Learned that my swamp cooler needs to be drained weekly during monsoon season or it gets algae

Found this on the UNM extension office website last night, and I had no idea the standing water could grow that stuff so fast in our humidity. Has anyone else wrecked a cooler motor from not draining it enough?

3 comments

3 Comments

milaprice18d ago

huh, I've been running my swamp cooler for like three summers straight in Tucson and never drained it once during monsoon season. never had any algae issues or motor problems, maybe I'm just lucky or maybe it's not as big of a deal as that extension office makes it sound, lol

oliver_wilson4918d ago

Glad to hear yours is working fine too, maybe the extension folks are just playing it safe.

elliotadams18d ago

Man I feel you on this. I've been running my swamp cooler here in Phoenix for five years now and I've never drained it during the summer either. Maybe we're both just lucky but the motor and everything still runs fine, no weird smells or anything. The extension office really likes to scare people but real world experience seems different. Kinda makes you wonder how much of that advice is actually necessary and how much is just covering their bases for liability purposes.