Stoopid q: Air conditioner vs. Air cooler

[PDubs]

So what exactly is the difference? I can't seem to find the answer on the web, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to cool my room. It's kinda small, no bigger than 15'x15', and it's upstairs, so our weak central air doesn't help much. I have installed a nice 52", 5-fin fan and it helps a little. But I need more.

For whatever reason, my room gets nice and stuffy when I wake up and come home from work (even with the fan on high-speed, all electronics/lights off, and the blinds/window shut). But what do I really need, an air cooler or an air conditioner? Also, is there more moisture in the air produced by a cooler vs conditioner?

And how about noise levels, does one make more noise than the other to prevent usage through the night?

 

[STAMPEDE3]

Did you dry cutting back on the dampners on the downstairs vents?, this will force more of the cool air upstairs, and the return will pull it back down. (what goes in must come out)

 

[03DOHC]

A guy at work used to use a swamp cooler. Not sure if it's the same thing that you are talking about. It used water to cool the air the fan blew. It worked ok, but that was in an open air shop. I don't think that would be a good idea indoors as it would increase the humidity inside.

I have a portable air conditioner, which is similar to the AC in your car, that I really like. It is made by Pelonis. Much cheaper than other units and works just as well. It can also work as a heater and an air dryer to remove humidity. You will need to exhaust the air from the AC, which is hot, and since it removes water from the air you have to remove the water from the catch tank or have a place to put the drain hose.

It looks like this.

 

[OZ Dude]

An Air Cooler is merely a fan that has a reservoir behind it that you can put water / ice into which is then slowly pumped in front of the fan and blown into the air as moisture. Effect - slight drop in air temp when directly in path of fan.

An Air Conditioner uses a gas as a refrigerant which cools piping that air is pumped through and then out into the room. Effect - reduced air temp in the surrounding area which will be greater or lesser depending on the air space to be cooled and the amount of power the unit has.

That help??

 

[spinscan]

An Air Cooler is merely a fan that has a reservoir behind it that you can put water / ice into which is then slowly pumped in front of the fan and blown into the air as moisture. Effect - slight drop in air temp when directly in path of fan.

An Air Conditioner uses a gas as a refrigerant which cools piping that air is pumped through and then out into the room. Effect - reduced air temp in the surrounding area which will be greater or lesser depending on the air space to be cooled and the amount of power the unit has.

That help??

Hey Oz, I used to live in Alice Springs. Ever been there?
Anyways, the house I lived in in AS used evaporative coolers and they kept the temp about 20 degrees cooler than outside. They are only effective in areas of low humidity. Our units were on top of the roof. Water dripped down onto coils and a large fan forced the cooler air into the house.

If I were you , I'd get a window ac. These are cheap and will freeze you out.

http://store.yahoo.com/air-n-water/wiairco.html

Check out this site.

 

[Mr. Mach-ete]

Definitely a window airconditioner. 6,000 BTU 115VAC plug in. You can pick one up for under $150.00 at a Home Depot/Lowes (those are home improvement stores for you Aussies).

 

[OZ Dude]

Hey Spin - Alice Springs to Texas - you got some sort of wierd thing going on with heat?? I guess Texas has a bit less sand around it than the Alice though

Haven't been there yet but it's on the list. They use those rooftop coolers in SA too. I remember the first time I drove there and saw em all - I was like WTF?? but I've heard they do a pretty good job.

Mr. Mach-ete - thanks for the lesson. We don't have Home Depot but we have Lowes (and a whole HEAP of other HI stores now). It has become the latest trend now to set up malls strictly for bulky goods stuff - I guess you guys have had that goin on for years...

But I'm with you - PDubs get yourself a Window jobbie - cheap and effective (just like me haha).

 

[PDubs]

Thanks for the tips guys.

I did, in fact, lower all other house vents to min (not fully close) so I could get max air flow, even that does not work. I even angled the flow of air to hit just above and below my ceiling fan for circulation. Blah.

As for the window unit, believe me, I'd already have it if I didn't live in a place that decided to install the cheapest horizontally-sliding (opens left -> right not up -> down) windows around!! Thus, unless I can turn those window jobbies on their side, that's not a viable option. Has anyone done that? Because in all the pictures, they are situation to seemingly fit windows that open up -> down only.

At this point, it sounds like a portable AC unit is the best option.

 

[OZ Dude]

I don't know about over there but in Oz a L -> R window doesn't stop you installing an A/C unit.

1. Take the sliding panel out of the window.

2. Make a timber (or Alum) frame around the unit that snugs it into the open panel of the window. The top of the frame should be made with a slot in the top.

3. Get a piece of perspex cut (or glass) to fit the remaining hole and insert it the same way you would have put the sliding panel back in.

A bit of stuffing around but still cheaper than a portable jobbie.