The other night someone said 'i wonder if we put a pot of water in, if it will boil.' Tonight we will know! The thermometer in the sauna has gone all the way to 110c+ (230f+) while we use it, which is of course above boiling point of water. I put in an all metal pot, uncovered, with about an inch and a half on the little shelf. Will it boil?? The sauna is currently heating and will probably break 100c in 60-70 minutes, I'll report back. Here is the setup:
Ambient temperature isn't enough to cause water to boil, especially in a sauna. Pressure raises in a sauna because of the vapor being released into a well insulated, sealed room. This causes the amount of pressure exerted on the the water to increase; thus, increasing the boiling point even higher. While it might not seem like it, the pot acts as an insulator to a degree as well. You would need to get quite a bit hotter than 100C in there to boil the water.
Yes. it's not the temperature, but the energy transfer that makes the water boil. Air is inefficient at transferring it's energy to the water (low thermal conductivity), so the water stays at 100°C using only the energy transfer that made those little tiny bubbles (which is probably just gasses coming out of solution in the water), and by non-boiling evaporation of the surface water into the air. Edit: This is also how YOU are able to survive in that environment.
Gotta be careful with temps that high, hate for you to end up like those sweat lodge people! aranoid:
