Torrevieja City Council has approved a €134,947 contract to replace the climate-control system at the Tavi y Carmona Sports Palace indoor swimming pool and improve ventilation in its boiler room.
The project has an estimated completion period of three months, beginning once the contract has been awarded and the preliminary works document signed. However, the Sports Department hopes the work can be completed sooner to reopen the heated pool to users as quickly as possible.
The repairs became necessary after a section of ventilation ducting suspended above the pool collapsed on May 14.
Subsequent inspections found that the problem was not confined to the failed section. Engineers identified widespread deterioration throughout the ventilation network, caused by its age and the warm, humid and chlorinated environment of the indoor pool.
A partial repair was ruled out because it would not provide a lasting solution or prevent similar failures elsewhere.
The project will instead remove the entire network of metal air-supply ducts, together with its existing supports and fixings. It will be replaced with lighter, circular textile ducting that is resistant to corrosion and easier to inspect, clean and replace.
Perforations distributed along the new ducts will provide more even airflow, reduce uncomfortable draughts and help maintain suitable temperature and humidity levels.
The textile ducts will be mounted on continuous aluminium rails suspended by stainless-steel cables, allowing them to be removed more easily for cleaning and maintenance.
A major change will be the relocation of the network away from the water. The new ducts will run closer to the walkway around the edge of the pool rather than directly above it, reducing the risks posed by suspended equipment and improving access for maintenance staff.
The air-return duct will be made from corrosion-resistant stainless steel and routed outside the pool enclosure to limit its exposure to chlorine and humidity.
Sports councillor Diana Box said the council had designed a complete and durable solution that would improve safety, simplify maintenance and allow the pool to reopen with greater guarantees.
The work will also include a new air-extraction system in the upper part of the boiler room. A second turbine will be installed in the ceiling to remove air, complementing the existing system that introduces fresh air through two branches close to the floor.
The council said this would provide complete air renewal throughout the boiler room, improving its safety, hygiene and operation.
