“Valentino came in April, changed the pads and showed me the float valve. The cooler hasn't smelled musty since.”
Teofila M.Start-up, Alameda
Swamp-cooler service in Albuquerque
Start it up in April. Shut it down in October.
We service swamp coolers on Albuquerque roofs and convert them to refrigerated air when you decide it's time. A father, a son and a small crew.
Where is your cooler today?
The calendar
A swamp cooler's year in Albuquerque
Your cooler needs us twice a year. The monsoon tells you the rest.
Start-up visit
Pads, pump, float and water line checked before the first hot week.
Apr
Cooling season
Run it with a window open. Call for a pump that hums or a pad that smells.
May-Sep
Monsoon humidity
When the air turns damp, a swamp cooler cools less. That is the weather, not a fault.
Jul-Sep
Shut-down visit
Drained, cleaned, water off and covered before the first hard freeze.
Oct
Repairs and pad changes
The quiet months are the time for a rusted pan, a new pump or a new frame.
Jan-Mar
Switch to refrigerated air
Quotes any time. Installs fit best before the heat arrives.
Nov-Mar
What we do
Everything a rooftop cooler asks for
Rooftop and window coolers, down-draft and side-draft, and the ducts and vents that go with them.
Start-up
Pads, pump, float, belt and water line checked, and the cooler run before the hot week.
Shut-down and cover
Drained, cleaned and covered so winter doesn't crack the pan or the line.
Pads, pumps and motors
A stained pad, a pump that hums, a belt that squeals: the repairs a cooler needs most.
New and replacement coolers
Set level on the roof or in the window, with the water line and drain done properly.
Ducts and roof jacks
Leaking roof jacks, loose duct runs and grilles that don't open the way they should.
Switch to refrigerated air
A written plan for the roof opening, the ducts, the power and the permit.
How a switch goes
The honest comparison
Swamp cooler or refrigerated air?
Both work in Albuquerque, and we install either. This is how they differ.
| Refrigerated air | Swamp cooler | |
|---|---|---|
| How it cools | Refrigerated airA refrigerant loop moves heat outside and cools the same air again. | Swamp coolerWater evaporates from a wet pad and a fan pushes the cooled air in. |
| Dry days and damp days | Refrigerated airCools the same on dry and damp days. | Swamp coolerDoes its best work when the air is dry. |
| Windows | Refrigerated airWorks with the house closed up. | Swamp coolerNeeds a window or vent open to let air out. |
| Water and power | Refrigerated airNeeds no water line, and draws more power. | Swamp coolerNeeds a water line and drain, and draws less power. |
| Yearly upkeep | Refrigerated airA filter, and a check of the system once a year. | Swamp coolerPads, pump and water line each spring, a drain and cover each fall. |
| Buying and installing | Refrigerated airCosts more to buy and install. | Swamp coolerCosts less to buy and install. |
Who comes to the roof
Two generations on the same roofs
Librado Abeyta has serviced rooftop coolers around Albuquerque for most of his working life. His son Valentino now runs the schedule and the installs, and the two of them still do start-ups side by side.
With Maricela in the office, Aiyana and Cipriano on the crew, and one more pair of hands in the spring, there are six of us. Librado, Valentino and Maricela speak Spanish and English.
A written checklist left with you after every visit
Spanish and English at the door
The same crew from the first call to the October cover
What neighbors write after a visit
“Maricela told me the Saturday before when they would come, and they came. In October they drained it and left a card on the wall with what they did.”
Eusebio T.Shut-down, Tome
“We switched the house to refrigerated air and kept the cooler on the sunroom. They explained which ducts went where before anyone went up on the roof.”
Frida S.Conversion, Mountain View
Sample reviews.
Service area
Roofs from the North Valley to the Rio Grande south of town
The shop is on Edith Boulevard. Start-up routes run by neighborhood, so a street gets its visits in the same week.
Albuquerque
- Albuquerque
- Alameda
- Manzano Mesa
- Ladera Heights
- High Desert
- Volcano Mesa
South Valley
- Atrisco
- Mountain View
- Pajarito
- Los Padillas
Valencia County
- Rio Communities
- Tome
- Jarales
East Mountains
- San Antonito
- Sandia Knolls
We don't go north of Bernalillo or past Belen. If you are beyond those, call a cooling firm near you.
ZIP codes: 87105, 87107, 87109, 87111, 87112, 87120, 87121, 87123
Questions we hear in spring
When should my swamp cooler be started up?
April is the usual month in Albuquerque, before the first hot week. Book early in the month so the pads and pump are checked before you need them.
When should it be shut down?
In October, before the first hard freeze. We drain the pan and the line, clean out the scale and cover the unit.
Why does the cooler cool less in July and August?
A swamp cooler works by evaporation. When monsoon humidity arrives, the air holds less water and the cooling drops. A good pad and a clean pump still help.
Can I keep my cooler and add refrigerated air?
Sometimes. It depends on the ducts and the roof opening. We look at both at the visit and tell you what each path involves.
What does a visit cost?
We write the number at the visit, before any work starts, and you approve it first. How pricing works explains what moves it.
Get on the April start-up route
Tell us your neighborhood and the kind of cooler. We call back with the week we are on your street.