Dehumidifier vs Evaporative Cooler [Can You Use Both Together?]

Heat can sometimes be an amazing thing. Wait a minute and hear me out before you go bananas. During the winter months, it could be a very valuable asset to keep you comfortable in your home. But when summer comes knocking, heat could be a fierce adversary.

There are several ways to combat the heat during this period, one of them is by using evaporative coolers. There have been several heated debates on whether these coolers are all you need in your home during the peak of summer, and whether they can also function as dehumidifiers.

Apart from preventing excess warmth, can these coolers restore the humidity level in your home to between 30 and 55% where the air is considered safe and breathable?

These and many other questions are what we hope to shed more light on as we go on. First, how well can we trust these evaporative coolers? How do they carry out their function and improve our quality of life?

How Effective Are Evaporative Coolers?

Like we have stated, these appliances could be the difference between hot, uncomfortable air circulating in your home, and cool, breathable and comfortable air. How do these appliances cool the air in your home?

It’s pretty straightforward. Just as their name implies, they cool air by evaporating cool water into the air.

Each appliance unit contains a fan that it uses to pull in warm, stale and uncomfortable air into itself, and then transfers all that warm, moist air through very absorbent pads in order to be able to dry out the air and cool it.  

Then, dry and cool air is pushed back into the room through its powerful fan. Circulating around the room and causing a gentle breeze, the overall ambient temperature in the room can feel significantly lower than what it was previously.

This can be likened to getting out of the shower on a very hot day and feel a sudden chill all over your body as the air outside the shower cools the water on your skin.

Dehumidifier vs Evaporative Cooler

Now, while both these appliances share little similarities in their mode of operation which has led to the incessant debates about whether one solves the problems both were manufactured for, both of these appliances work in opposite ways.

Here are a few significant differences between a dehumidifier and an evaporative cooler.

	Dehumidifier	Evaporative Cooler
Sound	Moderate	Moderate
Cooling	Does not cool	Cools effectively
Humidity must be	High	Low
Air Quality	Improves	Mild effect
Energy usage	Moderate	High
Location to be used	Highly humid regions	Hot regions

At What Humidity Do Evaporative Coolers Become Ineffective?

The humidity levels in your home and environment play a huge role in determining the efficiency of your evaporative coolers.

The ability of your evaporative cooler to maintain cool and comfortable air in your home depends on the amount of humidity outside and in the air entering your room.

As a general rule, the higher the humidity in outdoor air, the less efficient evaporative coolers will be as the only cooling solution in your home.

For instance, when the air outside your home is at an atmospheric humidity of 10%, the evaporative cooler can be efficient enough to drop temperatures, up to 20 or 30 degrees lower than it was before.

However, when the atmospheric humidity rises to 50%, the evaporative cooler will only drop temperatures by about 10 degrees from what it was before.

More so, when the temperature approaches triple-digit levels, that is when it increases to 100 degrees, humidity, even at low levels will hinder your evaporative cooler from functioning optimally.

The atmospheric humidity must reduce if the temperature rises in order to prevent extremely unfavorable conditions.

While evaporative coolers may make the air in your home feel about five degrees lower than it actually is because of the fan circulating the breeze in the room, its impact still won’t be felt if the high humidity hinders evaporation from having any significant impact on the temperature of the air breeze.

Do Evaporative Coolers Work with Dehumidifiers?

The simple answer is Yes.

It is only natural that this was the next question on your mind. Can these two appliances work hand in hand to achieve overall air quality and comfort?

The answer is an easy Yes. These appliances can work together in your home. Pairing these two appliances will go a long way in improving their efficiency and proficiency in providing the comfort you need.

Simply put, dehumidifiers are capable of making the work of evaporative coolers much easier and are able to improve the cooling ability of an evaporative cooler despite the humid level in your home or environment.

In order to achieve optimum results, direct the vents on the dehumidifier towards the air going into the evaporative cooler. This is to ensure that the air used in cooling your home is as dry, cool and breathable as it possibly can.

Top 3 Evaporative Coolers with Effective Dehumidification Feature

1. NewAir Evaporative Air Cooler and Portable Cooling Fan [Best Features]

With its Cyclone circulation, you are guaranteed cooler and constantly moving air which will feel more gentle and cooler than still air. This evaporative cooler air is excellent at dehumidifying humid air in your room, even at relatively high humid levels, and making it more breathable for healthy living.

Its portable and easily movable structure allows for convenient cooling anywhere in the home. You can move it around the house, deploying it in rooms where it is highly needed.

This appliance comes with an ultra-convenient design that makes the process of cooling and dehumidification easier and quicker. It also comes with a timer and remote to allow for easy control.

You’ll find that it is equipped with a 1.45 gallon water tank. Don’t worry, you don’t have to worry about lifting this tank all the time as it comes with easy-glide caster wheels.

Additionally, this appliance is environmentally friendly. It is the ideal solution if you want to cool your home and reduce its moisture content without artificial chemical coolant that may cause unprecedented harm to the environment.

2. COMFYHOME 2-in-1 Air Cooler [Best Price]

With this air cooler, you are guaranteed an efficient cooling and dehumidifying solution in warm summer days. With this appliance, you get more than just the conventional refrigerant, compressor and fan for cooling.

At your disposal is an appliance with 3 central components; an evaporative cooling medium shaped like a honeycomb, a pump system and a fan.

This evaporative cooler can fit into the smallest of spaces, which not only means it can help you save space, but also means it can be used in just about any room where its services are needed.

It also includes 4 modes that have been pre programmed into the devices and 3 different wind speeds which help in ensuring the air is rid of any hot air or excess moisture that may lead to discomfort.

3. Hessaire MC37M Portable Evaporative Cooler [Value for Money]

This appliance covers over 3100 Cubic ft per minute. It also comes with 3 fans and oscillating louvers that guarantee even distribution of cool air across the room.

Cooling the air around your home is only part of the job that this appliance does.

Apart from propelling chilled air into the air space in order to bring you much-needed relief, it also reduces moisture in the atmosphere by replacing it with properly propelled cool air. This dehumidifying function is what gives it that extra advantage in the market as a best seller.

Final Words:

The conclusion of the matter is simple; dehumidifiers and evaporative coolers are necessary home appliances if you desire unhindered comfort and convenience in your home.

However, if you are not utilizing an evaporative cooler with dehumidifying functions, and you want to utilize them in separate units, there are two things you must note.

Firstly, dehumidifiers and evaporative cooler units working together in the same room and at the same time might make things difficult because a dehumidifier working at its highest or even medium level will add heat to the room, thereby making the job of the cooler less efficient, which may cause a higher operating cost for both appliances.