Indoor Swimming Pool Solar Heating, Insulation, & Moisture Control

Indoor swimming pool insulation & ventilation specifications: this article describes indoor swimming pool insulation, heating, and moisture control requirements.

Advice for Solar Heated Indoor Swimming Pool Construction

Here we include solar energy, solar heating, solar hot water, and related building energy efficiency improvement articles including material reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.

The question-and-answer article below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.

How Should I Insulate, Heat, and Control Moisture for a Solar-Heated Indoor Swimming Pool

Question:

I am planning to build an indoor swimming pool that will have a well-insulated building around it. It seems that the pool, which is to be of the vinyl liner type,should be insulated from the ground, but I have not been able to find any information on how this should be done. Do you have any suggestions? -- J.W. Barta, Barboursville WV.

Answer:

Our photo (left) shows an outdoor swimming pool in some trouble. But the requirements for heating, insulating, and moisture control at an indoor swimming pool are still more demanding.

We put the matter to Doug Root, a Florida expert who has written widely on solar pool heating, including a useful Solar Age article (11/83).

His opinion is that the earth is a fairly good insulator in most cases, at least once the surrounding earth has been warmed up.

If cold springs flow near the excavation for the swimming pool, you may do well to insulate with 2- to 4-inch thick sheets of foamed glass insulation, which is expensive but won't waterlog over the long lifetime of the swimming pool.

DJF note: actually the earth is an infinite heat sink and you'd be better off with moisture-resistant solid foam insulation surrounding the pool exterior.

See INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT and

see BUCKLED FOUNDATIONS due to INSULATION?.

Indoor swimming pools create some special heat loss and humidity problems that you should keep in mind as well. Most indoor swimming pools receive little direct indoor sunlight - an important heat source for outdoor pools. And though one might expect an indoor swimming pool to pick up heat from their heated surroundings, actually pools lose heat to their enclosures, most notably through evaporation.

If room humidity is allowed to approach 100 percent,conditions get uncomfortable and more seriously condensation on walls ("wall sweat"), and on metal hardware corrodes metal components, risking damage to electrical system items such as wiring and lighting.

Mold may become a severe indoor problem, including due to moisture that escapes the swimming pool room and enters other building areas.

See HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET, and see the mold-resistant construction suggestions

at MOLD PREVENTION GUIDE.

DJF note: we have also observed severe indoor mold contamination in fiberglass building insulation in areas subject to unusually high indoor moisture levels, including insulated walls surrounding indoor swimming pools.

See INSULATION MOLD CONTAMINATION TEST.

DJF note: we have observed severe damage to warm air furnace heat exchangers used to heat an indoor swimming pool. The problem seemed to be a high level of airborne chlorine gas that was traced to heat exchanger corrosion. When selecting a warm air heating system for use to heat an indoor swimming pool, be sure to review this question with your heating equipment manufacturer.

The bottom line is that indoor swimming pool walls probably won't require insulation [in Mr. Root's opinion, but insulating the pool with water-resistant foam insulating bored is likely to reduce a high pool heating bill - DJF], the room will certainly require moisture control, and the swimming pool will require year-round heating regardless of whether or not its walls are insulated.

Original Solar Age Magazine Article on indoor swimming pool insulation, ventilation, and moisture control:

The link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is preceded by an expanded/updated online version of this article.

• Solar-Heated Indoor Swimming Pool Quandry Q&A on - PDF version, Use your browser's back button to return to this page

Solar Pool Heater Sources & References

• [3] Aquatherm Industries, Aquatherm Solar Pool Heating Systems, 1940 Rutgers University Blvd., Lakewood, NJ 08701
  800-535-6307 www.warmwater.com/
• [4] Sun Touch Solar Controller - the company provides this SUN TOUCH CONTROLLER QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE [PDF] to solar controller operation,
  
  and these detailed SOLAR CONTROLLER INSTALLATION & OPERATION [PDF]. T
  
  his controller is provided by Pentair, 10951 W. Los Angeles Avenue, Moorpark, CA 93021 Tel: 800-831-7133 or on the East Coast of the U.S. at 1620 Hawkins Avenue, Sanford, NC 27330, 800-831-7133.
• [5] Hayward swimming pool heaters are produced and distributed by Hayward Pool Products, whose website haywardnet.com will refer readers to a local Hayward swimming pool heater distributor.
• [6] U.S. DOE, SWIMMING POOL HEATING [PDF] U.S. DOE, cost savings suggestions from the U.S. DOE includes suggestions on using a high efficiency
• [7] "Conserving Energy and Heating Your Swimming Pool With Solar Energy [copy on file as /heat/USDOE_solar_pool_heater.pdf] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
• [8] PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN HANDBOOK Volume I [PDF] the Passive Solar Handbook Introduction to Passive Solar Concepts, in a version used by the U.S. Air Force
• [9] PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN HANDBOOK Volume II [PDF] the Passive Solar Handbook Comprehensive Planning Guide, in a version used by the U.S. Air Force - online version available at this link and from the USAF also at wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFH/pshbk_v2.pdf
  
