Water conservation
Depending on use and temperature, a medium-sized commercial indoor swimming pool can evaporate 91 to 181 kg (200 to 400 lbs) of water per hour, which, over the course of one year, can amount to an entire pool fill. Dehumidifiers with water reclamation capabilities can return the water they condense out of the air stream to the pool. In some jurisdictions, where pool water reclamation is prohibited due to sanitation concerns, additional water sanitation devices, such as ultraviolet (UV) sanitizers, may be used. Otherwise, the water can be used for landscape irrigation, rather than drained into the municipal water treatment system. Consult local authorities to determine the best method for a given area.
Dehumidifier controllers
A great source of energy savings is a properly programmed electronic dehumidifier controller. Indoor temperature, relative humidity and other variables are continually monitored and managed, and data can be communicated to most building management systems. In most cases, these systems should monitor, but not control, dehumidifiers. Not all dehumidifiers have on-board controllers, but retrofits are possible in most cases.
Getting started
Energy usage can be reduced in nearly any indoor pool by upgrading or replacing its HVAC equipment. Hiring an energy consultant or a dehumidifier manufacturer for an energy audit is the first step toward saving energy with today’s modern equipment. Paybacks can be realized in as little as one year, which means the investment is paid for and reducing facility operational costs for the remaining lifecycle of the equipment.
| LOOKING FOR LEED CREDITS? |
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| New dehumidifiers can also help accumulate credits when applying for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Several dehumidifier functions qualify for LEED credits: Air is cooled to dehumidify it. Sensible heat in the room air is recycled from the cooling coil to the reheat coil. At times, sensible heat equal to the latent heat can also be delivered to the reheat coil. Almost all of the heat lost from the average indoor swimming pool is through latent heat evaporation. This heat must be removed from the air in order to dehumidify it, and that heat can be returned to the pool water via the dehumidification process. Optional domestic water pre-heaters are available to use as much of the remaining heat as possible. |
James Hogan is product development engineer at indoor air quality equipment manufacturer, Dectron Internationale, (www.dectron.com), based in Roswell, Ga. In his 13 years at Dectron, Hogan has advised hundreds of natatorium building owners about IAQ and energy problems. He can be reached at (800) 676-2566.
