Does an indoor swimming pool cause a room to be "steamed up"?

  • Context: High School 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the effects of an indoor swimming pool on humidity and condensation in a room compared to another room without a pool. Participants explore the relationship between temperature, humidity, and condensation, considering both qualitative assessments and textbook references.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the room with the swimming pool will experience condensation due to higher relative humidity, especially when the outside temperature cools down.
  • Others argue that while the room with the pool may have a heat source and heat sink, it might not produce "steam" but could lead to condensation because of increased humidity.
  • A participant reiterates the initial question, expressing agreement with the reasoning that the pool room would be more humid and thus more likely to condense moisture on cooler surfaces.
  • One post mentions the importance of air lock systems to prevent mold issues, suggesting that humidity control is a significant factor in managing condensation.
  • A later reply references a textbook statement about the partial pressure of water vapor and dew points, questioning whether the room with the pool is indeed the more humid one or not.
  • Another participant clarifies that temperatures below the dew point indicate condensation will occur.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the room with the swimming pool is likely to be more humid, but there is uncertainty regarding the implications of this humidity on condensation compared to the other room. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specific conditions under which condensation will occur.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the effects of humidity and temperature depend on specific details of the situation, such as the efficiency of humidity control and the design of the room. The discussion highlights the complexity of the interactions between temperature, humidity, and condensation without reaching a definitive conclusion.

Maxo
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Let's say we have two rooms in a mansion that have the same temperature. One of these rooms contains an indoor swimming pool. If the temperature outside cools down, will the room with the swimming pool "steam up"? Or will it rather be the other room without pool that does that?

I'm thinking the room with the swimming pool will rather do that, because that room has a high relative humidity and then it will condense on it's windows when they are cool.

How would you reason about this?
 
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The room with the pool will have a ready heat source and heat sink. Of course, eventually the water will reach equilibrium with its surroundings, but during the cool off time, it might take longer for the room with the pool to cool off.

This works in reverse too. In times where the outside is hot, it might take longer for the room with the pool to heat up as well.

There won't be "steam", but there could be some condensation due to the room with the pool being somewhat more humid.

These are just some rough qualitative assessments though. How much these effects matter depend on the details of the situation.
 
Maxo said:
Let's say we have two rooms in a mansion that have the same temperature. One of these rooms contains an indoor swimming pool. If the temperature outside cools down, will the room with the swimming pool "steam up"? Or will it rather be the other room without pool that does that?

I'm thinking the room with the swimming pool will rather do that, because that room has a high relative humidity and then it will condense on it's windows when they are cool.

How would you reason about this?
I would reason it the same as you.

Chet
 
An air lock style door system from the house to the pool area is not uncommon. Another option is a rotary door. To not employ such strategies invites mold problems in the house.
 
The reason that I'm asking is that in my textbook they write the following:

"The air above the swimming pool probably has a greater partial pressure of water vapor (due to inefficient humidity control) and, therefore, a higher dew point than that in the other room. Evidently, the temperature at the inner window-surfaces is below the dew point of the room with the swimming pool but above the dew point in the other room."

And I don't understand, do they mean that the room with the swimming pool is the more steamed up room or the other way around?
 
Temperature below the dew point means condensation.
 

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