  [This is a large PDF file that can take a while to load]
• [10] PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN HANDBOOK Volume III [PDF] the Passive Solar Handbook Programming Guide, in a version used by the U.S. Air Force - online version available at this link and from the USAF also at wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFH/pshbk_v3.pdf
• [11] The Passive Solar Design and Construction Handbook, Steven Winter Associates (Author), Michael J. Crosbie (Editor), Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-047118382 or 0471183083 the The Passive Solar Design and Construction Handbook, Steven Winter Associates (Author), Michael J. Crosbie (Editor), Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-047118382 or 0471183083
• [12] "PASSIVE SOLAR HOME DESIGN [PDF] ", U.S. Department of Energy, describes using a home's windows, walls, and floors to collect and store solar energy for winter heating and also rejecting solar heat in warm weather.
• [13] SOLAR WATER HEATERS [PDF] , U.S. Department of Energy article on solar domestic water heaters to generate domestic hot water in buildings, explains how solar water heaters work. Solar heat for swimming pools is also discussed.
• [14] HEAT EXCHANGERS for SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEMS [PDF], U.S. DOE describes the types of solar water heater heat exchange methods between the sun and the building's hot water supply
• [15] HEAT-TRANSFER FLUIDS for SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEMS [PDF] , U.S. DOE, describes the types of fluids selected to transfer heat between the solar collector and the hot water in storage tanks in a building.
  
  These include air, water, water with glycol antifreeze mixtures (needed when using solar hot water systems in freezing climates), hydrocarbon oils, and refrigerants or silicones for heat transfer.
• [16] SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE & REPAIR [PDF] , U.S. DOE
• [17] SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEM FREEZE PROTECTION [PDF] , U.S. DOE,using antifreeze mixture in solar water heaters (or other freeze-resistant heat transfer fluids), as well as piping to permit draining the solar collector and piping system.
• [18] SCALING & CORROSION in SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEMS [PDF] U.S. DOE
• [19] ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS [PDF] , U.S. Department of Energy, including
• [20] "Radiant Heating Systems" U.S. DOE
• [21] ABSORPTION HEAT PUMPS & COOLERS [PDF], U.S. DOE
• [22] SOLAR AIR HEATING [PDF] U.S. DOE also referred to as "Ventilation Preheating" in which solar systems use air for absorbing and transferring solar energy or heat to a building
• [23] SOLAR LIQUID HEATING [PDF] U.S. DOE, systems using liquid (typically water) in flat plate solar collectors to collect solar energy in the form of heat for transfer into a building for space heating or hot water heating. The term "solar liquid" is used for accuracy, rather than "solar water" because the water may contain an antifreeze or other chemicals.
• [24] David P. Lauria, "Pool and Hot Tub Inspections for the Home Inspector - Course Notes", Aquaspect, Inc., 05609 Friendly Acres Rd., Florence OR 97439, Tel: 503-997-4815, January 1993
• [25] Georges Anchales, "Retrofitting Hazardous Swimming Pools for Safety", Building Standards, May-June 1991, p. 7
• [26] "Controls for Pools and Spas", Freeze Sentry, Intermatic Pool & Spa Automation
• U.S. DOE, GAS FIRED SWIMMING POOL HEATER [PDF] US DOE,
• U.S. DOE, HEAT PUMP SWIMMING POOL HEATER [PDF]
• U.S. DOE, SOLAR SWIMMING POOL HEATER [PDF]
• U.S. DOE, SWIMMING POOL COVERS [PDF]
• U.S. DOE, SWIMMING POOL PUMP, ENERGY EFFICIENT [PDF]
• U.S. DOE, SWIMMING POOL WATER TEMPERATURE MANAGEMENT [PDF]
  
• "Conserving Energy and Heating Your Swimming Pool With Solar Energy [copy on file as /heat/USDOE_solar_pool_heater.pdf] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
• See additional resources at theReferences or Citations section at the end of this page

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Continue reading at SWIMMING POOL SOLAR HEAT, OUTDOOR DIAGNOSIS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• POOL CONCRETE COOL DECK SURFACES
• SOLAR COLLECTOR AIR or GAS COLLECTION where we describe gas collection problems and solutions for solar heated swimming pools. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.
• SPA / HOT TUB / POOL MANUALS, PARTS, REPAIR, SUPPLIES
• SWIMMING POOL SOLAR HEAT, INDOOR
• SWIMMING POOL SOLAR HEAT, OUTDOOR DIAGNOSIS
• SWIMMING POOL LEAK DETECTION

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