Support

Roadrunner Comfort Support

Ever get to that place where you’ve had enough of technology? We do, too! So we’ve gone to great lengths to make the Roadrunner Comfort as intuitive to use as possible. But sometimes you need a little help. We’ve tried to put it all here online for you, but also welcome your contact.

Features

The color touchscreen works like the one on your phone, making operating your cooler familiar and easy to use. Screens are sorted by function, and colors used to help guide quicker recognition of control functions and differentiate screens.

Thoughtful use of color and simple controls makes using the Roadrunner Comfort a no-brainer. The main operating screen has big buttons for WARMER and COOLER, and an easy-to-read display of the current temperature setting. The ON- and OFF- TIME setting screens have big, easy to use rollers for changing hours, minutes, and AM/PM. The SET CLOCK screen, which you will need to visit if you have no Wifi, uses the same design, but with inertia on the minutes roller so you can give it a swipe and watch it spin on its own.

The Roadrunner Comfort uses a sensor clipped to your air vent to measure the incoming air temperature. It uses that measurement to vary the pump operation and control the wetness of the cooling pads. By doing this it can achieve a near-constant temperature on the incoming air, mostly within +/- 1 degree Fahrenheit. The Roadrunner Comfort is the ONLY evaporative cooler controller with Active Temperature Controlâ„¢.

More about Active Temperature Controlâ„¢

Touch control of fan on/off, fan hi/lo, and pump on/off.

Depiction of Option screen displayDepiction of Set Turn On Time screen displayIt’s easy to set times for your cooler to automatically turn ON and OFF. Just tap the blue Option ‘button’ and then select ON or OFF time. You’ll come to a screen with swipe up/down rollers to set hours, minutes, and AM/PM. To disable the ON or OFF time, just tap Clear and you’ll be returned to the Options screen with the selected time (ON or OFF) disabled.

Pause turns off the fan and pump right away, and sets a countdown timer for when it will return to automatic operation (“Auto”). It defaults to 10 minutes, but you can add 10 minutes at a time with each touch of the “+10 min” button. Cancel returns you to automatic operation (“Auto” screen).

Once you’ve connected it to your home Wifi network, the Roadrunner Comfort controller will check every morning between 1 & 5 AM to see if there is an updated version of its software. This means that it will always stay up to date with the latest features and the best possible performance and security.

Depiction of Setup screen display, horizontal modeDepiction of Setup screen displayThe Setup screen includes a control for switching between horizontal and vertical display orientation. This makes it compatible with virtually every swamp cooler control installation.

Sensor battery life expectancy is 5+ years.

  An early low battery warning gives you plenty of time to acquire a replacement so you can enjoy uninterrupted cooling.

Made in New Mexico where evaporative cooling is ubiquitous.  Enclosures are 3D printed of compostable PLA plastic, and the electronics are hand-assembled and tested. We do extended life testing and extensive quality testing to make sure that every unit performs as our customers expect and deserve. If there is a problem with your Roadrunner Comfort, we are here for you.

Install & Setup

  • For safety, it’s best to turn off power to your swamp cooler at your home’s breaker panel.
  • Remove the previous controller (if any) by removing mounting screws. Be sure to identify the 5 needed connections: ground (ACN), power (ACL), pump, low fan and high fan.
  • Mount the new single- or double-wide wall plate, making sure that the round holes in the tab are towards the bottom (see drawings). Be sure to feed all wires (NOT those from the new controller) through the central opening in the wall plate, as shown in the photo.
  • Use the wire nuts provided to attach controller wires to the wall wiring. The back side of the Controller has a label showing the wire color code. The orange wire nut is for the ground wire (ACN), which may have more than one wire connection.
  • Attach the power (ACL) wire last. When power is restored from your breaker box, the unit should power up immediately.

Remove the two screws that are partially fastened at the controller bottom.

The controller has tabs (1) at the top that hook onto the wall plate (2).

Inserting the controller into the wall plate, top first.

Engage these first, then swing the controller down into place.

Insert the two screws at the bottom.

When the controller first powers up, it displays this message:

If you do NOT have a home wifi network connected to the internet, select “NO”, and you will be taken to a “Set Clock” screen to set the time of day. This is necessary for proper operation. NOTE: if there is a power failure or you reset the controller, you will again need to set the clock.

If you DO have a wifi internet connection, select “YES”.

Enter your network name, then tap

Password entry works just the same, except only the most recent character entered shows on the screen, for your protection. 

ONLY NEEDED for (unusual) horizontal installations.

Select  orDepiction of Off screen Option buttonthen

On the Setup screen, select  Display

 In the popup,  select YES to complete the rotation.

 

 

The sensor is designed to clip to a fin on most air vents. It should be located as close as possible to the controller, but should work over a distance of 30 feet or more.

If this clip does NOT attach securely to your air vent, please contact support@roadrunnercontrol.com for alternatives.

When your controller starts up, it will display this message:

 

Depiction of Off screen display

Choose YES if you have a Wifi network, and enter your wifi name and password on the subsequent screens. [TIP: use the included stylus to enter text and numbers, it’s easier] When you’re finished, you will be taken to the OFF screen.

If you have NO wifi, select NO. The Set Clock screen will appear, and you must set the clock to the correct time of day in order for the Roadrunner Comfort to operate properly. With no Wifi, you will have to set the clock again after every power failure.Depiction of Set Clock screen display

From the OFF screen, select Auto to start cooling, then use Warmer and Cooler to adjust your set temperature. Select Option to set scheduled turn-on and turn-off times.

