Munters, a global leader in energy efficient air treatment, has recently refurbished three Munters MX series desiccant dehumidifiers at Manchester Aquatics Centre.  The refurbishment involved replacing all major components, the old reactivation exhaust duct work and retrofitting the dehumidifiers with Munters Energy Recovery Purge (ERP) technology in order to reduce running costs by approximately 20% per year while preserving the building fabric and optimising comfort.

Maintained by Serco Leisure Ltd, Manchester Aquatics Centre comprises of a 50m swimming pool, a 25m diving pool and a leisure pool with two water flumes and is home to the City of Manchester Swim team and the GB water polo team. There is also an additional 50m training pool used by the GB disability team, which played host to teams from Australia and Brazil during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The need to refurbish and upgrade the dehumidifiers arose during discussions around routine maintenance. Andy Dove, Munters Service Area Manager says “Ensuring humidity is maintained to 55% relative humidity (RH) helps to protect the building from costly damage and ensures a comfortable environment for swimmers.”  Accurately controlling relative humidity levels in and around the pool is essential to preventing condensation on walls, ceilings and windows, which can lead to mould growth and result in unnecessary building maintenance and repairs.

Munters engineers worked closely with Manchester Aquatics Centre to adapt the proposed solution to use polypropylene instead of stainless steel for the reactivation exhaust ductwork at the customer’s request.

The refurbishment has ensured a comfortable environment for swimmers and, by retrofitting Munters Energy Recovery Purge, predicted energy costs are reduced by 20% per year compared to the previous solution.  By precisely controlling relative humidity to 55% all year round, the building is protected and call outs and maintenance costs will be significantly reduced, saving thousands of pounds per year. “Without this work taking place, we would not have been able to invest in new equipment” says Paul Rogers, Technical Manager for Serco Leisure. “I was also impressed by the Munters Service team, who carried out the work faster than I expected.”

For the full case study or for more information about Munters, visit www.munters.co.uk/pools-uk

Features:

• Ensure long term protection against humidity damage
• Reduce running costs by 20%
• Consistent control of relative humidity year round