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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Whether you already know the benefits and energy efficiency of the cool, clean comfort of evaporative cooling, or you need more information, AdobeAir, Inc. wants you to have the facts.

Q: What is evaporative cooling?
A: Nature's most efficient means of cooling is through the evaporation of water. Evaporative cooling works on the principle of heat absorption by moisture evaporation. The evaporative cooler draws exterior air into special pads soaked with water, where the air is cooled by evaporation, then circulated into your home. Go to the "What is Evap Cooling?" page for more information.

Q: What choices of evaporative cooling do I have?
A: The range of evaporative coolers available today is extensive, varying from small portable and window units to large and fully ducted systems for residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Q: Are evaporative coolers more suitable for specific climates?
A: Evaporative cooling is especially well suited to dry desert climates, where humidity is low and the air is hot. However, even in higher humidity areas there are many proven cost effective uses for evaporative cooling that make it the best solution. For example, spot cooling garages, workshops, exercise areas, patios, warehouses, garden centers, horse stables, service bays and many other automotive applications. The uses for effective evaporative cooling are endless if you match the right product to the right application.

Q: What is a MasterCool®?
A: It is a single inlet evaporative cooler using only one high efficiency pad on one side of the cooler. The pad or media is constructed of special cellulose material, with a cross-fluted design for long life and consistent efficiency. The MasterCool® is designed with two modules, a wet section and a dry section where the blower wheel and motor are located. The cooler has a sleek, low profile design, and its modular construction allows the cooler to be separated for installation.

Q: What size evaporative cooler do I need?
A: Evaporative coolers are sized based on cubic feet per minute (CFM) of airflow. For sizing the right evaporative cooler, use the selection chart provided with each type of cooler being considered. Note: these selection charts use the total square footage of the house and are based on 8' ceiling heights and are approximations only, assuming an 80 degree desired room temperature. Since cooling requirements and heat loads may vary from house to house, contact your salesperson or contractor for additional information if needed.

Q: Should I install an evaporative cooler?
A: This is a personal decision; the evaporative cooler is an excellent choice if you like the idea of fresh and environmentally safe cooling along with an energy efficient operation. The evaporative cooler can be used as a sole cooling system or combined with a refrigeration air conditioning system. Go to the Products page for more information on evaporative cooling technology and the selection of coolers available for residential use.

Q: Do evaporative coolers save energy?
A: An evaporative cooler consumes about one-forth of the electrical energy required to operate a refrigerated air conditioning unit. You can save up to 80% on your summer cooling bill.

Q: What will the discharge air temperature be of my evaporative cooler?
A: The discharge temperature is determined primarily by the temperature and relative humidity of the incoming air. To determine the temperature of air leaving a cooler, three factors must be known: The current outside dry bulb temperature, the current outside wet bulb temperature and the evaporative efficiency of the evaporative cooler. You may use complex equations involving thermodynamics or you may refer to an evaporative cooler index that assumes you have a clean evaporative cooler of average efficiency to provide a guide to approximate discharge air temperatures. Go to the "What is Evap Cooling" page for more information on evaporative cooling temperatures.

Q: What is relief air?
A: The evaporative cooler draws fresh exterior air through special pads soaked with water, the air is cooled, filtered and circulated through the home. The hot, stale air will need to exit and this is referred to as relief. A good relief design is to exhaust slightly more air then your cooler is supplying.

Q: How many windows or doors do I need to leave open?
A: A simple formula to calculate the required unrestricted exhaust air opening is for every 1,000 cfm's you will need 2 sq. ft. of unrestricted openings through windows or doors.

Q: Is there another way to exhaust the air other than leaving windows or doors open?
A: Yes, you may install up-dux vents to exhaust the air through your attic and out the roof vents. By exhausting cool air through the attic, you can reduce the temperature of this hot spot and make your home more comfortable. It is important to remember to provide adequate exhaust in the attic area. Again, provide 2 sq. ft. of relief for every 1,000 CFM of air delivery. However, it should be noted that up-dux do not provide adequate relief air during the hot peak season.

Q: What is an up-dux?
A: Up-dux is a ceiling vent allowing the air to pass through the attic area and out through the roof vents. When the cooler comes on, the air pressure automatically opens the up-dux barometric dampers and when the cooler shuts off, the damper automatically closes.

Q: How many up-dux's do I need to install?
A: Install up-dux vents in every major room and for maximum cooling a recommendation is to install one up-dux for every 500 CFM of air delivery.

Q: How do I steer the cooled air blown into my house to various rooms?
A: Other than the direction of the vents you may control by opening the windows or doors in different rooms directing the air to exhaust as long as the total unrestricted area for relief equals 2 sq. ft. for every 1,000 cfm's.

Q: Can I clean my cooler pads?
A: Yes, if they are Genuine MasterCool® Media used in our MasterCool® evaporative coolers. They can be cleaned of dirt and scale. Refer to the Owner's Manual that is appropriate to your model. If the media is made from aspen they are disposable and it is recommended they be changed twice during the cooling season or depending on local air and water conditions pad replacement may need to occur more frequently.

