We are in the process of building an enclosed pool & pool room 60'x35'. Live in a climate where it is cold in winter & warm in summer. Does anyone have a suggestion for heating unit, dehumidification ie., anything realted to heating?

Hi Splishsplash,

You will absolutely want a system completely independant from the living area of your house. I'm not familiar with brand names, but there are a number of manufacturers designing systems especially for heating and cooling enclosed pool areas. The trick is to have enough air flow to remove high humidity and chemical odors but still have an energy efficient system. If your not dealing with an architect or mechanical engineer for the addition, you might try calling a local company experienced with high end remodels, to get names of sub-contractors designing and installing this specialized HVAC equipment. Your local pool guys may be able to identify companies installing these systems.

I have seen systems that are more tradional forced air heating and cooling design, and systems which use pool water in a heat pump type setup to heat and cool the air. The traditional systems seem to be cleaner, easier and more easily serviced. The water source heat pump type (using pool water) tended to leak and have alot of mysterious pumps and sensors, requiring very specialized repairs when needed. My guess is they are more energy efficient to operate, but more expensive to install and maintain. Good luck. Can't wait to read other responses from experts.

SplishSplash,

I would agree with InspectorMark about seperating your home HVAC system and your new pool room addition. You have several different options for heating and dehumidification. Without knowing the specifics about the humidity levels you are shooting for and from the information you provided I would suggest looking into a ductless mini-split heat pump system with several indoor units or a multi-stage HVAC system combined with a independent dehumidification system.

The ductless Mitsubishi "Mr. Slim" Inverter Heat Pump system is something that I'm familiar with and it has the capability of having three indoor units for each outside condensing unit. The indoor units can be controlled individually or as one entire system (complete with wireless remotes). You will probably need two systems for the size of your pool room because Mitsubishi's maximum unit is only 2.5 Tons. If you're interested you can find more information on their website.

If you decide to go with a ducted HVAC system then I would recommend you use multi-stage heating and cooling equipment. These systems will better control the humidity levels of the room. If you combine these system with a seperate dehumidification system (ie. Aprilaire model 1700 Dehumidification System) you can properly control humidity levels at all times of the year. None of these systems will be cheap but they will definetly pay for themselves in comfort and energy efficiency.

-GWC

Be very careful with the pool room design, because it's very easy to end up with mold or mildew, or even mushrooms growing in the pool room. There are consultants who specialize in pool room design, especially heating-cooling-ventilating. I suggest you find one and use them. Try google for "swimming pool enclosure design" and you'll find one. They don't charge as much as having to do a system all over again would cost.