Learn how an outdoor evaporative air cooler can help you enjoy your patio even on hot summer afternoons. Sponsored by My Home Climate.
This year, my husband and I started a new daily ritual. Around 3:30 in the afternoon, we turn off all electronics in the house, put our phones on the charger, and brew some tea. Then we sit out on the back deck with no phone, no music, just the sunshine and the birds. Sipping on tea. It’s magical. We call it Tech Free Afternoon Tea.
This daily reset time has become something we look forward to all morning, and it’s what gets us through stressful work hours and exhausting renovation projects. We love to sit down together as a couple and just “be.” Sometimes we talk, other times we let the birds do all the talking.
Lately though, it’s been so hot in these East Tennessee summer afternoons that we just can’t bear to be outside. We moved our afternoon tea indoors, but it just didn’t feel the same. So after some brainstorming, we had an idea. Why not bring the air conditioning outside?
The Honeywell Outdoor Evaporative Air Cooler
We chose this Honeywell Outdoor Evaporative Air Cooler from My Home Climate and tracked this bad boy’s delivery every day, literally counting down the hours until it arrived.
It was the perfect choice for us because it’s not like a fan that just blows the summer’s hot breath on us as the sun blasts down.
This air cooler actually uses water inside to wet a honeycomb filter that turns outside air into moist cool air, just like a car’s air conditioner would. AKA, the perfect solution to get our booties back outside at 3:30.
Did I run out the door when the delivery truck showed up? Unapologetically yes.
Did I already have a box cutter in hand and was tearing into the box before the driver could even get out of the driveway? Most definitely.
Because it was 11:15am and hot as can be already, and I was more than ready to try it out.
I was super impressed with how lightweight it is.
Little 5’4 120lb me had no trouble pulling it out of the box myself.
Nigel offered to help, and I shot him down. I wanted to look big and strong and impress my man. And I did, until he picked it up to take it up the deck stairs… [that’s when the eye rolls came my way]
How The Air Cooler Works
In order to get the cool air flowing, all I had to do was fill the basin with water.
A lot of water.
That photo above with a pitcher turned into me just grabbing the hose. Three refills didn’t even get me to the minimum line, but once I got it nice and full and plugged the cooler in, it started shooting out cold air almost immediately.
And just like that, we had an air conditioner outside.
Outside! Like, how is this even possible?
I’m sitting here in 90 degree weather feeling like I’m on a boat with cool lake air hitting me in the face.
No joke, I sat here for over an hour in front of the air cooler just because I was amazed that this was actually happening.
I guess I’ve been living in oblivious-land. I don’t know why I had never thought about an outdoor air cooler before.
My Honest Opinion: Is An Outdoor Evaporative Air Cooler Worth It?
This Honeywell Outdoor Evaporative Air Cooler is great because it’s got wheels and I can roll it around on the deck for tea time, parties, and family dinners outside.
I’m already planning a little get together soon with our outdoor movie projector for a fun Back To The Future screening for Nigel’s birthday (shhh, don’t tell, it’s a secret!) and I know this will make that evening so much more comfortable.
So after about a week or so of using this air cooler every afternoon, here’s my honest opinion. If you spend a lot of time outside, I definitely recommend this Honeywell Outdoor Evaporative Air Cooler.
The cool air covers about 1037 square feet according to My Home Climate’s website and retains the water really well. We have used it for a week and haven’t even had to refill the tank yet.
It is kind of pricey, so you really need to know that you’re going to use it to make it worth your investment. But for us, since we have tea outside every single day that’s not rainy, having it is almost a necessity.
Air Cooler Storage Tips
I’ve been leaving my Honeywell Outdoor Evaporative Air Cooler outside exclusively and it seems to be fine out there. I do keep it under a chair cover when it’s not in use so it won’t fade or get dirty, and I just roll it to the corner of the deck after tea time is over.
If you’ve got a garage nearby where you’ll use it, you can definitely store yours inside. Our deck is up a flight of steep stairs so that option just doesn’t work for us.
How To Get The Best Deal On An Outdoor Air Cooler
If you’re planning to buy one for your own outdoor space, you can get this outdoor air cooler from My Home Climate where I got got mine, or you can order from Amazon, Walmart, or Home Depot. I recommend checking all four places to see if it’s on sale at any of them and choosing the lowest priced retailer.
But the good thing about buying from My Home Climate is that they have their own dedicated support team based here in the U.S., so if you need tech help they are readily available to you. They also provide a one year limited warranty at no extra cost. So if a few places have the same price, I’d go with My Home Climate just for those two reasons. You can also save 5% on their website using code LELA.
If you’re an outdoorsy family and summer hits your deck hard, check out My Home Climate for this outdoor air cooler along with the other models they have. I can honestly report that it’s the best thing we’ve added to our patio and we’ll use it all summer long. Can’t wait to show you all the projects we have planned for this space!
Disclosure: This is a paid collaboration with My Home Climate, however all opinions are my own. I never share products I haven’t tried and personally love, and I only recommend items I use in my own house.
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