I just bought a house that does NOT have a pool, which I never thought I’d do, but when it’s the right house, you do what you gotta do.
So the plan is to put in a pool within a year or so. Very small area,but big enough.
I’m seriously looking at the “Endless Pool”, since it is compact, less expensive, and the overriding reason I have to have a pool is for exercise. I like to use it for social purposes as well, though, so I would get a larger one and put it in-ground.
But I’m not sure I’ll like it. Has anyone ever tried it? What did you think? (I just watched an hour long promotional video, so I’m looking for unpaid opinions).
For those who wonder what the hell I’m on about, it’s sort of a treadmill for swimmers, with an artificial, controllable current that runs down the middle of the pool, allowing you to swim continuously without turns. The standard size is quite small, 7’x15".
Um less expensive? Aren’t those things in the range of 20 grand? The one I saw was because I thought of getting one. Plus I can’t imagine swimming tied to something, I think it would get in the way of my stroke.
Other then that I have never used no and do not know of anyone who has. Might I suggest joining a Masters swim team for your workouts? You’ll get a better workout and save a lot of money then you can get a normal pool.
I’ve tried a sorta endless pool. It wasn’t one of the normal magazine ad ones, but rather was just jets on the side of a smallish normal pool. I didn’t like it. It was too easy to get out of the current (which I’d imagine would be less of a problem in a dedicated endless pool) and it was tough to adjust to the right speed. I suppose they’d be ok if you had no other option, but otherwise, no thanks.
Congratulations, this topic has brought me out of my lurk-dom!
I have swam in a version of this pool quite a few times, and I have a few thoughts:
First the positives:
Like most things, this is a great concept if you are using it for what it was designed to do. Swimming freestyle (and some backstroke) was fairly easy to do, and felt quite a bit like swimming in a “regular” pool.
Secondly, the negatives:
Most of my swimming workouts consists of more than just freestyle swimming. I found that trying any other part of my workout (fly, breaststroke, kicking, stroke drills) to be difficult.
I think the problem is that with most freestyle and backstroke, your rate of motion is about constant, whereas most drills and other strokes have somewhat of a pulsing motion. This was a problem for me because i found myself moving forward and backward within the current a lot. This caused me to be real nervous about where exactly the back wall was.
The other problem i had was that there is no way to measure the exact distance you are going, and therefore no way to measure how long you take to get there. This virtually eliminates any hope of doing timed sets at all.
So, to cut off a long rambling post… i would say that it would be a great idea if you plan on doing just longer, untimed freestyle swims. If you have any desire to do “complete” workouts consisting of multiple strokes, drills, kicking and pulling, then i would say put in a regular pool for recreation and find another place to swim your workouts.
THere is no tether, it’s done with a steady current down the middle of the pool.
If I install it in a manner similar to a regular pool, in ground, with tile, does anyone have any idea how this would compare with a regular pool in terms of the value added to my home?
Regular pools ADD value? Hmm. I thought the new trend was for pools to subtract value, because of the maintenence costs and effort. Maybe that’s just up north here in MA, where they can’t be used year round.
I’d have to agree. I like my pool, but if we ever move, I won’t be looking for a pool.
I have heard that the presence of a pool simply reduces the pool (no pun intended) of potential buyers, thereby decreasing the demand and therefore the value.
Can’t say that I have ever tried an endless pool. However, I will say that I find it really annoying to swim in my pool after a few laps – it’s small enough that my own waves work against me. Once it settles down, I glide smoothly through the water. Can’t imagine how it would be in the endless pool.
Well, the pool season here in New Jersey lasts from mid-May to mid-September, and no one really wants to get in the chilling water when it is first opened or just before closing.
Then, for the duration of the winter, it is covered, “winterized.”
It’s a sweet pain in the butt to close/open the pool. Right now I’m looking out at the big mess of leaves and glop that I will have to clean off of the cover in a few weeks.
Oh, and I have to hope that nothing went wrong during the winter (will the pump start? Is there a leak somewhere?)
Steady-state pool operation in a year-round warm climate is less work and more fun.
Shirley, if I do one it will be outside in my backyard, in the same place I would put a regular one. And I will put it in-ground, with tile, and the whole shebang. So humidity is not an issue.
And minor, you may want to think about what I will be doing to make my pool usable in the few very cold months in So Cal: I’m going to get a pool dome , which is a relatively cheap (depending on size $1200-$3000) sort of greenhouse-type thing… a cover for the pool that is actually a structure. There is a blower inside of it to keep it inflated, and the heat of the pool stays inside of it, keeping it a pleasing temperature for swimming. They are most frequently seen in the east, actually.