Originally Posted by RJolly87

This article is great, general knowledge for all basis, with the exception of those that rely on the concept of the evaporative cooler. A few technicalities that were overlooked:

1. The typical Direct Evaporative Cooling system, as used in most homes, uses an electric pump to pump water into the top of said fiber pad. Gravity does the rest, and any water not evaporated drains back into the tray, to be recirculated again
2. The typical Direct Evaporative Cooling system draws air from the outside, and pumps it in to the house, and in the process, exhausts the hot air. For best results, it is recommended that multiple rooms have a means of exhausting this hot air, usually in the form of an open window. Far too often this is overlooked, and in their case, air leaks are a good thing.
3. Evaporitive cooling systems must be serviced, at minimum, annually. They benefit greatly from semi-annual pad replacement, and a means of dispersing of water impurities and dirt, whether it be a system that constantly drains a portion of pumped water, or systematically drains the water tray. Many have used the runoff from said systems to serve their various fauna hydrating needs.

One suggestion that is often overlooked, attic cooling. What many do to achieve this, is simply install some vents that will exhaust the hot air from the house, which is still substantially cooler than outside air, in to the attic. This is a two fold blessing, as it not only enables the attic to be cooled at no extra cost, it also eliminates the need for opening windows throughout the house.