Evaporative coolers go by many different names. Some people call them “wet air coolers”, other people call them “desert coolers”, and then there are some people, who usually live in humid climates, that call them “swamp coolers”. That particular name is especially popular in Florida.
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Most people are familiar with what a traditional air conditioner does, in a vague sense. They understand that, by pressing a button, cool air comes into their home, and this air feels a lot better than the hot air that is circling their home.
As definitions go, it’s vague, but it works well enough. What most people are unaware of, though, is the fact that there are a wide variety of different methods for air conditioning.
Some of these methods are more common than others, such as vapor-compression, which most air conditioning systems use. Evaporative cooling is one air conditioning method that isn’t as popular as many of the other air conditioning methods – such as vapor-compression – but many people find that it is one of the best ways of air conditioning a smaller space.
In this buying guide, you’re going to learn all about what an evaporative cooler is, what separates it from the other air conditioning devices on the market, and why it’s such a great air conditioning device.
Then, once we’ve looked at that basic information, we’re going to dive into the top fifteen best evaporative coolers that you can use in garages, bedrooms, and RVs. These are the best of the best, in terms of evaporative coolers, and using these evaporative coolers, you aren’t going to have any issues cooling these small – and sometimes large – spaces, in a manner that is more than sufficient for creating a nice, comfortable atmosphere.
Then, you’re going to learn all about the different features and attributes that you’re going to need to look for, and consider, when you’re searching for the best evaporative cooler. You can use the criteria we’re going to outline to look at the fifteen best evaporative coolers we’ve listed so that you can find one that meets your exact specifications.
What Is an Evaporative Cooler?
So, an evaporative cooler is an air conditioning device. Unlike other air conditioning devices, an evaporative cooler cools the air by taking water that you put into the device, and then it evaporates that water and this water is then sent into whatever space the evaporative cooler is located in, and it cools that space.
Here’s the thing about evaporative coolers, while they are incredibly effective, and a great alternative to traditional air-conditioning systems, they also add a lot of humidity to the air. If you live in a climate that is already quite humid, and hot, then an evaporative cooler might not work as well. And, the reason for this is because the added humidity can sometimes create more discomfort. Not always, but sometimes. Because of this, the people that find the most success with evaporative coolers are the people that live in dry climates, where there’s a dry heat.
When you are using an evaporative cooler, the cooler pulls in the hot air that is surrounding the evaporative cooler, and then all of this air flows to a series of pads. These pads are saturated with water. When the hot air is absorbed into the pads, the hot air is cooled, and then, using a series of fans, this cool air is thrust into the room that the evaporative cooler is located in, which reduces the temperature of that space, making things a lot more comfortable.
Most air conditioning systems use a significant amount of electricity, which, for a lot of people, is one of the biggest reasons why they don’t like using them. It simply costs too much money, adding a significant figure to the electricity bill.
In contrast, evaporative coolers use significantly less electricity, because their method of cooling is a lot less energy-intensive and relies far more on simply using fans, and the power of water, to pull in air, and then to cool it. There is no intensive refrigeration system being used, and as such, evaporative coolers use much less energy. Some people have also said that this is a far more environmentally option, due to the minimal energy usage, and this is true.
Ultimately, an evaporative cooler is an air conditioning device that relies not on a complicated set of cooling mechanisms that are designed to actively remove and eliminate humidity, as well as the heat, but a simple mechanism that involves using water to absorb hot air, so that the air then becomes much cooler. It’s a lot different from other air conditioning systems, due to the method of cooling, and it uses much less electricity, so it’s a far more budget-friendly option.
Why Should I Purchase An Evaporative Cooler?
Purchasing an evaporative cooler is an excellent choice for a couple of reasons. One of the most immediate reasons is because evaporative coolers are quite inexpensive, and this means you don’t need to break the bank, to buy a good evaporative cooler.
Since you’ll save a bit of money, in comparison to buying a regular air conditioner, from that alone, it also needs to be pointed out that you’re going to save a lot of money on electricity costs, too. Evaporative coolers use significantly less electricity, in comparison to regular air conditioners, and this is another reason why you should buy an evaporative cooler.
