A lot of covers were lost and some panels were ripped off. But few, if any, swamp coolers, were apparently blown off Davis County homes or buildings during the major windstorm that roared through northern Utah late Wednesday and early Thursday.
But most air conditioning firm operators contacted in the county by the Deseret News indicated they were surprised that the hurricane-force winds didn't cause more damage to swamp coolers than they did.Some people hadn't correctly installed their cooler covers, and many covers were blown off. At one home the cooler side panels were blown off, but the homeowner retrieved the equipment, said Jean Everts, a secretary at Dick Kearsley Service Center, Clearfield.
Everts said one means of avoiding problems with swamp coolers is properly fitting covers, which should be secured to the cooler like one would tie a package. Also, there seem to be many fewer problems with coolers that are mounted on legs, Everts said.
That doesn't guarantee against problems in 100-mph winds, but it helps a great deal, she noted.
A secretary at a Bountiful firm said four panels were blown off a cooler at the home of one desperate caller.
"Our serviceman has been tightening cooler covers, but he couldn't do it when the wind was so bad," said the secretary.