Evaporative air coolers

Air conditioners without an exhaust air hose are a cost-effective alternative to air conditioning. Air coolers do not require an exhaust air hose and can be used flexibly.

In this article, we take a look at the Advantages and disadvantages the air cooler on. I will then explain the Functionality and highlight the most important purchase criteria and differences to other appliance classes.

Finally, I'll introduce you to some air coolers that are recommended in my opinion:

If you want to jump straight to my assessment of the products mentioned above, simply click on the product name in the list.

Let's take a quick look at what exactly makes up an air cooler:

What is an air cooler?

An air cooler is an appliance that can be used to reduce the temperature of the air in a room. The purpose of the appliance is the same as that of an air conditioner.

However, there are a few key differences between an air conditioning system and an air cooler. We will look at these in a later section of the article.

The shape of an air cooler is not very reminiscent of a fan. The devices usually have a box shape. This is because they have to carry a water tank in the housing. The larger contact surface of a box shape ensures greater stability.

The ventilation slots for sucking in and blowing out air are usually located at the front and rear.

How an air cooler works

With many air coolers, cooling can be switched on as required. This means that the air cooler can be used as a simple fan. As soon as the temperatures require it, you can then switch on the cooling function. This cooling function works with the water in the tank.

The evaporation of the water lowers the temperature of the air.

The appliance utilises what is known as evaporative cooling. The principle can be explained using a simple example:

Suppose you have a pot of water and want to make it evaporate. Then you could place the pot on a hob and switch it on. This is because the water has to be heated in order to evaporate. Put simply, the water has to absorb heat in order to evaporate.

The air cooler utilises the thermal energy in the air to evaporate the water. This makes the air colder and Thermal energy is now in the water vapour saved.

To the point sthe appliance draws in warm air and blows out colder, but more humid air.

Advantages and disadvantages of the air cooler

The air cooler is cheaper and more flexible than the classic air conditioning system. However, as always, there are not only advantages:

In terms of price, air coolers are generally (far) below air conditioning systems. Installation and commissioning are also simpler. No exhaust air hose needs to be laid and ventilation shafts are also not required.

An air cooler can be used like a Tower fan can be easily transported from one room to another. However, a full water tank can make transport a little more difficult. However, many models are equipped with castors on the underside, allowing them to roll easily on smooth floors.

The disadvantage is that cooling is achieved by the evaporation of water. This increases the humidity in the room. On the other hand, with the appropriate Ventilation techniques be tackled.

Refilling the water tank is a rather small but present disadvantage.

Purchase criteria

Here are what I consider to be the most important purchase criteria that you should consider before and when buying an air cooler:

• Performance
• Size
• Energy consumption
• Volume
• Extras
• Water tank capacity
• Price

Let's take a closer look at the individual criteria in brief:

Performance

Comparing the performance of air coolers is not always easy. For example, the power consumption in watts can be used for comparison. Or the number of square metres for which the appliance is suitable according to the manufacturer.

I find that the best way to compare appliances is by looking at the air circulation rate. This is the amount of air (usually specified in cubic metres) that the appliance can move in a certain period of time (usually one hour).

Size of the device

The dimensions of the housing determine where the appliance can be used. Models for private households are often smaller and have less power. However, they also cost less than the larger and more powerful versions for commercial premises. In an open-plan office, it is not uncommon for several of these devices to be used to cool the air and the employees.

Regardless of the dimensions of your air cooler, make sure that the housing is stable. It is good if the water tank is positioned close to the floor. This also increases stability, as the centre of gravity is closer to the floor.

You're probably thinking that you don't intend to bump into or knock over the appliance every day. But children and pets may be less considerate. That's why I always recommend the greatest possible stability.

Energy consumption

Keeping an eye on energy consumption is never a bad idea. As an air cooler can run for several hours a day in summer, it's worth doing the maths.

Assuming a 70 watt appliance is operated for six hours a day. At a price of 30 cents per kilowatt hour, this results in the following costs:

You can change the values of the input fields and adapt them to your desired device and the expected use.

Volume

The volume is an important factor when appliances are running continuously. An air cooler should make the atmosphere in the room more pleasant and not disturb it with too loud a humming or hissing noise.

