Enter the square footage of the room, the height of the room, and the number of air exchanges per hour to determine the evaporative cooler CFM.

Evaporative Cooler CFM Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Evaporative Cooler CFM.

CFM = TA * CH * AE / 60 
  • Where CFM is the cubic feet per minute of cooling needed
  • TA is the total area of the room (square feet, ft^2)
  • CH is the ceiling height (ft)
  • AE is the recommended number of air exchanges per hour
    • This is typically roughly 30 exchanges per hour in most cases but can adjusted in the calculator if needed

To calculate the Evaporative Cooler CFM, calculate the total volume of the room, then multiply the volume by the recommended rate of air exchanges.

What is an Evaporative Cooler CFM?

Definition:

An evaporative cooler CFM is the average flow rate of air through an evaporative cooler that is required to cool a room of a given volume.

How to Calculate Evaporative Cooler CFM?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate the Evaporative Cooler CFM.

First, determine the square footage of the room. In this example, the square footage is found to be 150 square feet.

Next, determine the height of the room. This room has ceilings of 8 ft.

Next, determine the number of air exchanges needed per hour. In this case, the recommended number of 30 exchanges per hour is used.

Finally, calculate the Evaporative Cooler CFM using the formula above:

CFM = TA * CH * AE / 60

CFM = 150 * 8 * 30 / 60

CFM = 600 CFM (ft^3/min)