Basics of Indoor Pool Air Distribution While properly sizing the primary dehumidification equipment is crucial to a successful indoor

pool mechanical system, just as important is how the dehumidified air is distributed into the space. In this article we will cover the basic design tenants associated with indoor pool air distribution for controlling condensation, maintaining good indoor air quality and providing a comfortable environment to the occupants. Condensation Control: Michigans frigid winters make controlling and eliminating condensation on the building envelope surfaces one of the primary design considerations that engineers must face. A pool enclosures high indoor temperature and humidity can result in a dew point as high as 68 degrees. Consequently the colder interior surfaces on windows, skylights and exterior doors are prone to form condensation and a good pool air distribution design will maximize the amount of warm dry air delivered to these areas. It is recommended that supply air in the amount of 3-5 CFM per square foot of glass be directed directly across the surface of any exterior windows or skylights. In addition, any areas prone to thermal bridging such as metal door frames also should be similarly addressed. For some retrofit applications where the walls are poorly insulated, it may even be necessary wash the entire perimeter wall surface directly with some amount of supply air. Another key to controlling condensation is to make sure to provide a large enough volume of supply air that is evenly and widely distributed throughout the pool enclosure to prevent areas of stagnant or stratified air. For a non-spectator pool, a supply air volume equivalent to 4 - 6 air changes an hour is recommended and for pools that host swimming events with spectators, the total number of air changes should be increased to 6-8. Typically about 80% of the supply air should be directed across the perimeter walls extending to the deck area with the remaining 20% directed along the ceiling to break up any stagnation or stratification occurring near the ceiling. When using overhead duct systems in particular, designers need to pay special attention to the vertical throw to make sure the warm supply air will fully cover the intended window surface. To verify good air distribution patterns on larger pool projects, a CFD analysis may be warranted to determine the best location of the air outlets Besides eliminating the visible condensation that appears on the inside of windows and other colder surfaces, it is important that the architect and engineer coordinate with each other to ensure that a proper vapor barrier be included and properly located in the structure. The vapor barrier is the most important component in protecting a building from moisture damage and structural decay and an indoor pool enclosure should never be constructed without one. However if the vapor barrier is to be effective, it must also be located on the warm side of the dew point temperature as indicated in figure 1 below and tape sealed at points of leakage such as electrical outlets.

Figure 1 Indoor Air Quality: For the outside air volume, Ashrae Standard 62 recommends 0.5 CFM per square foot of pool surface and wet deck area (wet deck area is the area outside of the pool that is typically wet from splashing and is usually defined as 3 to 5 feet beyond the pool edge). However, if the occupancy is such that 15 CFM per person exceeds 0.5 CFM per square foot of pool and wet deck, the higher value should be used. For some applications, such as a water park, a higher value such as .75-1.0 CFM / ft2 may be recommended. Once the outside air volume is determined, the exhaust air volume should be calculated so that the pool area is at a negative pressure of -0.05 to -0.15 inches w.c. relative to the rest of the building. Ten percent more exhaust air than outside air is generally a good rule of thumb to achieve this. If the space has a whirlpool or spa in addition to the pool, the exhaust fan should be located so that it expels air from directly over the spa so that it exhausts the most chlorine laden air before it can diffuse through the rest of the space. The highest concentration of airborne chlorine will be just above the pool water surface. Additionally, perspiration and other bio wastes from swimmers will contain nitrogen and ammonia that when combined with chlorine creates airborne contaminants called chloramines. For this reason it is good practice to have some air movement over the pool surface to eliminate this potentially stagnate zone. However, supply air should not be directly blown over the pool surface at a high velocity because it will increase the evaporation rate from the pool surface and cause bather discomfort. The best approach is to induce a pattern of room air across the pool surface that has a low velocity of less than 30 FPM using a combination of supply and return outlets that create a gentle, unidirectional sweeping current of air across the pool surface. A common method to help generate this type of air pattern is to locate return grilles so that 2/3 of the air is returned via a high return grille and 1/3 via a low return if the supply air ductwork is low (in floor) or conversely locate return grilles so that 2/3 of the return is low and 1/3 high if the supply ductwork is high (overhead) and in both cases try and locate the returns so that it improves the over all pattern of airflow in the space and of course avoids short circuiting the supply into the return. Never locate the return above a spa or whirlpool and high returns should generally be located as high as possible to capture hot humid air that has stratified. Again a CFD analysis for larger pool projects can help model and insure proper patterns of airflow and may be worth the added expense. Specialized filters such as the Dectron Chloraguard filter system are also available to specifically target and filter out airborne chloramines (ChloraGuardFilter.pdf). Another indoor air quality issue associated with chlorine is the practice

of shocking (super chlorination) the pool water which can lead to temporarily high levels of airborne chlorine. Whereas outside air is typically brought into the dehumidification unit as a fixed percentage with either a motorized or manual damper downstream of the evaporator coil, for facilities that require frequent water shocking, the designer may wish to incorporate an air purge capability in the dehumidification unit as shown below in figure 2. Other unit configurations with unit mounted exhaust fan(s), economizer and even energy recovery are also available.

Figure 2 Indoor Environment Conditions: The typical indoor pool should be maintained at between 50% and 60% relative humidity and a dry bulb temperature generally between 80F and 85F. However certain types of pool facilities may require conditions outside this range. Competitive swimming facilities for example may utilize a lower dry bulb indoor design temperature. While the focus of this article is meant to be air distribution and not load calculation, please note that these higher than usual temperatures will cause the room sensible cooling load to be less than a normal space and the heating load to be greater. Another item to consider is choosing an unnecessarily low design relative humidity can result in higher pool water evaporation rates which then drives up both the dehumidification load as well as the required water heating due to the cooling effect on the pool water due to surface evaporation. Duct Design: In floor supply ductwork is often used for indoor pool areas for at least a portion of the air distribution and has some advantages in terms of combating condensation on external glass. Because warm air rises, floor supply along the exterior walls and windows helps prevent the flow of cool air down the walls and across the floor and also is most effective in eliminating condensation at cold spots such as windows. Supply outlets covering windows should be located as close to the windows as possible, preferably within 12 inches. Also keep in mind that during the heating season, the supply air is lighter and has a tendency rise and float over the pool surface. If underground duct is used, it should be either fiberglass such as Spunstrand FSK (http://www.spunstrand.com/) for greatest longevity or PVC, nonmetallic or plastic coated galvanized steel.

Overhead ductwork can also be used for a portion or all of the supply ductwork. Exposed overhead metal duct should be coated during construction with a high build epoxy coating. If the ductwork is overhead and exposed, indoor pool areas are also a very good application for using fabric duct such as that available from DuctSox (www.ductsox.com). Fabric duct will not corrode because the fabric is unaffected by pool chemicals and the porous fabric will prevent condensation forming on the duct surface. Other benefits to using fabric duct is that it is less expensive than coated metal duct, is easy to install, is lightweight and maintenance free (the coating applied to metal ductwork to prevent corrosion must be periodically re-applied and/or touched up). The trick to using fabric duct is to make sure the overhead duct is located to deliver the necessary airflow with enough throw to cover the envelope but not so much that it blows directly over the pool surface causing unnecessary evaporation. Shown below is a picture of fabric duct used for an indoor pool application.

The above basics cover many of the typical smaller indoor pool applications. However there are many special applications that we have not addressed that can require special attention. Water parks, spectator pools, therapy pools, wave pools etc. all may have special design requirements and we encourage you to contact your Michigan Air Sales Representative on any type of pool application. http://www.michiganair.com/newsletters/2008-4/section1.htm