SWITCHES AND WIRING

 

If you have a window mounted, side-discharge unit, simply plug it into the wall, connect the water line outside the home, and use the panel mounted switches to operate your swamper.  No other wiring is needed.

Residential wiring is uncomplicated and straight forward, however, if you are uncomfortable working with electricity, contact someone who has had experience in this area.

If you are installing a roof mounted unit, you will need controls conveniently located within the home, and a multi-conductor cable running from the control switch up to the unit on the roof.  For a two-speed motor, five conductors will be required; for a single-speed unit, only four conductors are needed.

Below is a typical six-position manual switch for a roof mounted unit.  The blue-vertical line represents the wall where the control switch is mounted.  Three conductors from the circuit breaker panel are on the left of the diagram, wiring to the unit on the roof is on the right side of the diagram.

The colors indicated on the left are required by US electrical codes.  The colors on the right may vary, and are used only for identification.  As long as you know where each wire is going, you will have no trouble.

The green wire never carries electricity and is provided as a safety "path to ground" to reduce the chances of shock and injury.  The white wire is common and carries no electricity when the control switch is in the off position.  When the control switch is in one of five other positions, circuits are energized as needed by completing the circuit to the black (hot) wire coming from the circuit breaker panel.  In this six position rotary switch, the choices are:

Fan only allows you to circulate outside air through the home when evaporative cooling is not needed, perhaps in spring or fall.  Fan with pump cools the outside air before bringing it into the home.  Pump only allows you to pre-wet the cooler pads before turning on the fan.  Off, turns off all systems when not needed.

If you have a single speed motor, you will need only four wires from the switch to the unit on the roof.  LO speed will not be used.

Manual, rotary switches are available from your hardware store or home improvement center for about $7 and can be installed by anyone with common tools.  Turn off the power at the circuit breaker panel before installing or changing the wiring!

Manual switches have the advantage of being inexpensive and reliable.  The disadvantage is the home owner has to go to the control switch several times each day, to turn the swamper on or off as needed, depending upon the inside temperature.

Evaporative CoolingAutomatic Thermostats