Greetings!
I’ve used my swamp coolers successfully all over the hot & humid SE including S Miami. The heat exchanger (radiator) is what makes the difference between an evaporative cooler & swamp cooler. Swamp coolers were designed to work in the hot & humid swamps, evaporative coolers were designed to be used in the desert, but people still refer to them as swamp coolers.
With a swamp cooler, the moisture is expelled back outside, just like a compressor a/c, and the air is cooled by passing through a radiator style heat exchanger, just like a compressor a/c. The only power required is for the fan and a small fountain pump, so it is very energy efficient.
Depending upon your situation and needs, there are many ways to keep cool. You can buy non powered cooling sheets, blankets, & pillow cases if you only need it to sleep, or they have powered ones too. I have both, along with heating/cooling/massaging seat cushions, of which I use one as a mattress pad.
Heating/cooling clothes are also available. They were a lifesaver when I was working outdoors in extreme weather. They use a rechargeable battery pack.
There are cooling accessories like those made by Frog Togs, that require no power.
You can also stick a fan in front of a frozen 1 gallon jug of water, and it will last for many hours. Convenience stores will often freeze them for you for free, and in a cooler they’ll last the better part of a week.
Now, I’m using a Peltier powered heat pump. It’s basically the same as a swamp cooler, but instead of using evaporation to cool the water, it uses a peltier chip to heat/cool the water, just like they do in the office water coolers that offer both hot & cold water. Mine uses 3-6 amps @ 12vdc, and will cool my rig by up to 50°F.
Don’t forget to park in the shade whenever possible as well. Parking near water is usually cooler as well.
I almost forgot to mention misting fans, you can buy hand held ones at many dollar stores, or big box stores. Alternatively any spray bottle & fan can work wonders as well. A damp T shirt or PJ’s and a fan aimed at you can chill you to the bone.
There’s tons of ways to keep cool, and it can be cheap & easy. Of course the promoters won’t promote it, because they can’t get paid for actually giving good advice. I make my money the old fashioned way by actually earning it, so I can afford to tell people the truth.
People knew how to keep cool long before electricity & batteries. What worked 100+ years ago still works just as well as it did then. Cowboys wore wet bandannas around their necks… Don’t get discouraged, there are plenty of ways to keep cool.
Cheers!
"Beat the heat with a swamp cooler." ~ Old_Soul
