Swamp Cooler Question

[xinunix]

Thanks for the advice on options for cooling down the primary in a warmer house. Going to give the swamp cooler a shot. Just got a 18 gallon plastic tub, 6.5 gallon primary bucket fits perfectly. Question I have is how much water to put into the swamp cooler. I have seen suggestions on everything from 6 inches to filling it up to just below the liquid mark in the primary.

Seems that filling it most of the way full which seems to be more like a cool water bath than an evaporative cooler?

Also, do most folks cover theirs or leave them open?

 

[Kungpaodog]

To get any evaporative cooling effect you will need to leave the swamp cooler bucket open so the water can evaporate. I might need to set up one of these this summer, so I too would like to know the ideal water depth. My guess would be that just a few inches to keep the towel/shirt over the carboy wet would be ideal to get the most possible surface are evaporating water.