Video nenà dostupné.
OmlouvĂĄme se.
Portacool vs Texas Heat? Does it Work?
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 23. 07. 2018
- Product Test: Portacool in Texas - Does it Work?
#texasheat #portacool #productreview #doesitwork #summerheat
In this video, we picked up a new Portacool Classic 16" From Tractor Supply, near where we live here in North Texas. We've been getting hit with 110 Plus Degree days, and we'd had ENOUGH so we wanted to try to find a solution for our workshop. Watch to find out our Thoughts and to see how well this Portacool works for us!
Links to the Product: www.mycoolingst...
---
Don't forget to Like and Subscribe! Turn on notifications so you know every time Tough Guys has a new video online!
---
Find us on Social Media!
Check Us Out on Facebook - toughguystv
Follow Us on Twitter - / toughguystv
Check Us Out on Instagram - toughguystv
Thanks for watching!!! ----
Note for my fellow DIYers! đ While I consider myself an experienced DIY enthusiast, it's important to note that I'm not a certified professional. These videos are created to share my expertise, tips, and creative ideas for your construction, remodeling, woodworking, and homesteading projects. However, your project is unique, and I can't guarantee that my methods are foolproof for everyone. I'm here to inspire and guide, but the responsibility for the success and safety of your renovation or construction project lies with you. Always exercise caution, adhere to safety guidelines, and if in doubt, consult with a qualified professional. I won't be held liable for any mishaps or mistakes that may occur during your DIY journey.
Let's embark on these projects together, learn from each other, and, most importantly, enjoy the process! THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!
As some comments have pointed out, you must move the air in AND OUT of the garage, preferably at the opposite side. The swamp cooler works by taking in dry hot air, letting water evaporate which drops the temperature. Even with it pointed at the door, the cold air is just coming back out the door and getting sucked back in by the fan, to which it is no longer dry air and thus can't evaporate to cool. This is why it seemed to work better outdoors where it could get fresh dry air to evaporate.
Air flow is definitely a problem in our shop, so very true! No doubt it work way better!
I've got a metal shop building similar to these guys (2000SF') - if I put the unit outside my "walk door" (like they did) and raise my 14' rollup door (opposite of the building) a couple inches, that should give the air flow recommended - thoughts? I don't need it to cool the entire space - just the 20% that I work in - which is in direct line with the walk door - thanks for any feedback that you may have.
â@@karlaelvis9815I would buy an industrial fan at lowes and set it as exhaust at the other end. If the moisture escapes fast enough it will help the cooler push in cold air into the entire room. Basically creat a vacuum in the room.
You need to crack the other door and let the air flow. With it blowing into a closed shop, it just pressures up and no air exchanges.
Unfortunately the garage door and entry door are within feet of each other. I donât have another door that would allow air flow unfortunately, but working on getting some windows installed. Thanks for reaching out!
@@TheToughGuysTV A couple of suggestions come to mind: if there is a window in the shop opposite from the door where you place the cooler you could mount a portable fan to extract air out of the shop to create some air flow through the shop. Another is if you do not need to cool off the entire shop, say you are working at a bench, cordon off just the amount of space you need to work in (a shower curtain hung from the ceiling, portable wall, etc) and direct the cooler's air flow at this space, keeping in mind that you still need a way to maintain air flow into and out of the shop, as with the window solution mentioned above.
Thanks for the tips and for checking out the video!! Much appreciated! Trying to stay cool out here in the heat! đȘđ»
All you need is some open/ close windows at the top of your garage. Like how they have at basketball gymnasiums. Hot air rises up. Needs to be able to escape
Thanks to CZcams suggestion, I came across this video. Swamp coolers really only add humidity to the air, and don't work great in humid areas. I thought about one myself, but living South of Buffalo NY humidity is nasty. The cost of these porta-cools are right on par with a mini split ac system if you install yourself. Thats what I did, and haven't looked back. Walking into a climate controlled 72 degree shop with low humidity is refreshing to say the least. Best of luck
Yes sir and thanks for the comment!! We are exploring some options here rounding out the summer, definitely will be looking to make some changes prior to next summer here outside of Dallas. The heat is BRUTAL especially in August. Thanks for checking out the video and for the notes!
In a closed shop it is not an air conditioner it just cools the air and directs it like a fan. It would help to have a fan blowing hot air out of the shop. Replace hot air with cooler air. It is what we call a swamp cooler. Works better in dryer climates not humid locations.
We are working on getting some windows installed, and insulation foam in there - and we use fans now and focus on getting air flow. On the patio it worked great for sure!!! Thanks for the comment and for watching!! đȘđ»đđ»
For future reference, you want to prime the medium for 5 minutes or until itâs completely saturated before you start the fan
Ok - I think I did try it a few times once fully saturated, but at any rate it never worked very well. Wish it had though, had high hopes. Thanks!
@@TheToughGuysTV stupid yuppie
It's ridiculously hot these past few days! Nice video, I've been eyeing a portacool for a bit
Thanks for checking out the video!! I appreciate the comments as well very much!! đđ»đȘđ»
Rent one first, I did and ended up buying buying a rental unit from Sunbelt Rentals. Works great in a 3,800 sq ft insulated shop with 14â ceilings. I replaced the cooling media because of a bad odor emanating from it due it being old and dirty. Cost for the 36â replacement was 479.00. Huge increase in cooling noted with the new media.
