Swamp Cooler Floater

I have an older model swamp cooler hooked to the outside of the house. Because of my fathers passing this is my first year to set it up and get it ready. I have it figured out for the most part, but I am stuck on where to hook up the float device. My mother thinks it goes on the water line to somehow turn the water off when it gets to full. I believe it screws to the side of the cooler and in essence lets the excess water drip out when it is over full. Neither one of us are sure we are right, and I can't find anything online to tell me. If it does somehow hook up to the waterline going into the cooler, how and where? If it doesn't where does it go and how does it work? Please help! We are sweating to death!

 

The purpose of the swamp cooler float (not floater) is to control automatic filling of the cooler with water. It should be installed so that the float is inside the cooler. A water line from an outdoor spigot (usually), or sometimes from an inside valve (usually only rooftop installs) is connected to the fitting that protrudes outside the cooler when the float is mounted. When adjusted (by bending the rod between the float and valve) the water level in the cooler should be about 3 inches (you should see signs of the previous water level in the cooler).

Before filling the cooler, make sure to paint the pan with cooler coat (a thick 'paint' that is mostly tar) to protect the pan from rusting (or slow down the rate of existing rust).

Check the website http://easycoolercare.com/ for all the details on how to maintain your cooler (they have a book of the instructions for about $6 available at Samons in Albuquerque and probably at the website itself).

Tom