Why does a swamp cooler's aspen fiber pad smell fine when running, but when I turn the water pump off to dry out the pads with the fan, it?

Question

starts having a really bad fishy odor?  I'm OK with the fact that it's bacteria, but I want to know why you only smell it when it's drying out.  Wet = no smell, completely dry = no smell.  In process of drying, it smells.

Dale-E · Accepted Answer

When it starts drying out the warm air encourages the bacteria and fungus to bloom and eat the dust. It is digestion of the dust accumulation that throws off the smell. When the moisture is gone the germs go back to their static seed form.

Why does a swamp cooler's aspen fiber pad smell fine when running, but when I turn the water pump off to dry out the pads with the fan, it?

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