Underwater question

[_V1qY]

Since water has a higher specific latent heat than air; if 2 identical houses were built, one on land, one underwater: would the underwater house require less money to be spent on insulation?

- Theoretically speaking.

 

[BORTZ]

yes but you would have to spend money on other things. While you solve one problem you create a multitide more.

 

[Xuphor]

Since water has a higher specific latent heat than air; if 2 identical houses were built, one on land, one underwater: would the underwater house require less money to be spent on insulation?

- Theoretically speaking.

As Bortz said, theoretically yes, you'd spend way less on insulation, but you'd spend a ton of money on things that the above water house wouldn't need, these expensive things are some things that would need to be heavily altered or replaced altogether for underwater use (some of which I'm not even sure how):


1 - Every door and window being air-tight
2 - A way to constantly get fresh air into the house
NOTE: Just the two things above would significantly outweigh the cost of likely the entire above water house by itself.
3 - Electricity
4 - Plumbing - particularly toilets, they rely on a water weight balance to flush properly
5 - (after electricity works) All wireless things that would transmit outside the house (4G/3G, Dish/DirectTV/Cell Phones/etc)
6 - Water pressure buildup on the outside of the house
7 - Glass that can withstand shark/large fish directly ramming them
8 - Foundation problems, big time

There's more I'm sure, that I can't think of. Why did I make this list of faults with a hypothetical idea?
I'm really, really, really, really, really, really bored. I'm being entirely accurate though.

 

[BORTZ]

Actually you solve tons of your problems if you just build your house into the side of a hill or something. Earth will insulate your house, and you dont have to worry about all the nonsense you would have to if you were, say, underwater. fresh air isnt a problem if even PART of your place could be above ground. Sharks/water build up/ foundation problems would be non existant.

 

[Xuphor]

Actually you solve tons of your problems if you just build your house into the side of a hill or something. Earth will insulate your house, and you dont have to worry about all the nonsense you would have to if you were, say, underwater. fresh air isnt a problem if even PART of your place could be above ground. Sharks/water build up/ foundation problems would be non existant.

Actually, getting a stable foundation in the side of a cliff is extremely expensive. Gotta make sure the foundation is stable without screwing up the stability of the cliff and crushing the house, you know?

 

[PolloDiablo]

this is like: oh, I have an idea! If I cut my legs... I dont have to buy shoes anymore!!

 

[Walker D]

this is like: oh, I have an idea! If I cut my legs... I dont have to buy shoes anymore!!

But I want to live in a underwater house too

 

[FAST6191]

http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2009/01/PRISM_3_sst_FEBLG.jpg
And it gets far worse with depth though probably not in the place you would build your house http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/ocean/images/thermocline.jpg

Assuming you want to keep your house above ambient (personally I quite like temperatures of near freezing or 11C in my house but most usually sit somewhere around 20)... time for physics

Latent heat is not such a problem as thermal capacity and given the Second law of thermodynamics you change from "heating the great outdoors" to "heating the sea" which is a considerably more energy intensive process.
Couple that with heat transmission into liquid being somewhat easier than heat transfer into gas or vacuum you are looking a large heating bill or serious insulation in most places.

 

[chavosaur]

Anybody else think Bioshock after they read this?

 

[pyromaniac123]

Anybody else think Bioshock after they read this?

I was thinking more of spongebob for some reason.

 

[BORTZ]

I was thinking more of spongebob for some reason.

Im i going down the wrong trail? Im thinking "Life Aquatic"

 

[Snailface]

If the temperature of the sea varies as much as air in this example (which isn't specified), then the underwater insulation cost would be higher to maintain room temperature.

 

[Deleted member 319809]

One of the most necessary things for a human is to breathe in air, which contains oxygen, and to breathe out air which contains more carbon dioxide than the input. If you have no way to get new oxygen back into your house, you're dead.

You would need a two-way pump that acts as an intermediary between your house and the sea, and would:
a) Separate the water into hydrogen (waste output) and oxygen, and pump the oxygen into the house.
b) Take your exhaled carbon dioxide and pump it out of the house.

Or just live with enough plants. But there's a problem with that. Plants need light to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen via photosynthesis. Underwater, if you're deep enough under sea level, there is very little light.

My opinion? Leave underwater houses to Spongebob.

 

[Walker D]

You would need a two-way pump that acts as an intermediary between your house and the sea, and would:
a) Separate the water into hydrogen (waste output) and oxygen, and pump the oxygen into the house.

Imagine now that a unpretentious captain is chilling out with his boat ...he goes over your house.. ..then he decides to smoke a bit to relax..

Spoiler

 

[Deleted member 319809]

Imagine now that a unpretentious captain is chilling out with his boat ...he goes over your house.. ..then he decides to smoke a bit to relax..

Spoiler

Looks like every underwater house solution has its problems

 

[Ericthegreat]

Since water has a higher specific latent heat than air; if 2 identical houses were built, one on land, one underwater: would the underwater house require less money to be spent on insulation?

- Theoretically speaking.

Isnt there a underwater hotel in dubai or somthing?

 

[orcid]

If the water outside the house is colder than the temperature you want in your house, you will need good insulation, too. With a bad insulation it will probably cost you even more to heat your underwaterhouse because you will need more energy to heat the surrounding of the house.
The only advantage of the water is that you will have a more stable temperature outside the house. Because of this you could spend less on insulation in certain areas of the world.

 

[BORTZ]

I wonder if you could get some high insulated glass so you wouldnt have to sacrifice the view for stable temperatures.