Beat the heat in your garage with the best garage evaporative cooler!
Looking for energy-efficient cooling for your garage? Well, if you are in the western states of the US, you could opt for a garage evaporative cooler – evaporative coolers consume much less power than AC’s. If you are interested, then read on to find a few suggestions and buying tips for garage swamp coolers.
Table of Contents
Best Garage Evaporative Cooler Comparison
Image | Brand & Model | Airflow | Coverage Area |
---|---|---|---|
Hessaire MC37A | 3,100 CFM | 950 sq. ft. | |
Hessaire MC18M | 1,300 CFM | 500 sq. ft. | |
Hessaire MC92V | 11,000 CFM | 3,000 sq. ft. | |
Portacool Cyclone 120 | 2,000 CFM | 500 sq. ft. | |
Portacool Cyclone 110 | 1,000 CFM | 300 sq. ft. | |
Honeywell CO610PM | 2,100 CFM | 850 sq. ft. | |
Honeywell TC50PEU | 588 CFM | 342 sq. ft. | |
SPT SF-614P | 294 CFM | 175 sq. ft. |
What Would the Ideal Garage Evaporative Cooler Be?
In our opinion, the right garage swamp cooler should:
- Be not very noisy since you will likely be working very close to it.
- Be not very bulky not to take up precious working space.
- Have sufficient cooling capacity to cover the desired garage area. Some coolers can cover the entire garage, while others can only do spot cooling.
One thing to note with portable swamp coolers is that you will need to keep your garage door open to supply them with air to cool.
This need to have the garage door open implies some safety issues. If you aren’t willing to deal with these, then you could opt for a window evaporative cooler instead. However, window swamp coolers require a window for installation, and they also obviously don’t have the portability of portable coolers.
8 Best Garage Evaporative Coolers You Can Buy in 2024
Hessaire MC37A – Best Evaporative Cooler for Garage
Key Features
- 950 sq. ft. maximum coverage area
- 3,100 CFM airflow
- Max noise at 59 dB
- 10.3 gallons water tank capacity
- Timer
- Adjustable and oscillating louvers
- ETL certified
Boasting 3,100 CFM and 950 square feet coverage, Hessaire MC37A is one of the more capable garage swamp coolers on our list.
Not only that, but it’s among the most convenient and functional units reviewed – with 3 fan speed settings, cooling timer, adjustable/oscillating louvers, and electronic controls, MC37A is versatile and is likely to meet your cooling needs.
The MC37A swamp cooler also has a large 10.3-gallon water reservoir, which should be enough to keep your garage cool during the day with few refills. Additionally, this cooler has a hose hookup, so you could enjoy endless cooling if you have a garden hose and a water source nearby.
Notably, the MC37A swamp cooler is pretty quiet as well – just 59 dB. This isn’t the quietest on this roundup, but we think it’s rather quiet for the capacity of this evaporative cooler.
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
The MC37A garage swamp cooler is perhaps the most convenient cooler on this top thanks to its air direction and timer controls. MC37A’s 3,100CFM airflow is the second-best here as well, so this evaporative cooler is a great option for larger garages.
And best of all, MC37A isn’t even that expensive!
Hessaire MC18M – Made for Family-Sized Garages
Key Features
- 500 sq. ft. max coverage area
- 1,300 CFM airflow
- Max noise at 53.4 dB
- 4.8 gallons water tank capacity
- Adjustable louvers
- ETL certified
The Hessaire MC18M evaporative cooler is a portable cooler with pretty decent capacity.
With 1,300 CFM airflow and 500 square feet coverage, it’s a good option for small garages or spot cooling in larger ones. Weighing just 16 pounds, MC18M is very light as well, and it even has a top handle to make carrying easier.
In terms of functionality, MC18M is inferior to MC37A – out of all the features MC37A had, MC18M only retains the adjustable louvers, and it has only 2 fan speeds as well. The water tank capacity here is at only 4.8 gallons as well, though you could instead opt for the hose connection if you want fewer refills.
