Buzz
While not serving as a substitute for air conditioning, this appliance offers its own benefits such as affordability, energy efficiency, and flexibility.
1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Air Fans
While not serving as a substitute for air conditioning, this appliance offers its own benefits such as affordability, energy efficiency, and flexibility.
An air fan provides a cost-effective cooling solution for hot weather, serving as an alternative to air conditioning.
Entering electronic appliance stores these days, the first thing consumers often experience is a cool breeze accompanied by moisture blowing directly onto them. This is also where air fan stalls are located, a product quite in demand and popular on hot sunny days.
Air coolers function as air cooling devices, operating on the principle of water evaporation through the use of Cooling Pads.
During operation, water is circulated through a pump system to the cooling pads, where evaporation takes place. Meanwhile, the fan draws in hot air from outside, passing through these cooling pads, converting it into a stream of cold air mixed with moisture blown out.
This process rapidly cools the air, with the outgoing airflow carrying moisture, providing comfortable relief. Some types of coolers also incorporate compartments for reusable gel ice packs.
Starting from 2 million dong and up, users can already own an air cooler.
Firstly, in terms of cost, air coolers are priced lower than air conditioners but higher than regular cooling fans. With a budget ranging from 2 to 5 million dong, users can obtain an air cooler suitable for a medium-sized room of 15-20 square meters. For larger rooms or commercial purposes, high-capacity coolers priced from 10-15 million dong would be appropriate.
Regarding power consumption, due to their relatively simple construction, air coolers consume less electricity, only about 1/7 to 1/10 compared to air conditioners. Features such as water pumps, misting systems, antibacterial functions, ionizers, and control circuit boards consume minimal electricity compared to the cooling efficiency they provide.
In small rooms, the cooling capacity of an air cooler can be faster than conventional air conditioning due to its ability to enhance air circulation, providing moisture. The mechanism of air coolers using water evaporation also helps maintain humidity, avoiding dry skin and discomfort commonly associated with air conditioners. Most air coolers can rapidly reduce room temperature by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius in a short time. They also have minimal impact on electronic devices compared to some misting fans or conventional evaporative coolers.
With easy mobility, users can adjust the position of the cooler as desired, directing airflow to every corner of the room actively rather than passively as with air conditioning. Coolers can be placed in living rooms or bedrooms as needed. Users also do not need to close windows and doors tightly when using coolers, as required for air conditioners.
Some modern coolers feature additional functions such as negative ion generation and ozone purification to clean the air, removing dust and providing a healthier living environment. Some models come with remote control for convenient use.
The final advantage is that air coolers are easy to disassemble and clean. Users can perform maintenance tasks without needing professional assistance.
Large rooms require large-sized and high-capacity air coolers.
When purchasing air coolers, many salespersons often advertise that the device can lower temperatures by up to 15 degrees Celsius. However, this figure is only achievable under ideal conditions and cannot be sustained for long periods. In climates with consistently high humidity like in Vietnam, according to some appliance experts, even with ice packs, most air coolers can only reduce temperatures by a maximum of 6-7 degrees Celsius. As humidity levels rise, the cooling efficiency decreases accordingly.
The second drawback is its dependence on room size. The larger the space, the less effective the cooling. Unlike air conditioners, which can size according to device capacity for accurate usage needs assessment, air cooler capacity is challenging to accurately reflect the effectiveness of operation in larger rooms.
Users also cannot adjust the temperature of air coolers as with traditional air conditioners. Fan speed adjustments only have a relative meaning. For larger rooms, air coolers also require large capacity and size to meet cooling needs.
These larger coolers also lack flexibility and ease of movement like smaller devices, and they also occupy a significant space in the room as they cannot be placed flush against walls or in corners.
An accompanying issue is that air coolers are not completely silent during operation. The larger the capacity, the louder the noise. When purchasing a cooler, users need to carefully check, as in large spaces like appliance stores, the noise of the fan may be masked by other sounds.
Although not like misting fans, air coolers also require a large amount of water to operate.
According to manufacturer specifications, a 20-liter tank can be used continuously for 4-8 hours. However, this also depends on the capacity of each device. When the water runs out in the reservoir, the air cooler becomes a regular electric fan.
Users will need to regularly check and add water if they want to maintain cooling efficiency.
Accompanying the presence of the water tank, users also need to regularly check for cleaning to avoid this part becoming a place for mold, odor buildup, or a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The humidity in rooms with air coolers will also be higher than in other rooms, so some sensitive furniture or electronic devices also need to be considered in placement.
