Balcony Propping...old wives tale or not?

[NewKansasKruiser]

I'm curious as to where it states anything about the AC being affected by the door being propped/bungee'd open. I wonder if this is one of those old tales (true or not?) that has been told on cruise critic for years, so everyone repeats it, but in fact isn't true. I recently had my first balcony room. We did prop the door open and it was marvelous. Our AC worked perfectly (in fact it was the coolest room we've ever had...way cooler than the inside rooms). Our neighbors also propped theirs. I cannot imagine Carnival not having a sign on the door saying "do not prop open due to AC" or something if it was true. They have signs for everything on the ship, so they would do that, IMHO.

[Razor_Poke]

Seems to me that it just makes sense that the AC won't be as efficient with a door propped open. This is the rule at home so I don't know why it would be different on a ship.

 

Unfortunately, you might have been in a good spot in the ducting so that you didn't feel affected. But it may have affected other cabins. I'm not sure how the system works.

 

Do you prop it open for the sounds, fresh air or both?

[hard_eight]

Probably made the interior rooms across the way baking ovens.

[NewKansasKruiser]

Probably made the interior rooms across the way baking ovens.

 

This is exactly why I ask this. The "probably" means you are assuming, but in fact don't know for sure? I've never seen anyone have any real knowledge or a link to prove it. Why would my AC temp in my room affect anyone else? If I am in Holiday Inn, my AC room doesn't affect anyone else. It shouldn't on a cruise either.

[sparks1093]

I hope Chengkp75 comes along soon since his explanation will cover it all.

[NewKansasKruiser]

Seems to me that it just makes sense that the AC won't be as efficient with a door propped open. This is the rule at home so I don't know why it would be different on a ship.

 

Unfortunately, you might have been in a good spot in the ducting so that you didn't feel affected. But it may have affected other cabins. I'm not sure how the system works.

 

Do you prop it open for the sounds, fresh air or both?

 

We had 3 in the room...there was sometimes one on the balcony, two in the room and we could converse that way. Also when I was inside I did it for the sound of the water splashing to come inside. Also the smells to come inside! We also had our "cruise music" inside going and that way we could hear it out on the balcony without blasting our neighbors with it by having it on the balcony.

[sparks1093]

This is exactly why I ask this. The "probably" means you are assuming, but in fact don't know for sure? I've never seen anyone have any real knowledge or a link to prove it. Why would my AC temp in my room affect anyone else? If I am in Holiday Inn, my AC room doesn't affect anyone else. It shouldn't on a cruise either.

 

The AC's in hotels are for the most part stand alone systems. The AC's onboard ship are all interconnected, so what is done in your cabin affects others.

[SEABECK]

There is a red sign by the door that says not to prop door because of ac.

[mrsfuzzmo]

I've been on ships where if you prop your balcony door open the A/C in the cabin shuts down. This is not a wives tale. I've seen it/experienced it many times.

[JVilleGal]

Please please please don't prop the door open! You will mess up the entire system around you and make other cabins miserable.

NOT a Old Wives Tale!

 

 

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[dna529]

Please please please don't prop the door open! You will mess up the entire system around you and make other cabins miserable.

NOT a Old Wives Tale!

 

 

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I second this! I have no proof, but the AC ducts are all interconnected. I have had so many hot inside rooms due to neighbors propping open balcony doors.

 

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[Sweet Dutch Girl]

AC on ships is not an ac unit per room as it is in hotels. It is like the AC in most homes and runs on a central system traveling through duct work to various rooms, hallways, etc. If you prop open a door the duct in your room senses the warm air, and begins to compensate by pouring in more refrigerated air. Hence, all of the other rooms on your system are adversely affected with less air going to everyone else.

 

The doors are self-closing for a very good reason. Both for safety and because conditioned air should not be allowed to escape. And, there are signs at the doors directing you to keep the doors closed.

 

Think about it.....if the ship's engineers were happy with people opening their doors for "outside ventilation" they would have designed ships with operable windows. And they didn't!!

 

I am a let people live person but I would be screaming bloody murder if my neighbor was confiscating my conditioned air. Hope I never travel with anyone who says it isn't a big deal.

