it, and the motors/exhausts face our backyard. it's like listening to 2 jets idling all day. it is really really annoying, particularly on those balmy evenings when you want to sit outside in peace with a cool drink. aircon's just don't seem to have the noise factor like evaporative.

[Brent]

Thanks everyone for all your input. Well, it seems that inland in a bone dry environment then these things work a treat, especially if well serviced. However, a combination of a slightly more humid climate and dirty/blocked pads, water lines etc certainly doesn't help.

I'm sort of getting the impression that Melbourne is a bit of a borderline case in terms of the climate suitability. Anyway, I'll get up on the roof, clean the damned thing out, and hope for the best.

Brent.

[max]

Originally Posted by goXF

evap wont cool as good as refig but it is lot cheaper (electricity wise) to run. On a 40degree day we can keep the inside temp at about 30 - still hot but way better than 40!!

Yep. In reality that's as good as it gets. BUT its really cheap to instal & run!
Plus you get fresh air through all the time and you don't have to close everything up. In humid weather I turn on ceiling fans also to help push the air through. I would next time buy a larger capacity unit though. I think some of these installing companies under estimate unit size to win over a customer with price. My unit is 11 years old now. I'd like to get a bigger unit. The dropper is getting pretty rusty too but the duct work is all fine. The name of the game with evap. is to pump through the air fast turnover. Bigger unit = better peformance.

[AC/DC]

I have recently uprgaded my older split air cons with

2 x 24000BTU Dakin splits ( lounge and family room )and a 12000 BTU Dakin split in the main bedroom.

The other bedrooms got new Panasonic 9000btu boxes...

I can honestly say that the Dakin splits in the lounge / family rooms are

1000000000 times better than the older LG and Samsung splits.

I live in air-con, I work in Aircon, I drive in aircon, I love Air con, Without it I would be forced to move to Tasmania...., I am an Aircon expert, , I DONT CARE about the power bill.

All I know is

1. Refrigerated AC is the best by miles.
2. Dakin splits are also the best by miles.... ( close with Fujitsu and maybe Panasonic )

AC/DC

Oh, and in townsville when its 43 degrees outside and 95% humidity, , , its 23 degrees inside at about 50% humidity !

[coupdy do]

Originally Posted by Brent

Hmmm. I might have to get up on the roof and take a look at it and give it a clean as you suggest. Now, where did I put those spare roof tiles......... :

Your suppose to clean them out every year before starting so you don't get fun deseases like legioners desease (sp) the batts in them should be cahnged every couple of years.

They work great in dry conditions where are you (brisbane?) don't work well in humid conditions

have you windows open? (should be)

These are heaps cheaper to run than refrigerant types and don't dry out your skin

[fairmont1998]

I was waiting for Legionella to get a mention.
Its something else you don't have to worry about. The water temperature in an evaporative cooler changes too much for legionella to survive, and then only one strain of legionella, Legionella pneumophila, is dangerous to humans.

On the other hand, cooling towers have perfect conditions for legionella to survive, hence they are dosed with chemicals to kill it.

[XRchic]

We rented quite a few houses with evap ducted systems in them. They were terrible and you never really felt COOL and certainly not dry. Often we were better at night with the air con just turned off and just leaving the fan on through the vents.

We have ducted reverse cycle in the place we bought and there is no comparison. It is a massive unit and chews the power but it sooooooo nice. I just try and remember that when we get electricity bills of $1300 per quarter... but it is a reasonably large house, and there are a lot of other appliances going as well.

Re the evap, once we had a humid spell during one summer and the evap was going full blast. It got so humid inside that the floors were actually wet and slippery, and the walls were damp... YUK.

Yeah, Darin, Legionella always gets a mention with aircon doesnt it? Bit like Ford service advisors who tell people that they need their aircon regassed or they will get Legionaires.... how hysterical.

[rodderz]

We got a fijitsu reverse cycle split system put in last year, it's fantastic and great on hot days no matter what the humidity. The last few weeks Melbourne has been very humid and the evaps could struggle.

Havign said that though, the drawback of split systems is that they are for really only 1 room or area, they run on a thermostat so getting an oversized one wouldnt do any better for gettign it through the house. You can go ducted splits but you're up for a few more $1000 per room...

