Air Cooler Buying Guide for India 2024

Air Coolers are the best option in between a Fan and an Air Conditioner because of the basic requirement fulfilment of both the gadgets, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. Unlike ACs that circulate the same air into the room, air coolers circulate fresh air by drawing hot air from the outdoors and cooling it down. Furthermore, the circulated air is filtered, moist, and is easy to breathe.

Air coolers are pocket-friendly investments in comparison to their expensive alternatives, like ACs. Moreover, ACs use harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) while air coolers use the natural process of evaporative cooling which produces no carbon emissions, making them an environmentally friendly alternative.

On average, an air cooler uses up to 10 times less energy than a conventional air conditioning unit, promising a substantial reduction in your monthly electricity bills. Additionally, they do not demand professional installation and operate as fixed units. Finally, air coolers are easily portable which means they can be moved from one room to another with ease.

All said and done, breeze through our Air Cooler Buying Guide so that you are well aware of this machine and can pick the best one suited. To help you choose, here are the Top 10 Air Coolers under 10000 in India 2024!

Enthusiasts often search for portable air coolers, but there is no such type as all the types mentioned below have attached castor wheels which help move the cooler in different rooms of a home.

A Desert Air Cooler can cool large rooms (upto 500 sq ft) due to higher capacity and performance. Moreover, they do not require multiple water refilling in a day due to larger tanks (50-90 Litres). Besides, they give more effective cooling with integrated cooling pads.

Desert air coolers also provide fast & better air circulation via huge fans (3-5 blades)! These are the costliest air coolers of them all. People living in extreme hot & dry regions prefer this air cooler type. It is also recommended for outdoor cooling.

As the name suggests, a Tower Air Cooler is Ideal for restricted (small) spaces due to tall and thin design. It can cool medium to large sized rooms. It Integrates premium technology with the cooling pads. Besides, it provides air circulation via fans or blowers (to reduce air cooler size). Tower air coolers can be used as portable air coolers very well, thanks to its slim & light nature.

A Personal Air Cooler is best suited to cool small rooms (upto 150 sq ft) and for people living in humid regions of India. It can also cool medium-sized rooms with less people. These consume lesser energy and are quieter. Moreover, it cools for multiple hours, despite a smaller water tank (15-35 Litres). However, if you use it for the whole day then many water refilling sessions will be required. Personal Air Coolers provide air circulation via large blowers so you don’t get high fan speeds here.

Window Air Coolers can cool small to medium-sized rooms with its 40-60 Litres water tank capacity. They consume less energy and are quieter comparatively. These are installed in windows (similar to Window ACs), thus the name Window air cooler. However, they take a lot of window space (more than 50%) which is the reason why people today don’t prefer it. Also, the fact that it cannot be used as a portable air cooler because most use this type across all their home rooms.

Air coolers use a slightly evolved technique of evaporative cooling. They have a simple air cooling process which is no less effective than modern refrigerated air-conditioning technologies. Air coolers make use of a simple air moving system that pulls fresh air from the outside and drives it through the wet cooling pads. The evaporation of water (water vapour) in these cooling pads brings down the temperature of the air, which is then blown out by the fan.

A small cooler in a larger space might not deliver sufficient cooling, whereas a large cooler in a small space may produce excessive humidity. Thus, Air Cooler Capacity and Room Size should match for a good experience.

Personal air coolers are advisable for small to medium rooms, while Tower and Desert Air Coolers can cool medium to large rooms. Make a note that the numbers mentioned below are ideal so practically the room size covered will be lesser. It also depends on the number of people in the room!

The CFM denotes the amount of air cycled into your room each minute. CFM is calculated by multiplying the room size with height, and then dividing it into half.

Cooling Pads amplify the cooling capacity and longevity of an Air Cooler. They are attached to the sides of the cooler, thereby further cooling the air passing through. These are best at retaining water for a long period of time.

There are 2 types of cooling pads available for an air cooler namely Honeycomb and Aspen/Wood Wool. You will find 2-4 sided (4-sided ones cover the front, back, left, and right side) cooling pads in the best air coolers in India. More the cooling pads, the better the cooling.

