Does temperature effect balls? rails?

B

BobTfromIL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just got back to my IL house and started to to hits some balls. Each year I notice that when I first return the balls seem "dead". I'm wondering if the temp effects the balls, they have been
in my lower level all winter with the room temp about 55 degrees. They just dont sem to break that well, or could it be the rails? Just curious if anyone notices the same thing.
 
I don't know about temperature but barometric pressure affects both.
 
My table is in the basement and I am up in Wisconsin. If it gets chilly in the basement the cushions seem to slow down. Sometimes I will put an electric heater under the table for a couple hours before playing, it definitely speeds the table up. If I could find a cost effective way I would like to attach some type of heater to the bottom of the slate so I could keep the table at 70-75 degrees with a thermostat.
 
Cool temp will causes the rubber cushions to harden & stiffen up. Not sure how much it would change the balls, but no doubt there's some degree of difference. If you can put a rubber cue bumper in the freezer to cool it down so it can be cut/shaped, then logic dictates table cushions would be no different.
 
Everything effects everything on the play surface....when your first learning the game, it's impossible to be aware minute changes.
 
Island Drive said:
Everything effects everything on the play surface....when your first learning the game, it's impossible to be aware minute changes.
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So true. When I was in Anchorage, I'd match up every Sunday for some straight pool with a buddy. I'd be just catching a gear when the house man would prop the doors open to allow a breeze. The influx of the humid outside air would almost immediately change the table speed, spin, skid, everything. I never before & never since seen such dramatic, sudden changes in the way a table would play. Bastard would do it to me seemingly every Sunday. Sharked the crap outta me.
 
My local pool hall have air conditioning and it's really affect A LOT table speed. Air conditioner have many times issues keep place good balance to temperature. It's because we have so much changing weather here in Finland. Our winter can go -35 or even -40 Celsius and next day it can be zero Celsius.
Air conditioning is worst table speed killer. Especially rails get quite dead. Last summer we had +30 + Celsius more than one month and there was couple days air conditioner did not keep place so cold and tables came a lot faster...
 
When it comes to how the cloth plays, I think humidity has the most significant impact. With high humidity, balls lose speed faster and practically die on the rails. Add to that the issue of your cue sticking to your hand, and playing pool in a NC pool hall with a broken air conditioner during the summer can be a real nightmare. I'm sure it only gets worse as you move down the east coast.
 
Matt said:
When it comes to how the cloth plays, I think humidity has the most significant impact. With high humidity, balls lose speed faster and practically die on the rails. Add to that the issue of your cue sticking to your hand, and playing pool in a NC pool hall with a broken air conditioner during the summer can be a real nightmare. I'm sure it only gets worse as you move down the east coast.
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Try playing below sea level where Texas weather rolls in in the afternoon & then the sun goes down. :wink:
 
qbilder said:
Cool temp will causes the rubber cushions to harden & stiffen up. Not sure how much it would change the balls, but no doubt there's some degree of difference. If you can put a rubber cue bumper in the freezer to cool it down so it can be cut/shaped, then logic dictates table cushions would be no different.
Click to expand...

You can drive a warm golf ball farther than a cold golf ball....
...pool balls are affected the same way....to a lesser degree.

A cold table can play quite a bit slower than a warm table.
...A room I used to play at in the 80s would turn their heat off in the winter.....
...some of us regulars followed him in at 9:00 in the morning one winter's day.
...it was COLD.
I got one of the gamblers to a table farthest from the front and gave him 5 tries to hit 9
rails for $50.....he lost $300.

...now we're back at the front counter, I bought him a coffee and put my hand on the front
table....it was up to room temperature because the kitchen was firing up also.
....so I took 5 tries to hit 9 rails and won another $300....:happydance:

He said the coffee was pretty good, but not worth $600. :cool:

The tables were 6x12 Anniversaries, BTW....easier to hit 9 rails on a snooker table
 
pt109 said:
You can drive a warm golf ball farther than a cold golf ball....
...pool balls are affected the same way....to a lesser degree.

A cold table can play quite a bit slower than a warm table.
...A room I used to play at in the 80s would turn their heat off in the winter.....
...some of us regulars followed him in at 9:00 in the morning one winter's day.
...it was COLD.
I got one of the gamblers to a table farthest from the front and gave him 5 tries to hit 9
rails for $50.....he lost $300.

...now we're back at the front counter, I bought him a coffee and put my hand on the front
table....it was up to room temperature because the kitchen was firing up also.
....so I took 5 tries to hit 9 rails and won another $300....:happydance:

He said the coffee was pretty good, but not worth $600. :cool:

The tables were 6x12 Anniversaries, BTW....easier to hit 9 rails on a snooker table
Click to expand...

:lol: Great story!
 
My room on Long Island, NY was the shape of a box car and had a huge A/C unit that blew directly on the 3 Cushion Billiard table. Boy could I do some changes to that table with the switch behind my counter. Johnnyt

PS: One morning I mentioned to a few of the regulars that I wish I had a big A/C unit for the front door transom. By 10 the eve there was a giant one in the transom with shelf, and electric hooked up. Price? $0000. Have no idea where he got a brand new A/C in the box. Johnnyt
 
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