Moist air from swamp cooler = problems?

[ganchanRV]

I've been working out ways to stay reasonably comfortable in a van without cutting holes in the sheet metal to accommodate an AC. I'm familiar with down-and-dirty survival techniques such as reflective window panels, fans+mister bottles, parking in shade etc. I'll most likely be snowbirding, sort of, by spending winters somewhere around Houston and roaming around New Mexico (at various altitudes) the rest of the year. It occurred to me that a portable swamp cooler might offer a little extra comfort in the desert environment, but then I got to thinking about how much moisture they add to the air. Would it pose a rust and/or mold hazard? Would I want to use desiccants to collect the airborne moisture?

 

[Malamute]

I had guns start to get rust spots when using a swamp cooler in my cabin where none had ever happened using regular AC.

If its truly a dry environment where a swamp cooler works best, its probably not going to be a big issue if you use some basic precautions, but thats a guess on my part. Im in the habit of pretty much ignoring my guns, benign neglect, they never had problems like in very humid areas. It was somewhat self induced, but unexpected. Take care of things like normal people and its less likely to be troublesome.

 

[maki2]

Just check the humidity on the weather reports. No point in using a swamp cooler in high humidity weather. The small personal coolers with a water fill chamber should not be too big of an issue. Besides if you fill it up to run all night the water in it will run out long before morning comes around. They do not hold a large volume of water.

 

[jonyjoe303]

I been using swampcoolers for the past 10 years, many times 24/7 on hot days. Never had any moisture problems, nothing inside my van has rusted. For me moisture or dampness etc is a non issue.
The only time I ever had moisture problems was when I was using a mr.heater, my windows in the front of the van would have alot of moisture. The heater for some reason puts out more moisture in the 30 minutes that I would run it, than the swampcooler does.
Adding alot of insulation to your van and you can stay in your van even in the hottest part of the day with just a 2 amp swampcooler keeping you cool. I never park in the shade.

 

[Happy Camper]

Jonyjoe has decent air circulation with their setup. Make sure the damp air has somewhere to exit and it'll work out better.