The Honeycomb cooling pad is composed of cellulose and designed like a honeycomb. It has Lower maintenance costs, Extremely efficient cooling, and is Highly durable. Moreover, its water retention capacity is higher than Wood Wool which is why most of the best air cooler brands prefer it.

Wood Wool cooling pads are composed of synthetic fibres from wood shavings. These are not preferred in today’s air coolers due to Higher maintenance costs, Medium cooling effect, and lower water retention comparatively. However, its Pricing is less which is why many non-branded air coolers still use it.

The water pump or motor is an essential part of an air cooler because it is responsible for keeping the entire cooling process alive. Almost 50% air coolers are destroyed due to failure of pump. Brands like Bajaj, Symphony, Crompton, and some others come with a high grade insulation on the pump so they can tackle moisture formed on it which in-turn increases life of the cooler. Some top air cooler brands also give 1-2 year warranty on motor.   

Inverter Air Coolers conserve more power and improve energy efficiency (consume up to 50% less energy than non-inverter Air Coolers). These are Integrated with inverter technology, thus Ideal for homes with power outages. Moreover, they protect the cooler components and ensure Long term savings on electricity bills.

Most of the best air coolers come with castor wheels which help in portability across all the rooms in your home so you can use it in your required room. It also becomes easier to clean under the Air Cooler. You can also remove castor wheels (in some models) if you want to fix the air cooler at a desired location, but it is not recommended as portability if required will be a huge hassle since some are heavy.

Some air coolers use simple plastic castors that cannot be used for an extended period, particularly if the air coolers are to be moved quite often. Thus, coolers with heavy-duty castors made of thick rubber and sturdy metal materials are preferable if you want to use it as a portable air cooler.

The Ice Chamber stores ice cubes in the Air Cooler. It helps the Water in the storage tank to remain chilled for a period of time. Thus, Cooling effect is greater. Simply put ice cubes from your fridge into the ice chamber for it to start working. It is great for giving an air conditioner-like fresh & superior cooling. The ice chamber is mostly at the top/bottom of an air cooler.

It Indicates the level of water in the tank which is very useful in scheduling tank refills. Since you can see the water level, you can turn off the cooling mode when there is no/low water which in-turn will prevent motor damage. Make a note, do not use the air cooler in Cooling Mode without water as it decreases the life span of its motor/water pump.

An automatic water level controller allows the cooler to maintain an optimal water level for usage, thus preventing overflow and leakage. This feature is seen in a few costly air coolers.

The cooler’s fan speed is easily adjustable, based on the user’s cooling preferences. There are usually 3 speed controls in low, medium, and high or 1 speed, 2 speed, and 3 speed level.

It is used for switching between fan mode and cooling mode. Fan Mode only uses fan while Cooling Mode uses both Fan and Water Pump for cooling. This knob also helps in switching off the air cooler.

There are air coolers available with touch screen control buttons instead of traditional knobs for easy & effective controlling. They include on/off, speed, mode, swing, turbo cool, and timer controls.

A Remote Control not only allows the user to operate the cooler from a distance, but also significantly improves accessibility and easy usage. Remote Control air coolers are not that popular because they increase the cost without any worthy usage (less controls).

The latest Air Coolers are equipped with Auto Mode, which allows the cooler to control the settings automatically based on the ambient temperature and humidity. However, air coolers with this feature are costly so most budget buyers don’t go with them as they can buy an AC by shelling out some more! Some innovative coolers also offer three different air modes, such as normal mode (regular air | more cooling), sleeping mode (low noise | medium cooling), and natural mode (fresh air | less cooling).

Air Coolers with a remote mostly come with the Timer feature. You can set your desired time at which the cooler will shut down automatically. It is useful for people with low usage and especially during night sleep.

Water Tank Capacity in Home Air Coolers range from 15-100 Litres. Personal air coolers have a water tank capacity of 15-35 Litres while Tower and Desert air coolers have 20-50 and 50-100 Litres capacity respectively. More the capacity, lesser times you will have to do the water refills. On an average, Desert air coolers work with cooling for around 8 hrs with a full tank! Besides, most personal air coolers require water refilling every 1-2 hours.

