Evaporative Cooling Cushions – Maintenance to a Longer Living Life

For poultry and livestock, hot weather cooling can be achieved by misting, spraying or misting the air at sufficient velocity to promote evaporation.

Evaporative cooling pads can be extremely effective in reducing the interior air temperature. They work by drawing in hot outside air and cooling it with the saturated pad media. The wet bulb temperature, which is the difference between air temperature and wet bulb temperature, determines how cool the pad media can absorb. In the Midwestern US, typical values for design wet bulb depression range from 14-20 to F during daytime in the summer. Evaporative pads may provide as much as 80% efficiency (measured by the drop in temperature above the wet bulb temperature). The combination of modern evaporative cooling devices and a well-designed ventilation system can result in incoming air temperatures reductions of 5 to 15F. This reduces heat stress exposure in livestock buildings and improves greenhouse growing conditions.

Evaporative cooling devices are a major investment. Users are often not taught how to maintain their devices or what to do if they don’t know. Here are some tips for maintaining the pads. These guidelines can often give you several years of more use before the need for replacement pads. It will also ensure that the pads continue to perform well during use.

Continuous Maintenance

Water quality is very important for an evaporative water system. If the pH level is higher, acidification might not be recommended. It is important to drain some of the water. Salts and minerals are formed when water evaporates. They can be found in water. Bleeding water is the best way to reduce mineral concentrations. Deposits can form on the evaporative plates in extreme cases of inadequate bleed-off. These will reduce evaporation effectiveness. How much water should you bleed off?

Weekly Maintain

Keep an eye out for algae. Algae can be harmful to pad media. As it builds, it can increase the resistance to airflow and cause the pad material to decompose. These are some of the ways you can control algae

a. Chemical treatment

b. Avoid direct sun exposure to the pads or the sump area, if any.

c.You should ensure that your pads are completely dried after 24 hours. You can achieve this in many ways.

Visually inspect all areas of the pads for signs of sagging. Dry areas may indicate insufficient flow through the distribution line, failing pumps, or blocked water distribution pipe holes.

Make sure to check the sump regularly for debris. This is all food for the algae to grow.

Quarterly Maintain

You should drain the system completely and clean it. Below is a description of the chemical treatment. Evaporative cooling systems in the Upper Midwest that operate from May to October should be cleaned at the start of each season, in June and once it is closed. If pads are not removed each year, it is important to clean the area before the season begins. It is important to thoroughly clean the distribution and upper pipes. Also, remove all accumulated debris from the sump, gutters and drains.