As investments go, it does pay for itself, when you consider all of the money that you will save, by investing in a good evaporative cooler, rather than a traditional air conditioner. And, you will also save some time, too, because, when you can cool your home properly, it’s significantly easier for you to focus on performing those daily tasks. If you work from home, then it’s especially important that you are working in a nice, cool environment, during the day, because if you aren’t, it’s going to be quite challenging for you to focus and to get your work done.
Using an evaporative cooler in a garage, bedroom, or an RV is a great choice because these are small – well, most of the time – spaces that can benefit from a good evaporative cooler. Within these small spaces, an evaporative cooler can cool a significant portion of the space, and this makes the entire space so much more comfortable. But, along with that, there are no expensive installation costs, usually, and you don’t need to have a bunch of air conditioners running all the time, which adds a lot of money to your electric bill.
In the case of RVs and garages, it’s often very difficult to have an air conditioner unit installed in those spaces – unless it’s a Portable Air Conditioner, but those use a lot more electricity than the regular ones – and an evaporative cooler has many varieties that are exceptionally easy to use in those spaces.
Ultimately, an evaporative cooler is an energy-efficient device that serves as a fantastic way of cooling a wide variety of spaces. Using an evaporative cooler for a garage, bedroom, or RV is great because these are smaller spaces that can benefit from some nice cool air, but without the hefty price tag of an air conditioner.
What Are The Top 15 Best Evaporative Coolers For Garages, Bedrooms, And RVs?
In this section of the buying guide, we’re going to dive straight into the top fifteen best evaporative coolers that you can use in garages, bedrooms, and RVs!
15: NewAir Evaporative Air Cooler Review
To start our list, we’ve got the NewAir Evaporative Air Cooler. This evaporative cooler comes directly from NewAir, and it’s a very popular evaporative cooler that a lot of people use. And for a good reason, too, it’s a great little evaporative cooler that comes with a nice fan, that helps spread the cool air throughout your home, as well as a nice humidifier that adds a nice bit of extra humidity to your air, adding some comfort.
When you are using the NewAir Evaporative Air Cooler, you’re going to need to keep it within a relatively small space. And, that’s the reason why this is such a great evaporative cooler for garages, bedrooms, and RVs. The Maximum Area Coverage – or “MAC”, for short – is about 150 square feet. That’s not a lot, and that’s why it’s ideal for a smaller space, such as the aforementioned garage, bedroom, or RV.
As far as the general cooling ability goes, due to the oscillation that this evaporative cooler offers, it’s able to create a nice steady stream of cool air that cools the entirety of your space. And, the cooling ability, in general, is quite good so that you won’t have any issues cooling smaller spaces, of all sorts, with this evaporative cooler.
14: Luma Comfort Portable Evaporative Air Cooler Review
Next up, we have the Luma Comfort Portable Evaporative Air Cooler. So, one of the really cool things about the Luma Comfort Portable Evaporative Air Cooler is the fact that it’s an evaporative cooler, obviously, but it’s also a Tower Fan, which means that if the air is already cool, you can use the fan to spread that cool air around the space that the device is in. And then, along with that, there is a humidifier feature, and this allows you to humidify a small space.
In many ways, these are basic functions, but due to the low-cost of the Luma Comfort Portable Evaporative Air Cooler, it’s pretty cool that these features are available.
When you are using the Luma Comfort Portable Evaporative Air Cooler within a smaller space, it’s able to lower your temperature by up to thirty-degrees! That’s a significant temperature difference, and as a result of this, your entire experience within whatever room you put this device in will be transformed, for the better.
As for the Maximum Area Coverage, you can use this evaporative cooler in a space that is, at the most, 250 square feet. Most garages, bedrooms, and RVs fit that specification, and since that MAC is quite large, you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to where you put it.
13: DUOLANG Outdoor/Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler Review
With the DUOLANG Outdoor/Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, you have an evaporative cooler that emphasizes mobility and flexibility, above all else. Of course, the performance is quite good, too.
Due to the relatively small size, and the mobility that this evaporative cooler offers, you aren’t going to have any issues using this device in all kinds of different spaces, of varying size. The Maximum Area Coverage is 322 square feet. That’s one of the biggest reasons why this is such a great evaporative cooler for garages, bedrooms, and RVs.