Airflow is measured in CFM as seen earlier above. Higher the CFM, more the Airflow. The airflow of an air cooler also depends on whether it uses a blower or a fan. Fans can create airflow with low pressure but in large volumes so are usually used in big air coolers. Blowers on the other hand, can create high pressure airflow at low volumes, which is why they are used in smaller models.

The fan and its blade profile are essential parts of an air cooler. It makes a big difference because a nice-looking cooler might not even perform well if it is unable to throw good air. The profile of fan blades achieves longer air throw, which means that coolers with high-angled fan blades are capable of delivering cool air to longer distances, leading to a greater area being cooled.

Most air coolers come with automatic vertical left/right swing and manual horizontal up/down swinging flaps. High-end models have both swings automatic. These help circulate cool air throughout the room.

One of the major reasons why people don’t prefer buying air coolers is because they take up space and don’t go well with the aesthetics of the room. These days, manufacturers have models with sleek and stylish designs. Tower air coolers are currently one of the most trending variants in the market. They take up less floor space but are still powerful enough to be used in big rooms.

Energy Efficient air coolers will not only work well but also help you in savings on your electricity bills especially during Summers. Top air cooler brands such as Havells, Symphony, Bajaj, Crompton, Kenstar, Blue Star, and more use energy efficient machines! These also have a long life if maintained well. Unlike Air Conditioners, air coolers don’t have a 2-5 star BEE rating so it is best to go for top brands.

An air cooler can be fitted with either an axial fan or a centrifugal fan. The centrifugal fan is drum-shaped and usually quieter, but it uses more power for cooling and is costlier than the axial fan. The axial fan, on the other hand, is less expensive and consumes less energy, but it is a lot noisier than the centrifugal fan.

The Garden hose connector allows you to attach a standard hose to the air cooler for a continuous water supply while it is in use. After the tank is full, the cooler automatically stops the water intake. This will save you time and energy by not requiring you to manually pour water into the water tank. This autofill feature is not available in all air cooler brands so check beforehand.

High-end air coolers include an anti-mosquito breeding feature (Cymbopogon extract), which is highly useful for avoiding mosquito breeding within the water tank. It is not that useful because air coolers without this feature have hardly experienced any mosquito breeding.

A dust filter in an air cooler removes contaminants such as dust, micro-organisms, anti-bacteria, and many other air pollutants that are drawn in from the outside. Thus, helps keep the cool air fresh without any allergens.

Some high-end models come with a Low/No water alarm so that you know if it needs refilling else the pump can be damaged in time if it runs without water.

Shutoff dampers are flaps in the discharge of fans that reduce the loss of cooling from the cooler. They are also present in the duct which opens when the fan starts and closes when the fan is put off. They also help prevent air pollutants from entering the air cooler when not in use.

Most top air cooler brands give a 1 year warranty. You can buy an extended 1-2 years warranty by paying some extra charges. Some brands such as Bajaj, Crompton, and Symphony also give 1-2 years warranty on the water pump.

You will find good branded air coolers in the price range of ₹5000-₹10000. Moreover, personal, tower, desert, and window air coolers are available in this price range. Above ₹15,000 are high-end air coolers with touch screen panels, wifi connect, voice assistant, remote control, auto mode, and more features.

On the drawbacks front, air coolers are not effective in high humid areas and areas closer to coastal places. This is because air coolers release water in the surrounding air and cools the atmosphere. In the high humid atmosphere air cannot take extra water and hence it won't cool down much. However, there are few air coolers with the Humidity Control feature. Besides, if there is water shortage in your area then making an air cooler work will be tough as it needs continuous water supply.

The windows of the room or door should be open to make the air cooler function correctly. If you close all the doors and windows then humidity in the air increases and the air cooler stops functioning.

The best place to keep your air cooler is right in front of the window. The hotter the air, the faster the evaporation, and the fan blows the cooler air. It is also essential to create ventilation in the room to keep the moisture out. To do this, you need to open the windows/door in the room.

Air Coolers are the best alternatives to costly ACs and saving on monthly electricity bills. Also, what differentiates them is the fact that they can be ported anywhere in the home. Therefore, use this air cooler buying guide and set-off for your new cooling machine this Summer!

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