We’ve finally hit temperatures hot enough that it’s a good idea to get your swamp cooler up and running. Swamp coolers are incredibly good at what they do – providing cold air in hot, arid environments. They can, however, be a bit tricky to troubleshoot if you don’t know what you’re doing. Fortunately, a lot of swamp cooler-related problems can be dealt with at home with just a little elbow grease.
No Cold Air
When your swamp cooler isn’t blowing enough cold air, there are usually three culprits. First, swamp coolers need a source of fresh air – if it’s just recirculating indoor air, it won’t work right. Move your swamp cooler next to an open window or door to get that circulation going.
A far less common culprit here in Albuquerque is that your home is too humid. Swamp coolers work on the principle of evaporative cooling; this same principle is what makes sweat cool you off. Basically, water needs heat to turn into water vapor, and that transformation removes the heat from the air. When your home is very humid, the air is already saturated with water vapor, which means it’s impossible for the water in your swamp cooler to evaporate, and it won’t blow cold air.
When those troubleshooting options don’t fix your problem, there are a number of potential internal problems to look for: You may need to clean or remoisten the cooling pads. You may need to clean or replace the water pump. For water pump replacements and regular swamp cooler maintenance, we can help.
No Air Blowing at All
When there’s no air blowing, there may be a problem with the pump. Use the open window/door technique described above to ensure there’s enough outside air coming in. If that doesn’t work, clean the pump. If that doesn’t work, the pump will likely need to be replaced – get in touch with us.
Your Swamp Cooler is Leaking
This is almost always caused by improper winter storage and maintenance. You’ll have to do a bit of work now, but you should be able to manage it on your own. Turn off and unplug the unit, remove all the cooling pads, drain the water, and clean all the components. You shouldn’t use anything more than warm water to clean the unit. Reassemble everything and turn it back on.
If your cooler is still leaking, it means there’s probably a problem with either the water pump or the supply line. In either case, you’re beyond the realm of a simple fix, and you should give us a call.
Swamp Cooler Smells Funny
They’re called swamp coolers, but you don’t want them to smell like swamp coolers. Make sure you drain and replace the water in your cooler after every use. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to replace the cooling pads. Need help? We’re here for you, offering plumbing services in Albuquerque, NM as well as all HVAC services.
Eddie has been a resident of Albuquerque his entire life.
After he graduated from high school, Eddie joined the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union where he obtained his Journeyman Plumber and Journeyman Gas Certifications. He then worked in the commercial plumbing industry for 7 years until he and his father decided to go into business together and started Dub-L-EE, LLC.
In the last 7 years Eddie has obtained his GA02, GA03, and MM98 certifications allowing Dub-L-EE to fully utilize Eddie Sr. and Eddie Jr.’s expertise in the construction industry.