The Swimming Pool Room Study

1
The Swimming Pool Room Study

• Joanne Royko
• Environmental Technology III
• Kent state University
• Professor Adil Sharag-Eldin, Ph. D

2
The Research Question

• The Question Will plants be healthy in a
  swimming pool room?
• The swimming pool is a great place to strip down
  and relax. Entering the poolroom, even walking
  past it, one can feel the sensation of tropical
  atmosphere. Warmth and humidity levels mirror
  those of the tropics. The only problem is that
  there is no pleasant foliage to enjoy, and the
  air is infused with chlorine.
• Another issue is that of human health. It is
  known that chlorine aggravates the respiratory
  system of those who have too much exposure to it.
  For example, some athletic swimmers later
  develop the conditions of asthma. However,
  swimming is good exercise, and many doctors
  prescribe it to their patients

3
Environment of Interest

• The MACC Annex Swimming Pool Room, Important
  Features
• The 7 clerestory structure and two large
  automated vents in the ceiling.
• The pool is 25 yards square with 8 ½ feet of
  walkway surrounding it.
• An office and supply room enclosure sits at the
  far end.
• There are 32 6 x 24 air supply grills mounted
  in the floor at the rooms edge and one huge 8
  x 4-4 air intake which also serves as a service
  way between the poolroom and filter room.
• The room has an area of approximately 10,000
  square feet and is 32 feet high.
• The windows and floor closest to the pool have
  accumulated deposits of pool water salts from the
  splashing and movement of wet people.
• The concrete floor around the supply ducts is
  experiencing some creep visible to the observer.
• At 1200 noon, five to ten people are present for
  open swim time. There are classes both before
  and after open swim session.

4
Causes of Indoor Air Problems

• The National Institute of Occupational Safety and
  Health (NIOSH) determined in their Indoor Air
  Quality Investigation Results that an inadequate
  level of outside air is only one ventilation
  problem from a list of possible causes. NIOSH
  described some ventilation problems as
• Not enough fresh air supplied to the space
• Poor air distribution and mixing which causes
  stratification, draftiness and pressure
  differences between office spaces
• Humidity extremes or fluctuations
• Filtration problems caused by improper or no
  maintenance to the ventilation systems
• Reducing or eliminating outdoor air (energy
  conservation measure)
• Reducing infiltration and exfiltration (energy
  conservation measure)
• Lowering thermostats or economizer cycles in
  winter and raising them in summer (energy
  conservation measure)
• Eliminating humidification or dehumidification
  systems (energy conservation measure)
• Early afternoon shut-down and late morning
  start-up of ventilation systems (energy
  conservation measure)
• 48 of the indoor air quality problems NIOSH
  investigated were solved in ways independent of
  the ventilation system.

5
Causes/Solutions

• As Percentage of Occurrences
• Inadequate ventilation 52
• Inside contamination 17
• Outside contamination 11
• Biological contamination 5
• Building fabric contamination 3
• Other causes 12
• Solutions
• Limit pollution at the source
• Isolate unavoidable sources of pollution
• Provide for adequate supply and filtering of
  fresh air
• Maintain the building and its equipment in clean
  condition

6
Standards Regarding IAQ

• Important Recommendations to Promote Good Indoor
  Air Quality for swimming pool rooms from ASHRAE
  include
• The recommended outdoor air requirement for
  ventilation for the swimming pool room is .5 CFM
  per square foot.
• Swimmers are most comfortable when the relative
  humidity ranges between 50 to 60. The
  maintenance of humidity levels between 40 and 60
  are required for comfort, energy consumption, and
  building protection year-round. Therefore a
  designer must address the following concerns
  humidity control, ventilation requirements for
  air quality, air distribution, duct design, pool
  water chemistry, and evaporation rates.  
• A negative pressure zone of 0.5 to 0.15 inches of
  water ought to be maintained relative to adjacent
  areas of the building to prevent moisture and
  chloramine odor migration.
• For pools with no spectator areas the recommended
  air changes per hour range from four to six. In
  spectator areas six to eight air changes per hour
  are desired.
• Complaints from swimmers tend to indicate that
  the greatest chloramine concentrations occur at
  the water surface.

7
Hypothesis

• Statement of Problems of Space and Objective
• Original Hypothesis The VOC level is too high
  for plant life. Unfortunately, finding
  information concerning safe ingestion rates of
  chlorine for plant life is difficult, or
  nonexistent. I therefore felt it necessary to
  restate the hypothesis to make it easier to test
  and compare with available information and
  research.
•  
• New Hypothesis The VOC level is too high for
  humans therefore the air exchange rate needs to
  be maintained at adequate levels in order to keep
  humans healthy.
•  
• Testable Hypothesis
• The VOC level is too high for humans.
•  
• The tool
• The Eco Sensor Model C-21 is a VOC meter. It has
  a LED indicator that warns when there is a high
  concentration of VOCs. The number of LEDs that
  become lit shows the concentration of VOCs
  between the extremes of zero and hazardous. One
  green light is the lowest measurement at one end,
  and all lights lit is the highest measurement.

