When designing a fountain, whether it is a restyling or a new construction, one of the most important points to define is the location of the technical compartment. Technological volume, technical room or technical compartment, this element is identified with various terms, but the purpose is always the same: to contain inside and protect from atmospheric agents the systems that allow the correct functioning of the fountain, which by law cannot be housed within the building or home. Although the Italian Presidential Decree 380/2001 has undergone several changes over the years, it does not provide a precise description of these premises, but limits itself to specifying that they must be used and conceived for the exclusive shelter of the technical elements.
In the technical room we find the “heart” of the fountain, i.e. the parts essential to its functioning: the water filtration and movement system, the panel for the automatic control of the acid and chlorine or oxygen values, the tanks containing the chemicals products (the automatic loader and the control panel are placed in a separate compartment). Furthermore, each compartment is designed to be comfortable to use, both to be reached easily and to be inspected by maintenance and control technicians.
Whether it’s a cabinet or a box, the ideal characteristics of a technical room are:
- the absence of humidity, which allows the optimal conservation of the electrical parts;
- good lighting and capacity, which facilitate the operations of the technicians;
- excellent ventilation, so as to eliminate the accidental concentration of the fumes generated by the chemical products;
- the presence of an adequately sized ground drain, to avoid the risk of flooding which would damage the systems, which flows into sewage;
- the presence of a pressurized drain (proportionate to the flow rate of the filtration pump), for filter washing and mechanical emptying of the fountain, which also flows into sewage.
The technical rooms are mainly divided into two categories: underground and above-ground. When we work on a new project, where possible, we always tend to direct the customer towards the choice of a technical room above-ground, because it is the one that best reflects the characteristics of the “ideal technical room” and allows us to guarantee an optimal result entire intervention. The reason that most drives us to prefer the above-ground technical compartment over the underground one is the fact of avoiding working in confined spaces. The confined spaces are difficult places par excellence, both in terms of size and location: they are usually completely or partially underground closed, confined, with difficult entry and exit, but above all they are very humid and poorly ventilated, thus increasing the possibility of damaging the technical parts in a short time.
The main problem of technical rooms in confined spaces is the possibility of injury due to chemical risk, given by the presence of products – such as liquid acid and chlorine – which can develop harmful or highly volatile steams in closed and confined spaces, leading to asphyxiation and anoxia. These are spaces not designed to accommodate people, except for a short time, for the execution of interventions such as inspection, maintenance or installation/replacement of technological devices.
With an above ground technical room, there are no “cons” and that is why our advice is to always prefer an above-ground technical room which primarily aims to preserve the safety of people and the area, but also durability of the fountain.
A clarification: all this applies to medium and small fountains, whose technical compartment requires an area of about 3-5m2. On large fountains, the technical compartment becomes a real room, mostly underground, but which, due to its size and specificity, meets all the safety and durability requirements of the technical parts. In this case, the dimensions of the technical rooms exceeds 12m2.
There are innumerable shapes and sizes of technical rooms above-ground, so much so that the possibility of designing and making them to measure, personalizing their finishes, shapes and colours, allows them to be harmonized with the context, greatly lowering the visual impact, or enhance them and insert them as a design element.
In the event that large spaces are available, it is always advisable not to limit the size of the technical room, to facilitate the placement of systems and products, but above all to facilitate access and inspections.
In the event that large spaces are available, it is always advisable not to limit the size of the technical room, to facilitate the placement of systems and products, but above all to facilitate access and inspections.
Whether it is made of mirrored, satin-finished or powder-coated AISI316 stainless steel in the shades that best suit the concept and the surrounding design, each above-ground technical compartment can be designed and customized according to various criteria, which satisfy both the tastes of the client and the design requirements, without ever neglecting safety, usability and aesthetics.
Considered all the pros of an above-ground technical compartment, you can now understand why – except in cases where it cannot be done otherwise – we always recommend it over the underground one. If any doubts may arise from the aesthetic point of view, you may consider the concept that it is always better to enhance than to hide: so get involved in choosing the shape and colours that best suit the context and, if possible, enrich it by planting plants or shrubs around it. The insertion will be even more harmonious and you will have an additional piece of furniture to admire.
