Source-Capture System Solves Pool Chlorine Indoor Air Quality Problems

As a leading manufacturer of innovative pool facility equipment, Dectron is committed to helping facility managers promote a healthy and safe environment for swimmers. The company promotes the issue of  indoor air quality (IAQ) for pool facilities through its support for organizations like the Step Into Swim Initiative.

This year Dectron is proud to announce that three-time Olympic gold medalist, Rowdy Gaines will be the official 2022 IAQ spokesperson for Dectron. In this role, Gaines will help the company achieve its mission to help engineers, contractors and owners create optimal indoor pool environments.

Chloramines Threaten Pool Facility

Good IAQ is essential for creating a comfortable and healthy indoor pool environment. A problem that often keeps pool facility managers from achieving this goal is airborne chloramines. While vital for keeping pool water clean and clear of organic contaminants, chlorine produces chloramines, chemical byproducts that off-gas from the pool water. If not properly managed, chloramines, including volatile trichloramines, will build up in the air, posing health risks to swimmers that use the pool. In addition to being a threat to human health, trichloramines can also cause corrosion to the facility and its equipment, increasing cost and frequency of maintenance.

Conventional HVAC systems for indoor pool facilities are designed to provide heating, cooling and/or dehumidification while introducing outdoor air. Unfortunately they do not resolve indoor air quality problems caused by chloramines. The Paddock Evacuator® Chloramine Evacuation System now provides a source-capture solution that effectively addresses chloramines issues.

Paddock Evacuator® Technology is the Solution

Paddock Evacuator® Technology is a source-capture system developed to minimize levels of airborne chloramines and disinfectant by-products (DBPs). The system draws trichloramines from the water’s surface and exhausts them outside the facility through the use of HVAC equipment.

The Evacuator uses existing air circulation over the pool surface and is designed to work with the supply air circulation pattern. As a dedicated source-capture exhaust system, it removes a significantly higher percentage of airborne chloramines and other DBPs per Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM) exhausted than conventional return exhaust. Captured contaminated air is not recirculated through the room air conditioning and dehumidification system. It is instead discharged through a dedicated exhaust path, which can be built into your dehumidifier as a separate sealed path, to prevent recirculation.

Paddock Evacuator Options for Controlling Airborne Chloramines

• Evacuator Gutter – removes polluted air at the water’s surface through a plenum buried under the pool deck on the back of the pool gutter.
• Modular Deck Drain + Evacuator – removes polluted air through a continuous deck drain with a plenum buried under the deck.
• Evacuator Wall-Mount – removes polluted air through custom-built plenums hung on the wall. Utilizing either a dedicated duct through the DHU or a separate fan, the polluted air is exhausted out of the building and away from the recirculation fan. The wall units are narrow and allow for a facility to maintain its needed deck space.
• Evacuator Bench – available in either PVC or fiberglass and acts as a bench for swimmers or spectators while also acting as a plenum to draw out the polluted air. Like the Wall-Mount, the Evacuator Bench can exhaust polluted air in multiple ways.

Koch Applied Solutions Is Proud to Partner with Dectron to Offer the Paddock Evacuator

Koch Applied Solutions is here to help facility owners, engineers, and contractors to address chloramine issues while choosing HVAC equipment designed for their facilities. We will work with you to develop a safe and healthy system for your pool facility. Please contact us to discuss your project!