Distinguishing Room Coolers & Desert Coolers

During hot and dry summers, coolers are an effective way to combat high temperatures. These coolers operate on the principle of evaporative cooling, lowering the temperature inside a room without consuming a lot of electricity like air conditioners. Air coolers are known by various names, including room cooler, desert cooler, and swamp cooler, and all work in the same way, using the evaporation of water to cool the surroundings.

Key Takeaways

• Air coolers use evaporative cooling to lower room temperatures without consuming much electricity.
• Desert coolers work best when the air outside is hot and dry, not laden with moisture.
• Room coolers are kept inside the room, have a plastic body, and are placed on a trolley for easy movement.

Coolers utilize a water pump that circulates water from a tank to three sides that have a screen filled with an absorbent material, such as wooden grass or hay. The fourth side has a fan fitted. When the absorbent material becomes wet, the fan draws in air from outside, which loses its moisture and is forced out into the room, lowering the temperature. When the air from outside comes into contact with the wet pads on the cooler’s three sides, its temperature is lowered and forced inside the room by the fan.

The evaporation of water from a cooler tank lowers the temperature by absorbing energy from the surroundings, making the environment feel cool and dry. However, one drawback of desert coolers is that they work best when the air outside is hot and dry, not laden with moisture, which occurs when there is humidity in the air. The rate of evaporation of water in the tank of a desert cooler on a humid day is lower than when the air is hot and dry.

Another type of cooler is the room cooler, which is kept inside the room rather than being fitted outside a window like desert coolers. These coolers use a forcing fan instead of an exhaust fan, which is used in window desert coolers. Additionally, room coolers have a plastic body to make them more attractive and are placed on a trolley for easy movement, unlike desert coolers.