Bonaire Durango evaporative cooler II


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Old 08-22-16, 05:16 PM
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Bonaire Durango evaporative cooler II

not sure where to post this but i recently had an evaporative cooler installed in the wall in a downstairs bedroom

i want to re-locate the cooler now, because i want to actually sleep in that bedroom and it just won't work to have it in that same room.... yeah i should have thought of it before having a handyman cut a hole in my wall

ideally i would like to build a frame of some sort that houses the unit and makes it portable so i can place it outside a glass sliding door that isn't used much, but still used every now and then

is this feasible?

also, how difficult would it be to repair a 22x22 hole in the wall (stucco outside), is it best just to get the same handyman?

one thing i am doing with the water discharge is running about 75ft of a soaker hose all around the backyard, right near the trees. just an idea i thought i would share.... i plan to bury the hose (only an inch or two) so it's out of site but still works

finally, this swamp cooler has saved us not only money but made us very comfortable as i'm having issues with our main (refrigerated) whole house AC. great to have two entirely different units, in case one has problems

Separated from... http://www.doityourself.com/forum/ev...ve-cooler.html
 

Last edited by PJmax; 05-21-17 at 12:36 PM. Reason: new thread
  #2  
Old 10-02-16, 03:23 PM
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If the cooler is not cooling as well, make sure there is enough water flowing to completely wet out all the pad area. The pump could be going, you yuu may need to add/remove/change the water restrictor. Also make sure you have enough open ventilation to allow the air to leave the conditioned space.
 
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Old 05-21-17, 12:17 PM
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I fell like too much water is escaping from the outlet tube, it wasn't as bad before and I can't adjust it anymore

Is there a replacement part?
 
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Old 05-21-17, 12:34 PM
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Follow the link to SPARE PARTS

But, your current nipple is probably bleeding the water needed, to keep the pads clean of mineral buildup.
 
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Old 05-21-17, 12:38 PM
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Bg.... glad to see you still checking in and thanks for your help here.

I made this a new thread taken from your original thread as that was getting too long to keep in the open forums.

Original thread here... http://www.doityourself.com/forum/ev...ve-cooler.html
 
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Old 05-25-17, 01:37 AM
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What are people averaging for water exiting per hour?

Mine is dripping out at almost 3 gallons when I measured it (11qts) seems excessive

I will look at buying a new nipple
 
  #7  
Old 05-25-17, 10:29 AM
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I believe mine was about 1.5 gal/h. Here is what the manual says:

The overflow is factory fitted. The bleed hose
protruding through the overflow fitting SHOULD
bleed water during normal operation at a rate
between 6 – 12 Litres per hour (1.5 – 3 gallons per
hour). This is normal and is designed to preserve
the quality of the Cooler and Cooling efficiency of
the Unit. If required this Bleed water can be
plumbed away using standard 'over-the-counter'
garden hose and fittings.


and

The bleed off rate is factory preset and is not adjustable without direction of
the manufacturer. It is critical to the life of the product that the bleed off
function is not restricted in any way as this may void unit warranty and will
cause damage to your filters and cooler.
The function of the bleed off must be inspected by the owner on a regular
basis to ensure the bleed off continuously flows when the unit is operating
in “COOL” mode.
All evaporative coolers require water bleed-off to prevent build-up
of mineral deposits as the result of the evaporative cooling
process. This will maximize the life of the premium CELdek® filter
pads and minimize mineral deposits inside the cooler. The bleedoff
function only operates in COOL mode (when the water pump
operates).
Should water supply contain high levels of total dissolved solids
(greater than 300 p.p.m.), increase the bleed rate. See page 13.
This bleed water can be used in gardens or diverted to drains
using standard garden hose and fittings from your local hardware
store. The overflow pipe connection is a ¾” x 14TPI ANS straight
pipe thread.
Please Note:- Any additional pipe work fitted to the bleed off by the owner must slope away
from the unit in a down hill manner.


and

The bleed off should be checked to ensure it runs continuously and that there is no build up of
mineral deposits in or on your air conditioner. White deposits indicate high mineral content and
the bleed off system should be checked. Should the bleed nozzle become blocked, use a fine
pin or similar to clear.
If the bleed is running as per normal, the bleed nozzle is clean and the deposits are still
forming, then more bleed may be required.
In areas of poor water quality (where total
dissolved solids are greater than 300 p.p.m.)
increase the diameter of the bleed nipple using a
1.6mm (1⁄16“) drill bit.
 
