Steel Decking at Indoor Swimming Pool

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Author Message John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 467 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 06:47 am:    I'd like some comments on experiences with steel decking (and exposed structural steel) at indoor swimming pools. In particular, the design intends the use of perforated acoustical decking. Corrosion is the most obvious concern. (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 11:24 am:    Corrosion is a major concern. It may make sense to bring on board a corrision consultant. Probably more important than treating/painting the structural steel and deck is humidity control. The HVAC system needs to make sure that there is good circurlation of the air so that there are no pockets of high humidity air. The use of accoustical deck may agravate the problem because of lack of local air circurlation. Maybe you do not want to use accoustical deck. The choice of water treatment process can have an impact. Do not use chlorine to treat the pool water. Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1096 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 11:52 am:    From a friend of mine who specializes in swimming pools (think Olympics): "We tend to avoid the acoustical decking in Natatoria, for the reason that John mentions. If you can purchase the material with a mfg finish of high build epoxy, it would help. We do not think the acoustical deck provides enough value for the maintenance hassle and risk." I trust Matt's judgment and would stay away from the steel decking. (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 02:02 pm:    I have seen Tectum deck used in pools. It has accoustical properties and won't corrode since it's a wood fiber product covered by a silicon (I believe that is what it is) product. http://www.tectum.com/specifications/Tectum%20IIIP%20Roof%20Deck%20Manu-Spec.pdf (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 03:07 pm:    With a good MEP consultant and adequate ventilation, I thing you can keep the humidity and chlorine away from the steel. You should also have a coat of paint with good prep, but I wouldn't put a high-performance coating on it unless the client has money to burn. Mark Gilligan SE, Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 305 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 03:45 pm:    If contemplating Tectum deck check with your structural engineer since I am not sure how good the diaphragm values are. Note that some of the Tectum products have metal channels. Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 1007 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2010 - 04:55 pm:    also... and this is another issue entirely -- we had an issue with corrosion in the ducting in adjacent (locker room, saunas) areas near the pool. The warm moist air was condensing on the inside of the cooler ducts and the pool chemicals corroded the ducts; the ducts were replaced with stainless steel ones, but in another condition, they could have been appropriately insulated to stop the problem. We also had corrosion on toilet partitions, and lockers, all from the same high humidity conditions. John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 468 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Friday, September 10, 2010 - 12:04 pm:    Thank you all for the comments. One of my first jobs was working at the Richmond (CA) Municipal Natatorium ... commonly called the Richmond Plunge ... an indoor pool. It was built about 1927 with steel truss and metal decking at the roof. Acoustical control? Non-existant. Corrosion problems? Major league. Originally, chlorinated salt water was used. Yecch! The smell and taste were horrible. But it was a super pool for swimming lessons and just plain having fun, with large shallow areas. It had to be indoors because it was located in Point Richmond, California, north-northeast across the Bay from San Francisco. As Mark Twain is alleged to have said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a July in San Francisco." Well, all that cool sea air that is sucked through the Golden Gate for natural air conditioning of the hot Sacramento Valley, and now powers large wind generator farms, makes outdoor pools very uncomfortable. Corrosion of the structure and, more importantly, corrosion of the piping systems, rendered this historical landmark too expensive to continue to operate and it closed. I just found out that it has been renovated and retrofitted and has reopened. It is being called "the greenest pool in the United States." See http://solar.calfinder.com/blog/news/richmond-plunge-green-pool/ Wow! The reason I inquired about experience with indoor pools, is that I'm writing specs for an indoor pool in Orange County, CA. It will be a LEED certified project (don't know what color yet). And I see difficulties with corrosion and acoustics. Especially acoustical metal roof decking is a problem. It reduces reflected sound but provides thousands of penetrations for corrosion and mold. There's still time to get into these details of corrosion and acoustics. The 50% CDs are due today but are being considered subject to design development. Why an indoor pool, especially when Orange County is full of "Olympic" class outdoor, competition pools? Because there's a need ... like the Richmond Plunge ... for pools where children and the elderly can be comfortable. One final thought: The Richmond Plunge is being touted as having a long, rich history of being used by a very diverse community. I remember teaching white, black, brown, yellow and red kids how to swim. What a thrill it was for them, after only a couple of weeks of lessons, to be able to jump off the diving board into 9 feet of water and swim on their own to the side of the pool. The moms looking down from the viewing gallery were very proud. And it's not just a matter of recreation. It's a matter of life or death for people to know how to swim. In some ethnic and racial communities, there's a tendency to shy away from learning to swim, with tragic consequences. At the Richmond Plunge, tens of thousands of kids learned to swim despite the inhospitable weather. I may share what develops regarding the Orange County indoor pool, especially the part that's desirably green. Further comments are still welcome. Mark Gilligan SE, Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 306 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Friday, September 10, 2010 - 12:41 pm:    I would have expected that the HVAC engineer would have raised the issue of special ventilation needs at the first meeting on the project. The issue of corrosion should have been high on the list of concerns during schematic design. I would assume that a pool consultant was a part of the original project team and that he was thinking about alternates to chlorine. If nobody else the pool consultant should have raised the issue of corrosion. I am usually not so judgmental but somebody should be asking some real hard questions if the above things did not occur. (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Saturday, September 11, 2010 - 11:53 am:    Had lunch yesterday with the S-W rep. He said that he always recommends a waterborne epoxy (MPI #215 Epoxy-Modified Latex, Interior, Semi-Gloss) --even when Tectum is used. Although the Tectum folks recommend an acrylic dryfall for every situation, he is of the opinion that the coating will mildew even if the substrate does not. Mark Gilligan SE, Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 307 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Saturday, September 11, 2010 - 12:13 pm:    While coatings are important in these situations the best thing that you can do is to control the humidity and reduce the exposure to chlorine. (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - 10:23 pm:    Convert the pool to a salt system. Good maintenance keeps the PH around 7. This will minimize your corrosion.