Nice! I'll have to look around for rental units, and try one of the larger ones out - see if it provides some relief!
How did the new one looked vs the old one??
Great review. I'm in south Texas and have a stud wall (not insulated) two care garage that I do woodworking. I just can't work in the shop during the Texas summers. I'm looking for ways of making it more tolerable to work in. This review was very helpful.
Thanks for the comment!!! Yes itâs close to unbearable up here in Dallas too.. I wish this thing had worked out. Iâm in the shop today, sweating my ass off!!! Two big fans going, garage door open, taking frequent breaks for water - #texaslife đȘđ»đ€đ»đ€ Thanks for the comment and for watching!!!!
This TX heat can kiss my buns
Did you pick a portacool up or go the mini split route?
I just bought a portacool Thank you for the informative video, it has been very helpful.
We had a different brand of cooler for our shop. We installed some roof turbines for outflow and we would dump a Home Depot bucket of ice in the res tank on really hot days. Weâre are in the Southern California high desert. It was 111 outside and our shop was about 72 inside. I think ours was a 20 inch fan.
What type did you try?? Also whatâs your humidity like there? Thanks for the comment!
Tough Guys TV
I donât remember off hand. Iâd have to go look next time Iâm in shop. As for the humidity the Mojave desert is a very dry hot type of dessert. We donât really see too much humidity unless we have a monsoon.
Tough Guys TV
It is a Cool stream 36inch cooler with a deep sump and ice hatch. He bought it from a industrial supply catalog back in the early 2000âs. Not sure if they are still around I couldnât find anything online.
Thanks for sharing it, Iâll look it up and see if I can find anything. I think the crazy humidity here in TX is what works against the Portacool so much.
How well a swamp cooler works is directly a function of the inlet air humidity and the humidity of the air in the room you're trying to cool. The lower the inlet humidity is and the lower the humidity of the room you're trying to cool the more effective it will be at cooling. Your ceiling height will not have the largest impact on how hard the garage is to cool. If I had to guess it would due to the huge amounts of energy being radiated against the outside of your garage. I know it seems obvious but the darker your shop is and specifically the roof it will make it a lot harder to cool. Adding insulation will definitely help. The insulation will help reduce the heat convecting off of the hot metal into your shop but if I had to guess that would probably cost a lot more than a few cans of white paint if you don't mind changing the looks of your roof. Let me know if you have any questions or need any help. I can do the calculations if you'd like.
Thanks for the comment and for the information!! This was a new experience for me no doubt, and so much good information here in the comments to hopefully help others out as well!!
@@TheToughGuysTV Seriously if you'd like me to help in any way I'd be more than willing. I'd just ask for minimum wage to make it worth my while and I can give you all of the information needed to make your cooling arrangements as effective as possible for the least amount of money.
When i was a kid i had an evap unit, but it was installed on the outside of the Window.... It was super cold that i always ended with FLU đ .
I You give it a think, You puto it onnthe entrance but also need a small fan that pulls air out of the garage or You Will saturate the ambient with hummidity, thus You temp Will feel hotter.
Thatâs why I moved to Arizona the humidity is low and dry, we have misters outside of the stores and restaurants, again it dries faster here in Arizona
I'm in Amarillo, TX and we have less humidity than South Texas, I use a swamp cooler on a cart in my shop. It works ok but will only drop the temp a few degrees. Swamp coolers are great for NM, CA, NV when the air is drier. You need to remove the humidity in our part for the country. X2 on needing a window open on the opposite end on a shop/garage to move and vent the air flow.
I'm still looking at a Port A Cool for my shop because I want something now and I lease the shop so I can take it with me when I build. The drier the air the better this will work.
Thanks for the comment!! My plan this year is to open a window or two and allow fans to move the air. Honestly I donât think there is a solid solution outside of engineering a solid shop that is insulated well on the front end that has AC built in. Other than that, at least where we live there isnât much thatâs going to beat the heat!! Thanks for watching and for the comment - much appreciated!!!! đđ»đđ»đđ»
@@TheToughGuysTV I have run a swamp cooler for 35 years about 30 miles East of San Francisco. 3000 sq ft house, 4 br 2 bath. NOBODY has them here. I have this down to a science. There are 6 Govee temperature/humidity bluetooth transmitters, $15 each from Amazon, in and outside the house to show me the conditions.
You have to have flow through the area to be cooled with little back pressure. My cooler blows into the TV room then makes the 95 foot trip to the upstairs bedroom with 2 windows open and the attic access doors open. The attic gets cooled as well. We just had the week plus of 100-110F heat and I had the house closed up all day until 5 in the afternoon. Then the cooler runs for a few hours. I see about 79 degrees max upstairs.
I run it on low speed, 397 watts. On high its 670 watts. Neighbors central AC units burn 4500-6500 watts with compressor running. We pay 32 and 39 cents a kwh (scales up in price after the 292kw allotment baseline is used in the month) so it adds up. We lost out power 4 times in 8 days from 2 to 4 hours duration. I run the cooler on the EcoFlow Max solar/battery/inverter unit using Compressed Sunshine.
