A Texas Girl Wonders: What The Heck is A Swamp Cooler in Colorado?

Moving to Colorado has been an experience, and thank goodness for Youtube, because this Texas girl had no clue what a swamp cooler was.

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Why Doesn't Colorado Have Central Heating and Air? 

Coming from Texas, having central heat and air was an absolute must! Yes, there are older homes that had air conditioning units and wall heaters, but the majority of homes and apartments included central heat and air.

To say I was surprised to come to Grand Junction, Colorado, and find that central heat and air are virtually non-existent is an understatement.

Apparently in Colorado, there just really isn't a "need" for such luxuries, plus with the dry climate, most people opt for a swamp cooler.

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Dry air definitely is NOT a thing in Texas because that is the land of humidity.

What is A Swamp Cooler? 

I think the thing that really threw me off is the name of said "swamp cooler."

When I think Colorado, I do not think of swamps. When I think of swamps, my mind goes straight to Florida.

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However, a swamp cooler is really just another name for an evaporative cooler, which makes so much more sense to me.

How Does A Swamp Cooler Work?

According to Mechanical Technologies, swamp coolers work by, "taking in hot, dry air and using it to evaporate the water from its pads, which then turns into cooler air."

This method reduces the air's temperature by 15 to 40 degrees before it enters the home.

You would NEVER open a window when using central air for fear of letting the cold air escape, but with a swamp cooler, windows are typically, "partially opened to allow warm indoor air to escape as it is replaced by cooler air," according to Energy.gov.

Swamp coolers continuously circulate fresh air into the home, while central air recirculates the same air.

Another benefit of swamp coolers is that they use less energy and cost less to install than a central air conditioner.

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However, swamp coolers only work well in areas with low humidity, which is probably why this Texas girl never heard about them before moving to Colorado.