Ducted Evaporative A/C - Is it as bad as some say?

Ducted Evaporative A/C - Is it as bad as some say?

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200bhp

Original Poster:

5,663 posts

220 months

Thursday 30th January 2020
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Mods - Please dont move this thread away from here as it's an Australia specific thing.

We're looking at a "new" house, built in 1990 that has ducted evaporative A/C. Our current house has reverse cycle A/C in the lounge room only and we use a portable reverse cycle unit, ducted through a hole cut in the glass, in the master bedroom.

The new house has ducted evaporative A/C with the big box on the roof and basic vents in the ceiling of every room. From what I read, these systems only work if the door and windows are open and they dont work on a humid day.

But what does that really mean for a house in perth (Hillarys)?

One a hot day we open windows and are met with a wall of hot air so surely opening the windows is counter productive in terms of temperature reduction?

I quite like the idea of needing to have the windows open and the resulting fresh air that could be blowing through the house.

I'm an engineer so I understand the theory of each system, I'm here seeking practical experience of these systems and how they make you "feel" rather than what a temperature gauge tells me the temperature in the house is.

200bhp

Original Poster:

5,663 posts

220 months

Tuesday 25th February 2020
quotequote all
Well, we've been in the house for a week now and the evaporative A/C is probably best described as an "air cooler" compared to reverse cycle A/C. Whilst the air feels cool if you stand under a duct, walking inside on a hot day doesnt give that same cool feeling that reverse cycle does - It just feels a little cooler than outside.

We've not experienced any of the damp feelings others mention but have been ensuring windows are always open when the system is running. That in itself is a bit of a pain because we have to spend a few minutes opening and closing all the windows at various times throughout the day as we come and go.

Time will tell next summer, I guess. Fingers crossed we dont have many humid days until then.