Wrong time to ask but I would like to know (house, neighborhood)

[MaddieClaire]

What is a swamp cooler?

[2bindenver]

A Swamp Cooler is also called an Evaprovative Cooler. I works due to low humidity, this form of cooler works efficiently in the dry atmosphere of Colorado. It cools by passing water over pads which cool the air. This air is then circulated through the house. Unlike an refrigerated air conditioning system, you control air flow by slightly opening windows to allow the air to flow out of the house. If it does not operate properly, mold can form.

[MaddieClaire]

Thank you for the explaination

[Warp7]

When my family moved to Denver in 1977, my parents had a new house built. They were talked out of putting in central air by truly well-meaning co-workers of my Dad who had lived there awhile and who were trying to suggest a way to save $$ on the cost of the house. They had the house built without A/C.

We moved into the house on June 15. By June 16, we were all regeretting the decision to omit the A/C. Almost every day in the late spring through the summer, we'd have all the windows open with big fans in them, especially in the bedroom windows at night. Yes, the humidity is low, but it still gets hot and uncomfortable.

I suppose it's a personal preference thing, but I myself would never consider a house that doesn't already have central air, even in Colorado. I want to move back to Denver sometime soon and if and when we do it, my wife and I will only look at new homes or resales with central air. That's just us, but again, I'm speaking from experience.

[Mike Ballard]

There is a new type of "2-stage" cooler on the market that eliminates the traditional limitations of swamp coolers. The OASys evaporative air conditioner cools like A/C but consumes a fraction of the energy while emitting no greenhouse gases. The 2-stage feature also eliminates excess humidity that normally poses problems for asthmatics and allergy sufferers, although it works better on a "pressure basis". For more info: [URL="http://www.OasysAirConditioner.com"]or [URL="http://www.DirectDriveService.com"].

[SummerLovin0480]

I've lived in the Denver area all my life and I've never lived in a house with central air. I live in a 1500 sq foot tri-level right now and we get by with two window AC units, one in the family room and one in the master bedroom. We put them in the windows in mid to late May and take them out in late September or early October, so we use them a little less than half the year. I think central air would be nice, but definitely not a necessity in my opinion.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by SummerLovin0480

I've lived in the Denver area all my life and I've never lived in a house with central air. I live in a 1500 sq foot tri-level right now and we get by with two window AC units, one in the family room and one in the master bedroom. We put them in the windows in mid to late May and take them out in late September or early October, so we use them a little less than half the year. I think central air would be nice, but definitely not a necessity in my opinion.

I think it's a necessity! Having grown up with window units, I think they're horrible. They're loud, ugly, and then you wake up freezing to death! Central air is quiet and you just set a temperature.

[TropicanaRose]

I'm a native of Boulder and have lived there most of my life. I never had any kind of air conditioning at all until about six years ago. We now have a couple of room air conditioners for the upstairs bedrooms. They are not permanent fixtures. They look like little refrigerators and are wheeled. They vent out a window through a plate that fits exactly in the space of the partially opened window.

I can't remember anyone having air conditioning before the 1990s. Now it seems like the majority of folks have it. It does feel like we have longer stretches of hot days in July and August now, and like it doesn't cool off as much at night as it used to. I don't know whether that's true but it's how we justified the air conditioning.

As to whether it's necessary, I think that depends upon the person and the house. Most of the houses I've lived in here in Boulder would not have needed it. Opening up at night and closing up in the morning were plenty for comfortable living.

[Katarina Witt]

The first apt we had in Denver had a swamp cooler. When we bought our first house, a real starter home, it did not have any kind of A/C and we talked of putting in a swamp cooler. However, the installation is trickier than a room A/C, which basically just needs to be plugged in. Some need a 240 v outlet, which can be wired. So anyway, we bought a room A/C for our bedroom. In the house we are in now, we put a room A/C in the kitchen, which with our open floor plan keeps the areas of the house we use (Kitchen, family room, occasional dining room) cool. During one of those majorly hot summers a few years ago, we put in an A/C upstairs in one of the bedrooms, too. It doesn't work as well to cool the whole upstairs, b/c the floor plan isn't as open. We have ceiling fans in all the bedrooms, and the kitchen. I also fouond that when the kids were little and they went to day care when I worked (part time) that the house stayed cool all day when no one was opening and closing doors. But on the days we were all home, it warmed up pretty quickly on a hot day.

Some summers we use the A/C almost every day for a couple months, some summers we hardly ever turn it on. That is why we've never put in central air.

[Noahma]

Originally Posted by BusySocialWorker

lots get by without and we did for a year until we had a baby and to get decent sleep it was a must for us.. DH does HVAC so we built our home without and he installed it the next year...

the reason you will see so many new homes without is because it is an "upgrade" and builders often leave it off to inventory homes at a lower price - it is easy enought to have put in and in all honesty, MUCH less expensive to do on your own through an HVAC contractor, rather then to have a builder put in during construction.

Along with swampies not working as well, they are very unattractive and most HOA's will not allow them (for good reason as far as I'm concerned)

the governor has signed a house bill that would force HOA's to allow alternative energy "green" items, and among them on the list is the evaporative coolers. They cannot say no, but they can dictate the size and location to be installed.

The evaporative coolers work pretty well if sized right. We use ours all of the time. it is less effective at higher temps. but still works.