How to Wire a Swamp Cooler (6-Step Guide)

When it comes to cooling and moisturizing your living area swamp coolers stand out among all other options but wiring setup can be difficult for some.

The mechanism of the cooler is simple and efficient: the surrounding air is sucked into the swamp cooler where it is cooled down through evaporation; the air is then released back into the environment. Most swamp coolers are similar, and the wiring is conventional. But you do need to know how to wire them to electric panels for them to work properly. 

I have been an electrician and offered Evaporative Cooler Services for over 15 years so I know a few tricks. The services include cooler installation and repair of broken motors, belt replacement, and many other related tasks. In this guide, I will teach you how to install your swamp cooler for free(you can pay me later :)).

Quick Summary: Wiring a swamp cooler to an electric panel is not hard. First, turn off the main power supply and check the local requirements such as the manufacturer’s guidelines and wire harness. If you are clear, thread a Romex cable from the cooler to the circuit breakers. The next thing is removing the insulation cover of the Romex cable to about 6 inches on both ends. Now attach the black and the white wires to the cooler at their respective positions, splice and secure the connections with wire caps or tape. Proceed to install the circuit breaker of correct amperage on the electric panel. Lastly, link the breaker and the bus bar with the connection wires. Restore the power and test your swamp cooler.

Follow the below-mentioned detailed steps to wire your swamp cooler and a circuit breaker to your electric panel.

Step 1: Check Local Requirements

Familiarize yourself with the basic knowledge and requirements for wiring electrical devices. You may need to mount a residual electrical device to guarantee the safety of the cooler’s operation. Also, go through the manufacturer’s guidelines. (1)

Some companies only permit professionals to install or repair the device due to warranty issues. So, be certain of the pertinent requirements of the company before you begin wiring the swamp cooler. (2)

Step 2: Run Romex Cable

Grab the Romex wire and thread it from the cooler’s electric makeup box to the electric breakers. You may need to remove the hole blank in the panel with a screwdriver and/or pliers. Next, plug in the box connector (in the hole) and secure the nuts firmly with the pliers.

Step 3: Strip off the Insulation

Use a wire stripper to remove 6 inches of the insulation coating on both ends of the Romex cable. Lay the cable ends in the box connector and tighten the cable clamp to set the cable.

Step 4: Connect Wires to the Cooler

Now strip about ½ inch of the insulation coating of the black and the white wires of the swamp’s electric box, and use the pliers.

Go ahead and attach the black wire of the cable to the black wire of the swamp cooler. Twist them together and insert them into the wire cap or a plastic nut. Repeat the same procedure for the white wires. If the terminals of the wires are not sufficiently big for twisting, strip the insulation layer to about ½ inch before you splice them together.

At this juncture, link the ground wire to the grounding screw on the cooler’s electric box. Use the screwdriver to tighten the connection.

Step 5: Install the Circuit Breaker

Ensure that the amps rating of the circuit breaker corresponds to that of the swamp cooler. You may check the manufacturer’s instructions for your swamp cooler.  Mount the breaker on the electric panel. Always ensure that the breaker is switched off before you insert it into the bus bar.

Step 6: Connect Wires to the Circuit Breaker and the Bus Bar

To connect the circuit breaker and the cables, proceed as follows:

• Check at the back of the electric panel and locate the ground wires.
• Next, attach the ground connection to those wires.
• Connect the black cable to a respective terminal on the circuit breaker. Tighten the connection to secure it.
• You can now turn the breaker on and test the swamp cooler. 

Take a look at some of our related articles below.

• How to cap off electrical wires
• Can I connect red and black wires together
• How to connect ground wires together

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References
(1) manufacturer’s guidelines – https://www.reference.com/business-finance/important-follow-manufacturer-instructions-c9238339a2515f49
(2) professionals – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lets-talk-what-professional-today-linkedin