A friend has a Mastercool ADA5112 evaporative cooler. Water dripping down from the top of the pads hits the plastic strip at the bottom and splashes out of the front of the cooler. This is not a major problem, but I can't believe that cooler is designed to function that way. (It's enough of a splash to leave a mineral deposits on the outside of the cooler along the bottom front. How to fix it?

I don't see a way to tilt the pads back so the water won't have free path to fall. Adjusting the flow of the pump or getting a smaller pump is another thought, but I hate to use solutions that require sensitive adjustments. They are liable to get disturbed every winter when the cooler is "mothballed".