Myrtha Breathe: better air in indoor pools

The problem: disinfection by-products in the air

In indoor pools, chlorine reacts with substances brought in by swimmers. This produces volatile disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as chloramines and halomethanes. Chloramines are dense and stay just above the water surface, where swimmers, coaches, lifeguards and spectators breathe. They cause the typical “chlorine smell”, irritate eyes and airways, and damage accessories, installations and the building itself.

How Myrtha Breathe works

1. Stripping in the gutter. Three thin porous pipes lie along the base of the main overflow gutter. Air blown into them leaves as fine bubbles, which take up the DBPs dissolved in the water and release them into the air inside the channel.
2. Suction. A suction duct between the main gutter and a secondary gutter extracts this air, and the airflow along the channel stops DBPs from escaping into the hall.
3. Exhaust. The contaminated air is discharged outside the building.

The suction flow is smaller than the fresh-air intake that ventilation codes already require, so it can be integrated into the ventilation system the building needs anyway, without making the HVAC plant larger. Myrtha Breathe is a patent-pending technology.

Measured results

Myrtha tested the system at the Paris La Défense Arena, with three days on and three days off:

• Average trichloramine concentration near the pool: 16 µg/m³ with Breathe on, against 68 µg/m³ with Breathe off, about four times lower.
• Trichloramine in the air leaving the HVAC system: 23 µg/m³ against 50 µg/m³.

These are measurements from one large arena. Myrtha expects the effect to be at least as strong in a standard indoor pool, with a smaller air volume, but that has not yet been measured in the BeNeLux.

For new pools and renovation

Myrtha Breathe needs a gutter design with a main and a secondary channel, so it is part of the pool design. We assess together with you and your installation adviser whether it fits your new pool or renovation. Read more about ventilation and air quality in indoor pools.

With EWAC Pools

EWAC Pools is the authorised Myrtha dealer for the BeNeLux. We advise on the right configuration, coordinate it with your design team and Myrtha’s engineers, install it on site and provide after-sales, service and maintenance.