Pools & Aquatic Centers
Recover energy from warm, humid pool exhaust — with recovery technology and materials selected for a corrosive, chloramine-laden environment.reall
Corrosion-Resistant Recovery for High-Humidity Natatoriums
Indoor pools present unique HVAC challenges. Warm pool water continuously releases moisture into the air, creating elevated humidity levels that must be controlled to maintain occupant comfort and support building operation. To manage humidity and maintain ventilation, natatoriums typically exhaust significant volumes of conditioned air throughout the year, making energy recovery an important consideration for improving overall HVAC efficiency.
Pool exhaust air is warm, humid, and can be corrosive to building and mechanical systems. As a result, energy recovery solutions should be evaluated not only for thermal performance, but also for durability and suitability for aquatic environments. Innergy Tech offers heat pipes, sensible plate exchangers, enthalpy plate exchangers, and energy recovery wheels, with options available to help address the demands of pool and aquatic applications. By matching the appropriate recovery technology to the project requirements, designers can support efficient ventilation while addressing the challenges associated with high-humidity environments.
Warm Water, Continuous Evaporation, Aggressive Air
Continuous Evaporation and High Latent Load
A pool’s warm water surface evaporates continuously, and this evaporation typically represents the majority of a natatorium’s latent load. Controlling this moisture is essential: when relative humidity climbs too high, the risk of condensation on the building envelope rises. Common guidance recommends maintaining pool-hall air temperature slightly above the water temperature to help limit evaporation and swimmer chill.
Chloramines and Indoor Air Quality
Chlorine reacts with nitrogen compounds introduced by swimmers to form chloramines. Trichloramine is volatile and is the primary airborne irritant, tending to concentrate just above the water surface. Ventilation with outdoor air and source-capture exhaust are the primary strategies to manage chloramines.
A Corrosive Environment
The combination of high humidity, warm temperatures, and chloramines makes pool air corrosive to metals. Industry experience documents rust and, in stainless components, chloride-induced stress-corrosion cracking — a recognized hazard that has been linked to overhead component failures in natatoriums. HVAC components exposed to pool air are therefore specified with corrosion-resistant materials and protective coatings.
Continuous, Year-Round Operation
Because pools are warm and humid in all seasons, the space is effectively in heating/dehumidification mode much of the year. Conditioning the large outdoor-air and exhaust volumes represents a substantial, continuous energy load — the opportunity that energy recovery addresses.
One Manufacturer, Multiple Recovery Technologies
Innergy tech is a comprehensive air-to-air energy recovery manufacturer offering energy recovery wheels, sensible and enthalpy plate exchangers, and heat pipes. For aquatic facilities, this breadth lets the recovery approach be matched to the environment:
Heat Pipes (Thermogain): Passive thermosiphon devices with no moving parts and no external power; the airstreams pass on opposite sides of a partition, keeping them physically separated. A U-shaped configuration is offered for dehumidification applications.
Sensible Plate Exchangers: Fixed-plate, sensible-only recovery with no moving parts and separated airstreams — a common choice where both higher sensible recovery and airstream separation are wanted.
Enthalpy Plate Exchangers (IPE6-PM): Total-energy fixed-plate exchangers with a polymer washable membrane, for applications where some latent recovery is desired with a fixed-plate, no-moving-parts device. Confirm suitability for chloramine-laden air with Innergy Tech engineering.
Energy Recovery Wheels (I4, I4R, I4-D): Rotary wheels for higher total-energy recovery, offered with an epoxy coating on media for corrosive environments. Where a wheel is used on pool air, the design manages cross-leakage/carryover (seals, purge, fan arrangement) and corrosion protection.
Corrosion Protection
Innergy Tech lists corrosion-oriented options including epoxy coating on media for corrosive environments. For aquatic projects, confirm the recommended coating/material package (media, frame, casing, fasteners) and cleaning provisions with Innergy Tech engineering, and specify them explicitly.
Recovery Technology Fit
Benefits & Value Drivers
Recovers a Large, Continuous Load
Natatoriums exhaust warm, humid air year-round, so exhaust-air heat recovery is among the most effective energy strategies for these facilities. State project-specific savings from modeling or certified selections.
Corrosion-Aware Options
Innergy tech lists corrosion-protection options including epoxy coating on media for corrosive environments, supporting durability in chloramine-laden pool air. Confirm the recommended package for each project.
Airstream-Separation Choices
Heat pipes, run-around loops, and flat plates keep the supply and exhaust airstreams physically separated, which designers often prefer for corrosive, chloramine-laden pool air.
Technology Matched to the Facility
Because Innergy tech offers heat pipes, plates, and wheels, the recovery approach can be matched to the pool’s effectiveness targets, corrosion strategy, and airstream-handling preference.
Supports Humidity & IAQ Goals
Recovering energy on the outdoor-air/exhaust streams supports the ventilation and dehumidification needed to control humidity and dilute chloramines, without discarding all the associated energy.
Certified Performance
Innergy tech provides certified performance data through Winnergy Pro, giving engineers verifiable figures for design and submittals.
Designing Energy Recovery for an Aquatic Facility?
Our team can help match a corrosion-aware recovery technology to your pool and provide AHRI-certified performance data for your submittal.