8
Eco Sensor Model C-21

•   

9
Approach/Methodology

• What are two main factors helping the growth or
  accumulation of airborne VOCs?
• Temperature and humidity.
• What inhibits the growth or accumulation of
  VOCs?
• Controlled humidity, air filtering and continuous
  air exchange.
• How do I determine whether the air is clean
  enough?
• Take measurements and compare them to ASHRAEs
  standards.
• What measurement need to be taken?
• A VOC reading
• Air changes
• Relative humidity
• Dry bulb temperature
• Wet bulb temperature
• Carbon dioxide.

Return air Supply air Return air Outside
air
Outside Air
CFM 60 Volume
Air change
10
Project Findings - Plants

• Plants
• I concluded from the findings of Dr. B. C.
  Wolverton that plants do indeed process chemicals
  from the air. However, to live in a toxic space
  for long periods of time, each plant has to grow
  faster than it absorbs the chemical elements in
  the air. Through a process called photosynthesis,
  plants ingest some chemicals and store them in
  the leaves and branches. When the leaves and
  branches become chemically saturated the limb and
  foliage falls off and joins the ground biosphere
  below. The chlorine remains in the fallen plant
  mass, therefore chlorine is still present in
  another concoction. Chlorine (Cl) is an atomic
  element therefore organisms in the soil wont
  break it down. Therefore, it is best to dispose
  of dead poolroom foliage in an earth friendly
  manner - by not mixing it with the environment
  outside.

11
Project Findings - People

• People
• Humans produce carbon dioxide, water vapor, and
  contaminants including particulate matter,
  biological aerosols, and VOCs. Russian and
  American space scientists established that humans
  release as many as 150 VOCs into the atmosphere,
  such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
  hydrogen, methane, alcohols, phenols, methyl
  indole, aldehydes, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide,
  volatile fatty acids, indol, mercaptans and
  nitrogen oxides. Acetone, ethyl alcohol, methyl
  alcohol and ethyl acetate are the principle
  substances emitted through normal biological
  processes. According to ASHRAE, comfort and
  odor, criteria with respect to human body
  affluence is usually satisfied when ventilation
  results in an indoor carbon dioxide concentration
  of less than 700 ppm above the outdoor air
  concentration

12
Project Findings Swimming Pools

• Swimming Pools
• When chlorine is added to water it forms
  hypochlorous acid (HClO), an excellent
  bactericide. In this solution it is known as
  "free chlorine," and is highly reactive. The pool
  water exists in perfect equilibrium when it is
  properly treated, and no chloramine gas enters
  the air. An imbalance occurs when people are
  added to the water. A chemical reaction occurs
  chlorine mixes with human biological wastes
  creating chloramine (NH2Cl). Chloramine will
  release to the air and reach a balance in the
  room based on a chemical law known as the partial
  pressure law. In laymens terms, this law states
  how much chloramine remains in the water and how
  much is released to the air.
• Adding more chemicals to water increases the
  total contaminant level until the chemical
  reactions reach equilibrium. In high occupancy
  pools, water contaminant levels can double in a
  single day of operation. Even the perfect
  chlorine feed system will suffer imbalances
  because it takes time to mix the large volume of
  water, and people come and go throughout the
  course of the day. The dynamics of pool
  chemistry go much deeper, and wont be covered in
  this report. However, an air quality control
  system must be in place to deal with temporary
  imbalances in water chemistry.

13
The MACC Annex - 1st run
14
The MACC Annex - 1st run
15
The MACC Annex - 1st run

• Impressions/Conclusions
• Perhaps the door had been propped open while the
  room was in use for reasons of comfort. While it
  is open it creates a draft that pulls air from
  the room into the hallway. It could be that the
  return duct doesnt pull enough air out of the
  room so the open door serves as an exhaust outlet
  at the floor level, where it is most needed.
• I was able to determine that the supply air throw
  adequately mixed the air by taking surface
  temperature measurements of the floor, wall and
  ceiling in several locations around the room.
  The speed of the throw wasnt a problem unless
  one is standing right on or hovering over the
  grill.
• Surface temperature and relative humidity levels
  were adequate the levels were far enough from
  dew point temperatures to not produce any
  condensation on the interior surface. Carbon
  dioxide levels were also in an adequate range,
  however location 5 didnt seem to receive enough
  outside air while the test was run. The open
  door might have made location 5 a dead zone.
• The air exchange rate exceeds the ASHRAE Standard
  62-2001 requirement of 0.5 CFM per square foot.
  The VOC Eco Sensor lit one LED indicating that
  concentrations of VOCs ranged between zero to
  twenty parts per million.

