Evaporative Coolers The Beaches

Evaporative coolers do not work well in The Beaches when the humidity is high. These devices depend on evaporating water, and so their best performance is in dry areas. As anyone who's tried to cool off with a fan and a spray bottle can tell you, the combination of moving air and evaporating water creates a much lower temperature than either air or water can produce by themselves. But when the air is humid, it's already nearly saturated with water, and it can't take in any more; the air is holding all the moisture it can hold. When this happens, an evaporative cooler is trying to make the air cooler by having it hold even more water (in the form of vapor), and that's no way to make a cooler that works.

Hawaii’s high humidity reduces the effectiveness of evaporative coolers. These devices are much better suited to dry climates where the air is capable of absorbing significant amounts of moisture. The coolers work by sending air through water-saturated pads. In a precedingly dry (and warm) air state, this creates much cooler and more comfortable air that is then discharged back into the life space of the user. In Hawaii, the incoming air is already moisture-laden; thus, the air that is cooled by the pads has little opportunity to reach its potential.

An evaporative cooler works best in a space where there's ample moving air and where the relative humidity is low. This makes the air cooler; it also means the air that comes out of the cooler is much cooler than the air coming in from, say, a window or an open door.Put it anywhere else, and you're just going to get a fair amount of wind and a slight drop in temperature—kinda like if you were to put a fan on low speed and have it blow in your direction.

Tropical climates like The Beaches, with their high humidity, are not where evaporative coolers shine. This is a technology that works by the principle of evaporation—that is, it reduces air temperature to what you would consider a comfortable level by getting air to make contact with some water. Anyone who has lived in a desert can tell you how nice it is to feel a breeze coming off a body of water. That's basically how an evap cooler works; however, it is really good at what it does, but only in the right climatological conditions. And even then, doing what it does best makes it not the most energy-efficient way to cool off. In places where you don't have to worry about pesky humidity, it might be a great way to go.

When it comes to sending cool air your way, evaporative coolers, a.k.a. air coolers, have a bit less gusto if you live in places like The Beaches, where coastal humidity largely rules. These machines thrive and deliver maximum performance in arid environments. Their design is really clever: You pump tempered (or slightly cooled) air through a water-saturated medium (usually a pad of some kind), and the water in the medium evaporates. As it does, the (now) cool and somewhat really dry air is sent your way. When you live where there's lots of coastal humidity, this isn't really a machine even worth buying.

Evaporative coolers work by cooling the air through the evaporation of water. Their effectiveness decreases, though, in areas of high humidity, such as The Beaches—the air there is nearly saturated with moisture and can accommodate little more. This reduces the evaporation rate of the water in the cooler and thus reduces its output in the way of cooled air.

Certainly! Having an evaporative cooler on the beach is entirely possible, but its efficiency may take a hit because of the high humidity that beach environments experience. These types of coolers really excel in arid climates, so while they can move air very well and offer some chilly breezes, they might not fare as well in summer conditions right next to the ocean.

Evaporative coolers are ineffective above 95°F (35°C) and in environments of high humidity, typically above 60%. This is because the cooling process works by relying on the evaporation of water. And when the air is already saturated with moisture, it doesn't cool very well.

Evaporative coolers, or water coolers, are not as effective in coastal areas like The Beaches but are much better in arid climates. Water coolers rely on the process of evaporation to cool the air. This process works best when the ambient air is very dry; it functions less well in air that is already pretty close to saturation, which is the case in coastal areas. In coastal regions, the air already holds a high amount of humidity, which makes the water cooler less effective. The water cooler is going to be more efficient in environments that are close to the desert compared to a very humid environment.

The ideal evaporative cooler for beach use is lightweight, portable, and powered by a battery. It is easy to carry, has ample cooling capacity, and can run for a long time on a single charge. It is well built and seems likely to survive in sandy and salty environments. It has a fan that can run at several different speeds (as many as five) and a water reservoir that can last up to 10 hours (or longer). It's easy to fill, easy to clean, and—if you're using it on a day when you have it set to full throttle and are in the sun with no cloud cover—using a USB charging option seems like a very good idea.