Does your acid storage room have proper ventilation?

In Blog by Jason Blaisdell

Did you know your acid is always off gassing? I didn’t before I started into this trade. I just assumed that the barrels would be perfectly airtight, but that isn’t always the case. Being new to the pool game myself, I get to hear a lot of different stories about various pump rooms across the country and from a variety of customers. Some of them are positive, and others can play out like the script of a horror movie. One of the features that can contribute to the quality of your pump room is your acid storage room. I have been on a few different site visits at this point, and I have already seen a wide variety of different acid rooms and some major mistakes. Your state and local regulations may have some differences but here are some key elements you should always abide by regardless of your location:

  • Every acid room should be mechanically ventilated. Just having a vent isn’t good enough, especially in summertime. You may run into stagnant air that could harm your equipment or even the building itself.
  • You also need a fresh air intake as well to help balance your air pressure.
  • Your air change rate should always be either one cubic foot per minute or 10 air changes an hour, depending on which is more stringent for your room.
  • Your ventilation system should always be running, 24/7.
  • The ducting should always vent to the exterior of the building and more than 20 ft away from any air intakes into the building.
  • Your ducting should always be made of corrosion resistant materials, like PVC or equivalent.
  • If you have more than one acid room, you should have more than one exhaust system.
  • You need to have a manual shut off for your ventilation in case of an emergency.

Ventilation of chemicals is critical to the components of your pool. Without proper ventilation you will probably damage your pool equipment, the building itself, the HVAC, or worse, you could cause someone harm by breathing in these chemicals. Always ensure you are in compliance with these standards, and you won’t have to worry about your acid eating away at your pool this summer!