Pro tip: Check your evaporative cooler pads in April, not July

My swamp cooler started blowing damp musty air into the house last week when temps hit 108 in Phoenix. I figured the motor was dying but it turned out the aspen pads were completely clogged with mineral buildup after just one season. Swapped them out for the rigid cellulose ones from Ace Hardware and the air is actually cold now. Anyone else run into cooler issues right when the heat spikes?

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paul_ramirez1mo ago

Aspen pads really are trouble in hard water areas.

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barbara_jenkins661mo ago

What kind of buildup are you seeing specifically - is it making the pads hard and crunchy or are they just falling apart faster than they should? I had a buddy who swore by them in soft water but switched after moving to a place with hard water and said it was night and day with how fast they turned into stiff rocks. The calcium deposits really mess with the pad's ability to absorb moisture, right? Was it the same for you or something else that tipped you off to them being trouble?

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