To have successful swamp cooler operation, you need to see where you are on the supply air temperature vs humidity chart. Basically, anything over 30% humidity will be a waste of time trying to cool a large area. You will feel cool right in front of it, though. Good luck. Winter is coming! Here's that cooler chart:
www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=%2bIM4N3T0&id=1337095EC4B301E0D565141C668DC91CF785A577&thid=OIP.-IM4N3T0IDN_Is5gQD8FMQHaEr&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fbasc.pnnl.gov%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2fHVAC122_Evapcooler6_DS_5-7-14.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.f883383774f420337f22ce60403f0531%3frik%3dd6WF9xzJjWYcFA%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=640&expw=1013&q=Swamp+Cooler+Chart&simid=608040049578694392&FORM=IRPRST&ck=44139F1606F24C52F7D209081EDA475E&selectedIndex=0&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0
There are vids on DIY evaporated cooling just like your commercial unit. The green house evap cooler is more like 10x12 size & one YTer built his for 1,000.00. Add solar panels and youâre done.
Not a bad idea!! Could you post some links to the videos you checked out? Thanks for watching! đđ»
Tough Guys TV czcams.com/video/m0PiUP29taE/video.html m0PiUP29taE
Tough Guys TV czcams.com/video/jI_T8mEdBIg/video.html
Tough Guys TV small unit, what I would use for my room czcams.com/video/n3AxK8cbElk/video.html
Tough Guys TV czcams.com/video/k0hhBLLHs9o/video.html
Thanks for the review, going to try a 36 in portacool this weekend in a well ventilated 900 sq ft garage while the high temp is only supposed to be 88 and I'll let you know how it goes.
Thatâs great and thank you! I know once I get my shop insulated and some roof vents combined with the portacool it will perform much better. They are a solid company too and always willing to help if you have issues (at least in my experience)
How did your Portacool end up working out?
It worked ok. It turned out to be humid that day so it was just like having a large fan out. I won't use again. I was hopeful that it would work but no luck that day.
That was about the same for us. It just didnât feel like I imagined it would especially for the price. Thanks for letting me know!
When you move a lot of air you need to have a garage door slightly open to allow for the air pressure to equalize... if that makes sense
We tried having it outside the doorway as well, in the garage with the door open, with the garage door and the side door open, I just donât think it could overcome the extreme heat in there. On the patio the thing was great - felt like a cool breeze all around.
@@TheToughGuysTV You saying it, but I am not seeing it in the video.
I see one the garage door that swing in/out open, but not the garage door that slide up/down open at all. The garage door that slide up/down should have been slide up with at least 1 ft clearance from the bottom. That way the air that is blowing in from the door that swing in/out can escape through the 1 ft open at the garage door that slide up/down.
So again, I hear you saying it. But I am not seeing it in the video.
Unfortunately we didnât record it. You donât have to believe me, but I have no reason to lie. We live on a pretty busy road so I canât just leave my garage open all the way when Iâm not out there. Anyways, hope you have a great night! đđ»
@@TheToughGuysTV If you don't record it to shows people, then it is understandable why some people might be skeptical.
But I think the problem is your metal building. Metal is a very good conductor of heat, thus the heat from the Sun beating on the building is transmitted to the inside fully. I would recommend that you put a sprinkler outside the building to wet the metal garage building. When the water evaporate from the building, it will remove the heat directly from the building. Combine this with the Portacool, and your garage should be much cooler.
If you find it hard to set up a sprinkler system for youir building, then a patio mister in the link below should be able to do the same job. You might need more than one if your surface area outside your garage is too much.
www.amazon.com/Misting-System-Misters-Gazebos-Backyard/dp/B07FMLKZV7
Some Body - I need to insulate my shop and add air flow / ventilation. At that point a more traditional AC system may work well for us in the hotter months. I am a general contractor for a living, and I focus in new construction commercial as well as metal buildings. I was trying the portacool as an option to mitigate the heat prior to the larger investments of the work above. As far as not recording me opening my garage door, and whether you need to feel skeptical of it, thatâs only a decision you can make for yourself. I do these videos as a hobby and I just tell my story - hopefully helping others on the way.
I appreciate the advice. Thank you.
As a mechanic who works in rhe texas heat. Get rid of that. And get yourself the hessaire 11k cfm evap cooler. You can find them on sale for $1,200 sometimes. They are normally $1350 tho. Its the best.
If you added a big ass fan type product in the garage it would help, some one I know had that setup it was great. Thanks for the video it made my mind up. # Texasheat
Thanks for checking out the video!!! Iâve got a couple of big fans now, I actually traded out the portacool for them (return / exchange) and itâs still hot for sure but just moving the air around makes it much more enjoyable in the shop!
In the video this seems quite loud. Is it super loud in real life? I am considering this for my Texas summer wedding, but dont want the ceremony sound to compete. Thanks for this video - very helpful!
These are decently loud, but only up close. If you had them running a little bit away from where people are gathering it would be ok, sounds like a loud fan from what I remember. Definitely worked pretty good on our patio. Good luck with the wedding congrats!!
