Natatoriums and their adjacent locker room areas can be great places to visit, providing that they aren’t awash in offensive odors. Good thing there are ways managers can make sure that their venues smell fresh. Here’s a look at why indoor swimming pool odors occur and how people can improve air quality in their own natatoriums:
Odors occur in natatoriums due to a combination of elements. The list includes, but is by no means is restricted to the following items:
- Sweat, body oils and human waste products
- Improper use of pool chemicals (e.g. chlorine)
- Bacteria, mold, mildew and fungi growth
- Scented personal care products (e.g. perfumes and deodorants)
- Heat, humidity and surface moisture
Therefore, a natatorium’s odors must be addressed using a multi-pronged approach. Installing a ventilation system capable of cooling the room and removing excess humidity is one step in the process. Maintaining a thorough cleaning routine and providing visitors with unscented, personal care products onsite are others.
As for the improper use of pool chemicals, that issue may be handled in several ways. Some natatorium owners opt to send staff to training classes or equip the pools with automatic chemical feed systems. Others choose to install several ozone systems. For example, one ozone system may be used to maintain the indoor pool’swater and another may be used to improve air quality. Personally, we feel that the ozone systems are best for a variety of reasons.
To begin with, natatoriums may experience staff turnover throughout the year and automatic chemical feed systems may irritate people with inherent sensitivities. Depending on which chemicals are used, they may also damage swimmers’ clothing and pool accessories (e.g. chlorine-faded swimsuits and water wings).
Ozone, on the other hand, is all-natural and the generators are long-lasting. So once a natatorium owner invests in an ozone generator, he or she won’t have to worry about it irritating customers or having to deal with continuous replacement costs. Plus, today’s ozone generators are quite affordable and come with many convenient, useful features. To learn more about the various ozone generators that can help natatorium managers improve air quality, please contact us by calling (866) 676-9663.