Balcony Sliding Doors

[phillygwm]

I recall reading that one should not keep their sliding door open, at least on newer ships, because it somehow interferes with other cabins' air conditioning.  I'd had mine open on earlier cruises, simply because I didn't know any better (and I don't recall seeing signs to the contrary.)  I found the sound of the waves relaxing and slept like a baby.

 

My question is:  ARE there ships where keeping the slider open won't interfere with others?  I'll be on the Sky in a couple weeks and certainly don't want to cause issues for anyone...but I'd love to keep it open if it won't be problematic.  

[BirdTravels]

Your stateroom. Your door. Your money. Do as you please. 

[Davechipp74]

Yes, keeping your balcony door open in you state room will be frowned upon by many of your immediate neighbors, as by commercial design HVAC air handlers control many rooms in sections. For argument sake lets say you have 60 rooms, they would be controlled by 6 air handlers 1 room leaving their balcony door open will affect that that air handler greatly, thus affecting the other 9 rooms in sync with said air handler. I love the sound of waves slapping against the hull as well there is an app for that which after moments of listening to, you would not notice the difference of real sound or played back audio. Cheers. 

[negn]

Several years ago we left our door open while leaving Antigua.   Was awakened to a bat flying around our room !   No more open doors for us

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, phillygwm said:

My question is:  ARE there ships where keeping the slider open won't interfere with others?  I'll be on the Sky in a couple weeks and certainly don't want to cause issues for anyone...but I'd love to keep it open if it won't be problematic.

No.  There are two AC systems for each cabin.  The one you control with the thermostat, and which shuts off when the balcony door is open, is the same as a window AC in your house.  It only takes the air from the cabin, cools it, and returns it to the cabin.  However, there is a second system, that provides fresh air to the cabins, and which balances out the air removed from the cabin by the bathroom exhaust.  This system will supply air to every cabin on one deck, within a given fire zone (between the doors in the hallways), so maybe 40-60 cabins.  This system is designed to supply slightly more air than the bathroom vent removes, and this keeps the cabin at a slight overpressure compared to the outside, or the hallway, in order to prevent smoke entering the cabin in case of a fire.  When you leave the balcony door open, this is a very large opening, and the system cannot keep up with maintaining the overpressure, as the air flows outside through the doorway.  Basic physics then says that the air flow in the system will take the path of least resistance, and send the majority of the fresh air supplied for the bank of cabins, to the one cabin where the pressure is slightly lower (yours with the door open), and so all the other cabins get less cool fresh air than normal.  To see this in action, open your cabin door to the hallway while the balcony door is open, and hold onto anything light in your cabin, as the wind tunnel will blow it out the balcony door.  This is how I found the balcony door offenders when we would get complaints about warm cabins, just walk down the hallway and listen for the wind screaming under the hallway door.

 

This type of system applies to every cruise ship built within the last 30 years.

Edited July 23, 2022 by chengkp75

[phillygwm]

Duplicate.  System possessed by demons 🙂

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by phillygwm

[phillygwm]

13 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This type of system applies to every cruise ship built within the last 30 years.

 Thanks for the clear, thorough response.  I always find your posts enlightening.  I suppose that also explains the effect when I opened my cabin door with the slider also open 😞

[d9704011]

12 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

No.  There are two AC systems for each cabin.  The one you control with the thermostat, and which shuts off when the balcony door is open, is the same as a window AC in your house.  It only takes the air from the cabin, cools it, and returns it to the cabin.  However, there is a second system, that provides fresh air to the cabins, and which balances out the air removed from the cabin by the bathroom exhaust.  This system will supply air to every cabin on one deck, within a given fire zone (between the doors in the hallways), so maybe 40-60 cabins.  This system is designed to supply slightly more air than the bathroom vent removes, and this keeps the cabin at a slight overpressure compared to the outside, or the hallway, in order to prevent smoke entering the cabin in case of a fire.  When you leave the balcony door open, this is a very large opening, and the system cannot keep up with maintaining the overpressure, as the air flows outside through the doorway.  Basic physics then says that the air flow in the system will take the path of least resistance, and send the majority of the fresh air supplied for the bank of cabins, to the one cabin where the pressure is slightly lower (yours with the door open), and so all the other cabins get less cool fresh air than normal.  To see this in action, open your cabin door to the hallway while the balcony door is open, and hold onto anything light in your cabin, as the wind tunnel will blow it out the balcony door.  This is how I found the balcony door offenders when we would get complaints about warm cabins, just walk down the hallway and listen for the wind screaming under the hallway door.

 

This type of system applies to every cruise ship built within the last 30 years.

For ships such as Celebrity Edge, which is designed to have an open window pretty much the same size as a patio door, doesn't this create problems with the make-up air system?

[phillygwm]

Deleting duplicate

Edited July 23, 2022 by phillygwm

[chengkp75]

1 minute ago, d9704011 said:

For ships such as Celebrity Edge, which is designed to have an open window pretty much the same size as a patio door, doesn't this create problems with the make-up air system?

Those ships have a much more costly and maintenance intensive system for the make-up air.  When the "infinite veranda" is open, the cabin recirculation system is shut off, just like normal balconies, but also a motor damper closes off the make-up air.  The fan for the make-up air system will have a pressure sensor in the ductwork, and a variable speed drive for the fan, so that when enough dampers close, and the supply air pressure rises, the fan will slow down.  Given these additions, and the number of complaints I've read about the overall design of these cabins with regard to the "window" (non-sealing folding doors, no curtains on the folding doors), I don't foresee these types of cabins "spreading" to other lines.