 

The default temperature units is Fahrenheit. For Celsius, go to Option > Setup and then touch UNITS at the upper right to switch to Celsius.

Operation

You can program the controller to automatically turn on in the morning and off in the evening, or at any other times. Here’s how:

Select 

select   or   

The TimeON and TimeOFF setting screens use familiar roller-type controls.

To set the time, just swipe up or down on hours, minutes, and AM/PM, then select  .

To disable the TimeON or TimeOFF, just select    or  , and you will be returned to the OPTION screen.

Select    or    to toggle the fan speed between high and low.

Button text indicates the current fan setting, high or low.

To control your cooler’s pump and fan separately:

From the OFF screen, select MANUAL.

Your Roadrunner Comfort controller should have arrived already paired with your sensor, but in case you ever need to re-pair them, here’s how:

          1. Make sure the Sensor is working:
            • Press and hold (for several seconds) the small tab/button on the sensor until an internal blue light flashes. It may take a couple of tries.
            • If the blue light will not flash after several tries, your sensor battery may need replacement. If you replace the battery, be careful about battery polarity, inserting the battery upside down WILL damage the sensor.
          2. If needed, unpair the controller:
  1. Return the controller to AUTO operation. It will scan for the sensor, and a popup will ask for your approval when it has found it. Just select “YES” and you’re done.

Resetting the controller is the first thing to try if there’s a problem. It will NOT erase any of your settings.

The reset button is located on the side of the controller, and appears as shown here.

Just give it a press until you see the screen blank and the controller restart.

2024 Version

The sensor battery lasts for years but will eventually need changing.

The battery type is CR2477. These are available at Amazon.com and elsewhere. If you cannot locate a place to purchase one, please contact us and we will sell you one from our inventory.

To replace the battery:

1. Pry open the sensor housing, then remove the circuit board.

 

 

2. Slide the battery out of its holder.

 

 

 

3. Slide in a new battery BEING VERY CAREFUL with orientation. The + side goes AWAY from the circuit board.

 

 

 

3. Replace sensor element into housing, it only fits one way. Then snap the lid back on.

General Questions

Active Temperature Controlâ„¢ maintains the temperature of the air coming out of your cooler by controlling the wetness of the cooling pads. To do this, it samples the temperature of the incoming air, then compares the temperature to your set temperature. It also determines whether the temperature is rising or falling. Based on this information, it may choose to not run the pump at all, or to run it for 1-55 seconds before fetching the next sample 60 seconds later.

Learn more

When set to Auto, it reads the temperature once a minute.

When the Set Temperature is changed, it will recheck the temperature within about 5 seconds.

While reading the temperature, it displays the message “Scanning” in small text in the upper left of the screen.

The sensor battery should last at least 5 years.

The controller will display a flashing alert when the battery gets low, and an audible beep once a minute when it is about to die.

The Roadrunner Comfort is warranted to be free from defects for two full years. For any failure not due to external electrical disturbance, invasion by fluid, temperature extremes, or other external cause, Nangeroni Design will repair or provide a replacement at our discretion. Nangeroni Design is not responsible for any damages beyond the unit itself due to any cause, including incorrect installation, improper usage, or defects with the evaporative cooler being controlled.

Returns for full refund will be accepted within 30 days of purchase date.

Absolutely. Components are sourced worldwide, but enclosures are 3D printed and electronics are assembled in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.

Issues

The display goes black after no touch for a minute or two to save power and avoid unwanted illumination.

Any touch will turn the display back ON.

Fan Switching On and Off

After turning on, the fan may cycle on and off for 15-20 minutes as the system stabilizes. This is normal and can also happen overnight and in the morning when the controller is set to “Auto”.

Why?

The fan turns on when the sensor temperature exceeds your Set Temperature. If the outdoor air is cooler, the fan runs briefly, stops until the sensor warms up, then starts again, repeating this cycle. In the evening, as outdoor temperatures fall below your Set Temperature, a similar cycling occurs.

When the outdoor temperature is higher than your Set Temperature, the fan mostly runs continuously.

If your cooler is behaving in some way not explained by the above, please contact us and we will help you resolve your problem.

To avoid nighttime fan cycling, set the “OFF time” to turn the unit off at night, and the “ON time” to turn it on again in the morning. However, doing so means that your home may warm significantly overnight as heat radiates inwards from walls warmed up during the day.

 

The Roadrunner Comfort contains a powerful computer, and sometimes it just needs a reboot. The Reset (reboot) button is located on the lower right side.

If a Reset doesn’t fix your problem, please contact us. We’ll get back to you, sometimes within minutes, sometimes longer, depending on how busy we are. We will generally get back to you the same day, and will help you solve your problem.

 

The Roadrunner Comfort uses your home Wifi network to go online once a day to fetch the time of day, correcting any drift in its internal clock. If you do not have Wifi and internet service, you may lose your clock setting if there is a power failure or when you reset the controller. When this happens, you MUST set the clock in order for AUTO operation to function properly.

When there is no Wifi and your controller loses its time setting, you will see this:

Select SET CLOCK, then you will see the Set Clock screen which looks like this:

Slide touch up and down to change the settings, then touch .