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Swamp Cooler Pulley Replacement

  
  
  

swamp cooler pulleyA swamp cooler is basically a box with some simple mechanical parts inside. When a part breaks, it is pretty easy to replace it. That’s what makes a swamp cooler so easy on the budget. You don’t have to buy a $1200 compressor…you can buy a $5 pulley instead.

Replacing a pulley is a matter of removing the belt, working the pulley free of the shaft and replacing it.

Unplug the swamp cooler and manually rotate the pulley. As you do, goose the belt off of it. Once you get the belt started, it should easily come off of the pulley as you rotate it around.

The pulley will be held to the shaft by a bolt or setscrew. Loosen this and the pulley should pull off of the shaft. This often isn’t as easy as it sounds. Inside the swamp cooler is a science experiment in corrosion. You will see deposits and probably rust in a variety of places. You may need to tap the pulley a few times to move it to off of the shaft.

Take the pulley with you and get a replacement. You will notice that on the shaft is a flat side. This is where the bolt or setscrew tightens to it. So make sure that when you replace the pulley that the setscrew aligns with the flat side of the shaft and tighten it. Place the pulley on the shaft and make sure it is in the same plane as the mating pulley. One pulley will be on the motor and the other to the squirrel cage (blower). Make sure they are aligned with each other or the belt will have the tendency to jump off of the pulley.

Place the belt on the pulley and rotate the pulley while pushing the belt onto it. You should tension the belt and then turn on the motor and check to make sure the belt doesn’t have any play in it.

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