Evaporative coolers are still on plenty of roofs around Casa Grande, Coolidge and Eloy, and they leak in a predictable way. The float valve sticks, the pan rusts through, or the supply line to the unit fails. Water then goes straight into the roof structure and down through the ceiling. We go through the whole failure pattern in what a cooler leak does to a ceiling in July.
Because the unit sits directly above the living space, the damage lands on the ceiling drywall and the insulation above it. Wet insulation in an attic running past 140 degrees is the fastest mold growth we see in this county, faster than anything at floor level, so these jobs almost always need mold testing as well.
We open the affected ceiling, take out the soaked insulation, dry the framing and the drywall that stays, and check the wall the water tracked down. Getting the cooler itself fixed is a separate trade and worth doing before the next hot week. If rain is coming through the same roof, that is storm damage cleanup.
Technician insight
Check your cooler pan in April before the season starts, not in June when you switch it on. Every ceiling collapse we attend from a cooler started as a rust hole somebody could have seen in spring.
Evaporative Cooler Leak Cleanup Services We Offer
✓Ceiling Drying and Removal
Sagging and stained ceiling drywall dried or cut back with the cavity opened.
✓Insulation Removal
Saturated attic insulation bagged and removed rather than left to dry in place.
✓Mold Check After Cooler Leaks
Testing around the affected area, because cooler leaks usually run for weeks unnoticed.