  #8  
Old 06-08-17, 06:42 PM
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Fan not working

Fan is not working since I replaced pump. There is a clicking sound coming from the switch control when i try to power it on with remote.
 
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Old 06-08-17, 07:01 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

If the fan was working before you changed the pump then maybe a wire got pulled off of the switch/relay. There is very little to go bad there.
 
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Old 06-08-17, 09:35 PM
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Yes fan was working before I installed the new pump. Pump works but now fan does not. All wires and connections are good .
 
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Old 06-08-17, 10:56 PM
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Then your next step is to check for voltage to the fan. Check at the switch/relay.

Not sure what type of remote you are using.
 
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Old 06-11-17, 04:42 PM
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Maybe I'm asking too much but, as you all know, these pads are quite expensive. Is there any way to chemically get the minerals out and maybe forestall the replacement a couple of years?
 
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Old 06-15-17, 07:29 PM
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first set of pads we got 4 years on year 2 now of the new set my next door neighbor uses the green pads from lowes and cuts them to size works fine in his unit
 
  #14  
Old 06-23-17, 06:39 PM
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Bonaire Durango Window Cooler model 5900E

Does anyone know why a boom sound is emitted from my cooler? Is the cooler too large for a 1500 sq ft house?
 
  #15  
Old 06-23-17, 06:48 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

I couldn't begin to fathom an answer. Can you describe what booms ?
There is a pump, pads and a fan inside the unit... none of which usually causes a boom sound.
 
  #16  
Old 06-25-17, 07:18 AM
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Hi PJmax,
Thank you for responding. I listened to my cooler closely yesterday and now thinking the boom sound is a house acoustic issue. There are certain areas where I hear a boom sound and most areas I do not. The sound is like a boom, silence, boom and so on. I have tried opening different windows as well as the amount of open window. There is no change. My house is pretty much open with a very high ceiling in the living room where the cooler is located. Where I hear the boom is in the bedroom that shares a wall next to the cooler, the hallway, and then at the top of the stairs. sigh.
 
  #17  
Old 07-02-17, 10:09 PM
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Two Bad Fan Motors for Bonaire Durango 7000 cfm downdraft evaporative cooler

This is long, I'm sorry but you all should beware!! So my home had an old metal squirrel cage swamp on it that was over 20 yrs old, rusted, MacGyver'd to death etc.

We purchased a Bonaire Durango 7000 cfm downdraft evaporative cooler from Home Depot about a week and a half ago. It's been our worst nightmare. It cost us an extra $100 in parts (new support legs, brass fittings, foam insulation because the shaft measurements weren't exact and left a gap, etc).

We managed by the grace of God to get it home, get it on the roof, get it leveled and installed with some help from two older family friends. However they left before we totally had it hooked up (tested that we had power and everything) and thought we were good. We finished up by attaching the water supply line, turning on the water, turning on the pump which was fine, then turned it on low. The fan ran for about 15 seconds very slowly before it blew our breaker and we smelled smoke (burnt wires) within the home.

We tried a few things and tried it again. Nothing worked now, not even the pump. We called our beloved handyman who couldn't come for 2 days (mind you its been upper 80s to mid 90s and our home has non stop 11am-7pm SW sun exposure making it near 100° inside by bedtime). Handyman came out, adjusted a few wires he thought were wrong according to manual (turns out he was right, blue and brown were mislabeled in manual) and his own knowledge. Still nothing at all. He tried working on it for 2 days in 90° heat and decided the fan motor was simply bad.

We called around and found a H-Depot that had a "show model" of the same type and they agreed to swap it's fan motor for ours, no other location within 70 miles had one in stock!! Well guess what... same results!! We figured okay we have the right wire weight, we have the right amps, we have the right voltage, what are we missing? Handyman taps out and recommends we call an electrician.

