Evaporative and swamp cooler repair
Warm air from the cooler, a pump that has stopped, dry pads or water where it should not be. We repair swamp coolers and get them ready for the season.
In a dry inland valley a swamp cooler can keep a house comfortable, as long as its pads, pump and water are working.
An evaporative cooler, often called a swamp cooler, is a box with wet pads on its sides and a large fan inside. A small pump keeps the pads soaked. The fan pulls outside air through the pads, the water evaporates, and the air comes out cooler. There is no refrigerant and no compressor, so it runs on much less power than an air conditioner.
Evaporation cools best when the air is dry. In the San Fernando Valley, Sylmar, Santa Clarita and Simi Valley, the summer heat is usually dry, and a well-kept cooler can bring a house down to comfortable. Near the coast, and on muggy days, the air already holds moisture and the cooler cannot do as much. That is why swamp coolers are most common in the inland valleys.
We repair roof-mounted coolers that feed the house through a duct, and side-draft and window units, in homes across Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, from Woodland Hills, Van Nuys and Sylmar to Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Burbank and Pasadena. If you are weighing the cooler against other options, see all our heating and cooling services.
The most common swamp cooler problems
A swamp cooler is a simple machine. When it stops cooling, the cause is usually one of these parts.
No cold air
Dry pads, a pump that has stopped, blocked water lines or worn-out pads. A humid day can also make a healthy cooler feel weak.
Worn or scaled pads
Hard water leaves mineral scale on the pads. Scaled pads stop soaking evenly, cool less and can start to smell.
A pump that will not run
The pump lifts water to the top of the pads. If it hums or does nothing, the pads dry out and the cooler blows warm air.
A stuck float valve
The float controls the water level in the pan. Stuck open, it overflows. Stuck closed, the pan runs dry and so does the pump.
Belt and motor
A squeal, a slipping belt, worn bearings or a motor that hums without turning. The fan moves all the air, so these matter.
Leaks and rust
A rusted pan, a cracked water line or an overflowing float can send water across the roof or down a wall.
Seasonal start-up and shut-down
A cooler that is started and shut down properly each year lasts longer and works better. This is what we do.
Spring start-up
We take off the winter cover, open the duct, clean the pan and fit new pads if the old ones are worn or scaled.
Check the water side
We turn on the water, set the float to the right level, and check the pump and the lines that feed the pads, so the pads soak evenly all over.
Check the air side
We check the belt for wear and tension, the motor and its bearings, and the fan, then run the cooler and check the air coming into the house.
Fall shut-down
We shut off and drain the water line and the pan, clean out the pan, and cover the cooler. We close the duct so the heat from your furnace does not escape through the cooler all winter.
How long a cooler lasts
A well-kept evaporative cooler commonly lasts somewhere around ten to fifteen years. The pads, the pump and the belt wear out long before that and are replaced along the way. Rust in the pan and the cabinet is usually what finally ends a cooler's life, and regular draining and cleaning slow it down.
Repair the cooler, or move to air conditioning
Repair makes sense when the cabinet and pan are sound and the fault is a part: pads, a pump, a float, a belt or a motor. Those are ordinary repairs.
It may be time to look at something else when:
- The pan or cabinet has rusted through. A new pan on an old cabinet rarely lasts.
- You want cooling on humid days too. A swamp cooler cannot dry the air, and an air conditioner can.
- You want the windows closed. A cooler needs open windows to push air through the house. An air conditioner does not.
- You also need better heat. A heat pump cools in summer and heats in winter from one system.
If moving on is the better answer, our AC installation and replacement page explains what a new system involves in Los Angeles. If the cooler has years left, we repair it.
Why call Air Cove HVAC
We work on swamp coolers and on air conditioners, so we can tell you which one suits your house and your budget. We are licensed and insured. If the rest of your system needs attention too, AC tune-ups and HVAC maintenance cover the furnace, the ducts and any air conditioner you run alongside the cooler.
Swamp cooler questions
What are the most common problems with swamp coolers?
Worn or scaled pads, a failed pump, a stuck float valve, a worn belt or motor, and leaks from a rusted pan. Each one is a part we can replace. Hard water speeds up the scale on the pads and the rust in the pan.
Why is my evaporative cooler not blowing cold air?
Start with the water. Check that the supply is on and the pan has water in it. Look at the pads while it runs. If they are dry in patches, the pump or the water lines are the likely cause. Old, scaled pads cool less even when wet. The house also needs a window or two open, so the cool air has somewhere to go. On a humid day, any swamp cooler cools less.
How do I service my swamp cooler?
Twice a year. In spring, clean the pan, fit new pads if they are worn, turn on the water, set the float and check the pump and belt. In fall, drain the pan and the water line, clean the pan, close the duct and cover the cooler. We do both visits if you would rather not climb on the roof.
What is the average lifespan of an evaporative cooler?
Commonly somewhere around ten to fifteen years for a cooler that is drained, cleaned and started up properly each year. Pads, pumps and belts are replaced along the way. Rust in the pan usually decides when the cooler itself is done.
How long does a cooler repair take?
A pad change or a pump swap is usually a short visit. A motor or a leaking pan takes longer. We tell you the time when we tell you the price.
Cooler blowing warm or leaking? Tell us what it is doing and we will get it cooling again.
Get the cool air flowing again
Call us, or send the form and we will call you back. We repair swamp coolers across Los Angeles, seven days a week.