[mianmike]

On 7/23/2022 at 4:38 AM, chengkp75 said:

No.  There are two AC systems for each cabin.  The one you control with the thermostat, and which shuts off when the balcony door is open, is the same as a window AC in your house.  It only takes the air from the cabin, cools it, and returns it to the cabin.  However, there is a second system, that provides fresh air to the cabins, and which balances out the air removed from the cabin by the bathroom exhaust.  This system will supply air to every cabin on one deck, within a given fire zone (between the doors in the hallways), so maybe 40-60 cabins.  This system is designed to supply slightly more air than the bathroom vent removes, and this keeps the cabin at a slight overpressure compared to the outside, or the hallway, in order to prevent smoke entering the cabin in case of a fire.  When you leave the balcony door open, this is a very large opening, and the system cannot keep up with maintaining the overpressure, as the air flows outside through the doorway.  Basic physics then says that the air flow in the system will take the path of least resistance, and send the majority of the fresh air supplied for the bank of cabins, to the one cabin where the pressure is slightly lower (yours with the door open), and so all the other cabins get less cool fresh air than normal.  To see this in action, open your cabin door to the hallway while the balcony door is open, and hold onto anything light in your cabin, as the wind tunnel will blow it out the balcony door.  This is how I found the balcony door offenders when we would get complaints about warm cabins, just walk down the hallway and listen for the wind screaming under the hallway door.

 

This type of system applies to every cruise ship built within the last 30 years.

 

This post should be a pinned post, in fact you should have a "Chief's Cruise Ship Innerworkings" pinned post containing your greatest hits. 

[Homosassa]

On 7/23/2022 at 7:38 AM, chengkp75 said:

No.  There are two AC systems for each cabin.  The one you control with the thermostat, and which shuts off when the balcony door is open, is the same as a window AC in your house.  It only takes the air from the cabin, cools it, and returns it to the cabin.  However, there is a second system, that provides fresh air to the cabins, and which balances out the air removed from the cabin by the bathroom exhaust.  This system will supply air to every cabin on one deck, within a given fire zone (between the doors in the hallways), so maybe 40-60 cabins.  This system is designed to supply slightly more air than the bathroom vent removes, and this keeps the cabin at a slight overpressure compared to the outside, or the hallway, in order to prevent smoke entering the cabin in case of a fire.  When you leave the balcony door open, this is a very large opening, and the system cannot keep up with maintaining the overpressure, as the air flows outside through the doorway.  Basic physics then says that the air flow in the system will take the path of least resistance, and send the majority of the fresh air supplied for the bank of cabins, to the one cabin where the pressure is slightly lower (yours with the door open), and so all the other cabins get less cool fresh air than normal.  To see this in action, open your cabin door to the hallway while the balcony door is open, and hold onto anything light in your cabin, as the wind tunnel will blow it out the balcony door.  This is how I found the balcony door offenders when we would get complaints about warm cabins, just walk down the hallway and listen for the wind screaming under the hallway door.

 

This type of system applies to every cruise ship built within the last 30 years.

Besides the problems with the temperature in surrounding cabins, I posted on the Celebrity board several months ago but the damage in my cabin that was caused by the cabin next door leaving their balcony door open and then allowing the slamming of the open cabin door to the hallway.

 

Chengkp reminded me about pressure difference caused by air (wind) moving along one side of the ship causing the pressure to lower along the opposite side.

 

In short, because of the great pressure changes happening in the cabin next door, the resulting "explosion" flexed our common cabin wall which resulted in three cabinet doors on that wall being knocked askew and one cabinet shelf falling from its mounts.

 

Besides the cabinets, I was concerned about the floor to ceiling length mirrors set in frames that were on the common wall as I watched that wall and mirrors flex toward me at the time of the slam. I was afraid they might come down.

 

According to the ship's  Joiner (guy in charger of cabinet installations and other cabin fixtures on walls) who was immediately sent to the cabin to assess the damage when we reported it ,in addition to the doors and shelf which he immediately fixed, there was also damage to the common wall that he scheduled to repair at turnaround.

 

The balcony door in the next door cabin was permanently locked for the remainder of the cruise (day three for an eleven night cruise). 

 

 

[phillygwm]

3 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

In short, because of the great pressure changes happening in the cabin next door, the resulting "explosion" flexed our common cabin wall which resulted in three cabinet doors on that wall being knocked askew and one cabinet shelf falling from its mounts.

This is why I majored in Finance and not Engineering or Physics 😂

[Homosassa]

1 hour ago, phillygwm said:

This is why I majored in Finance and not Engineering or Physics 😂

Ah, but now you know that besides affecting the temperature of other cabins, there is also a potential of causing damage with pressure differentials  with a balcony door that is left open.

[Cruising Lynne]

On 7/23/2022 at 1:00 AM, BirdTravels said:

Your stateroom. Your door. Your money. Do as you please. 

This is more of a safety issue. Much more than a matter of "Your money. Do as you please". 

 

According to chengkp75: "This system is designed to supply slightly more air than the bathroom vent removes, and this keeps the cabin at a slight overpressure compared to the outside, or the hallway, in order to prevent smoke entering the cabin in case of a fire."

 

Reminds of the movie Backdraft.