Where MC18M has an edge over its larger counterpart is noise level – at just 53.4 dB, this swamp cooler is one of the quietest models on this list. Apart from that, this swamp cooler is inexpensive, so it’s a decent choice for those on a limited budget.
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
If you need excellent portability, this swamp cooler is a great unit to consider thanks to its lightness and the convenient carrying handle. Hessaire MC18M is a very pocket-friendly cooler as well, so it’s a nice option if your budget is very tight.
Hessaire MC92V – Best for Commercial Garage
Key Features
- 3,000 sq. ft. max coverage area
- 11,000 CFM airflow
- Max noise at 63.4 dB
- 32.8 gallons water tank capacity
- Oscillating louvers
- ETL certified
The Hessaire MC92V swamp cooler is one of the safest on this roundup. This is thanks to the integrated GFCI safety plug that will shut down the unit in the event of power faults, e.g. in the case of water spillage. With evaporative coolers, water spillage may be a risk, so GFCI protection is a welcome feature.
Apart from that, MC92V is the most high-performance swamp cooler among the ones reviewed – its airflow is 11,000CFM, while the coverage is a whopping 3,000 square feet. The water reservoir here is sized at 32.8 gallons as well, which should allow this unit to keep going without frequent refills.
Interestingly, the cooling pads in MC92V are washable as well, so you shouldn’t need to replace them too frequently. What also adds convenience to this cooler is the oscillating louvers and 3 speed settings.
But unlike the previous two swamp coolers, MC92V is pretty loud – 63.4 dB. It’s much more expensive as well – in fact, as of this post’s writing, it was the most expensive swamp cooler on this top.
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
The highlight of MC92V to us is its GFCI protection – with it, you should stay safe in your garage even in the event of water spillage. And, of course, the cooling capacity of this unit is excellent as well – if you have a really huge garage, then look no further.
Portacool Cyclone 120 – Best in its 500 sq. ft. Range
Key Features
- 500 sq. ft. max coverage area
- 2,000 CFM airflow
- 10 gallons water tank capacity
- Adjustable louvers
- ETL certified
Like Hessaire MC18M, Portacool Cyclone 120 (Model PACCY120GA1) is advertised for 500 square feet areas. However, with its 2,000CFM airflow (700 more than in MC18M), this evaporative cooler should deliver a stronger breeze and quicker cooling.
The water reservoir in Cyclone 120 is sized at 10 gallons as well (more than double of MC18M’s capacity), so it will need much less frequent refills. And you again have a continuous fill option via the integrated hose hookup.
We’d also expect Cyclone 120 to be much more heavy-duty than Hessaire MC18M. Cyclone 120 costs a few times more than MC18M and seems to have a sturdy build that should take quite the beating.
On the other hand, weighing 61 pounds and having no carrying handles, Cyclone 120 is less portable than Hessaire MC18M. Plus, the spec sheet of Cyclone 120 says that it doesn’t have auto overheating protection (which MC18M does have), though it does have low-water shutoff.
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
Portacool Cyclone 120 is an alternative to MC18M coverage-wise, but it offers much higher cooling capacity and higher convenience thanks to the larger fuel tank. It’s pricier and higher-quality as well, which makes it a better unit for heavy use.
Portacool Cyclone 110 – Your Compact Choice
Key Features
- 300 sq. ft. max coverage area
- 1,000 CFM airflow
- 8 gallons water tank capacity
- Adjustable louvers
- ETL certified
Portacool Cyclone 110 (Model PACCY110GA1) has the same basic features as Cyclone 120 but in a more compact package. With 1,000 CFM airflow and 300 square feet coverage, Cyclone 110 is a better suit for smaller garages or spot cooling.
