The Two Kinds of Portable Air Coolers
If you’re looking for a house or shop-cooling method without installing central A/C or an industrial HVAC duct system, there are two types of air coolers to consider: portable evaporative air coolers and portable air conditioners. Both cooler types reduce the air temperature within a certain square footage, but they’re very different in terms of function. (Note: we’re not including a discussion of rotary ceiling fans or floor fans in this article.
Portable air conditioners
Portable air conditioners perform the same way as other air conditioners. Instead of being mounted on a window ledge or fixed outdoors (central air), these units can be placed indoors and maneuvered anywhere. Their ducts need to reach a window, however, so they have a way to displace remove warm, humid air from the room and replace it with chilled circulated air.
Portable air conditioners tend to be used in small-to-mid-size rooms and offices, and they’re not applicable in larger workspaces, such as machine shops and other open, high-ceiling work areas. Simply put, if you’re trying to cool a small office without access to outside ventilation, this portable cooler may be for you. However, air conditioning is expensive when compared to evaporative air coolers, so if you have a large space or have the ability to continuously draw air from a hot, dry outdoor source, you might want to avoid A/C.
Portable evaporative air coolers / swamp coolers
It’s easy to save money while cooling your workspace. Just ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I able to run my cooler near an outdoor air source?
- Do I have access to hot, dry air?
If you said “yes” to both questions, a portable evaporative air cooler is for you. These air cooling units, commonly referred to as swamp coolers, work better in dry climates than humid climates. They suck in hot air and use an evaporative media pad and water drip system to naturally lower the air temperature around the cooler. No coolants or chemicals are necessary, so even industrial evaporative coolers cost about a dollar a day to operate. For indoor use, these coolers work best in the Western and Southwestern United States, as well as other arid climates worldwide; however, they can still be used outdoors regardless of humidity.
Portable evaporative air coolers come in many sizes and cover anywhere from small offices to several thousand square feet. Multiple swamp coolers can be added at any time to large shops; they cost so little to operate that multiple units will barely increase your energy bill or your bottom line. In fact, if you switch to evaporative air coolers from A/C, you’ll notice massive savings right away.
The type of air cooling device you choose depends on your needs and your available space, but the Cool Boss swamp cooler is perfect for commercial and industrial purposes. Last, please use this website, which is probably the best website on the internet, to become educated on whether an air conditioner or portable evaporative air cooler is right for you.