Swamp Cooler Advice

[DebsC]

I guess I've made the decision to get a swamp cooler for the green house. It's just getting too hot in there.

I've been unsure just how well one would work since we have high humidity in Arkansas. But after several days of 100 degree tempatures, the dew point does fall. So it should be of some help.

The exhaust fan has been running non-stop for days, even at night! The fogger is a life saver and of course the box fans in the window and shade cloth all work, too.

It's just not enough!

Any suggestions on what to buy and where to buy it?

Also, need suggestions on where to place it. I gather the lower the better? Swamp cooler at one end, opposite end of exhaust fan?

Any pearls of wisdom appreciated!

[Gin]

Don't know about pearls of wisdom more like rocks It should be on the opposite end from the exhaust fan I hope it works for you I had a large thru the wall Vap .cooler in my old green house when we lived close the the river the humidity was just to high it did not cool enough . Right now I am running the rain bird sprinkler on the green house roof for 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon to cool things down . have an under bench mist hose with a fan blowing thru the mist also the exhaust fan running and another fan, plus one blowing out on the other end of the green house to pull the cooler air that way ,and the shade cloth one thing different was I put the thin rolled plastic under the trusses the exhaust fan is between the roof and the plastic ,so far the green house has been staying in the 80s . Gin

[Royal]

Here's a thought - window AC unit. If humidity is already high, and you have a fogger to counteract the drying effect of the AC, I bet it would even out nicely. Cheap too.

[Pantsonfire]

Do Arkansas hardware stores stock swamp coolers? If not, there is your answer. I have one and it works great, but our dewpoints in Reno are below freezing when it gets hot. Here is an example...

[EdinAZ]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

Here's a thought - window AC unit. If humidity is already high, and you have a fogger to counteract the drying effect of the AC, I bet it would even out nicely. Cheap too.

Debs,

I use a small heat pump. It looks/works like a window AC unit (drys the air), but includes heating capability too. I live in southern Arizona, so too much outdoor humidity is NO problem, and most people here use swamp coolers. I was concerned about maintaining enough humidity inside the greenhouse when I first installed the unit.

No problem with this . . . the drying effect is more than compensated for by misters (which I don't run all that much). I have no problem maintaining summer temp's at a max. of 85 degrees (this system can keep it cooler than that, but that's what I want to maintain) and humidity at 75% plus, with day after day of 100-105 degree high's (sometimes even higher).

With the right kind of programmable thermostat, you have a lot of temperature control. I keep my greenhouse max'ed at 85 for the mid-day hours, then step it down to 75 for a couple of hours, then down to to 65 at night . . . reverse that in the morning. It works fine and the humidity stays up there for me. I think most of my orchids like that daily 20 degree differential too.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Ed

[mojomick]

I use a swamp cooler but am in a very dry climate. It works great and the electric bills are reasonable. I don't know how it would work in your climate. I got mine at Home Depot. Betty

[DebsC]

Arkansas is a poultry growing state. The chicken houses are huge and are cooled only with cool cells. So I guess it's gotta work.

Early in the year, it rains a lot and is very humid but as the summer wears on and the temps head up to the 100's, the dew point falls.

My greenhouse has a very high, pitched roof. Too late to do anything about that. But the exhaust fan also sits real high and I'm thinking it's too high?

If it was a couple feet lower, possibly it would pull more air across the orchids instead of exhausting the high, hot air? What do you think?

The humidity remains very high because I'm having to hand fog it periodically. The auto fogging system is going as high as it can and can't keep up in this heat.

The exhaust fan has not turned off this week!!

If a swamp cooler isn't going to work good enough, I don't want to instal it. But I've got to figure out a way to cool!!!!!!!

[mojomick]

Where is the intake air vent located? If it is low on the opposite side of the gh from the exhaust fan then you should be moving cooler air through from below to exhaust the hot air higher. How many fans are you using inside and are they positioned to give you max. air movement? You might have to move them around a bit. The swamp cooler I have is connected to the thermostat that controls the exhaust fan and I have a regular fan inside the gh just in front of the vents for the swamp cooler. That way, the fan helps push the cooler air and then it circulates and the warmer air goes out from above leaving an air space for the cooler air to circulate. The misters below the bench are on a separate humidistat so they only come on and increase the humidity when needed. They don't wet the orchids at all, just the ferns below. I water my orchids by hand using gallon milk jugs that I keep filled with water inside on the floor. I fertilize with MSU fert. every time I water. I hope this helps. Betty

[Gin]

I have thought about a regular attic fan on the roof to pull more cool air up and hot out .
A high ceiling is good as hot raises and keeps it away from the plants .
A local greenhouse has a cool cell wall that seems to do a good job, if that is what they use for the chickens then it might be ok ?

[DebsC]

The humidity is suffocating outside today!! I thought it was drying out some but, it sure doesn't feel like it, today.

My greenhouse faces north with two windows either side of a sliding patio door. Each window has a 16 inch box fan in it. They're a little over waist high on me and I'm 5.6".

The AquaFog is hung above the sliding doors and the exhaust fan is high on the back wall, which is south and opposite from the fans.

Aluminet is attached to frames and installed regular ceiling height. I think it's 65%, can't remember for sure.

The humidity is too high inside (75%) but it's the only way I can keep it cooler. The air that the box fans are bringing in directly from outside is super-heated since it was 101 degrees today.

But then Ed, you said you want your humidity at that level or higher. So maybe that's okay?

Here's what I'm thinking, I've always used my front windows kind of like vents for the exhaust to pull air through and it does!

But possibly not having the lower to the ground vents is causing a problem. What do ya'll think? Could it be that simple?

Gin, I can barely keep the grass mowed now!! Doesn't your sprinkler run off from the greenhouse water your grass?

I really do appreciate all of your help!! I don't want to put in a swamp cooler and then still have the same problem. I want to solve it somehow.