When you live in a desert climate like Nevada’s, keeping your home cool can be an uphill battle. Fortunately, in the quest to make your home as comfortable as possible, you have a lot of tools at your disposal, including air conditioners and swamp coolers.
While both of these systems can help you control the temperature in your home, they function very differently—leading some Reno homeowners to wonder if they can use both at the same time. Find out whether you can use a swamp cooler and an air conditioner together, and learn how each of these cooling methods works.
How Swamp Coolers Work
Swamp coolers, also known as evaporative coolers, are a type of open cooling system that works best in low-humidity, high-heat environments. These systems pull warm, dry air into the unit, pass it over a water-saturated pad to cool it through evaporation, and then circulate the cooled air into your home.
Swamp coolers can significantly reduce indoor temperatures and are often more affordable to operate than central air conditioning. However, their effectiveness drops sharply on humid days or when temperatures exceed the 100s.
How to Use a Swamp Cooler
Start by choosing the right type of unit—window-mounted for individual rooms or whole-home systems that can be installed on the roof or ground. Roof-mounted units are more efficient but harder to install, while ground-mounted units are easier to manage and more popular.
Look for a unit that delivers up to 40 air changes per hour (with 30 being average) and at least 1,000 CFM (cubic feet per minute) per ton of air conditioning capacity. Choose a model with a quality air filter to reduce allergens and airborne particles.
To maximize performance, ensure the dew point is under 55°F. Open windows in the rooms you want to cool—approximately 2 square feet of open window space per 1,000 CFM—and close windows in rooms you don’t need cooled. Adjust fan speeds for comfort and efficiency: higher speeds for faster cooling, lower speeds for energy savings.
Basics of Air Conditioners
Most homeowners choose traditional air conditioners to cool their homes. These systems work by pulling warm air into the unit, extracting the heat and humidity, and returning cool, dry air back through the ducts. The excess heat and moisture are then expelled outside.
Air conditioners are highly effective for cooling entire homes and perform reliably regardless of outdoor humidity or temperature. When properly installed and connected to your ductwork, central A/C systems can provide consistent and powerful cooling throughout your home.
Can You Use Swamp Coolers and A/C Together?
Now that you understand how each system works, the next logical question is: can you use a swamp cooler and an air conditioner together? Unfortunately, the answer is no—not effectively. These two systems use opposite cooling principles. While a swamp cooler adds moisture to the air, an air conditioner removes it. When used simultaneously, they often cancel each other out.
To cool your home effectively, you should choose to only use one of these devices at a time—not both at the same time.
Help Installing an Air Conditioner
Since using both systems together is not recommended, your best option for consistent, energy-efficient cooling may be installing or upgrading to a high-performance air conditioner. A high-efficiency unit can help keep your home comfortable while reducing your energy costs.
At LEGACY, we specialize in residential cooling solutions and can help you choose and install the perfect A/C system for your needs. Contact us right away to schedule an appointment and get started.