[hftmrock]

I'm curious as to where it states anything about the AC being affected by the door being propped/bungee'd open. I wonder if this is one of those old tales (true or not?) that has been told on cruise critic for years, so everyone repeats it, but in fact isn't true. I recently had my first balcony room. We did prop the door open and it was marvelous. Our AC worked perfectly (in fact it was the coolest room we've ever had...way cooler than the inside rooms). Our neighbors also propped theirs. I cannot imagine Carnival not having a sign on the door saying "do not prop open due to AC" or something if it was true. They have signs for everything on the ship, so they would do that, IMHO.

 

 

there is a sign so please dont

[drafterdw]

I'm curious as to where it states anything about the AC being affected by the door being propped/bungee'd open. I wonder if this is one of those old tales (true or not?) that has been told on cruise critic for years, so everyone repeats it, but in fact isn't true. I recently had my first balcony room. We did prop the door open and it was marvelous. Our AC worked perfectly (in fact it was the coolest room we've ever had...way cooler than the inside rooms). Our neighbors also propped theirs. I cannot imagine Carnival not having a sign on the door saying "do not prop open due to AC" or something if it was true. They have signs for everything on the ship, so they would do that, IMHO.

don't know what happened to the sign on your door but I have been in approx. 10 balcony cabins and they all had signs about leaving door open. Last time if the door was opened the AC automatically shut off.

[Gloworm2]

Close the balcony door people. Be a citizen of the world or at least just the ship for the week. Selfishness is destroying everything

 

 

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[hftmrock]

 

carnival Valor

 

 

50 seconds into the video

 

I have a pic but its not uploading

[ray98]

Ask any HVAC person what the effect is when the defined climate controlled area is enlarged to infinity if you don't believe it. You would think common sense would bring you to the same conclusion. What happens at home when you have the AC on during a 90 degree day and raise the windows? The ability of the system to work is severely compromised, it can't keep up due to the volume of air being let in.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I'm curious as to where it states anything about the AC being affected by the door being propped/bungee'd open. I wonder if this is one of those old tales (true or not?) that has been told on cruise critic for years, so everyone repeats it, but in fact isn't true. I recently had my first balcony room. We did prop the door open and it was marvelous. Our AC worked perfectly (in fact it was the coolest room we've ever had...way cooler than the inside rooms). Our neighbors also propped theirs. I cannot imagine Carnival not having a sign on the door saying "do not prop open due to AC" or something if it was true. They have signs for everything on the ship, so they would do that, IMHO.

 

 

Some ships have those signs on the door frame. Others have it in the printed materials in/on the desk.

Others perhaps assume that common sense will prevail.

Chengkp75 (a Chief Engineer) here on CC has often verified the negative impact of propped open balcony doors on the HVAC of neighboring cabins. Try the search feature and you'll soon be an expert on the matter.

 

 

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[lazydayz]

The newer ships have programs to simply cut off your AC if the balcony door is open. Problem solved. But I agree with others. It is a huge waste of power to try to air condition the outside. Not your goal, I am sure, but that is what the once closed AC system will try to do once it is opened. Would you prop open a door to your home when the AC is running?

[Keys2Heaven]

Just curious, do you run your AC at home with all your doors and windows open? Probably not. Same thing on a cruise ship. Don't prop the door open.

 

You want to sleep under the stars and hear the waves....sleep on your balcony.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Our air conditioner never stopped when we prop our door open. We do it a few times each cruise.

 

Love to hear the ocean while lying in bed.

 

I love how everyone on here has an "opinion".

 

Geesh!!!!!

 

 

That's because only some ships have the auto cutoff. Whatever the case, it's a fact (not an opinion) that door propping (w/o the auto cutoff) does negatively impact the HVAC efficiency in neighboring cabins. How causing that can be seen as anything but rude is hard to fathom.

 

 

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[NewKansasKruiser]

Our door did not have a sign that said "if you leave this open, your neighbors won't have AC"...that is what I was asking. We didn't have any inside cabins across from us for a long ways...we were across from elevators/lobby/lido. Our balcony neighbors all propped from what I could see. Our ac didn't run non stop, it was cool in the evening and actually as cool outside (if not cooler) than the inside temps. And to answer some posters questions: I would do what I did on the ship at home..if I want the outside in, I turn the dial down. Very easy solution.