16
The MACC Annex - 2nd run
17
The MACC Annex - 2nd run
18
The MACC Annex - 2nd run

• Impressions/Conclusions
• The supply ducts on the interior wall were
  disabled again today. It could be a strategy to
  counter the heat gain from the windows, which are
  also located along south and east exterior walls.
• The air conditioning took advantage of the
  moderate outdoor climate by bringing in 100
  fresh air and maintaining an air temperature
  between 86F 86.5oF. Outdoor readings of CO2
  averaged around 438 ppm, while supply air CO2
  ranged between 450 475 ppm.. Meanwhile,
  relative humidity in supply air oscillated
  between 36 35.
• Surface temperature and relative humidity levels
  were adequate The air exchange rate exceeds the
  ASHRAE Standard 62-2001 requirement of 0.5 CFM
  per square foot. The VOC Eco Sensor lit one LED
  indicating that concentrations of VOCs ranged
  between zero to twenty parts per million.

19
The MACC Annex - 3rd run
20
The MACC Annex - 3rd run
21
The MACC Annex - 3rd run

• Impressions/Conclusions
• Outside it was cold and raining. Inside it was
  windy because exterior doors in the hallway were
  propped open. Air velocity at doorway was high
  and drafts were cooler. The air at the pool's
  edge varied in velocity from 1-2 ft/min, to 115
  at the return duct, to 130 ft/min at the door.
• The supply ducts on the interior wall were again
  disabled today maybe they dont work. Water
  rained on the sill in the interior wall (location
  5) sending droplets down to people below, but
  surface temperature and relative humidity levels
  were adequate so perhaps the roof has a leak.
• The stale air at the doorway could have been
  hallway air mixed with outside air that ranged
  between 480 500 ppm of CO2 that day.
• Again, the air exchange rate exceeds the ASHRAE
  Standard 62-2001 requirement of 0.5 CFM per
  square foot. The VOC Eco Sensor lit one LED
  indicating that concentrations of VOCs ranged
  between zero to twenty parts per million.

22
The Recreation Wellness Center 1st run
23
The Recreation Wellness Center 1st run
24
The Recreation Wellness Center 1st run

• Impressions/Conclusions
• In the recreation wellness center both the
  supply and return ducts are located at the
  ceiling level. There are vents along the
  windowed wall to keep condensation from forming
  there. Since there isnt any return air grills
  at the floor level it is possible for air to pool
  in the lower level.
•  The room was noticeably warmer. The surface
  temperatures in the room were adequate and within
  acceptable ranges to keep condensation from
  forming in the room. The air changes per hour
  were adequate, and there was no sensation of
  airflow at the swimmers level.
• Carbon dioxide levels were higher. Some of the
  higher concentrations occurred at the entry door
  (location 3), and jumped whenever someone walked
  through it. Concentrations also noticeably
  increased whenever splashing occurred.
• The air exchange rate exceeds the ASHRAE Standard
  62-2001 requirement of 0.5 CFM per square foot.
  The VOC Eco Sensor lit one LED indicating that
  concentrations of VOCs ranged between zero to
  twenty parts per million.

25
The Recreation Wellness Center 2nd run
26
The Recreation Wellness Center 2nd run
27
The Recreation Wellness Center 1st run

• Impressions/Conclusions
• I used the supply duct at the floor level to
  obtain some measurements. These ducts arent
  connected with the supply air in the ceiling,
  therefore theyre not a full indication of the
  quality of supply air.
• The room felt and smelled better than it did
  during my previous measurement. It may have been
  because of the higher air velocities around the
  room.
•  surface temperatures in the room were adequate
  more varied, but adequate to avoid formation of
  condensation.
• Carbon dioxide levels were higher.
• The air exchange rate exceeds the ASHRAE Standard
  62-2001 requirement of 0.5 CFM per square foot.
  The VOC Eco Sensor lit one LED indicating that
  concentrations of VOCs ranged between zero to
  twenty parts per million.

28
Conclusion

• Testable Hypothesis
• The VOC level is too high for humans.
• Conclusion
• The VOC level in the swimming pool rooms are low
  enough to consider the IAQ as adequate. The VOC
  detector displayed one lit LED, indicating a zero
  to low quantity of VOCs in each room.
•  

29
Remedies

•  
• Suggested improvements to the swimming pool room
• New return air inlets pull in the air at the
  floor and water surface level.
• Some supply air should continue to be directed
  over the water surface to move contaminated air
  toward the return air ducts.
• Apply new finishes to the interior for easier
  clean up and maintenance of water salts.