Est.

1978

Technical Bulletin 5

Ventilation Air for Indoor Pools

I NTRODUCTION D EFINITION OF POOL AND DECK AREA
This technical bulletin reviews the outdoor air ventilation The standard refers to pool and deck areas, but does not offer a
requirements for indoor swimming pool enclosures. It provides detailed definition of the area. It is generally accepted that the
in-depth analysis of what the existing standard means deck area is a six to eight foot wide tile or concrete area
and how ventilation air should be introduced to the air surrounding the pool. Locker rooms, vestibules and hallways
handler/dehumidification system. A review of energy are not included in this measurement. (See Figure 1.)
recovery and conservation is also included.

As with all rules and regulations, interpretations vary. A

DESERT AIRE has provided the following summary in order
to address the issue of ventilation air. This bulletin is for
discussion only and is not intended to overrule the opinion of
the consulting engineer.

D EHUMIDIFIER SYSTEM AIR VOLUME

POOL B
ASHRAE Standard 62, the industry accepted ventilation
code for indoor air quality, defines the minimum volume
of outdoor air which must be introduced into the indoor pool
enclosure. This volume is generally only a small percentage
of the total air volume required by a dehumidification system
to maintain the space humidity. Air velocities across the pool
surface must be minimized to avoid excessive evaporation.
The design of the dehumidifier should target approximately
four to eight air changes per hour.

Ventilation Air Standard

BLEACHERS C

Pool Area: 0.5 cfm / ft2

2.5 liters/s per m2

Spectator Area: 15 cfm / person

8.0 liters/s per person

ASHRAE 62 requires a ventilation air volume of 0.5 cfm per

square foot of pool and deck area. In addition to this volume, Pool and Deck Area = A x B
an additional amount is required if the facility has a spectator Spectator Area = A x C
area (bleachers). For these facilities, 15 cfm per person needs
to be introduced during times that spectators are present. Figure 1 - Pool, Deck, and Spectator Area Calculations
W ATER CHEMISTRY AND ODOR I NTERPRETATION OF THE VENTILATION CODE

When planning natatoriums, designers are concerned about The standard exists to protect the health of pool users. Proper
preventing any unpleasant odors. Typically, they design a interpretation, however, can also enhance energy conservation
ventilation system which brings in an excess amount of by reducing the volume of outdoor air required to the mini-
outdoor air in order to control any potential odor problems. mum allowed by code.
While a complete analysis of pool water chemistry is beyond
the scope of this bulletin, a quick review is required to eliminate The interpretation is based on the following assumptions:

some myths with respect to ventilation air requirements.

1) that normal pool user load is small and spectator
crowds will be handled as an exception;
Many people often complain about a strong, objectionable
“chlorine” odor found in pool rooms. Actually, this odor is
2) that automatic chemical feed systems are installed
not chlorine (which cannot be smelled by humans until it is
and operational; and
above toxic levels), but an intermediate compound formed
during the disinfection process. The odor is produced by the 3) that a dehumidifier is installed and operational.
combination of chlorine and organics (sweat, oils and urine)
in water. What we smell are chloramines, which are volatile. Ventilation may be regulated based upon occupancy. When
They are readily released to the air and are detectable by the facility is unoccupied, outdoor air flow may be closed.
humans at low concentrations. During normal operation, outdoor air flow may be set to a
minimum code-approved level. For higher-than-normal
The formation of chloramines happens only when there is not occupancy (such as a swim meet), an increased outdoor
enough free chlorine in the pool. To rid a pool of chloramines, air flow rate is engaged. (See Figure 2.) Optimizing outdoor
it must be “shocked” by adding seven times the amount of air will have a dramatic effect on operational heating and
combined chlorine present. A pool water treatment company cooling costs.
can analyze the pool water and recommend appropriate
solutions. When people smell “chlorine,” the pool water
chemistry is out of control and more, not less, chlorine must F MOTORIZED
OUTSIDE AIR I DAMPER
be added. Properly installed and maintained chemical feed L DRIVEN BY
T OCCUPANCY
systems will eliminate this odor. E TIMER OR
R SWITCH
Proper ventilation can assist with maintaining water quality by
removing the airborne chloramines. This process will cause
F
more waterborne chloramines to release into the air, allowing R I
E L
the free chlorine in the water to better do its job. Please refer H T RETURN
E E AIR
to DESERT AIRE Technical Bulletin #9 for a more complete E R
A V
description of this interaction. T A
P F
C I
O C
Alternative disinfection systems, such as ozonization, UV I O
L
T
L I
treatments and ionization, are increasingly being used. Since L
E
R
these methods do not produce volatile intermediates,
complaints about odor will decrease.
Figure 2 - Damper Assembly
 TECHNICAL BULLETIN 5
Ventilation Air for Indoor Pools

