Packing A Punch – Counter Current

packing a punch 1Never have counter current systems enjoyed a bigger following.Their capacity to add the key element to help re-energise tired old pools while offering huge plus points for building smaller new pools – there is no doubt that counter currents packs a pretty impressive sales punch.Golden Coast Managing Director, Jamie Adams. thinks he knows why: “In the UK, space comes at a premium and nowhere is this truer than when you’re working with an existing pool. “Alongside this, we’re seeing a growth in customers prioritising their health and well-being,” Jamie says.“When it comes to winning contracts, successful companies inspire their customers with a smart use of space which increases the pool’s functionality and space, while meeting all their needs… including some they didn’t even know they had,” he continues.“Counter current jets are one of the most effective additions to small pools – whether they’re brand-new builds or are decades old. “For installers, they’re quick and easy to install. For customers, they deliver the experience of full-length pool swimming without added hassle or expense, while providing them with opportunities for hydrotherapeutic massage and aqua aerobics.”

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The Fastlane, fitted on this pool, generates a wide block of crystal clear, bubble- free and completely adjustable water flow.

SUCCESS STORY
Comparatively new kids on the counter-current block, Ocea UK could not have predicted the stampede of interest in its new Undercurrent system, first unveiled at SPATEX this year.“The launch of the Undercurrent has been one of our biggest ever success stories,” reveals Alan Thorne, managing director of Ocea UK.“Ocea had put a huge amount in to the research and development of the Undercurrent, before we were prepared to launch – and this has more than paid off with a level of interest that has proved to be a recipe for success,” he reveals.“The Undercurrent adds so much fizz and sparkle to tired, existing pools – and offers so many irresistible selling points, yet is offered at a truly affordable, and crucially, saleable price,” he adds.With maintenance-free parts and available as a plug-and-play, the compact Undercurrent offers quiet operation despite is superior turbine flow capacity from 50 to 160m3 per hour and a rate of 1 to 3.2 metres per second.Alan adds: “The Undercurrent unit has come as a huge bonus to many companies that are relying on refurbishment for their core turnover.“It has got to be good for the trade, as well as the end user, to have more choice in the market,” he continues.

MULTIPLE OPTIONS
The top-selling German-based HydroStar system, also available through Ocea UK, produces a broad, even and powerful current that provides swimmers with the sense that they are being carried by the water. In normal commercially available counter-flow systems, a jet of water hits the body in a few places, causing single-sided muscle strain. Another advantage of the turbine-driven swim system is its strong current: HydroStar is available with six different power levels – with flow rates of 50m3 to 550m3 of water per hour. This large range is made possible by the combination of three different turbine sizes. The system can be built into new and existing facilities equally easily: In the event of retrofitting, the system is, for example, simply suspended from the edge of the pool. No additional shafts or connections are required (except for those for electricity). The retrofit model of HydroStar was remodeled with a new design that was introduced at the international trade fair Aquanale in Cologne in 2017 for the first time.
For sports enthusiasts, Binder, the makers of the Hydrostar, have developed a touch display that can be used not only to control the intensity of the current but also to create and manage a multitude of training programs.
It also shows the distance already swum and the time required – and the data can be easily read from the pool on a large monitor.

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Team Plastica test out their counter current potential.

ALL THE ANSWERS
Whether your customer is looking for gentle resistance training, aqua-aerobics or hydrotherapy, a counter current is flexible enough to suit your needs, Plastica believes it has all the answers with its X-Stream system, made with a stainless-steel niche and grab rail as its new through-the-wall unit.
It’s easy to install, gives a neater finish and is more powerful than its over-the-wall alternative. There are two options for the X-Stream. The single kit comes with a Nardoself pump and produces 60m3 per hour. Alternatively, the X-Stream duo, which comes with two of the Espa wiper pumps giving an impressive 100m cubed per hour output. Each X-Stream kit option comes with a complete plumbing kit and counter current controller. The duo unit has a sequential start system, so the pumps have a start delay between them. The X-Stream is especially suited for the range of wooden pools manufactured by Plastica. It uses pneumatic on/off switches, accessible from the pool to keep any electrics away from the bather and features directional nozzles for fine adjustment of the flow.
Plastica’s Aquajet 100 over-the-wall units are designed for all in-ground pools with a minimum length or diameter of 5m. Flow rate of 100m3/h with a wide stream makes for a comfortable swim and evokes the feeling of swimming in a river.

BUBBLE-FREE
Unlike jetted alternatives, the Fastlane, from Certikin, generates a wide block of crystal clear, bubble- free and completely adjustable water flow, delivering the fastest, smoothest swim current (a necessity for any serious swimmer) available in any swimming machine.
The Fluvo X-Jet, also from Certikin, takes the power of the counter current to another level for the serious swimmer and athlete.
The wide area output flow creates a uniform current along the full width of the body, just like a wave in the ocean, rather than being pointed at a single point, like the flow offered by some inferior counter current units. Control is through touch sensitive buttons which operate the one or two pump units.
Suitable for liner, concrete and one-piece pools, the Xanas features an extra-flat design with a brushed stainless steel or ABS drop-shaped grill. It can be specified with pressure sensitive switches or rotary knobs with single or three phase options. With so much choice on the market, swimming pool specialists would be wise to tone up their sales prospects with counter current systems that will deliver that knock-out blow.