Although the cooling capacity in Cyclone 110 is half of that in Cyclone 120, its water tank is only 2 gallons smaller, so you won’t have to refill it very often throughout the day. And like previous swamp coolers on this list, Cyclone 110 also has a hose hookup for continuous water supply.
Cyclone 110 is smaller and lighter than Cyclone 120 as well – it weighs 50 pounds and is sized at 35 x 20 x 19.5 inches (Cyclone 120 is 31.5 x 24 x 25 inches).
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
Cyclone 110 is a small yet powerful swamp cooler. For the advertised 300 square feet coverage, expect it to deliver quick cooling. Apart from that, as a non-budget swamp cooler, Cyclone 110 offers solid build quality and durability – similar to Cyclone 120.
Honeywell CO610PM – Best of Honeywell’s Cooler
Key Features
- 850 sq. ft. max coverage area
- 2100 CFM airflow
- Ice compartment
- Max noise at 65 dB
- 14 gallons water tank capcity
- Oscillating and adjustable louvers
Honeywell’s CO610PM swamp cooler is the only model on our list that has an ice compartment.
Once you load CO610PM with ice, it will bring garage temperatures down quicker. This is a pretty nice feature to have if you don’t want to wait until your garage gets comfortably cool. However, you will need to make ice yourself to make use of the ice cooling.
The CO610PM is also very nice coverage-wise. With 2,100 CFM airflow, it is advertised to cover up to 850 square feet areas. To allow you to do fewer refills, this unit has a large 14-gallon tank as well, and it also has a hose intake for continuous water filling.
What we dislike about CO610PM is that it’s quite noisy – up to 65 dB. This makes it even noisier than the 11,000 CFM Hessaire MC92V, which was at up to 63.4 dB.
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
The highlight of Honeywell CO610PM has to be its ice-assisted cooling feature. With that, if you want your garage to be cooled quickly, this swamp cooler may be the best choice on this top. Besides, this cooler will work well with large garages.
Honeywell TC50PEU – For Small Garages
Key Features
- 342 sq. ft. max coverage area
- 588 CFM airflow
- 12.5 gallons water tank capacity
- Remote control
- Oscillating and adjustable louvers
The Honeywell TC50PEU evaporative cooler has the second smallest footprint among the reviewed coolers. TC50PEU is only 15.9 inches wide and deep, so it occupies very little floor space. However, it’s 53.6 inches tall, so it will need some headroom.
As a compact swamp cooler, TC50PEU doesn’t offer much coverage – only up to 342 square feet. The CFM is also at 588 – the second-lowest on the list.
However, this cooler has a pretty beefy water tank sized at 12.5 gallons. And, of course, you can also supply water via a hose.
Remarkably, unlike all previous swamp coolers on this top, TC50PEU comes with a remote control to make its use a little bit more convenient. Besides, this swamp cooler also comes with a washable dust filter.
Finally, note that Honeywell TC50PEU is a pretty pricey swamp cooler, so you could expect it to serve you for the years to come even with heavy use.
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
We’d say that the number one reason to buy this cooler is its small footprint. If every inch is important to you, then this cooler will save space and allow more freedom in the garage. Thanks to the included remote control, TC50PEU is going to be a pretty convenient swamp cooler as well.
SPT SF-614P – Best for Spot Cooling
Key Features
- 175 sq. ft. mac coverage area
- 294 CFM airflow
- 1.32 gallons water tank capacity
- Remote control and timer
- Oscillating louvers
- ETL certified
Finally, we have SPT SF-614P by Sunpentown, the most inexpensive swamp cooler on our list. It’s likewise the lowest-capacity evaporative cooler among the models reviewed.
The coverage in this swamp cooler is only 175 square feet, and we frankly doubt that there are going to be many people owning garages such small. Due to this, we think that this cooler is suited for spot cooling, though for some people, its capacity will be sufficient for whole-garage cooling.
SF-614P is the most compact swamp cooler on this list as well – it’s sized at just 11 x 11.5 x 27.75 inches (W x D x H). The same goes for weight – at 13.23 pounds, this unit will be very easy to move around.