In a private household, I would use appliances that can run at a noise level of less than 60 dB. They can also get louder on higher settings. The important thing is that you have the option of setting them to a low, quiet level.

In the workplace - for example in the office - there is usually a certain amount of background noise anyway. In my opinion, models up to 70 dB are a good choice.

Extras

Additional functions are always nice to have. For air coolers, for example, built-in timers are a good option.

Timer

Assuming you already know that today will be a hot day, you can set the operating time of the cooler to 6 hours at 11 am. The appliance will then work for you until 7 p.m. and the hottest phase of the day will be largely covered.

Optional cooling function

In addition to a timer, the option to switch on the cooling function separately is very practical. This means that the air cooler can also be operated as a normal fan. You can only switch on the cooling function when it is really needed. In this way, you have a combined appliance that is an air cooler and a pure fan in one. The cooling function consumes more energy. Switching on the cooling function separately gives you more control over energy consumption.

Air filter

With a high air turnover per hour, an in-built air filter becomes interesting. With the built-in filter, the appliance can filter dust and other substances from the room air and clean it. HEPA filters are recommended. You can find out more about air purification in this article:

Recommended air coolers without exhaust air hose

Here is a list of air coolers that are recommended in my opinion. If you have any questions about the list, are missing products or think that one is wrongly listed, please write to me: maxmarx1991@gmail.com

The Skyscraper Horizon from Klarstein provides the most harmonious overall picture in my opinion. It has a Timera Remote control and an integrated Dust filter.

The Water tank holds 3.5 litres and with a Air flow rate of 486m³/h it has absolutely nothing to hide. With a comparatively economical consumption of 60 watts, this performance is quite remarkable.

The appliance's timer can be set for up to 8 hours, which should cover the hot phase of the day. The timer can be set in increments of one hour.

The automatic Horizontal oscillation covers an angle of 45° off. In addition, the Vertical direction of the air flow manually 60° adjust. So even if the air cooler is on the ground, it can still reach higher targets with its air flow.

The LED display on the front shows the current room air temperature. The control panel with all the buttons is located above it. These can be used to set the intensity (LOW/MED/HIGH), for example.

It can also be used to operate the timer and Sleep mode or the Natural mode can be activated. In sleep mode, the air cooler switches to the next lowest intensity level over time. After it has been running at the lowest level for a while, it switches off.

The natural mode varies the intensity automatically. This creates the impression of a natural breeze.

You can use the other buttons to switch oscillation and cooling on or off.

Here is an overview of the buttons and their function:

Button	Function
ON/OFF	Switching on and off
SPEED	Intensity level
OSC	Oscillation
MODE	Switch between normal, natural and sleep mode
TIMER	Set timer
COOL	Switch cooling on or off

An interesting setting option is the Dry function. You can activate it by pressing the timer button for three seconds. The dry function switches off the cooling and therefore the water pump while the fan is running at maximum speed. The air cooler then switches off automatically after 20 minutes.

There are three castors under the appliance to make it easier to move. With a weight of 7kg, carrying it back and forth would certainly be tedious over time. And although the model has castors for moving it, the cable is unfortunately only 160cm long. But that's the biggest criticism I can think of regarding the Skyscraper Horizon.

The model from oneConcept comes with a 8-litre water tankhas an integrated Timer and a Dust filter.

In my opinion, this model fulfils the most important requirements for an air cooler. With a consumption of 65 watts it achieves a proper Air flow rate of 360m³ per hour.

The control panel with all the buttons and controls is located on the top. The device can be switched on and off via this. You can choose between Three intensity levels (low/medium/high). This model does not have a remote control.

You can set the timer for up to two hours using the wheel. The two other buttons labelled Vane and Cool are responsible for switching the Swivelling movement (Vane) and cooling (Cool). The functions of the control panel are summarised here:

Control element	Function
OFF	Switch off
HIGH	High intensity
MED	Medium intensity
LOW	Low intensity
VANE	Oscillation (swivelling of the air flow)
Cogs	Timer (up to two hours)
COOL	Cooling

Under the device are Four manoeuvrable castorswith which you can easily move the air cooler around the room. Pull handles are recessed into the side of the housing so that it can be carried. With a Empty weight of 6.7kg this should still be relatively easy. However, a completely filled water tank weighs another 8kg.

