Swamp Cooler, bad idea?

[soupking]

I recently placed a post about ionizers and since the opinions were about 50/50 on having them in the studio, I decided against getting one.

My rehearsal room converted into a control/recording room is reaching sauna levels this summer in Los Angeles.

I've been erring on the side of caution about what to get. I am getting an AC unit to hook up the the vent (in playing room) and seal the edges with a towel and duct tape.

However, I had the idea to get a swamp cooler in the control booth to keep things cool.

So my fellow slutz, I'm stuck between heat and moisture. I want my gear to stay cool, but if moisture is going to hurt my Very expensive equipment, I will say neigh.

Am I at risk with a swamp cooler?

[DeathMonkey]

I'm intersted in this as well. My band practices in a windowless, vent-less concrete box covered in carpet. I'd like to avoid the heat stroke. Where's the best place to get these things anyways?

[Kiwiburger]

I agree about the ionisers - I was seriously thinking too, but I believe ozone is a health hazard.

Is a swamp cooler one of those evaporative coolers that puts water into the air? I would avoid that like the plague - your electronics won't last long in a moist environment.

I guess most people will tell you to get a proper aircon. But that's expensive and noisy.

I saw a little cooler machine that was basically a fan that blew air over some bottles that you fill with water and throw in the freezer. So basically ice packs. The water doesn't evaporate into the air, so that would be safe.

Cooling comes from phase change: ice to water, or water to water vapour. You could probably just freeze some bottles of water and sit them in your studio. Ice expands, so don't overfill and use a soft plastic.

I have another idea which might work - I haven't needed to try it, so this would be purely experimental. But imagine if you will an air ventilation system that had an outside fan blowing air into your room (via a muffler box of course).

I would propose making a box out of aluminium (which could also be your muffler box) with a large surface area. (Possibly an A-frame box with a sloping 'roof'). This could be sited in a shady area, covered with a fibre material - artificial turf or something like that. Then - if you arranged a garden hose water dripper arrangment, this would be kept permanently moist. The evaporation in this material would keep your aluminium box very cold, and hence the air coming through would be chilled.

I think this could work, and it would be much cheaper to run, and much quieter than any aircon unit.

[soupking]

Cool, thanks Kiwiburger!