swamp coolers and pony storage

[kellyponyfeathers]

So I've been living in Las Vegas for the last year, but my agency is sending me to Salt Lake City for a temporary assignment.  It'll be at least 6 months, maybe a year.  So I'm getting ready to move, AGAIN.  grooooooaaaaaan  I can't afford to keep my current rental while I'm not living there, so I'm getting ready to put most of my stuff, many ponies and other toys included, into storage.  I'm getting an apartment in Salt Lake City and taking a U-Haul trailer of basic furniture with me.  I'm going to try to take my more valuable nirvanas with me rather than leaving them in storage, but it will depend on how much room I have in the trailer.

Summer temperatures here are around 115 F for about 3 months straight, so climate controlled storage is a must.  (I know plastic degrades rapidly at high temperatures, and ponies become discolored.)  A friend who had a bad experience in the past advised me to look for a storage company that's fairly new, so the cooling system is less likely to break down.  That seemed like good advice, and she also pointed out that if it does break down, it will probably still be under warranty so the owners will fix it quickly, rather than wait because they have to pay out of pocket.

There's a new storage company just down the street that I have my eye on; it's less than a year old.  They have a unit available in the middle of the facility, where it's coolest in summer, well away from outside walls that get hot in the strong sun.  The employees say it stays in the 80s there in summer, and that sounds acceptable to me.  And the managers live on site and seem to have their act together; I felt comfortable with them.

My question is about their cooling system, which is a swamp cooler, not an air conditioner.  I was wondering if anyone here has experience with storing ponies in a space with a swamp cooler system.  I'm from the Midwest, and I'd never even heard of a swamp cooler before; I don't think it's used there very often.  But apparently it's a system that cools by circulating cold water through pipes, and it's fairly common  around here.  I guess I just want to know if it's effective at keeping the high temperatures down.

I was also wondering if humidity would be a problem.  I don't think it sends out a mist or anything, but I'm not positive; I'll ask the employees.  My first thought was that a system that pumps cold water through pipes might increase the humidity, which is also bad for pony storage.  But then I thought, "Kelly, this is Vegas.  The air here is so dry to begin with, that even if the cooling system does increase the humidity a little, it would probably just bring the humidity levels up to something near what would be considered normal in other parts of the country."

So what do you guys think?  Does anyone have experience with swamp coolers and pony storage?  Thanks!! 

[lunar_scythe]

We have a swamp cooler, and the humidity can get fairly high, especially if the area is kept closed up.  I don't think its high enough to cause damage though, its nowwhere near as humid as it gets in the south.  But then again, we run ours as little as possible, and they probably leave theirs on all the time... I would also avoid completely sealed containers, vinyl doesn't like it!  Standing ponies upright in a way that allows air to flow around them would be the best way to do it; maybe poke holes in the bottom of those shallow under bed shoe storage totes?
Or, if you will be storing dressers,  stand the ponies upright in the drawers, so they arent touching?
Another option would be to gwt some of those anti humidity things to put in with the ponies, the ones for basements? But I don't know if that would work, without anyone checking on them for so long.

[kellyponyfeathers]

Thanks for the response!!

I was able to confirm that the swamp cooler system doesn't spray water mist or anything. I didn't think so, but wanted to be sure. I think it'll be OK. Like I said, it's so dry here in Vegas to begin with, I don't think humidity will really be an issue. And they also said that their system has fans to circulate air around and between the storage units.

So I think it'll be fine, but are there any other comments?

[Leave a Whisper]

swamp coolers are awesome. they keep your electricity bills down and make you freeze your butt off even in the heat of summer. unfortunately they can cause mildew and can be  expensive to replace.

[Stormness_1]

Honestly, if you're in Vegas, a little humidity can only be a good thing. I used to live in outback Australia, and my ponies were developing cancer and mould-related issues in the dry heat. I moved a few hours east to the coast, where it's MUCH more humid, and the issues stopped completely, and some marks have even faded!

[Leave a Whisper]

Just don't leave them close to it and your ponies should be okay.

[Foxtale]

I've never heard of Swamp Cooler before... learned something new today.

My suggestion is always pack with silica packs in the boxes just in case. Good luck!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I hate the way swamp coolers smell because yes, they are giant factories of mildew and mold.