Ahhh...dry air in the desert

Well, I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen, but I have refrigerated air!!! Some may wonder what other kind there is, so bear with me for a moment.

Swamp coolers were a wonderful invention for areas with dry climates. By pulling outside air through wet filters, it blows cool air into the house. This is great as long as there is no existing moisture in the air being pulled through. Swamp coolers are used by many houses in the SW, but in Albuquerque, our hottest month of the year happens to be the month of our monsoons. Need I say more???

So about 2 months ago, I started researching the cost of swamp cooler-refrigerated air conversion. I almost passed out when I got my first quote. Would you believe that the 4 quotes I got covered an $8,000 span????? We went with Roto Rooter and have been very pleased...I think Steve from Roto Rooter considers me a close family member for as many times as we have spoken throughout this process! So, sounds simple right? Ha!

Steve came out, gave me a quote, and we hired him. He came out to do the service, and found that my house was built with only 50 units of electricity...the average house runs on 100. As a side note, this may explain why I can't run my dishwasher while making a pot of coffee!! So, he tells me that we have to start with PNM to see about adding another 50 units to my house. OK, so what's so bad about that?? 1. PNM has a normal response time of 3 weeks. 2. If all the units in the transformer are being used, we have to purchase a new transformer (avg $7,000). Once we purchase this transformer, everyone else in the neighborhood can use it for free in the future. Arghhhh...

Well, Steve pulled through and put our issue in PNM's emergency inbox, thanks to a connection he has "on the inside"! Who would have thought that I would be as anxious to hear back from PNM as I was to hear about being accepted into my Master's program...ok, that may be stretching it, but you get the idea. Finally, we get the word...we are good to go with the original transformer!

So, the next step...get the electrician out here. "I'm sorry ma'am, we're booked for 2 weeks." OK, breathe Kristin..."How about the 26th?". The electricians show up, tear apart my laundry room (and don't put it back the way they found it...I'm down a cabinet until I install a new one), and put a brand new silver box on the outside of my house.

Steve came by this morning (after the electricians, who I made come back to clean up their mess) and hooked everything up. So, the verdict...

It was totally worth the wait, and finished in perfect time...monsoons start next week, and we're supposed to hit record heat too.

So, I'm gonna lay back and sip some iced tea with my feet up and that guy from my class fanning me with palm leaves, and...oh wait, I have a paper to write. Well, atleast I'll be comfortable!