Joho the Blog
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I'd suggest your cold water is colder in the winter than it is in the summer.

Dave, you're not as dumb as I am.

I thought this was one of those "If Train A leaves Baltimore at 11AM..." questions.

But the cold water being colder answer is more logical, captain.

I am in the same boat (tub?), only my lever is reversed: In the Winter, I prefer the 10 o'clock position, and in the Summer I prefer the 12-1 o'clock positions.

Thanks for making me think...We now return you to your regularly scheduled coma.

smp

Cold water is colder in winter. Therefore, a greater proportion of cold water is required in summer.

Stephen, yup. You've explained Dave's answer more fully.

It's not far fetched that you actually do like a colder shower in the summer though. I do.

In the winter you are chilled so you want to step into a hot shower. In the summer you are warmer, so you don't want to make your self even hotter so you cool the shower down a bit.

Though I also agree with the more scientific explanation.

Don't forget some people may have their boiler temperature higher in the winter for the benefit of hotter, more effective radiators, which may consequently require more cold water in a winter shower than a summer one.

* * *

Which coffee cup, A or B, stays hotter longer?

A) Instant coffee, sugar, hot water, stir, milk
B) Milk, instant coffee, sugar, stir, hot water

In both cases Milk 4C, Water 96C

Funny, I amuse myself with that all of the time. It is very noticeable in the house we've been in since 2001, because it takes very little cold to reduce the hot (which doesn't arrive with the same pressure for some reason) and it takes less cold in the winter than in the summer, of course.

There is another effect, though I haven't studied it too carefully. The ambient humidity and temperature in the bathroom are different in the summer than winter too, and I notice that. I don't notice whether that changes my preferred temperature, though I think there is some desire to shower cooler in the summer.

Although this one didn't trip me up, I am amazed at the number of things that I do the hard way until I see someone else do it in a simple -- and obvious -- way. None come to mind, but I do feel the duffus when one of those shows up.

I have to agree with the general sentiment that in the winter the cold water is colder.

I'm just amazed that the dial difference is so large. All the dial-type shower controls I've used have a "sweet spot" of about one minute that go from cold to HOT.

With respect to the coffee cups, there should be no difference at the end of the last operation. Basic mixing rules and heat capacities should give you the temperature at the end of the last operation, and then some fun thermodynamics will give you the cooling profile.

Higher temperature gradient in cup-A results in greater heat loss from water. Cup-B stays hotter longer.