Swamp coolers add moisture to the air; hence, the explanation why it did not seem cooler indoors than you expected. Perhaps a better way to use them, even on humid days, would be to ventilate the indoors, much like what is done in green houses. One end of the greenhouse has the cooler, the other end having the ventilating fans. When the ventilation is adjusted just right, the volume of air indoors is replaced every two minutes. As such, you would not have an accumulating amount of humidity. There is a limit, of course. The closer the dew point of air is to the ambient temperature, the less effective is the cooling from a swamp cooler. There are excellent videos these days on CZcams on how to DIY your own swamp cooler, on the cheap.
nailed it
Really like you analysis. Helpful.
What about adding ice to the tank to cool the water? Would that help?
Great question!! The entry hole is very small so youâd be adding ice cubes one at a time and very small. Also Iâve read that adding ice does not work / doesnât help the primary mechanism that makes a portacool create cool air flow. Thanks for checking out the video!!! đȘđ»đ€đ»
Nice video man i use some what a same kind of cooler here in pakistan it works better if u add ice but when the ice melts it blows hot air anyway better than having a normal fanđ€đ€đ€
Thanks for watching and for the comment!!! Yeah I was disappointed for sure, seams like something so large would blow cooler air out of it. I wish I had tried the ice cube trick for my video!! Thanks again for the comment, I appreciate it!! đđ»đȘđ»
Check your outdoor humidity. If it is above 50%, it won't work for you. If it is under 20% and you open the garage door half way, you definitely will see a difference. It must draw in dry air though.
We have two of those same size and a bigger one in the ware house . It definitely does not make a difference. It just blows hot air. Very unsatisfying. Waste of money . Definitely not for Texas weather here in midland
Thanks for the comment!! I agree 100% I was very underwhelmed by the performance, but I had high hopes!! TX = 1 ... Portacool = 0 - Thanks for watching!!! đȘđ»đđ»
Dude I couldn't disagree more. I've worked in the Midland/Odessa area for years. They cool like crazy out here. Make sure you turn the water on or have it hooked up to a waterhose. They sell them all over the place out here. Napa, Tractor Supply, Fastenal.
Oilfield Man they sell them everywhere here and the people selling them will tell you stories about how they drop temp like crazy. Maybe my unit was defective? Not sure. But I know for the price a couple fans do the trick more effectively. Again, per previous comments itâs an individual assessment - to me people tend to say âwell itâs not supposed to do this or thatâ but âthis or thatâ is exactly what Portacool is saying itâs supposed to do. When that thing was outside on my patio the cooling power was significant and they even say themselves it works way better in open air. So maybe that was my fault for. It understanding the capabilities fully đ€·đŒââïž
I am a native Las Vegan and grew up using both AC and evaporative (swamp) cooling. AC needs recirculation, but swampers must have fresh, dry air (yes hot) to work. You might think heck I just cooled it down, I want to keep it, but evaporaters work on the physics of always bringing in new air. Once the air is cooled (and humid) it can only be cool a few minutes. Like all air, it keeps getting the heat, but now that it is humid, it can't get much more heat or humidity and just gets uncomfortable so you exhaust it out with the pressure from the unit. Best way is to make the opening to the swamp cooler fairly air tight and vent the same size opening, through a window or a pressure door loover vent to the outside. That big portable unit can be wheeled up to one of the doors and just hang something above it, from the top of the door jam and from side to side, down to the top of the unit. Maybe use some clips or spare pieces of 2X4 to hold it around the unit, without blocking the pads or the fan, and bring the door as close to the side as possible.
A little science here, low dew point temperatures are coldest in dry conditions. When you add water to the pad and the swamp cooler pulls the dry hot air through the pad, the heat goes into the water and cools the air by making it moist. That is why you only want to keep that air long enough to cool the building once and then send it on. Because the air is now humid (and cool for a short while, like all air) it now picks up heat (since it was cool) and now you need to send it out of the building using the power of the swamp cooler fan. The only time the swamp cooler isn't effective is SUPER HOT, SUPER HUMID, or a combination of medium heat and humid and over. The only way a swamp cooler can cool on 110 degree or hoter days (or nights) is if the incoming air is dry, dry, dry. But don't use a heater to dry out the air (or and AC unit) because that defeats the energy efficiency point of using the evaporative cooler.
For a little extra science, check out the daily, even hourly, dew point temperature (the cooling effect of adding 100% humidity to the dry air) and/or relative humidity, on the weather reports or phone apps. If it is 100 degrees, say, and 5% relative humidity, you can have a dew point of 32 degrees when it is 8% relative humidity at 112 degrees. The 32 degrees would come if your swamp cooler added 100% humidity, which it wont, but it is a way to think about the process. Here is how you figure you can get about 40, or even 50 degrees cooling.
The swamp cooler adds about 50-60% humidity, which is a little more than half of going all the way down to the dew point.