Q: What is a bleed-off?
A: The purpose of a bleed-off is to continuously eliminate a small quantity of water from recirculation, allowing fresh water to enter the reservoir to reduce scale build-up and dilute mineral concentrations. To determine the flow rate that is right for your cooler, refer to the Owner's Manual that is appropriate for your model.

Q: Is a bleed-off required?
A: A bleed-off system is included window and whole house coolers and should be installed as instructed in the Owner's Manual. An optional alternative to the bleed-off system would be the installation of a CleanMachine®, which is a standard feature of the MasterCool units.

Q: What is a CleanMachine®?
A: The CleanMachine® will automatically replace the water in your cooler with fresh, clean water every six hours of cooler operation. This will flush out the old, mineral-laden water in the pan.

Q: Why use a CleanMachine® in place of a bleed-off?
A: The CleanMachine® keeps the evaporative cooler cleaner, uses less water than traditional bleed-off methods. The result is cleaner, more efficient pads, less scale build-up, and fresh, cool clean air.

Q: Can I use the CleanMachine® in any residential cooler?
A: Yes the universal design works in any cooler. The CleanMachine® comes ready to install in just minutes and never needs adjusting. It installs with your existing primary re-circulating cooler pump.

Q: May I use cooler cleaners, cooler treatments, anodes or other additives in my evaporative cooler?
A: No, your evaporative cooler water reservoir is finished with a Polybond™ appliance-type finish. Our Polybond™ finish offers the finest polyester-epoxy powder coating available today. It is so hard that asphalt-type cooler undercoating will not stick. Regular maintenance and a bleed-off or a CleanMachine® installed is the key to long successful service of your evaporative cooler.

Q: How many times a year should I service my cooler?
A: Regular maintenance is essential and we recommend at a minimum of three times during the season for cooling comfort, extending the life of the cooler and to avoid unnecessary parts replacement. This service should be at start-up, mid-season and shutdown. Refer to the Owner's Manual for a complete maintenance schedule.

Q: Can soft water be used with the evaporative cooler?
A: No, it is recommended that soft water equipment not be attached to any water lines going to the cooler. "Soft Water" may cause corrosion and decrease effective life of the cooler.

Q: What is two-stage evaporative cooling?
A: It cools the outside air twice, creating cooler air being discharged from the evaporative cooler. In the first stage, the outside air passes through a water-filled heat exchanger that cools without adding moisture and this is referred to as Indirect Cooling for your evaporative cooler. In the second stage, the pre-cooled air passes through the water-soaked pad of the evaporative cooler discharging cooler air than just normal evaporative cooling. Two-stage cooling can also be called an "indirect/direct" cooler. For more information on the MasterCool® Indirect Cooling Module, go to the MasterCool page on this site.

Q: Do evaporative coolers have to be level to operate properly?
A: It is important for the evaporative cooler to be mounted level so the water within the pan is set at the appropriate level for the pump to operate efficiently. If the pump starves for water it will prevent the right amount of water from circulating to the pads. This may cause dry steaks in the pad allowing warm air to enter the evaporative cooler.

Q: What is a portable or mobile evaporative cooler?
A: They are evaporative coolers that are completely portable and require no installation or wiring. AdobeAir manufactures a full range of models that can be used in any room of your house or commercial models that may be used in shops, garages, greenhouses, job sites, industrial, agricultural, sporting events or tented parties. Many of the portable coolers may be operated with fan only when evaporative cooling is not needed and are ready to go anywhere. For more information, click here.

Q: Where should a portable evaporative cooler be placed within a room?
A: The back of the cooler should be placed where there is plenty of fresh air and it is best positioned adjacent to an open window or external door with additional openings on the opposite side of the room for relief air. In this way, the portable evaporative cooler will draw fresh air from the outside and be drawn through the pad, cooled, filtered and circulated through the room while the hot, stale air is literally forced out through the openings on the other side of the room.

Q: How often do I need to clean a portable evaporative cooler?
A: It is recommended to empty the water reservoir once a week and fill with fresh clean water to reduce scale or mineral deposits on the pad. Periodically during the season or at least once a year depending on the usage, it is important to perform some simple cleaning on your cooler to maintain its high efficiency. This involves cleaning the water system and filters. Refer to the Owners Guide for detailed instructions and a maintenance schedule.

Q: I have heard that there may be more pollutants in my house than outside what can evaporative cooling do to help?
A: With evaporative cooling you constantly exchange the air instead of just recirculation the air. The evaporative cooler will blow away stale inside air and replace it with fresh, filtered outside air that has been cooled.