While trying to find one that wasn't booked out for a month or more we called Bonaires USA care line. Larry (Factory Rep) told us we were wrong to have swapped the motor with our local H-Depot (and Bonaire would be disciplining that H-Depot for their customer service to us), we should have called them, shipped them the bad motor and once they confirmed it was bad they'd ship a new one. Larry insinuated multiple times that we'd wired it wrong and that if we hadn't hired an electrician to begin with we were simply put "screwed" because we'd voided any warranty it had.

We found an electrician who would come on his day off (Saturday) and he was here for 2.5 hours. He checked every wire, double and triple checked all power points etc and still the fan would turn slow for about 15 seconds, smoke and blow the breaker. He stated we had it wired correctly, we had more than enough volts, amps, power, a compatible switch etc. He said the motor was bad.... seriously we got 2 bad motors or is this company just not telling us something?

So here we are, the weekend before a holiday, Bonaire USA has yet to answer their phone (as expected since it was the weekend), we are hoping they answer tomorrow so we can possibly get them to replace the bad motor at their cost. I'm not holding my breath but I'm beyond frustrated with this whole thing. My family has young children and someone with an autoimmune disease that doesn't do well in heat. We are all grumpy and now delayed even longer by the holiday. Who wants to bet, that even though the electrician vouches for it being a faulty part that Bonaire will continue with their poor customer service and we will end up lugging it all back to H-Depot for a refund and starting our search for a new evap cooler over again =( this is a nightmare!!
 

Last edited by PJmax; 07-17-17 at 02:23 PM. Reason: reformatted text
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Old 07-17-17, 01:01 PM
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MtNmOMmA response

MtNmOMmA,
I've had my 5900 cfm for years and I've only had to replace the pump and filters. I love this unit and it sucks you are having problems with yours. I'm guessing you got a lemon and that happens.

I have recommended Bonaire to several friends and they all love it and have not had any problems with theirs. This said, there the low profile models that hang from the wall, not mounted on the roof.

I hope you get everything to work out.

Manny
 
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Old 07-17-17, 02:25 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

Sorry to have missed your post. Did you get your problem resolved ?
These unit are extremely basic so I'm not sure what the problem was.
 
  #20  
Old 07-25-17, 12:06 PM
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RE: Two Bad Motors

Update: Our 3rd motor shipped out from Bonaire Las Vegas and arrived after the holiday (4th of July). IT WORKS THANK THE LORD!
When we removed the 2nd motor and took it apart to inspect why it wasn't working apparently the rubber grommet (where the power cord meets the housing) had been damaged in transit or while being built and 3 of the wires were slightly severed/exposed so when we plugged it in it grounded out on the metal housing and burnt the motor to a crisp. As noticed within the casing, most of the yellow "padding" was burnt. While Bonaire insists that it was inpossible for us to have gotten 2 "lemon motors" that sure enough that was the case for us, we've had the worst luck this year as a whole. We endured nearly a month of scorching heat while trying to get this 7000cfm installed and running but now that it is we are relieved. I would caution that the rubber grommet I mentioned above is throughly checked as part of your start up/ winterizing.
The 2nd person we spoke with at Bonaire was much more pleasant and helpful and we hope that is the customer service we will continue to recieve. We are thrilled at how quiet the evap cooler is inside and that we have only needed to run it on low to maintain and comfortable temp in the house. It is a smidge noisy on our porch compared to our old squirrel cage but that is truly my only complaint now that it is working. **Note when we finally got it running the smell it emitted for the 1st two days was potent and nauseating but disapated after 2 days of running on high and draining/refilling the pan.**
Thanks for the responses!
 
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Old 07-25-17, 03:59 PM
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Glad you got the issue resolved. Thanks for letting us know how you made out.
 
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Old 06-13-18, 09:49 PM
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When there are too many different posters in one thread things become confusing. This thread will remain in our searchable archives. If you have additional questions.... please feel free to start a new thread. Reference this thread if it's helpful.
 
 

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