To replace an aging WhisperCool TF3000, I purchased a Surround early in 2008 from Air & Water, one of two or three Web-only retailers offering the Symphony products in North America at the time.Having acquired AdobeAir in Phoenix, AZ (where I live), their scattered offerings have localized somewhat.Interestingly, AdobeAir Inc. is once again known as IMPCO, the name when founded in 1939 by the Goettl brothers.While not inventing evaporative cooling per se, the brothers brought into being the practical form factor for coolers we recognize as the standard used world wide to cool down the extreme heat of Earth's dry climates.Especially here in the Southwest USA, the Goettls are legendary and now as an Asian company exemplifies the progression of globalization.Find out more at [...].
Back to the cooler...I've owned several portable/mobile coolers over the years and the Surround has the best performance of the bunch.It blows a copious continuous blast of air 17 to 20 degrees F below ambient when humidities are less than 15%.I guestimate its runtime is approaching 3000 hours and has evaporated incalculable thousands of gallons of water.In comparison to the TF3000's draw of 400 watts, on high the Surround draws 80.That I can run it for most of the summer, waiting on the monsoon to use my 3.5 ton rooftop Trane, the Surround has saved me over a $1000.It has held up VERY well, particularly the fan, pump and chassis, considering we have some darned hard water in Arizona.
But living with the Surround hasn't been easy as early on I discovered it was poorly assembled with some sub-standard parts. Disassembly and reassembly is toilsome as two screws are hidden under the trickily fitted control panel (where flimsy wires need careful handling) while some assemblies are held in place by the correct fitting of snap together parts.Until I got the hang of it, three hands were required.And the hang of it I got since opening the Surround has become near-chronic.
It stopped irrigating the "wood wool" pad after about a week of use.I got inside it and discovered metal shavings, plastic sprues and quite a lot of pad debris.Wow.This pretty much clogged things up and a thorough cleaning got the water flowing again.Here I also found a cracked t-fitting for the two irrigation tubes, fixed with a cable tie and aquarium sealant.The padding was sloppily fitted and I tidied that up some.But as time went on the irrigation tubes or humidity valve continued to clog with pad debris.I completely removed the pad and shook vigorously whereupon enough crap fell out to loosely fill a 10 oz. glass.Since then, clogging has diminished but as with any evap cooler, on going cleanup is a necessity.But with the Surround it's more often than not and unnecessarily routine and tedious.However, considering the exceptional performance, the maintenance effort is more than worth it.
Why didn't I return it for an exchange?One, it was highly probable the replacement would have been just as bad.Or worse.Two, had the fixes been beyond my capabilities or unsuccessful, I would have.
And now the nit-picks.The low speed is too high; I could use a slower setting.The casters are better than nothing, but moving a fully filled Surround is tricky on both bare floors and carpeting.On that note, there is no baffling in the tub and water WILL slosh out if you're too abrupt.I found the "humidity control" to be worthless even before the knob broke.The ice door up front is two by one and a half inches - you need to scoop crushed ice with a spoon or jam cubes one at a time.That's ridiculous considering you need a "ton" of ice for about fifteen minutes of three to four degrees cooler air.
The Surround has otherwise convenient features with a pretty and pleasant design.I would like to believe, as a now global enterprise, Symphony has cleaned up its act and quality control has moved beyond... crap.Personally, I would (and probably will) buy another, no questions asked.Even at twice its outstanding price, it is light years ahead of the competition.Right now it's 97 degrees F with 7% humidity and I'm comfy and cool here at my keyboard.
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Symphony Surround Offers EnvironmentallyFriendly CoolingProduct Description: The Surround is unlike other swamp cooler. With 3 sides of air cooling pads, this compact cooler delivers more cool air than any in its size. In fact, this is one of the best midsized coolers and the low cost of usage and eco-friendly design makes it an unbeatable buy.
The Symphony Surround portable swamp cooler triples the cooling pad exposure and fits it into a light, compact unit for convenient portability. This swamp cooler has high levels of air output, a 650 CFM, and the additional option to turn the adjustable water circulation off and use the unit in "fan only" mode. Gets yours today at a special promotional price -
hurry, this deal won't last!Powerful Cooling: With 1100 m3.hr/650 CFM and 1400 RPM, this powerful cooler is one of the strongest evaporative coolers on the market
Energy-Efficient: The Symphony Surround portable evaporative air cooler harnesses the power of evaporation in order to lower temperatures It costs only pennies a day to operate - significantly less than any air conditioner
High-Efficiency Cooling Pads: Triple cooling pads are specially-treated and designed for high performance and maximum water absorption
Fully Portable: Built-in casters make it easy to take the cooling right where you need it - perfect for the living room, kitchen, shop, or garage
Range: Cools up to 15 square meters (150 square feet), with an air throw of 10 meters (33 feet)
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This very expensive, extremely heavy apparatus leaks water uncontrollably. The built in water reservoir is of insufficient size and is one of the most ineffectively engineered designs I have ever seen. It is not only difficult to drain (via a 1 cm. diameter spigot at the back, for which the manufacturersupply a plastic attachable tube and a tray that looks like a mini cookie baking pan) but also requires CONSTANT attention and draining. Also, the spigot, when closed, leaks. We ended up having to plop the entire unit into a large pan at all times so that water didn't leak all over the floor.So much for "evaporative technology."
