Pool Pumps

A swimming machine is a resistance swimming apparatus, often self-contained, enabling the swimmer to swim in place. This may be accomplished either by accelerating the water past the swimmer or by supporting the swimmer, either in water or on dry land. more...

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The first type, known as a countercurrent swimming machine, usually consists of a water tank at least twice as long and about one and a half times as wide as an average person with the limbs extended. The swimmer swims unrestrained against an adjustable stream of water set in motion by means of mechanical devices, such as jets, propellers or paddle wheels.

Countercurrent swimming machines made their appearance in the 1970s, initially in the form of pump-driven jetted streams, which caused a certain amount of turbulence and an un-natural swimming environment. They were followed up in the 1980s by propeller- and paddle-wheel driven machines. These provided a smoother stream of water. Many users find them relatively easy to swim in, though some are bothered by the considerable chop – inherent to these small pools, especially when performing symmetrical strokes such as the breaststroke or the butterfly. These machines are also criticized for being expensive, noisy, and wasteful of energy. (A typical machine requires special power connections delivering 3 to 4 kW for the pressure-driven machines, and 6.5 to 11 kW for the volume-driven machines, aside from any power needed to heat and filter the water--usually an additional 5 kW for an electric heater and around 1.5 kW for a pool pump and filter.)

Two types of exercise machines make up the second group. Hybrid systems - self-contained micropools similar to the counter-current type but using a flexible tether to keep the swimmer in place are one type. These systems, being human powered, need neither machinery or electricity but have to be carefully designed to suppress wave formation. The second type allows a person to remain on dry land while simulating certain swimming strokes. Machines of the latter type however can not compensate for the weight of the body and the limbs and thus deprive the user of the benefits of exercise in an aquatic environment. However, the higher effort required by such machines, in the absence of the metabolic effects of immersing the body in water, makes these devices more effective than true swimming if one's purpose is to achieve weight reduction. Similar in purpose, but not qualifying as swimming machines since they require access to a swimming pool, are various tether systems.

Pressure-driven machines

These systems depend on one or more pumps. The best ones are engineered to maximize the volume of water delivered, at the expense of high head which here is not needed as the water need not be lifted, only set in motion. Discharge rates of 13 L/s (200 US gal/min) and more are possible, from motors of three or four horsepower (2 or 3 kW). One of the earliest models on the market - introduced in 1973 - was the Badujet which is available only in the form of a bare propulsion system, to be installed into either an existing or newly-built pool.

Read more at Wikipedia.org