[Shmoo here]

I hope Chengkp75 comes along soon since his explanation will cover it all.

Me, too.

 

However, until that time, I copied a post he made a couple of years ago:

 

All modern cruise ships are designed with many fire safety features to save your life in case there is a fire onboard.

 

One of those features is air pressure.

 

Cruise ship cabins are designed to have a slightly higher air pressure inside the cabin than outside the cabin. If there is a fire outside your cabin, the over-pressure inside will cause smoke and flames to move away from your cabin rather than move into it.

 

This system works great until you or your neighbors open the balcony door.

 

With the balcony door open, the air pressure drops in your cabin. The A/C system is designed to compensate for the lower air pressure by pulling air pressure from your neighbors' cabins into yours. This also pulls the cool air from their cabins into yours. And if your neighbors are smokers, it also pulls their smoke into your cabin.

 

The problem is that with your balcony door open, the A/C system never is able to compensate for the lower pressure. It keeps pulling more and more air from your neighbors, trying to compensate for your cabin. That's when all your neighbors start calling the front desk to complain that their A/C is not working properly.

 

A few cruise lines tried to counteract this problem by installing magnetic switches on the balcony doors.These magnetic switches automatically turned off ventilation to the cabins that left their doors open, making it safer and more comfortable for those smart enough to read and follow the signs on the door asking them to keep it closed.

 

Then some genius found a way to circumvent the system by placing a small magnet near the magnetic switch on the door,making his neighbors uncomfortable and less safe, but ensuring he could leave his balcony door open and have A/C at the same time.

 

The cruise lines gave up and removed the magnetic switches. Now you can leave your door open and ruin your neighbors' cruise without the help of the magnet.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Shmoo here

[NewKansasKruiser]

Me, too.

 

However, until that time, I copied a post he made a couple of years ago:

 

All modern cruise shipsare designed with many fire safety features to save your life in case there isa fire onboard.

 

One of those features is air pressure.

 

Cruise ship cabins are designed to have a slightly higher air pressure insidethe cabin than outside the cabin. If there is a fire outside your cabin, theover-pressure inside will cause smoke and flames to move away from your cabinrather than move into it.

 

This system works great until you or your neighbors open the balcony door.

 

With the balcony door open, the air pressure drops in your cabin. The A/C system isdesigned to compensate for the lower air pressure by pulling air pressure fromyour neighbors' cabins into yours. This also pulls the cool air from theircabins into yours. And if your neighbors are smokers, it also pulls their smokeinto your cabin.

 

The problem is that with your balconydoor open, the A/C system never is able to compensate for the lowerpressure. It keeps pulling more and more air from your neighbors, trying tocompensate for your cabin. That's when all your neighbors start calling thefront desk to complain that their A/C is not working properly.

 

A few cruise lines tried to counteract this problem by installing magneticswitches on the balcony doors.These magnetic switches automatically turned off ventilation to the cabins thatleft their doors open, making itsafer and more comfortable for those smart enough to read and follow the signson the door asking them to keepit closed.

 

Then some genius found a way to circumvent the system by placing a small magnetnear the magnetic switch on the door,making his neighbors uncomfortable and less safe, but ensuring he could leavehis balcony door open and have A/C at the same time.

 

The cruise lines gave up and removed the magnetic switches. Now you can leaveyour door open and ruin your neighbors' cruisewithout the help of the magnet.

 

Thank you for posting that!

[E@syPe@zy]

Our door did not have a sign that said "if you leave this open, your neighbors won't have AC"...that is what I was asking.

If it had said that, would you have not propped your door open?? What did it say on the door??

Our balcony neighbors all propped from what I could see. .

How in the world could you see that? If your neighbors were all sitting or standing on the balcony railing, would you do that too??? Someone else doing something doesn't make it okay for you or them.

And to answer some posters questions: I would do what I did on the ship at home..if I want the outside in, I turn the dial down. Very easy solution.

Someone else must pay your electric bills...because I couldn't afford to run the AC with my doors open.

Just go out and sit on your balcony with the door closed. And try to be a courteous cruiser...it makes for a much nicer cruise for all.