And then as falcon coupe said as long as the unit is in good order it should work fine 90% of the time, except for areas with more humidity. The filters in splits have to be cleaned or washed every few months too, otherwise they will be more expensive to run

[aussiblue]

It a matter of preferences and may depend on your local climate but I have had a semi-industrial 12 outlet Breezair in my place for over 20 years and it works fine and unlike refrigerated doesn't dry out the air and give me hay fever. All in the family love it. On those rare humid days we have in Perth I just set the two speed fan to high and live with gale force like but cooling winds that are generated on the high speed setting. In uses the old timber shavings type pads that I am told work best and I replace the pad every two years. It doesn't use much water at all (being an older model it doesn't dump all its water just bleed some off continually while it is working). Over the last 10 years I have also had to replace most of the ducts (about one every 2 years on average) and the motor once (and the new one has even more hp than the original). I replace the belt and bearings in the fan every two years at the start of summer when i service it and start it up so the don't fail on those critical heatwave public holidays when you can't get parts.

[JTFG]

Didn't read all the comments but in the first year ours didn't work the best but from then forward it's been working great, in 40.C days and even on humid days

[brenx]

Having all the windows open is all well and good but there are exceptions. For example: I run the largest Breaze air(sp?) unit in my home. The house is on the large side. If I open all the windows and doors (leaving flywire doors shut)? I get more air coming in from outside than going out. Including doorways thats around 20 very large openings.

For evaporative to work it needs to form some form of pressure outward. Without it, it won't cool. I have the same issue @ work as people just swing everything open and complain its 30+ inside. Close off a pile of windows and let the airflow one way and it works nicely.

In my home I tend to let it vent in 4 places. 1 spot at each end of the house and 1 spot in the middle on each side of the house. Sometime I have it venting @ one end of the house (the hotest end). I still don't think it's 100% adequate in my home due to it's size and floor plan but it sure is better than how it used to be. Prior to my evap cooling it wasn't uncommon to see 40+ inside. The hotest I've seen is 45deg which I think is bloody woeful for a newish home (4yo this year) but then again it has a lot of windows. I hated paying for the curtains! I generally see around 23->27deg it varies.

Make sure you can feel the flow going through the house and exiting.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Brent

Hi all.

This has been bugging me all summer, so I'm seeking the experiences of any forumites who have ducted evaporative air conditioning in their houses.

We have evaporative air con at our place (Brivis unit), and I'll be buggered if I reckon that its not the most overrated method of cooling ever devised. Yep, I know... it relies on air movement rather than absolute cooling of a regrigerated air con. However, it seems if its sub 30 degrees outside, you get a nice, calming temperate breeze through the house, however, when you NEED air con is when its 33 degrees and upwards, and this is when it really struggles. I can barely get the inside air temp less than 28 degrees if its mid to high 30s outside. The breeze out of the vents never really seems 'cool'...just temperate. Almost muggy.

Is this normal? I've stuffed around with changing the angle of the ceiling vents, opening more windows, less windows, higher fan speeds, lower fan speeds, the works. Yep, I know that ambient humidity also affects it, but even on hot & dry days, its performance is ordinary.

PS. Unit is about 3 years old and was serviced last summer.

These are apparently very popular, so, does anyone else have similar issues?

Thanks,
Brent.

Mate, thats just the way you are.

You'll be happy to know though as you cut the muggy air with a knife, that you are saving the god damn environment with your energy efficient cooling system. Kudos!

[xbgs351]

It's amazing what the search engine can find.....

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...ht=evaporative

[PHATXR8]

We've got a Brivis system is our house and it does the job. Sure it is not perfect in 40+ degree days here in good ol' Wagga Wagga, but it is cheap to run and we reckon it is pretty damn good.

With evap cooling you must leave sufficient doors and windows open to allow the air to move freely through the house. If the doors and windows aren't open it will get muggy and not cool very well. If its feeling muggy then it means you have plenty of moisture in the air, you then just need better air movement. Get a extra fan.

Maybe the house is too big for the unit?????

I work all day in refrigerated air con and I hate it. Sure it is a comfy 22C all day everyday, but it dries out your skin and makes you dehydrated.