In terms of functionality, the DUOLANG Outdoor/Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler offers a couple of great features. You can use this device as an Air Purifier, an air conditioner, a humidifier, as well as a fan. Those are some great features that allow your air to remain not only nice and cool but also very clean and healthy.
When you are using an evaporative cooler, you need to fill up a water tank, so that the device has water that it can evaporate and turn into cool air. The water tank for this evaporative cooler is 7.9 gallons, and this provides around nine-hours of cool air, without you having to refill the water tank. You then have three different speed settings, with regards to how the water is evaporated, and how it cools your home.
If you’re willing to spend some extra money for an evaporative cooler that comes with all of the features you could ever want, this is easily one of the best options out there.
12: Honeywell Quiet Low Energy, Compact Portable Evaporative Cooler Review
Here, we have the Honeywell Quiet Low Energy, Compact Portable Evaporative Cooler. This is a very inexpensive and affordable evaporative cooler that has been specifically designed for smaller spaces. It’s not designed for big and wide spaces, and that’s why it’s perfect for cooling spaces like garages, RVs, and bedrooms. As for the Maximum Area Coverage, it’s 100 square-feet, which is perfect for a nice, small space.
Unlike many of the other evaporative coolers on the market, the Honeywell Quiet Low Energy, Compact Portable Evaporative Cooler makes very little noise, and you can have it on for hours, and it won’t disturb you.
In terms of the cooling ability, this isn’t the most powerful evaporative cooler, but it is very good at thoroughly and effectively cooling smaller and more compact spaces. But, it won’t be able to reduce the heat that greatly.
Weighing just twelve-pounds, and with a nice, simple design, the Honeywell Quiet Low Energy, Compact Portable Evaporative Cooler is an easy device to move around. You can move it from space to space, by either picking it up, or pushing it, since there are caster wheels on the bottom.
If you want an evaporative cooler that is inexpensive, and quite efficient, when you consider the low price, then this is a really good choice.
11: COSTWAY Evaporative Air Cooler Review
The COSTWAY Evaporative Air Cooler gives you three different speeds to choose from. Each one of these speeds gives you control over how fast the water is being evaporated, and how fast the cool air is circulating throughout your home. If you want things to be nice and cold, you can select the highest evaporation speed. If you want things to be cooler, but not too cool, you can select the lowest speed, or the medium speed. What’s nice about this is that the COSTWAY Evaporative Air Cooler doesn’t use that much electricity, so you don’t need to worry about receiving a large electricity bill in the mail.
Within this evaporative cooler, there is a fan. This fan has no blades, and it’s a very useful fan that makes almost no noise, but serves as a fantastic way of cooling a smaller space – such as a garage, or a bedroom, to name two examples – if you don’t want to use the evaporative cooling. A humidifier is also used, to add to the humidity within your home, and to make the experience a bit more comfortable for you.
In terms of the cooling ability, this is one of the most effective evaporative coolers around, and it does a great job at evaporating the water and then spreading that cool air around, using the fan. You can leave this evaporative cooler running for a while, too, since the water tank is six-liters.
10: SPT SF-612R Evaporative Air Cooler Review
Most people have probably never heard of SPT, so they are unaware of the different evaporative coolers that SPT has put out, and how good they are. One of the best evaporative coolers on the market is the SPT SF-612R Evaporative Air Cooler.
Weighing just seventeen-pounds, and with a nice and sleek design, as well as wheels on the bottom, it’s easy to move the SPT SF-612R Evaporative Air Cooler around, and it fits in a variety of different spaces. Especially those smaller spaces ,such as garages, bedrooms, and RVs.
When you are using this evaporative cooler, there are little louvers that spray the cool air, that is coming from the water, and this water oscillates back and forth, allowing the entirety of the space to be cooled nicely and efficiently.
As for the cooling pad that is used to hold the air, it’s shaped like a honeycomb, and this honeycomb-shaped cooling pad is great at allowing more cool air to evaporate at a single time.
Other than that, this is a pretty basic evaporative cooler that doesn’t cost much. For something small, lightweight, easy-to-use, and effective, the SPT SF-612R Evaporative Air Cooler is a great choice.
