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Saturday, May 24, 2003
Swamp Cooler Hookup Takes Heat Out of Summer
By Rick Nathanson
Journal Staff Writer
Memorial Day weekend is not just about parades, flags, barbecues and beer. Oh no. That would be too much like a real holiday — and as any homeowner knows, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
There's that nasty little business of setting up the evaporative cooler on your roof.
According to area plumbers, the three-day Memorial Day weekend is when most people perform this chore. If you've been dutifully servicing your swamp cooler, set-up shouldn't take more than an hour or two. If you've been less mindful ... well, you've got three days to figure it out.
Here's a step-by-step primer to help you, but before you begin, remember: Safety first! Make sure your ladder is on a solid footing and that it extends 18-24 inches above the roofline; wear nonskid shoes, even on a flat roof; and always keep in mind that water and electricity don't mix. Keep your hands dry when touching electrical wires or receptacles.
Here we go:
SUMMER SWAMP COOLER SET-UP
On older units where electrical connections are "hard wired" into the cooler, be sure power to the motor and water pump are turned off inside the house. If it's a newer unit with an electrical junction box outside the cooler, or plug-in receptacles inside, then these can be turned off or unplugged while leaving the operation switches inside the home set to the "on" position.
Remove louvered air-intake panels and clean the dirt and debris from them and from the water reservoir pan at the bottom of the cooler. Use a wire brush if necessary to remove mineral deposits.
(Not all plumbers think it's a good idea to coat the water reservoir pan unless a homeowner is willing to do it yearly. Are you? The trouble with water sealant coatings is they tend to peel and crack, allowing water to intrude between the sealant and the metal pan, which actually accelerates the rusting. Most newer coolers come with a permanent coating bonded to the metal so sealants are unnecessary and may void the warranty if used.)
Replace the pads. New pads will provide the best cooling effect, but depending on what the pad is made from and the amount of debris and mineral deposits trapped in the fibers, pads can sometimes be cleaned and used for another season.
(The 8-12 inch-thick pads used in newer single-inlet coolers are designed to last 4-6 seasons. Replacing them generally costs $70-$140, so it's worth the time and effort to clean these.)
Remove or open the damper at the cooler, and insert or close the damper at the furnace inside the house.
Turn the gas setting at the furnace to pilot only, or shut it off completely.
(Some plumbers recommend keeping the pilot burning during the summer to prevent moisture from collecting in the gas line, others say there's not enough moisture to worry about so you might as well shut off the gas completely to save on utility bills.)
Use a light-weight motor oil to lubricate the bearings on both ends of the "squirrel cage" blower shaft. Most will have oiler caps or holes in which to insert the oil. If the motor is not permanently sealed and lubricated, look for oiler caps on the motor shaft, too.
Install the belt from the motor pulley to the blower pulley. There should be no more than one inch of play in the belt. To adjust the tension, loosen the motor mount bolt and slide the motor forward or backward to achieve the proper belt tension. Then tighten the bolt. If the belt has cracks, replace it.
Hook up the water supply line into the cooler and at the source. The line usually connects to the cooler at the float/shut-off valve and originates from a "T" connection located at the water heater inside the home.
Turn on the water and allow water to flow into the reservoir. Check the entire length of the supply line for leaks. Leaky segments will have to be cut out and a new piece of tube spliced into the line. In extreme cases, the entire line may need to be replaced.
(Most plumbers recommend using copper because it's not as fragile as plastic, and it holds up better under New Mexico's summer heat and ultraviolet rays.)
Adjust the float inside the reservoir pan by bending the float arm up or down, so that the water level stabilizes about three-quarters of an inch below the top of the overflow tube. If the overflow tube is leaking it may need to be replaced. Often, pipe thread sealant, Teflon tape or a waterproof patching tar are enough to stop the leak.
Clean the water pump with a stiff brush and place the pump on the bottom of the reservoir. Plug in or turn on the water pump (are your hands dry?) and examine the distribution or "spider" tubes at the top of the cooler to be certain that water is freely flowing from each tube and uniformly wetting the pads on each side. Clogged tubes can often be cleared of an obstruction by feeding a speedometer cable or other flexible wire into the tube opening.
Plug in or turn on the blower motor, checking to see that all motor speeds respond appropriately, and that the belt, pulleys and squirrel cage are all turning freely.
Reattach all side panels, and make one last check for leaks at the cooler, inside the house where the water supply line branches off from the water heater, and along the entire length of line between.
Install the belt from the motor pulley to the blower pulley. There should be no more than one inch of play in the belt. To adjust the tension, loosen the motor mount bolt and slide the motor forward or backward to achieve the proper belt tension. Then tighten the bolt. If the belt has cracks, replace it.
Hook up the water supply line into the cooler and at the source. The line usually connects to the cooler at the float/shut-off valve and originates from a "T" connection located at the water heater inside the home.
Turn on the water and allow water to flow into the reservoir. Check the entire length of the supply line for leaks. Leaky segments will have to be cut out and a new piece of tube spliced into the line. In extreme cases, the entire line may need to be replaced.
(Most plumbers recommend using copper because it's not as fragile as plastic, and it holds up better under New Mexico's summer heat and ultraviolet rays.)
Adjust the float inside the reservoir pan by bending the float arm up or down, so that the water level stabilizes about three-quarters of an inch below the top of the overflow tube. If the overflow tube is leaking it may need to be replaced. Often, pipe thread sealant, Teflon tape or a waterproof patching tar are enough to stop the leak.
Clean the water pump with a stiff brush and place the pump on the bottom of the reservoir. Plug in or turn on the water pump (are your hands dry?) and examine the distribution or "spider" tubes at the top of the cooler to be certain that water is freely flowing from each tube and uniformly wetting the pads on each side. Clogged tubes can often be cleared of an obstruction by feeding a speedometer cable or other flexible wire into the tube opening.
Plug in or turn on the blower motor, checking to see that all motor speeds respond appropriately, and that the belt, pulleys and squirrel cage are all turning freely.
Reattach all side panels, and make one last check for leaks.