For easy math, figure half way, so 50% to the humidity. That would take you half way from 112 degrees down to 32 degrees on this particular day. You go halfway from your outdoor temperature, halfway down to the dew point (100 humidity temperature on this day) . So if it is 112 degrees, half way to 32 degrees is (112 - 32 = , 80/2=40 degrees. So add 40 degrees to the 32 dew point, equals 62 degrees (or subtract 40 degrees from 112 and you get the same thing, 62 degrees.
Since swamp coolers can add more than 50% ADDITIONAL humidity, you could even be lower than 62 degrees. But be careful not to make it so humid electronics and other metals don't rust. The fake brass hinges on my 22 year old house look like they are a hundred years old because I would super swamp my cooler with extra pads and have 80% humidity and 50 degrees, or 60 degrees when the outside humidity was already high. Best to use the swamp cooler on the majority of days when it is low Relative Humidity (less than 15% is best), and crank up the AC on humid days. You still save, but you don't risk damaging some things.
Kind of recapping, seal the entrance of the air coming in from portable or permanent swamp coolers, and always have a way for the air forced in to leave. The cost of making cold air with a swamp cooler is magnified when the air can get on out after making things cool. You have plenty of cold air and the old air can go on out and get dried up before coming back on through.
Love the air, love the swamp cooler and love the great outdoors. And the quick on the science, Ten percent relative humidity and lower means low dew point temperature and subsequent cooling potential with added humidity. So when it is real hot, you want really low humidity. Hope this helps and thanks for reading this from a fan of evaporative (swamp) cooling, Jon.
Thanks for the Science Jon! Much appreciated!
I'm on the West Coast a bit inland. I look at the inlet air temp vs humidity chart before turning it on. We pay 39 cents a kwh and on low the unit runs 397 watts. That's cheap cooling. I have the cooling routine down to a science...6 Bluetooth Govee temp/humidity sensors inside and out to view on my phone. Then the attic access doors get opened as soon as I hear the gable vent fan come on. The 2 windows upstairs vent the air outside as well with the least back pressure on the swamp cooler.
I'm good to go with the relative humidity below 25%. Sometimes during Diablo Winds it will get to 2-6% humidity. The house is well insulated and stays closed up until 4PM on hot days. My biggest trick is to shut off the cooler water pump and start bringing cool night air often in the low 60's from midnight until 6AM, the cooler fan on low speed, 327 watts. This pre cools the 20 tons of house, furniture, framing, drywall, etc, to stay cool enough in the closed up house until late afternoon. I have batteries, solar panels, and inverter to run the unit, so when the sun shines, cooling is free. But I have a small bedroom with 5000BTU window AC for the rare times when wildfire smoke gets to toxic levels.
We had a week of 100-110F weather last week with 4 power outages from 2-4 hours duration. Today it's breezy and 68 degrees at noon, back to nice weather The Nextdoor app this morning had a few complaints how their power bills were $600 to $1000 because of the heat wave. We get charged 49 cents a KWH for ''excessive'' electric power use. I would rather fiddle with reading temp humidity charts, thermometers, opening and closing windows, etc, to running a central AC unit and fainting when the power bill comes. And I have 800 watts in solar panels to get the power to run the cooler for free.
Maybe during the winter I will build an indirect swamp cooler and chiller unit to tackle the humid house air problem and have the swamp cooler vent under the house and through the attic. We'll see. Thanks for your science and input.
Thanks for doing this video! We have a 60x90 shop with 16' ceilings are are trying to decide if we buy the large unit (rated for 5400 sq ft) would help cool it down. We have a large garage door on 2 sides that allows good air flow through the shop. Plus we have several other fans including multiple ceiling fans keeping air flowing.
We are in Nebraska and still have some concern on humidity...
From what Iâve researched it seems like humidity is a big factor in whether these work or not. As long as you can buy one with a solid return period you should be safe. Circle back and let us know how it goes, maybe we can help someone else in the comments!
Great video guys. Just not sure why you would buy an evaporative cooler for a humid area. Doesn't work that way. I live in Arizona and places like that (except for monsoon season ) is where they excel. Any quick internet search will explain this. Thinking of getting one for inside our large home office. 110 and up all week here in Scottsdale.
They sell them all over town here in the Dallas area.. Iâve since learned the issue with humidity, but when I purchased it I assumed that since they are so often sold in this market that the manufacturer had done their due diligence (which I was wrong come to find out). Thanks for checking out the video, and for the comment I appreciate it! đȘđ»
@@TheToughGuysTV Thanks Guys, because of your professional video on this item and all of your positive feedback to all of your follower's questions, I've decided to purchase this unit and if it does not work out, I'll just return it under the allotted time of the return policy. I'm very sure though, this should work out though. 110 degrees and about 14% humidity today in Phoenix metropolitan area.
It should be rock solid for you out there!! Iâve heard so many good stories in low humidity how these things are champions! Good luck with your purchase and thanks for the kind words! đđ»
What is the typical humidity level where you are? I live in Las Vegas, humidity here is typically single digits, but sometimes up to around 15% or 20%. I was disappointed that this didn't work for you inside the garage but I'm wondering if the super low humidity in Vegas would yeild significantly better results.
