Only six years after the city of Raleigh, NC, built the 39,000-sq-ft Pullen Aquatic Center, the rust flakes falling from stainless steel ceiling ducts caused the city to shut down the natatorium and made complete duct removal necessary. "Every morning we would have more flakes in the pool," recalls Teri Stroupe, the city's aquatics director. "It built up. We had to polish the pool and the deck frequently just to keep the tile from staining red."
Stroupe and her staff conducted the search for a better ducting system that would eliminate the problem. They considered replacing the duct with a new stainless steel system and they also considered using a plastic duct system. Additionally, they looked at coating the existing steel duct.