community sized pool issues - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Bearman · 10-06-2007, 02:45 AM

I am seriously considering building a community sized heated swimming pool in a mountian resort town as well as a smaller (5000 gallon) pool for my new home and would like the opinions and suggestions from my peers.
Pools wil be in a cold climate area in the mountains with seasonal snow. Winter night time temperatures will reach the teens and highs in the 30's
Pools will be roofed and a glass perimiter will be used to enclose the whole pool.
Any idea on heating costs/issues, condensation or anything you can think of that would be cost prohibitive? (for the community size pool, pool size undetermined for now)
I had asthma as a child and spent 1 1/2 years at a rehabilitation center that had this pool with enclosure and it all seemed fine, but I was 10 years old at the time and living in a warm climate similar to Los Angeles.
Any help in special consideration and problems to consider would be appreciated.

Hurley · 10-06-2007, 01:20 PM

Sounds like you're gonna be busy. One of the biggest issues with indoor pools is indeed humidity. On both you'll need something to remove the moisture. Two ways I know of doing this is with HRV's (Heat Recovery Ventilators) or better are DryOtrons. HRV's exchange humid indoor air with dry cool outdoor air and exchange the heat as they do this. DryOtrons are much mor expensive and complicated but don't remove air, just moisture and can also be used as auxilary heat to the pool. Both of these get sized according to volume of air and anticipated difference between air and water. Whew, that was a mouth full.

randomkiller · 10-06-2007, 03:28 PM

DessertAire or Dectron (dry-O-Tron) are the way to go for heat and dehumidification. The other thing to think about is air changes per hour, in an inside space the chlorine will off gas from the pool and stay in a cloud orm near the ceiling and cause corrosion problems and chlorine gas IAQ problems. I have been on several jobs with these problems in the last few years.

CaliDesigns · 10-06-2007, 10:08 PM

Use a salt generator to minimize chlorine odor

POOLMANinCT · 10-09-2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliDesigns

Use a salt generator to minimize chlorine odor

the salt debate appears again. despite salt generaion it is still a "chlor pool," yes salt gens are nice & easy & no chlor handled or stored on prop. balance H20 is key to keeping the chlor smell down. its not actually chlorine that makes that "indoor" smell its chloromines...
but the gens are handy & a nice sale. I run most of my pools on silver & zinc.

ray

tinner666 · 10-09-2007, 03:57 PM

You might already know this. At WhiteTail Resort, we closed in a pool and heated the room with gas heaters. Turns out, the chlorine gas corroded through the stainless steel gas lines in less than a year. Was our first experience with this.

Bob Kovacs · 10-09-2007, 05:16 PM

All I'm gonna say on the topic is "cha ching"! That's the sound the local HVAC guy is gonna hear in his head when he hears about your plans for a large indoor pool in a cold region.....

Bob

randomkiller · 10-09-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Kovacs

All I'm gonna say on the topic is "cha ching"! That's the sound the local HVAC guy is gonna hear in his head when he hears about your plans for a large indoor pool in a cold region.....

Bob

Thats why your better off using an HVAC or mechanical guy that does this one a regular basis and not the local guy.

POOLMANinCT · 10-09-2007, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinner666

You might already know this. At WhiteTail Resort, we closed in a pool and heated the room with gas heaters. Turns out, the chlorine gas corroded through the stainless steel gas lines in less than a year. Was our first experience with this.

sounds more like a chlorine byproduct that did the damage. if chlorine gas were the true culprit, everybody in the pool room would be dead or blind.

ray

Shoreline58 · 02-23-2008, 10:01 AM

As a CT based GC with a sideline that is the construction of public pools in a cold winter area, I would offer the following;

If gas or propane are available in your area use them as your heat source. The Lochinvar commercial gas fired units are very reliable and moderately priced considering their quality.

Shotcrete will save you over cast in place concrete. Plaster type finishes are less expensive up front when compared to tile, but over an extended life cycle tile is the way to go.

For natatorium humidity control systems I fully agree with one of the prior posters, find a firm that does a lot of this work. You will get a far better product for a lower price. Be sure a licensed engineer has stamped the drawings. The overall functionality of the system will then be hanging on his Errors & Omission insurance. We have found that systems employing fiberglass duct work located beneath the pool deck function very well and are far less expensive than "hung" stainless of aluminized duct systems.

In my experience, 20 plus competition pools, the largest being 1.2M gallons, if you can smell chlorine in a natatorium you are way over 3PPM in your water. Take my word on this, 3PPM which is the high limit, there should be just the slightest hint of chlorine in the air. BECS makes the best PH and sanitizer control unit out there. This is an area were people will really try to bone someone, controllers. BECS is the best hands down.

Good luck with your project, if I can be of service let me know.