09: Honeywell 500 CFM Indoor Outdoor Portable Evaporative Cooler Review
Here, we have another Honeywell evaporative cooler. This is the Honeywell 500 CFM Indoor Outdoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, and it has been designed to be used indoors, as well as outdoors, while also providing a significant amount of cooling power.
When it comes to using this evaporative cooler indoors and outdoors, the design is quite durable, so there are no problems when it comes to being able to accommodate the unique needs of each type of space. Weather resistance is present, and this means that you can use this evaporative cooler outdoors, without needing to worry about things like rain damaging the cooler.
In terms of the size of space that the Honeywell 500 CFM Indoor Outdoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, it works best when cooling smaller spaces. Medium-sized spaces can be cooled, as well, and those spaces are quite easy to cool, using this evaporative cooler. But, anything larger than a medium-sized space will be a bit more difficult to properly cool.
Here’s the thing about the Honeywell 500 CFM Indoor Outdoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, it’s powerful.
Really powerful.
With a CFM – Cubic Feet Per Minute, which refers to the speed of cooling – of 500, it can cool most spaces very quickly, and it cools them well. If your garage or bedroom or RV is hot, this evaporative cooler will make it significantly cooler.
08: Frigidaire Portable Evaporative Air Cooler EC200WF Review
From Frigidaire, we have the Frigidaire Portable Evaporative Air Cooler EC200WF. This isn’t a particularly large evaporative air cooler, weighing only nineteen-pounds, and having a very slim and compact design. However, this makes it perfect for spaces such as garages, bedrooms, and RVs. You’re not going to have any difficulties using it within those spaces.
You have the evaporative air cooler, and then a fan. This fan is great on its own, but when you turn it on, and then turn on the evaporative air cooler, the experience is much better. Using the evaporative air cooler, combined with the fan, the air can flow throughout the space that you’ve put the Frigidaire Portable Evaporative Air Cooler in. To aid in the flow of cool air, there is wide angle oscillation, which ensures that every space within the room you’ve placed the evaporative cooler in can be cooled properly. And, since this is a portable evaporative air cooler, it’s easy for you to move it to different spaces, when you need to.
In the middle of the device, there is a space that holds the water tank. This water tank holds a total of 1.8 gallons of water. That isn’t a lot, and you’re going to have to refill it on a fairly regular basis, depending on how often you use this evaporative cooler. But, when it comes to settings, you have four different fan speeds, and then you have three different cooling modes that you can choose from, and some of these modes will make the water in the tank last for a much longer period.
07: FRIGIDAIRE Portable Evaporative Air Fan Cooler EC300W Review
Next on the list, we have the FRIGIDAIRE Portable Evaporative Air Fan Cooler EC300W, which is a continuation of some of the trends that the Frigidaire Portable Evaporative Air Cooler EC200WF started.
When it comes to size, this is a larger evaporative cooler. It’s heavier, too, so it’s not as easy for you to move it from space to space. But, with that being said, it is a very efficient and easy-to-use evaporative cooler, and it’s perfect for smaller spaces, and some larger spaces.
Much of this comes down to the 600 CFM power that you have access to. This is a lot of power, and you can use it to cool a variety of different spaces quickly. Four fans are used to aid in the cooling process, ensuring that the space is cooled quickly, and efficiently. And, when it comes to the Maximum Area Coverage, you can easily cool a space that is up to 640 square feet, which is a lot of space, especially for a relatively inexpensive evaporative cooler, such as this one.
The water tank can hold five gallons of water. This means you don’t need to refill it that often, even if you are using this device a lot, so the FRIGIDAIRE Portable Evaporative Air Fan Cooler EC300W is very convenient.
06: Honeywell 470 CFM Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler Review
We have yet another Honeywell evaporative cooler. This time, it’s the Honeywell 470 CFM Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, a fairly small evaporative cooler that is designed to give you the freedom to cool all kinds of different spaces, as long as they aren’t too big.
See, that’s Honeywell’s goal, with this one. You can move this evaporative cooler around with great ease, and it works incredibly well in small and medium-sized spaces. With the 470 CFM, it has no problem cooling those spaces quickly, as well. For larger spaces, things will be a bit trickier, though.
