EC

Episode #865

August 30, 2025

In the mountain chaparral, the air is dry,

and we live above the clouds.

Air conditioning is costly to run. We have an excellent electric rate from our power co-op and a small house, but the house is a drafty cabin built in 1988. Air conditioning is not very efficient. Because we live above the clouds, the air is not very humid.

An evaporative cooler (EC), AKA a swamp cooler, is an excellent solution. We bought a 4000 CFM window-mounted EC, which I installed in an upstairs window. The natural draftiness of the house is enough to aid in air flow, but I crack open a downstairs sliding door when using the EC. The flow of cool, moist air washes over us, lowering the indoor temperature by 15 to 20 degrees. Very pleasant.

The only electric consumption is the water pump and the fan. These use very little electricity.

Since cool air falls, the upstairs orientation of the EC is perfect. The EC requires maintenance every year. The evaporative cooling pads filter the air and cool it as the water evaporates through them. The pads collect calcium deposits and become rigid and nonabsorbent, so they must be replaced yearly. Dust settles in the water reservoir and must be cleaned. Every few years, the water pump or purge pump must be replaced.

The EC being in an upstairs window was horrifying for someone like me, who is terrified of ladders. “Funny,” you might say if you know that I am a skydiver. I am here to tell you that ladders are far too close to the ground. They are not funny at all.

After the first year of owning the EC, I only had eight-foot and six-foot ladders. I created a Rube Goldberg arrangement of the ladders, a step ladder, and some makeshift scaffolding. The structure was far from stable. Even so, I managed to remove the cover and feed tube, change the cooling pads, and vacuum out the silty water with my shop vac. The task took hours, and I lost three years of my life to fear.

The next year, we bought an RV. Paula had the brilliant idea to back the RV to the house and use it as a working platform to do the EC maintenance. There were still frightening moments. I had to squeeze between the RV ladder and the house, dangling one-handed ape style. Leaning out over that gap to remove the EC cover threatened slipping to my death. At least the RV did not shudder and shake when I stood on it. The task took less time, and I did not lose as many years to fear.

Last month, a neighbor learned that I owned the same model of EC as they do. Its performance indicated that it needed new cooling pads. I volunteered to help them do the maintenance. The EC is in a 1st floor window. What a pleasure to stand safely on the ground during the entire maintenance. Because of experience and ease of access, the whole task took less than an hour.

Now that I have overcome my fear of maintenance (but not of ladders), I thoroughly enjoy sitting in my house on 100-degree days and feeling cool, moist air wafting across my body.

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