For us here in Dallas, we sit between 60 and 80% on average but I know it can be higher than that. My understanding now is that the humidity is a huge factor, so you may be in good shape!!! Thank you for reaching out and for watching my video, much appreciated!! Good luck with your hunt to beat the heat!!! đȘđ»đ€đ»đ
@@TheToughGuysTV I think I may try something like this then. Humidity today is high for us at about 16%. Sometimes were as low as 1%!
You might be in really good shape!! Make sure to check the Square Foot coverage of the unit you buy, I would recommend making sure it covers a bit more than you need to be safe. Let me know how it turns out here so if other people live in your area it can potentially help them!!
Awesome info. Thanks
Evaporate cooling requires evaporation of the water somewhat rapidly. Sooo, in a closed shop, it quickly pushes the humidity up, and struggles to keep water rapidly cooling. You'll need big air exchanges to keep humidity low enough to work effectively.
Also - evaporative cooling is good for 8-12°. So, 90 to 80 is reasonable
Definitely needed better airflow in my situation for sure. Thanks for the comment!
I have the 3200? 3700 cfm? Its roughly that size. It was the medium one on the parts truck. Ne way, i love it. Ne1 who comes by, cant believe how amazing it feels. I am in central Texas. And imo, the hotter more humid it is, the better the air off the cooler feels. I have it inside a shaded shop that has to large fans on the ceiling. I basically get stuck in font of it lol.. instant relief. Its not A/C.. it blows cooler air, than the air around u.. and the cooler the water, the cooler the air coming off it is, and that is obviously relative to how hot you/it is outside around u.
Glad you have some good luck, maybe this unit was just too small for me. With the cost of this one I wouldnât want to buy a larger unit not to mention the space it takes up and the noise. Iâve been braving the heat and making due here in DFW, will find a solution at some point. Thanks for watching! đđ»
My boss bought one for us to use it in the basement of the store it didn't work that well so we used with the water and we was OK cool it's good now moments later it became extremely humid like crazy humid đ đ
They definitely pump moisture into the air that's for sure.
Ice tons of ice!!!! I have probably 50 20 oz bottles of water frozen in my deep freeze... I have an older 2000 model and I toss about a dozen or so frozen bottles they last a few hours depending on the heat of day I use it
hi my friend how much is that in usa ?
My local park has a few of the huge version of these and will put them out at the gazebos during 110 degree days along with water bottles in an ice barrel.
They work pretty well outside, in my experience that's really the only good use of them.
@@TheToughGuysTVthatâs because you donât know how to setup the airflow properly
all hot air in attic needs 8000 cfm exhaust fan to keep air inside dry as you keep blowing wet air in
Yes Iâd need an exhaust to keep it in the shop like that Iâm sure, but I didnât end up keeping it
Put it in the shop with the doors shut. If you have another basic shop fan, create a vortex with the two. The portacool removes the humidity from the air and cooling the air. Set your shop fan on the otherside of the space and you will start to feel the difference in temp.
if my garage is @400 sq ft, would this size swamp cooler be good?
Total floor area is about 900 SF total
The unit was creating too much humidity in the shop and swamp coolers how issues when there's too much humidity
Thatâs what Iâve come to know! Thanks for checking out the video!
You were supposed to turn the pump on 15 minutes or so before.
Would love to see a Jet Stream model tested
Reno NG has a couple of large ones that they use in their hangar which houses multiple aircraft. They work great. Have to prime before turning on fan. Must have ventilation. The Hangar has large fans in the overhead. Portacool has a great demo video. They also answer phones and will talk you through any problems. You must perform maintenance on the unit to prevent mildew. I am surprised you read the manual and didn't catch the prime and ventilation parts. Actually I'm stunned you read the manual at all.
Pretty excessive with the assumptions Bill, and just when I thought weâd be friends too. âđ»
did you ever check temps with out and then with the unit ?
I didn't check that, def considered it while shooting, but didn't have any real way to check effectively enough in my opinion. Great thought though - thanks for the comment!
Go Pirates! Good video. Thanks!
Hey!!! Go Pirates Indeed! đȘđ» Thanks for checking out the video!
What part of Texas? Not the Coastal Plains.
Dallas area
It's humidity level NOT ambient temperature that you need to look at. It's an evaporative cooler that thrives on low humidity and high airflow throughout the area of cooling. You need to open a window or door on the opposite side of the shop and let the cooled air go right through. If it's humid these coolers do next to nothing but to make it even more humid. Swamp coolers don't work in a swamp and that's what it creates when you put it inside.
Thanks for the comment. If they struggle specifically in humidity, then they should consider not selling them so aggressively in TX and advertising they work miracles against the Heat. I specifically met with their sales reps to discuss our situation prior to purchasing a $1,000 + unit. I tried allowing for airflow in the shop and even just having it on the patio in completely open air it didnât work hardly at all. So, if the humidity is the issue, again - why sell them in Texas? Might work great in Colorado I suppose.
@@TheToughGuysTV I used to live in Houston where the humidity is always high. I had one of their Cyclone coolers in my home garage and it dropped the temperature about 10 degrees. I know it's not 30 degrees but I didn't buy an air conditioner either. I think the main thing is making sure you don't have the water adjustment valve turned all the way up. It didn't seem to cool as much with the Water turned all the way. Houston summer weather, I'll take 10 degrees cooling in my garage. Made all the difference.
