Ventilation

Air Vents

I notice that only one or two air vent are in place under the floor of a lot of courts. This in itself will contribute greatly to lack of air flow and hence condensation problems. I would recommend that you install nine vents under the floor at locations identified on drawing. They should be approx. 9" x 6".
I am assuming that all outside walls are cavity with an air break and/or insulation.

Extractor Fans for the Court

If there is no provision for changing the air on the premises this will add to the condensation problems, especially when a number of spectators are present. A Court would require Four Air Changes per Hour for proper Humidity control.

I would recommend that a 12" Extractor Fan with a 3 Speed Controller be fitted at rear of Court, either on the side wall or rear wall, at high level, as per drawing. This fan to be controlled manually from an accessible position and automatically through a humidistat. The preference here would be a Hand/Auto Switch to allow manual operation at high speed when a crowd is present, and be left on automatic control at low speed through a Humidistat at all other times.

This will change the air constantly and extract the moisture away from the court.

This fan should be run manually whenever more than 10 people are present in the balcony to extract the air laden with moisture.

Extractor Fan for Dressing Facilities

Condensation can be caused by people showering etc. so I would recommend that an inline extractor fan for the dressing rooms and toilets be installed, capable of providing eight air changes per hour. This is a system where vents are placed in each cubicle or room and piped out (using flexible piping) via the inline fan. This fan to be operated when any dressing room light is turned on.

Painting

The Court Walls and Ceiling should be painted white with good quality Vinyl Mat (Berger, Dulux or Equivalent) immulsion paint.

The above recommendations will eliminate most of the condensation problems that exist in Irish Courts but you should also install a heating system in the Court, Balcony and the Dressing Rooms to achieve absolute atmospheric control.

Heating

If you have access to a heating circuit from the main premises, then a circuit from this unit should be used for your heating requirements. Alternatively you may have to install an oil, gas or electrical heating system. Whatever system you decide on should not have a naked flame burning in the court area. Example Oil or Gas Burner heating water for radiators or an Electrical Heating system with fans to distribute the heat.

Court Area

Two Mark Air Radiators with quiet fans giving a throw of 12 feet at each side of the court as indicated on drawing. The fans on these heaters to be controlled by a thermostat located high in the court as indicated, set at 10^o Centigrade. This setting is adequate to keep the walls warm and is not too hot for players.

It is important to note that the heating system for the court area should be run automatically each day. Suggested control program 10 - 11am, and 5 - 9pm daily.

Balcony

One Mark Air Radiator Unit as above and indicated on the drawing. The fan on this heater to be controlled by a thermostat mounted at low level, set at 15^o Centigrade.

Alternatively wall radiators can be fitted and controlled as above or a suitable electrical fan heater.

This will provide a comfortable atmosphere for spectators and for parents to attend games and juvenile training session's etc.

Dressing Rooms

Wall Radiators with thermostatic control or Electrical Fan Heaters. About 150 Centigrade is satisfactory.

Floor

There should be a gap of at least 6mm between the Floor and the Wall all round to assist the air circulation.

The Floor should be sanded and varnished with Gran Wax, which is a non slip and sport grip varnish, recommended for all sports surfaces.

In my opinion, the above will eliminate any condensation problems in your court and provide a comfortable atmosphere for players and spectators.

The effectiveness of De-Humidifiers is limited as they try to eliminate the symptoms, rather than the causes.

Lighting

18 off. 5ft. Twin Dustproof Florescent Fittings spaced as shown on the drawing layout. Phillips New Generation Daylight, 58 Watt tubes to be fitted on all Florescent Lights. All lighting fittings in the Court and the row outside the back wall to be switched through a suitable contactor, by a £1 Coin Operated Meter, with a variable time setting from 10 to 30 Minutes per coin. Where 3 phase power is available, the lighting load should be spread evenly over the 3 phases. Separate lighting should be provided for rest of the Balcony Area.

Condensation Control

In order to control any variable, it is important to understand what determines the variable.

As can be seen from the above chart, the moisture carrying capacity of air is very much dependent on the air temperature. If we keep the court at 10^oC. it can hold twice as much moisture as it would at 0^oC.

If we heat the balcony area to 15^oC. it can hold three times the moisture compared to 0^oC.

If we keep the walls warm, condensation will not deposit on them.

The effectiveness of De-Humidifiers is limited as they try to dry the air and not regulate the temperature, hence, if the temperature is 0^o C. the dry cold air will soon reach it's dew point and condensation on the walls and floor will occur.