The control of outdoor air dampers can be accomplished in I NTRODUCTION OF OUTDOOR AIR
two ways: a manual switch or a timer.
The dynamics of a pool enclosure are unique because of the
For either of these two actuation methods, the system will need for humidity control. Most other applications can accept
establish three control points to automate the outdoor air outdoor air upstream of the air handler without affecting the
damper: closed for unoccupied conditions; minimum code system’s performance. This is not true in the case of a
ventilation for normal activity; and an event mode to handle dehumidifier. If outdoor air is introduced into the return air
spectator load requirements. duct, two problems can occur in cold weather (winter). The
first problem is condensation in the duct when cold air meets
Spectator occupancy is not constant in most facilities except the moist return air from the pool room. The second problem
during swim meets or shows. Spectator ventilation air can be is that the mixed air temperature will be lower than the pool
introduced by a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) that return air and will decrease the moisture removal capacity of
has its duct work flush spectators with clean, fresh air. The the dehumidifier.
DOAS can also produce temperatures that are a couple of
degrees lower than the pool space temperature to help keep To eliminate these problems, the outdoor air should be
fully clothed spectators cooler. To further reduce energy introduced downstream of the evaporator (see Figure 3.)
costs, the code ventilation for this area can be controlled via Then the dehumidifier has maximum moisture removal
a manually activated switch or a building management system capacity and the reheat and auxiliary heating coils can raise
with a scheduling program. In this way the facility can reduce the temperature of the outdoor air, avoiding cold drafts
its energy costs by conditioning the air only when spectators to the swimmers.
are present.

OUTSIDE AIR

A
U F
X R I
I L
SUPPLY L E
I H T RETURN
AIR
A E E AIR
R E R
Y A V
T A
H P F
E C
A I
T O C L
I O T
C L I E
O L
I R
L

Figure 3 - Outdoor Air Introduction to Dehumidification System

E CONOMICS OF HEATING AND COOLING

WINTER SUMMER

An indoor pool enclosure has several sources of energy loss: During the summer months, heat gain - not loss - is a problem.
A higher volume of outdoor air increases the cooling demand
1) convection through the ceiling, windows, and walls
and introduces extra moisture. The increased load requires a
2) exhaust air larger sensible cooling capacity, and the increased moisture
requires a larger dehumidifier that must run longer. This
3) evaporation of the pool water
effect must be included in the dehumidifier sizing calculation.

The convection heat loss and the exhaust air heat loss in a
pool enclosure is a function of the coolness of the outdoor air
C ONCLUSION
temperature. The greater the temperature differential between
A dehumidification system in an indoor pool facility not only
indoor and outdoor, the greater the loss of energy.
protects the structure and recovers energy, but it also
Uncontrolled heat loss causes swimmer discomfort and also
allows a reduction of outdoor air, thereby increasing energy
increases the pool water evaporation rate. Heat loss through
savings. If your state has adopted ASHRAE 62 ventilation
ceilings, walls, and windows can be minimized by using
codes, then the following design specifications should be
adequate insulation and multipane windows. Heat loss
incorporated into your plans:
through exhaust air can be minimized by eliminating exhaust
during unoccupied times and by bringing in the minimum ◆ Dehumidification system - designed to provide four to
amount of outdoor air that code permits. eight air changes per hour while maintaining a relative
humidity of 50 percent for unoccupied space and not
The water’s heat loss can be minimized by maintaining the air greater than 60 percent for occupied (active) space.
temperature at several degrees above the water temperature.
A key factor is maintaining the room relative humidity at ◆ Automatic chemical feed system - designed to eliminate

50-60 percent. Should the relative humidity drop below 50 the need to introduce extra outdoor air to control the odor

percent, the evaporation rate will increase significantly. of treatment chemicals.

Relative humidity below 50 percent can occur when extra ◆ Provide 0.5 CFM/square foot of pool and deck area
amounts of outdoor air are introduced in the wintertime. during normal usage, and 0.5 CFM plus 15 CFM per
spectator during swim meets or shows.
The simplest method to calculate the effects of ventilation is
the total enthalpy method. This method compares the difference ◆ Outdoor air introduced after the evaporator coil in the
in enthalpy (BTU/lb) of indoor versus outdoor air at different pool dehumidifier -maximizes the capacity of the unit.
ventilation rates. A direct energy cost can then be calculated. A DOAS can be used for the spectator outdoor air volume.

OPTIMIZING SOLUTIONS THROUGH SUPERIOR DEHUMIDIFICATION TECHNOLOGY

N120 W18485 Friestadt Road, Germantown, WI 53022 [email protected]

105 2019/01