Totally crap products that just don't work
Totally crap products that just don't work
Author
Discussion

Jim1064

Original Poster:

456 posts

234 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
I bought an evaporation air cooler for home use during the current hot spell. It was a low cost device (sub - £100) from one on the main UK DIY store chains.

Evaporative coolers work in the principle that when water vaporises, it cools the air. Efficiency depend on the temperature and humidity, and charts exist that show the achievable temperature reduction.

When I tried this one the temperature was 27C and RH 60%, which is in the optimum range. Theoretical temperature drop is between 4 and 5 degrees C. However, on measuring incoming air temp and outgoing air temp, there was no reduction in air temperature at all. Both at 27 C. And I used a calibrated thermometer.

Now I don't expect a cheap device to perform very well, but I would expect to see at least some temperature drop but there was nothing. Clearly there is something fundamentally wrong with the design and it just doesn't work.

I took it back to the store for a refund. While I was there I could see people buying lots of them, some 2 at the time...They don't realise they are buying complete crap.


The Moose

23,677 posts

238 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Swamp coolers do work. Perhaps yours was faulty?

Jobbo

13,822 posts

293 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
£100 seems a lot for what is basically a fan and a bowl of water.

They might ‘work’ but not when the temperature and humidity would actually make them useful: https://youtu.be/2horH-IeurA

eliot

11,995 posts

283 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
I bought a 12000 btu sealey portable ac unit - works but is noisy. Should of gone for a proper wall mount mini split.

SCEtoAUX

4,119 posts

110 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Any vacuum cleaner that is not mains powered.

The N1 rocket

StevieBee

15,315 posts

284 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Jim1064 said:
I bought an evaporation air cooler for home use during the current hot spell. It was a low cost device (sub - £100) from one on the main UK DIY store chains.

Evaporative coolers work in the principle that when water vaporises, it cools the air. Efficiency depend on the temperature and humidity, and charts exist that show the achievable temperature reduction.

When I tried this one the temperature was 27C and RH 60%, which is in the optimum range. Theoretical temperature drop is between 4 and 5 degrees C. However, on measuring incoming air temp and outgoing air temp, there was no reduction in air temperature at all. Both at 27 C. And I used a calibrated thermometer.
I think I know the one you're referring to.

You're asking a lot of a small box that costs under £100 to cool a room even by a few degrees. They're designed to blow some cool air onto your face . There's a big difference between air coolers and air conditioners and I'm not certain that many know this.

W201_190e

12,738 posts

242 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
SCEtoAUX said:
Any vacuum cleaner that is not mains powered.

The N1 rocket
And has Dyson written across it. Absolute turgid ste.

Our beloved Henry eclipses anything else we have purchased hehe

SCEtoAUX

4,119 posts

110 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
W201_190e said:
SCEtoAUX said:
Any vacuum cleaner that is not mains powered.

The N1 rocket
And has Dyson written across it. Absolute turgid ste.

Our beloved Henry eclipses anything else we have purchased hehe
You're preaching to the choir here, Henry household for years.

JulianPH

10,084 posts

143 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
SCEtoAUX said:
W201_190e said:
SCEtoAUX said:
Any vacuum cleaner that is not mains powered.

The N1 rocket
And has Dyson written across it. Absolute turgid ste.

Our beloved Henry eclipses anything else we have purchased hehe
You're preaching to the choir here, Henry household for years.
And another vote for a Henry here! smile

texaxile

3,766 posts

179 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Henry convert here.

Never knew how we managed without one, the best £100 or so I've spent in ages.

Re Aircon I had a quote for a fairly (seemingly) straightforward supply and fit of a 2.5KW (Panasonic) unit in the bedroom. No extra trunking, just out of the wall and straight down to the compressor box outside. £1400 give or take. Fair or not?.

vikingaero

13,274 posts

198 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
I had an evaporative air cooler in the 90's from Innovations You could fill it with water or put in a block of ice. st with water or an ice block. It also functioned as a heater and that was it's main use.

We have a/c in the main bedroom - around £800 years ago, I've heard of quotes currently of £1,200 to £1,800 so £1.4 is well within the range. Try an get the quietest model you can.

wiggy001

7,353 posts

300 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
JulianPH said:
SCEtoAUX said:
W201_190e said:
SCEtoAUX said:
Any vacuum cleaner that is not mains powered.

The N1 rocket
And has Dyson written across it. Absolute turgid ste.

Our beloved Henry eclipses anything else we have purchased hehe
You're preaching to the choir here, Henry household for years.
And another vote for a Henry here! smile
We have a Dyson and a Henry.

I use the Henry to clean the filters on the Dyson hehe

anonymoususer

8,449 posts

77 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
W201_190e said:
And has Dyson written across it. Absolute turgid ste.

Our beloved Henry eclipses anything else we have purchased hehe
Henry really is the greatest vacuum we have.
Our 2 eldest daughters always borrow it to clean out their cars
A simply brilliant device

Colonel Cupcake

1,419 posts

74 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
I use a Henry for my private clients. I be surprised if any professional cleaner used a Dyson.

I do like the Nilfisk VP300 that I use at the hospital.

anonymous-user

83 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Another Henry fan.....well, we got a Hetty (“The pink one daddy!)
Best cleaner ever.
Puts the overhyped over-marketed gimmicky ste known as Dyson completely in the shade.

coppernorks

1,919 posts

75 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
On a car theme, a vacuum brake bleeding kit, theory being that instead of pumping out dirty
brake fluid via the brake pedal one operates a hand suction pump to suck out the brake fluid .....simples ?

Nah, not simples, it sucked out eff all,

maybe a professional kit would work better, but this one was only £12.99 from amazon,
that should have been a warning I suppose.

Back to the tried and trusted, simple and effective brake pedal method.

Dogwatch

6,381 posts

251 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
I think someone is watching this thread, Dyson fan ads keep appearing alongside posts!

While off piste, yes Henry here too!

WJNB

2,637 posts

190 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Any BL car.

bearman68

4,929 posts

161 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Henry for me to. I have one in the workshop, where it gets royally abused, and one in the house, where it just gets a really hard life.

Still going strong after I dunno, 10 years. The one in the workshop was second hand 10 years ago. Good service that.

List of things that don't work - ratchet brake bleeding spanners. Have a set hanging on the wall where they have remained (almost) unused since purchase. Complete rubbish.


colin_p

4,503 posts

241 months

Sunday 9th August 2020
quotequote all
Many things that the EU have meddled with, a few examples:

Vacuum cleaners with weedy little motors that defeat the purpose of the EU dictating the use of weedy little motors to save engery as you end up hoovering for much longer.

Toilets, modern close coupled low flush volume ones simply cannot cope. When one flush would do the doo, it now takes many more. (there is a thread on here all about that) smile

Paint stripper, it doesn't and I've no idea why they are allowed to produce and sell it after the EU made them take out the actual active ingredient. Thankfully proper old fashioned stuff is still available if you look.