Q: We live in a community with CCR's and are not allowed to have any cooling equipment on the roof. What choices do we have for evaporative cooling?
A: MasterCool® has an up-discharge evaporative cooler that can be installed at ground level. The MasterCool® Plus High Performance Up-Discharge combines the greatest efficiency and cooling power with a design to comply with the strictest association codes, covenants and restrictions. Other options available are window coolers or portable coolers that may be used for spot cooling. For more information on the MasterCool Plus Up-Discharge check with your contractor, or go to the Residential Coolers page for more information on our complete line of portable, window and whole house evaporative coolers.

Q: I have water draining from the overflow standpipe?
A: If the water is not coming from the bleed-off or the CleanMachine® systematic flushing you may need to adjust the float or replace it. Refer to the Owner's Manual for float adjustment instructions.

Q: The fan is turned on but no air is being discharged.
A: Check electrical power to the unit by checking the fuses or circuit breakers, on the portable or window cooler check to ensure the cord is plugged in.

Q: The cooler does not seem to be cooling adequately. What do I do?
A: You may have inadequate exhaust, open more windows or doors, for every 1,000 CFM of air delivery 2 sq. ft. of unrestricted air relief is required. Check the water distribution system for insufficient water to the pads, and clean or replace if needed. Check the pads to ensure they are not clogged and clean or replace if needed.

Q: The discharged air from my cooler has an unpleasant odor what do I do?
A: Drain, flush and clean the reservoir. Ensure the cooler has a bleed-off or CleanMachine® are installed. You may need to clean or replace pads.

Q: What is the warranty for my evaporative cooler?
A: The warranty is model specific. Look for your cooler model on our list of cooler warranties.

Q: How do I obtain service if my evaporative cooler is under warranty?
A: It is important to have the model number and serial number of the evaporative cooler available. Contact the contractor who installed the evaporative cooler. If additional assistance is required e-mail the Warranty Department with the information at AdobeAir, Inc. or write to the Warranty Department at AdobeAir, Inc., 1450 East Grant Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85034.

Q: What will the warranty not cover?
A: The warranty will not cover any failure, damage or defect that results from unauthorized modification or service or from the use of products or replacement parts other than those from AdobeAir including, but not limited to, motors or pumps. For more details, refer to the warranty that is appropriated for your model. Please note, if there is water damage to the pump motor or blower motor windings, the damage will not be covered under the warranty as water damage may be an indication of improper maintenance.

Q: Where is the model number and serial number located on the evaporative cooler?
A: Model number and serial number are located on a silver label located on the outside of the evaporative cooler. Many models will have this label on the top portion of an outside corner. On the MasterCool® models the label is located on the side of the dry section towards the top. The front of the Owners Guide provides a box to record these important numbers for future reference.

Q: What if the cooler becomes scratched?
A: In the unlikely event that scratches or bare metal areas occur, sand or rub the area with steel wool to prepare the finish. Paint with standard spray paint or touch up paint available from a dealer. Check the yellow pages of your telephone book for an AdobeAir® or MasterCool dealer in your area.

Q: I will not be using my evaporative cooler for a period of time. Is there anything I need to do?
A: The water should always be drained if the cooler has not been operating for a week and start with fresh water. If the cooler is not being used for an extended amount of time or if you are turning the cooler off for the season it is recommended to drain the water and clean the cooler. You may even cover the cooler after cleaning.

Q: Are thermostats available for evaporative coolers?
A: Yes. For whole house evaporative coolers, AdobeAir offers a MasterStat® CC2000 Thermostat Control Kit for any brand of cooler to be used with 115 or 230 Volts and up to 1-HP motors. For Remote Control Window Units, we offer the RCT1000.

Q: Where do I purchase replacement parts for my evaporative cooler?
A: All AdobeAir® and MasterCool® parts are available through the store where you purchased the evaporative cooler. When ordering replacement parts, always refer to the serial and model number of your evaporative cooler. Part numbers are listed in the Replacement Parts List that is accompanied with your cooler. If you no longer have the Replacement Parts List and need a new list, look for your parts list on either the residential parts list or the industrial parts list documents (available in pdf format on this site).

Q: Who builds your pumps?
A: Our engineer-designed pumps are assembled at AdobeAir and are thermally protected, grounded and U.L. recognized.

Q: Whose motors do you use?
A: AdobeAir insists on the finest motors and use Emerson Motors for all evaporative coolers manufactured in the USA. Our MasterCool® motors are designed just for MasterCool®, with the strictest requirements in the industry. The MasterCool® motor has all-copper windings for increased reliability and longer life. All AdobeAir motors are U.L. recognized.

Q: What is the Polybond™ finish?
A: It is an attractive appliance-type finish that assures years of reliable service by providing excellent protection from weathering and corrosion. This muti-layer, bonded treatment starts with heavy gauge, cold-rolled steel and the Polybond is built layer by layer until a super tough, appliance-type finish is achieved. This powder coated finish is performance proven with over 15 years of experience in the field and it is so hard, asphalt type cooler undercoat will not stick to it.