Oilfield Man I just think I get the same feeling by opening my garage door , opening my double doors (free) and using a couple $100 fans to get the air moving instead of spending $1,200 + on a product that very clearly advertised to drastically reduce temperatures. I think it depends on the person as well as individual expectations. For me itâs not worth the money but for others / you maybe it is. Thanks for adding to the discussion! đȘđ»đđ»
Because some parts of Texas isn't humid. đ€Š
@@adambischoff8581 the real man parts of Texas. Dude be living in the California people part đ
Evaporative cooling is tough to make work in those humid climates (coming from a guy in Arkansas, I can relate).
I wish it worked better for us, just need better air flow in the shop thatâs for sure. Thanks for the comment!
In Arizona this unit would work much better due to very low humidity
We do not have central AC 25 miles inland from San Francisco. I have had swamp coolers for 35 years here. We have days where the humidity is 5% or less. It works great then. But there are times when the humidity is 45% and running it in the day is a damp sweaty miserable waste of time. What I do is to run it with no water pump on, low speed, starting at midnight to bring in cool air until 6AM when the timer quits. The night air pre cools the whole house with low 60 degree air and I close it up all day until 5 or 6 in the late afternoon. When I walk outside from a 74 degree living room and 105 degree air hits me in the face at 3 in the afternoon, I think my efforts are well worth it.
The August 2020 wildfires and heavy smoke that made it impossible to run the cooler without bringing in the toxic air. I installed a 5000 btu window AC in a small downstairs bedroom (haha, The Craft Room) to sleep in. We lose power too often in heat and smoky weather, so I got an EcoFlow solar generator to run the AC even when the power is out. We were out of power for 3 days and nights. We lost power 4 times last week from 2 to 4 hours duration each. Keep on crafting!
Will it rust tools?
G Man, thatâs a great question and was a concern of mine as well. I didnât have mine long enough to find out as we did end up returning it, but I definitely had the same worry. If you are putting moisture back in the air I guess itâs possible, but itâs so humid where we are already I canât imagine it would make it much worse!! Thanks for the comment and for watching!!! đȘđ»đđ»đ
Well I just paid out the ass for a big ass fan cold front 300. I hope it works in NC...... edit it came in a damaged box and upside down. The pump keeps cutting off when I turn the flow rate down on the pump. We'll see how this all works out
Bummer you had some issues - these types of fans seem to come with 'baggage' meaning they are very specific conditions to work properly. My issue currently is that NON of the companies making them advertise it that way - it's just a catch-all "Hey our big fans will cool any space!" .. Def not true. Good luck!
How much are these? And where an we find them??
Prices vary depending on the size you buy - portacool.com/ - Thanks for checking out the video!
So your shop has more square ft than outside?
I may have been referring to the area of my deck, but obviously not the entirety of outside vs my shop...
What's it do you the electric bill
I unfortunately didn't keep this long enough to find out but I imagine if you had it running full tilt most of the day everyday you'd see some tangible increase for sure. Thanks for checking out the video!
Is it available India
Is it better than lanfest cooler which is
Available online
Dealer or manufacturing in india
Iâm not sure my apologies
Cost of unit?
www.mycoolingstore.com/portacool-classic-16-vertical-tank-3-speed-portable-evaporative-cooler.html. $1,200 when we bought it
did you even watch the video, he tells exactly how much he paid IN THE VIDEO...
Central, South and East Texas are too humid for swamp coolers
Unfortunately for me I found that out too late! Thanks for checking out the video
Works for outdoors and more so for dry heat , not really for humid heat areas!
So very true!! Found out the hard way in my case - Thanks for checking out the video!
Insulate the ceiling in there. It will make worlds of difference. Portacool makes several larger models. We use a 36" cooler in our shop. It is still a little underrated for the space but it works great. South Carolina Summers are very warm too. Whenever you get all sticky wet just go stand in front of the thing for about 10 minutes, chug some Propel and go back at it.
No doubt about the insulation!! Goal is to have that done by next summer!
What would be the effect of adding a dehumidifier to the mix? I have pondered this for some time now.
The shop needs to be insulated for the Portacool to work better.
David, I absolutely agree!! Thatâs our plan hopefully by next spring. The thing is though, the humidity really kicks these things butts - they just have a hard time working at all. Hopefully with some insulation and some new windows installed we can get good air flow and bring the temp down in the summer!! Thanks for the comment and for watching!! đȘđ»đđ»đ€đ»
You be better off taking a cooler throwing a block of ice in it and some water and attaching a pump with metal or copper tubing and swirl it around a really large fan. You would get a far better cooling effect than any of those swamp coolers. Swamp coolers have gotten really expensive considering how simple they are.
Thanks! Yes I agree with all of that - thank you for checking out the video!
How loud is it in person?
Itâs a good amount of noise to be honest, but not super annoying. Much better outside than inside for sure. Sounds like a fan blowing strong. Thanks for watching and for reaching out!
@@TheToughGuysTV Been thinking about getting the portacool cyclone 120 or 130
Dog approved! đ
Absolutely!
You should try a Breezer Mobile Cooling unit.
Thanks Barbara! Iâll look into it for sure! Thanks for watching and for the recommendation! đđ»đȘđ»
powerbreezer.com is the email for the company. This unit can be used inside with the doors closed. It's a misting fan also and has a control panel that controls the unit. Thank you. Barbara Hance
should have put ice in the reservoir
Iâve heard that helps, but I didnât have luck really with it
@@TheToughGuysTV i'm sure. this type of cooling relies on low humidity. you feel cool because the water, moisture, on your skin evaporates and the same is true for the air coming out of the front of the fan.heat is remove through the process of evaporation. the problem is in hi humidity evaporation does not take place or does not take place fast enough.
so, i guessing using the ice water absorbs the heat that passes thru the cold ice water reducing the temperature of the air a few degrees. i would guess the case of using the ice would work best if you close off the area and continue to cool the air inside that area. add a dehumidifier to the area and you essentially have an air conditioner.
i have also wondered what kind of temperature reduction you would get if you put a fan on side where the wet pad is to speed up the evaporation of the water, but of course the pad would need to be good and wet. so that fan would blow into the wet pad side. hmm? if you try it i hope you will do a video. lol i guess you need a fan blowing out of the room. the heat has to go some where if not just into the water in this case. heat raises. đ
No1 in here roasting your painted toes??? Huh..
Well, not my foot, my wife is standing there.. but I donât know, people need something to be upset about, might as well be mad about a stranger online who mightâve painted their toenails. âïž
I'm trying to figure out why dude got black toe nail polish on his feetđđđ.
Just trying to be stylish! đ Or maybe those are my wifeâs feet in the shot and not mine đ€·ââïž âŠ thanks for watching đ€đ»
What part of Texas?
Dallas Area
Tough Guys TV yeh I am Wichita Falls area and still too far east with high humidity for these to work. Go west 100 miles and it would work good. I had a big 36â portacool and sold it. I have an old school evaporative cooler that I put on casters that actually works better than the portacool did. A lot less humidity in the shop.
Yeah I wish it worked better I had high hopes. It did pretty good outside to be fair, it felt nice on the patio, but for the money it just doesnât make sense
Tough Guys TV I can stay cool outside here in Wichita Falls if I can get in the shade without a fan because we get somewhat of a breeze. Iâve got 3 big garage doors that I keep open and that big 36â Portacool didnât work for me. I sold it to a man in Lubbock to put in his horse barn. It will work fine out there because there is no humidity. But for me it was just a big overpriced fan. I placed it close to the door with plenty of air and it still didnât work. Iâve got an old swamp cooler that I put on a frame with casters and it works better than the Portacool did. Itâs only good in the afternoon after about 2 p.m. When I had the Portacool I could feel the humidity in my shop. I have a friend that will buy yours if you havenât sold it and want to sell it. He is dead set on getting one. Iâve tried to talk him out of it but he will have to learn on his own.
Thanks for the offer! Iâve already gotten rid of ours, and hopefully your friend will listen to your advice!!
I think the reason it doesnt cool indoors well is because it increases humidity if theres no air flow. this guy mentions it czcams.com/video/vKsbn8aHwCs/video.html
So itâs a portable swamp cooler. Um if you put a simple swamp cool on the roof of your garage it would cool it down.
Yes. As far as putting one in the garage like you mention, it's possible for sure that it would increase cooling but without me adding additional air flow and insulation I'm always going to be fighting a losing battle. I've learned a ton from all the comments here alone, as well as my own research after making the video - hopefully we can get this shop cooled down by next summer! Thanks for checking out the video!
$1800 for that.... yea....
It didnât end up being worth it for us, but desperate times call for desperate measures - I could see how in a situation where it brought real relief people may be able to justify it. For me though, itâs a no go. Thanks for watching
This is the kind of thing they put at sporting events at the ends of player benches to keep them cooler in extreme heat. I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be used in a shop or any enclosed area. đđ€Ą
Right, I agree. The problem is these types of units are advertised as a fix-all, and people have to learn somehow that they do or donât work. Grateful for return policies!
portacool is a piece of crap right out the box.the craftmaship is just garbage or the guy the put it together must of fell and hit his head.
I canât speak to longevity because I only kept this one briefly, but it was definitely underwhelming to use.
Assembled in USA, made in China đđ
Probably so, but I can't verify that of course. Thanks for watching!
@@TheToughGuysTV Thx for video ;)
my shop has three of these piles of texas shit and Id honestly recomemd people to buy a chinese competetor instead of this brand(portacool) they are constantly failing and requiring countless man hours to remain operating. absolute garbage dont waste any money on this brand. 100% disappointment.
Fair enough - thanks for sharing your thoughts
Okay, two issues! You, I assume are a male and you have painted toenails I have all girls too but no painted nails Man. Two, you are putting non removable sponge dongs in the water tank...seriously WTF? Get a pedicure and buff instead, and use liquid De-skunkifier for the tank Bro!
Wow. Ok well for one, not my foot.. it's my wife's foot. There is such a thing as more than one person in the background / behind the scenes. 2nd, I just followed the instructions that came with the unit so if it was incorrect that's on Portacool. All the best.