The capacity of this cooler may be the lowest, but we can’t say the same for functionality. SF-614P has a programmable timer (from 1 to 12 hours), oscillating louvers, and comes with a remote control. This allows for better convenience than with most other coolers on this list.
But one thing to keep in mind with this swamp cooler is that it has no hose hookups – only a 1.32-gallon water tank. This water reservoir should allow you to avoid frequent refills, but it would be nice if SF-614P also had a hose option.
Why buy this garage evaporative cooler?
For very small garages or spot cooling, SF-614P is an ideal evaporative cooler. It’s pretty functional, convenient, and cheap as well, which makes it a great bang for the buck.
How To Choose The Best Garage Evaporative Cooler
Now, to help you choose the right garage evaporative cooler, let’s talk about a few features & specs to consider in them.
CFM
First up, consider CFM (cubic feet per minute), which is a unit of measurement for airflow in coolers and fans. The right CFM will depend on the size of your garage. To keep things simple, you can make use of this size chart:
Garage square footage | CFM |
Up to 250 | 200-750 |
251-500 | 751-2,000 |
501-1,000 | 2,001-4,000 |
1,001-2,000 | 4,001-7,500 |
Over 2,000 | Over 7,500 |
Power efficiency
Next, pay attention to power efficiency. More precisely, consider:
- Wattage.
- Airflow efficiency.
Generally, the lower the wattage, the better because you will be spending less money on cooling. However, swamp coolers with higher CFM will consume more power, so you can’t directly compare the efficiency of different-CFM coolers based on wattage alone.
Here’s where you can make use of airflow efficiency. Manufacturers usually don’t indicate this spec in their product descriptions, but it can give you an idea of how efficient a swamp cooler is.
To calculate airflow efficiency, just divide CFM by wattage. This will give you the number of CFM produced per watt of consumed energy. The higher CFM/W ratio is, the more efficient a cooler will be.
And once you calculate airflow efficiency, you can compare the efficiency of swamp coolers with different CFMs and wattages.
Noise level
As mentioned earlier, you would want your garage swamp cooler to be on the quieter side. However, like with wattage, coolers with high CFM tend to be noisier. So if you want a powerful cooler, you’ll have to tolerate noise.
With that said, if you are torn between two coolers with close CFM, you can compare their noise levels (measured in decibels or dB) directly. If everything else is okay, go for the cooler that has a lower dB rating.
Water supply options
Most swamp coolers out there have two water source options – an integrated water tank and a water hose. However, some swamp coolers may only support one of these.
Which water source would be ideal for you?
Well, water tanks are very convenient if you don’t have access to water in your garage. Besides, swamp coolers with water tanks have more freedom of movement since they aren’t limited by any water hoses.
However, you will need to occasionally refill the tank to keep the cooler going. In this area, water hose connections are much better since they provide you with water continuously.
To determine which water supply option is right for you, answer the following two questions:
- Do you have access to water in your garage?
- Do you need your swamp cooler to be portable?
Once you have answered these questions, you should be able to easily choose the right cooler based on the info given above.
With that said, chances are that you won’t even have to think over anything since most coolers on our list have both water tanks and hose hookups.
Size & weight
When it comes to size, you should determine how much of your garage space you are willing to dedicate to your swamp cooler. Once you know your limits, just choose a cooler that doesn’t exceed them.
As for weight, it would be better if the cooler was lighter – this would allow for easier transportation. However, if you want high CFM, you won’t be getting a light cooler, though you could still go for the lightest cooler at the desired CFM.
Summary
If you are looking to cool your garage, then you are probably spending a lot of time there. With that, please do make an effort to find the right swamp cooler for your workspace.
Most importantly, determine your needs and choose an evaporative cooler that can meet them. But don’t buy more than what’s necessary, or you will be wasting money, cooling capacity, and electricity.