How Exactly Does Evaporative Cooling Work?

Using Mother Nature to efficiently cool our homes may seem like a fantasy to some people. In actuality, basic scientific principles of evaporation have been cooling for thousands of years. “Windcatchers” were used by the ancient Egyptians and Persians to cool their homes by sucking in cool air in and expelling warm air from their homes. Today, an updated form of that technology is still widely popular in arid climates. Evaporative coolers in Phoenix, AZ basically cool your home just by harnessing Mother Nature’s technology.

The first thing to know

In the natural world, air moving over water causes it to evaporate and lose energy. The air cools down when the energy is sucked out of the airstream. This is why it’s always a bit cooler on the beach than it is inland.

Our bodies use this system to cool us down, as well. The evaporation of our sweat cools our skin and lowers our body temperature. Isn’t nature neat? Evaporative cooling systems are great for arid climates, but can also be effective in areas where the air is consistently hot and humid. If you live in an area like this, consider installing one in lieu of a traditional AC system.

How the process works

• First things first: To cool your home, you must install an evaporative cooler system (obviously). The system includes the vent, which is usually placed on top of your home, air ducts filled with water-moistened pads, a water tank with a pump, and a fan to blow the air out of the system.
• Bringing warm air in: Evaporative coolers in Phoenix, AZ cool homes by sucking in warm air through a vent placed on top of the home. Although it is neat that the heat just flows into your home, the magic really happens once the warm air is in the air ducts.
• The ducts: As previously mentioned, the air duct system is filled with water-moistened pads. The pads are usually made from aspen wood fiber inside of a net, but they can also be made out of plastic. The pads are moistened by water held in a tank that is pumped up into the ducts regularly to ensure the pads stay wet. Without wet pads, you’d be hard-pressed on getting cool air.
• Cooling the air: The warm air doesn’t just sit in the ducts once it’s sucked it. That would be pretty pointless. Once it’s in the, the warm air is blown through the ducts and over the wet pads. Some of that water evaporates and cools the air (just like sweat on our skin)
• Cooling your home: Finally, a fan blows the cool air all through your home. If your windows and doors are open (as they should be) the cool air will force all of the hot air out.

There are many advantages to purchasing an evaporative cooling system. They’re cleaner, cool your home quietly, they’re more cost effective, and better for the environment. Contact us today at 602-997-8754 to find out how we can cool your home the right way!

Categorised in: Evaporative Cooling

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