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Evaperative cooler in a shop?

Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
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Location
Shingletown CA
Swamp cooler in a shop? It's very dry here (humidity rarely reaches 30%) After considering an air conditioner while wiring my shop; I was thinking with a humidity level that is so low; why not a small swamp cooler? All the blanks I so carefuly packed when moving here, have mostly cracked due to the shock of being in Northern California. Maybe the swamp cooler will boost up the humidity a bit, while cooling the shop. Plus, they are very cheap to run. Any ideas? My over sized two car garage is 25x29 with finished walls and ceiling.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
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Location
Eugene, OR
I would have suggested putting your blanks in plastic bags to prevent them adjusting to the dry conditions. A swamp cooler will cool things off a little down where you are, but not enough, I would think. It would raise the humidity in your shop, which may be a good or bad thing. An air conditioner is also an air drier, similar to a refrigerator or a freezer. The furniture 'restoration' businesses in Arizona do a lot of business with people moving in from more humid climates....

robo hippy
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
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Location
Lebanon, Missouri
Only you can decide if a swamp cooler will work for you. Although they cool the air, They do add considerable humidity, too much for me. I would go with ac.

As for green wood handling, it might be best to acclimate your process to your new surroundings vs trying to change the surroundings to what you knew for your old environment.
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
Messages
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Location
Nebraska
I helped one of my relatives install a water to air heat pump in his shop out in the country, he has a 3 acre pond that we use to circulate
fluid through a loop in the pond to provide the water side of the heat pump. We also have it plumbed into a water well that can pump water
through the heat pump and dumps the water into the pond or to his orchard irrigation system. These systems provide heating and cooling
throughout the year and operate very efficiently. The only maintenance required is running a descaling solution through the heat pump if
you run a lot of hard water through the system.

A pump and dump system is cost effective if you have a demand for the water going through the heat pump, raising animals, gardens, orchards
irrigation systems etc. I worked with one contractor who builds dairy parlors and installs heat pumps on these operations that use
the water for the operation to heat and cool with before the water goes to the cows. Another contractor builds poultry facilities that use a lot of water,
they run the water through a heat pump first to extract heating or cooling and then the water goes to the chickens or turkeys.

A poor mans "heat pump" is basically a coil that has cold water circulated through the coil and air is forced through the coil to cool the room.
Similar to a swamp cooler but the water stays inside the coil and no humidity is added to the room. This would be used on a pump and dump
system where you pump fresh cold water from a well and circulate the cold water through a coil in a forced air fan coil unit with a supply air and
return air duct. The water is then used elsewhere on the property. This only makes sense if you have a purpose for the water being pumped.
 
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