I had a portable swamp cooler but I found it didn't do much to reduce indoor temps, so last year I donated it to charity. I bet someone with a small apartment was happy to get it.
What I found was that the swamp cooler wasn't up to cooling down incoming air more than a few degrees. So the interior would wind up hotter than if I just ran the fans all night and buttoned up the place in the morning.
In general, it's too humid in this location to run a swamp cooler. Even in the summer, the humidity runs over 50%, usually above 60%.
These days we're having great weather. About 74 now, with a light breeze. Light cloud cover. I took a trip to Pleasant Hill, which is over the ridge and in the next inland valley. Temps there were about 10 degrees warmer, but still not bad.
Of course I second the recommendation for Sears Ultra Plus. I usually boost it with 33% STPP by weight. There doesn't seem to be much it can't handle in terms of dirt and stains. Works equally well in my Neptune 7500 and my Miele 1918. I have a Frigidaire Gallery front loader as well, but no place to hook it up at present. If the Neptune ever dies for good the Gallery will probably take its spot.
Well, time to tend to the laundry. I made a detour on the way back from my tool shopping and stopped by the Blackhawk Auto Museum. They have a very nice collection of American muscle cars on the 1st floor, with a lot of Chrysler products. '70 Challenger, '70 Roadrunner, '64 Fury convertible, etc. Also some older stuff like 40's Plymouth woody wagon, early 50's Town and Country, and some special Ghias and such. Oddly, the one vehicle that caught most of my interest was a 50's VW microbus, all restored to perfection and outfitted for camping (not a pop-top, either). It's truly a wonder.
If you'd like to see some photos, I can start another thread...
What I found was that the swamp cooler wasn't up to cooling down incoming air more than a few degrees. So the interior would wind up hotter than if I just ran the fans all night and buttoned up the place in the morning.
In general, it's too humid in this location to run a swamp cooler. Even in the summer, the humidity runs over 50%, usually above 60%.
These days we're having great weather. About 74 now, with a light breeze. Light cloud cover. I took a trip to Pleasant Hill, which is over the ridge and in the next inland valley. Temps there were about 10 degrees warmer, but still not bad.
Of course I second the recommendation for Sears Ultra Plus. I usually boost it with 33% STPP by weight. There doesn't seem to be much it can't handle in terms of dirt and stains. Works equally well in my Neptune 7500 and my Miele 1918. I have a Frigidaire Gallery front loader as well, but no place to hook it up at present. If the Neptune ever dies for good the Gallery will probably take its spot.
Well, time to tend to the laundry. I made a detour on the way back from my tool shopping and stopped by the Blackhawk Auto Museum. They have a very nice collection of American muscle cars on the 1st floor, with a lot of Chrysler products. '70 Challenger, '70 Roadrunner, '64 Fury convertible, etc. Also some older stuff like 40's Plymouth woody wagon, early 50's Town and Country, and some special Ghias and such. Oddly, the one vehicle that caught most of my interest was a 50's VW microbus, all restored to perfection and outfitted for camping (not a pop-top, either). It's truly a wonder.
If you'd like to see some photos, I can start another thread...