Other than that, though, when it comes to cooling, this is a pretty basic Honeywell evaporative cooler that works very well, and has a good price. It’s not the best evaporative cooler on the market, but it is pretty good.
However, one of the features that does make it better is that it uses an activated carbon air filter, and this air filter can remove all of the nasty odors that are in your garage/bedroom/RV. Most evaporative coolers don’t have this, but the Honeywell 470 CFM Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler does, and it adds another level of functionality to the entire equation, giving you the tools to cool the air in your home, and to ensure that your air is nice and clean.
05: DeLonghi America Portable Evaporative Cooler Review
From DeLonghi – a fairly underrated brand, if there ever was one – we have the DeLonghi America Portable Evaporative Cooler.
DeLonghi gives you a few products, all in one, with this evaporative cooler. And, one of the first products is that of an air purifier – the air purification is done using ionizer technology. Using the DeLonghi America Portable Evaporative Cooler, you can humidify the air in whatever space you’ve placed this evaporative cooler, and then that air is cleaned and purified, and then circulated. And then, of course, there is the evaporative cooling process, which involves the use of a 4.5-gallon water tank, and a fan that aids in circulating the cool air throughout your space.
With a CFM of 206, this isn’t the most powerful evaporative cooler, but it’s still quite powerful, and the design is very nice.
To access the different features that DeLonghi has included, you can either use a small remote control, or a little command console that’s on the top of the evaporative cooler. From this, you can access three different fan speeds, and three different wind modes.
04: Honeywell Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler Review
Here, we have the Honeywell Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler. This is a pretty small evaporative cooler, and it weighs about 18.5 pounds. So, it’s a little heavy, but moving it around isn’t a problem, and the design is very sleek and clear. Using this evaporative cooler is very easy, and that’s something that Honeywell always seems to excel at.
If you have a small bedroom, or an RV, then this is a great evaporative cooler. And, the reason for this is because the Maximum Area Coverage is 175 square feet. So, it’s a nice square-foot measurement that is aligned with what most bedrooms and RVs are. And, due to the compact nature of this evaporative cooler, you can move it from room to room, without any difficulties. Setting it up is easy, too, and most people choose to set this evaporative cooler on things like desks, tables, counters, and other elevated platforms.
When it comes to the cooling abilities of the Honeywell Indoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, it works well, when you take into consideration that it’s being used in smaller spaces. See, it produces a decent amount of cool air, but only within the confines of a smaller space. It’ll cool that space, but a space that’s any larger than 175 square-feet won’t be cooled down anywhere near as much.
03: COSTWAY Air Cooler, Portable Evaporative Air Cooler Review
COSTWAY isn’t the most popular manufacturer of evaporative coolers, but they’re a pretty good manufacturer, and the evaporative coolers that they manufacture are very inexpensive. The COSTWAY Air Cooler, Portable Evaporative Air Cooler just so happens to be one example of that.
For a very good price, you have access to an evaporative air cooler that gives you a six-liter water tank, a well-designed and easy-to-use evaporative air cooler unit, and air cooling that is more than sufficient for small spaces, and medium-sized spaces.
When you are cooling your garage, bedroom, or RV, you have access to three different speed settings. You can choose how fast you want the air to evaporate, which affects how cold that space becomes. It also affects how fast you run out of water, but thanks to the six-liter water tank, it’s unlikely that you’ll run out of water that quickly.
Ultimately, though, it’s the low-cost of this evaporative air cooler that makes it so great, as well as the fact that it’s well-made and easy-to-use.
02: Hessaire MC37M Portable Evaporative Air Cooler Review
For something that is exceptionally powerful, you have the Hessaire MC37M Portable Evaporative Air Cooler. This is a heavier evaporative cooler, weighing nearly forty-pounds, and it isn’t the easiest to move around, either. But, here’s the thing, if you have a big garage, bedroom, or RV, then this is the perfect evaporative cooler because it has been designed to give you a great deal of cooling power, and to cool a much larger space.
The Maximum Area Coverage is 750 square feet. That’s quite a bit of space, and the Hessaire MC37M Portable Evaporative Air Cooler is very good at cooling spaces that are as large as that. And, in terms of the CFM, you have 2200 CFM, for cooling.