My biggest criticism of this model is the relatively short Cable from 1.5m Length. For a Pedestal or tower fan this is certainly sufficient, but this appliance has castors for manoeuvring.

In my opinion, the cable could be a good bit longer. However, this is not the case with many other devices of this type. In my opinion, an extension cable would be a good idea - simply to increase flexibility.

No products found.

Here we have a much more compact appliance. It will hardly suffice as an air cooler for an entire room. But it is suitable for flexible use in one of these places, for example:

• Desk
• Kitchen table
• Workbench or kitchen worktop for cooling down while working
• during sporting exercises (yoga, aerobics, etc.)
• in the garden or on the balcony

The tank of this model holds 400ml water which is far less than the other two models in this ranking. For the Flexible and short-term deployment the filling quantity should be sufficient. This also means that the air cooler is not so heavy to carry. For transport, there is a fold-out Carrying handle.

The appliance can be controlled using the control panel on the top. In addition to switching it on and off, you can use it to control the cooling function, switch the Timer and the Mood light switch between colours. The base of the device can light up in one of 7 colours.

Here is an overview of the controls and their functions:

Button	Function
POWER	Switch on & off
TIMER	Timer (2 or 4 hours)
COOLING	Switch cooling on or off
LAMP	Change the colour of the mood light

In terms of price, the air cooler is well below the first two places in this ranking. Although its performance is lower, its flexibility makes up for this to a large extent in my opinion.

If you are looking for an inexpensive air cooler for occasional use, then this is a good choice in my eyes.

Alternatives: Split air conditioning unit & compact air conditioning unit

This article has now dealt specifically and in detail with air coolers without a hose. This refers to the exhaust air hose that other air conditioners use to transport the warm air outside (or at least to another room).

For the sake of completeness, let's take a look at the alternatives so that this page gives you as comprehensive an insight as possible into your options for cooling indoor air.

Monobloc air conditioners

The monobloc air conditioner does not work with water, but with a refrigerant. This agent is used to extract the heat energy from the room air and channel it out of the room via an exhaust air hose.

A monobloc air conditioning unit requires a hose and must be positioned so that this hose is laid out of a window, for example. Such an appliance is still one of the more flexible air conditioning units and can be set up or converted in a few simple steps become.

It should be noted that compared to the air cooler Slightly higher volume.

Compact air conditioning unit & window air conditioner

Compact air conditioning units, which also include window air conditioners, are mounted on windows or external walls. Unlike monobloc units, they do not require a hose to dissipate the heat.

The window air conditioning units and compact air conditioning units are Fixed to the wall or window and conduct the heat energy absorbed from the room directly to the outside.

The Assembly is more complex and the appliance can then no longer be carried flexibly from room to room, as it is permanently installed.

On the other hand, it insulates better than a hose laid loosely through the window gap, as is the case with monobloc air conditioning units. This is why window air conditioners and compact air conditioners work so efficiently. More efficient than monobloc air conditioners.

Climate split unit

The split air conditioner is the air conditioner as most people know it. It essentially consists of two components: One in the house, which absorbs the heat energy from the room air and passes it on to the second component.

The second component, the compressor, is located outside the house. It can be installed in the garden or mounted on the façade.

The installation of an air conditioning split unit is more complex than that of compact air conditioning units. However, the split unit works even more efficiently than a compact air conditioning unit or a window air conditioner.

Split units are recommended where frequent cooling is required. If you only want to cool a living space occasionally (e.g. a few days a year), then the purchase and installation of an air conditioning split unit is hardly worthwhile. In this case, a compact air conditioning unit or a monobloc air conditioning unit is more suitable.

Conclusion

There are a variety of product classes that will cool you down on hot days. Air coolers are one of the most flexible options. They are cheaper than other air conditioners and are suitable for occasional use.

If the summers in your area are very long and hot, then it may be worth buying a compact air conditioning unit or an air conditioning split unit.

If you only need additional cooling for a few days or a few weeks a year, then the air cooler is a good choice in my opinion.

You can find out more about fans without a water tank here experience. One of the most interesting fans, for example, are the rotorless fans: