The day an evaporative cooler nearly flooded my garage

I was helping my neighbor Frank swap out his old swamp cooler last summer in Mesa. He kept insisting on using that cheap foam padding for the water distribution instead of the proper media pads. Three weeks later he called me because water was pouring down his interior wall. Does anyone actually check the incline on their cooler pad frame before sealing it up?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_brian11d ago

Used to think any pad would do the trick, but watching Frank's wall bubble up changed my mind real quick. That slope is everything, cheap foam just soaks and sags, you gotta get the incline right or you're asking for trouble.

pat_murray5311d ago

Changed my tune too after seeing a buddy's garage floor crack, @the_brian's right about that slope.

-2

wells.christopher10d ago

My neighbor just finished redoing his whole driveway, spent a small fortune on it. He ignored the pitch and now water pools right where he parks his truck. The concrete's already starting to pit and discolor. @the_brian knows what he's talking about with that slope, it's the difference between a pad that lasts and one that looks like a mess in two years. I drove over one of those foam panels once and you could feel it give under your feet, worthless stuff.

henryt1810d ago

Frank's foam pad trick sounds like something my buddy tried on his cooler last July. Took a two-hour nap in the garage and woke up to his toolbox floating in an inch of water.