As for the water tank, it can hold up to 10.3 gallons of water. Quite a bit of water, which is very nice, and ensures that you aren’t going to need to be refilling the water reservoir over and over again.
01: Honeywell Powerful Outdoor Portable Evaporative Cooler Review
Finally, last, but certainly not least, is the Honeywell Powerful Outdoor Portable Evaporative Cooler. This is an evaporative cooler that is meant to be used in outdoor spaces, including garages. You can use it in indoor spaces, but it isn’t recommended that you do so.
Weighing 41.5 pounds, this is a heavier evaporative cooler. And, it can be a little tricky to move it from space to space. But, at the same time, it’s designed to cool large spaces, so you won’t need to move it from space to space that often.
When using the Honeywell Powerful Outdoor Portable Evaporative Cooler, you’ll be filling up a water tank that holds 15.9 gallons of water. With this much water, you can run this evaporative cooler for a long time, and you still won’t need to refill it.
Through the use of honeycomb pads that are located around the evaporative cooler, cool air flows throughout your space, coming from multiple sides of the evaporative cooler. This allows for much more of the space to be covered with cool air, and this takes place much quicker.
Keep in mind, though, that this is a very expensive evaporative cooler, and if you don’t need an evaporative cooler with this level of functionality, then it may not be the best one for you.
What Do You Need To Look For, And Consider?
In this section of the buying guide, we’re going to look at the four main factors that you need to consider when searching for the best evaporative cooler.
How Mobile Is The Evaporative Cooler?
So, this particular aspect is a bit multifaceted, and, for some people, mobility isn’t that important.
If you want an evaporative cooler that gives you the ability to move it around, from space to space, with ease, then mobility is a very important and noteworthy aspect, though, and you should read this section carefully.
When you buy an evaporative cooler, make sure it has wheels. Wheels make it significantly easier for you to move the evaporative cooler around. If you are concerned with mobility, caster wheels are ideal.
As for the handle, it’s always good to make sure that your evaporative cooler has some kind of handle, because this handle makes it a lot easier to move the evaporative cooler around. Finally, with the power cord, it should be at least fifteen feet long, so you have a decent amount of reach.
Other factors exist, such as the size and weight, but good wheels, a handle, and a long power cord minimize the importance of those other factors.
What Is The Maximum Area Coverage Of The Evaporative Cooler?
Maximum Area Coverage is important, because if you buy an evaporative cooler that doesn’t allow you to cool the space you want to cool, due to the size of that space exceeding the MAC of the evaporative cooler, then you’re going to have some problems.
Make sure you find an evaporative cooler that can cool the spaces you want to cool. Measuring the spaces you want to cool can be very useful, and gives you a better idea of the MAC that you need.
What Is The CFM Of The Evaporative Cooler?
So, when it comes to CFM, this is a good metric for understanding the power that the evaporative cooler offers, but this power is also relative to the space that the evaporative cooler is designed for. For example, an evaporative cooler designed for a small space will have a smaller CFM, but that CFM will be ideal for that smaller space.
If you’re purchasing a CFM for a small space, then make sure it’s, at the very least, four-hundred. If it’s for a medium-sized space, one-thousand is a good CFM to shoot for, but more is better. And, if you’re going for a larger space, two-thousand is ideal, but, if you can, find an evaporative cooler with a higher CFM, so that way the cooling is a bit faster, and you have some more flexibility, as well, when it comes to the intensity of the cooling.
What Other Features Does The Evaporative Cooler Offer?
Finally, the last thing to consider has to do with the other features that the evaporative cooler offers. Most evaporative coolers offer some type of humidifier feature, as well as fans. These are very important features, and it’s best to have them.
If you can – although, it’ll cost some extra money – purchase an evaporative cooler with some type of air purification system. It works wonders, and ensures that the air that’s being sent out is free of contaminants like odors, nasty allergens and germs.
Conclusion
Traditional air conditioners are great, but evaporative coolers bring all of the benefits of an air conditioner, without all of the extra costs and expenses.
Using this buying guide, you can find the perfect evaporative cooler for yourself, the one that lets you cool your garage, your bedroom, and your RV, with ease!
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