Having a lot of trouble getting to job with kids and work. Any information would be helpful.
Thanks,
Neal
I know a few people that have them. They all say it’s like running on the treadmill…but underwater. If you like running on a treadmill then you will probably like an endless pool.
Having a lot of trouble getting to job with kids and work. Any information would be helpful.
Thanks,
Neal
My wife has been using a Fastlane for the last 6 years with good results. She just took 3rd in a 10 mile open water swim in Vermont with almost all of her swims done right in our side yard.
Email me if you would like more information.
Hugh
This is helpful. I am not looking at the fastlane but the original pool. I was curious on three things:
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How smooth is the current?
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Is there a way to tell how fast you are going?
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How loud is the unit and is there anyway to make it more quite?
Thanks,
Neal
While I don’t own an endless pool I have swum in one quite a few times.
I find it quite different from pool or open water swimming. The higher you turn up the current the more your legs get blown around. I suppose the benefit of this is that it encourages you to kick more. Or if you don’t want to kick you can use a pull buoy. First swim or two can feel kind of annoying. It’s just different. One thing that I like about it over pool swimming is there are no turns, and the mirror on the bottom and at the front allow you to monitor your form. Also, I feel like it encourages you to cut as small a hole in the water as possible, something I don’t think about as much in the pool.
The endless pool that I’ve used doesn’t have a way of displaying the current level, but I believe this is an option that you can get. It would be very useful to have this feature.
If you do a search on here I know Dan and Monty have written about their endless pools and their experiences with them. I found some good info reading past posts.
I can’t quantify how loud the pool is, other than to say that it didn’t strike me as being loud. Maybe in line with a treadmill.
If you want to get in lots of swimming, are having trouble getting to the local pool, have the space and can afford the pool then I’d say go for it.
I don’t have any kind of affiliation with them, but I was speaking with someone there recently and apparently they’re offering $2,000 off if you put down a fully refundable deposit before the end of July. I may have some of the details wrong, but it was something like that.
This is helpful. I am not looking at the fastlane but the original pool. I was curious on three things: ** While the Fastlane is just a drive unit, I believe that it is very similar to the one in the Endless pool. **
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How smooth is the current? The faster the pace the more turbulence. That said, it’s smoother than most open water swims.
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Is there a way to tell how fast you are going? A pace clock is available. It can be set for pace per 100 meter, yards and a numeric value where a higher number =faster.
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How loud is the unit and is there anyway to make it more quite? The impeller portion of the unit is extremely quite. The electrically driven hydraulic drive is louder but can be isolated from the pool area or placed in a sound proof enclosure. Even if it isn’t isolated it’s not so loud that you can’t talk over it when standing 10 feet away from it.
**My wife swam 21 miles in hers this week alone. That was after doing a 10 mile open water race last Saturday. **
Thanks,
Neal
My parents have one and I’ve swam in it a bunch. It’s great, but with the specs they got (12-foot and 5hp motor) I get a lot of bubbles coming out of the jet-grate at full speed. After 10 minutes or so, I can’t see anything (not my arms, not the bottom), and it becomes really hard to swim straight and stay in the jet. I think because they have the short model, the bubbles from me swimming get sucked into the pickup, go through the impeller, and then just stay in the stream.
So two points:
- Make sure you take a long swim in it (as in, a full workout) before you buy it. They often let you take a swim in a previous customer’s pool. This will let you tell if there are any weird things that prevent you from continuing in a given model.
- The 5hp model can only get up to I’d guess 1:15/100m or so*. I can crank my parent’s up to full blast and swim continuously for at least 300-400 strokes before the bubbles blind me. I can’t do any sprint training.
*And that’s pool-pace. Call it 1:25/100m open-water pace.
I didn’t really have a problem with my legs dropping. It really does feel (to me) just like normal swimming. The mirror on the bottom is great for watching your stroke.
When I retired from Army in HI and moved to rural GA there was no place to swim nearby unless I wanted to go in the cattle pond. So the deal with the wife was that I would get an EP and she gets a complete modern kitchen remodel on the old farm house we were fixing up. We’ll live here 50 years and still be the ‘young couple in Aunt Viginia’s house.’ haha.
I had spent a year in Vietnam leading the US POW/MIA mission effort there and during that year read with great interest Dan’s EP saga which he published as a series here on ST. I strongly refer you to that series of articles. So Dan’s project and lessons were in the back of my head as I embarked on a similar effort several years later. An EP is not really any cheaper that a full length 25m lap pool in terms of whole cost up front and there are +s and -'s to the choice to go with an EP. To my mind one of the big advantage over time is that you are maintaining a much smaller overall body of water in terms of heating and chemicals so it’s annual maintenance is much cheaper. Plus I am a triathlete so doing flip turns does nothing for me. They are very boring to swim in after a while so some sorta sound system is almost mandatory. I’ve tried three sets of water proof cases and ear plugs for my iPod shuffle by H20 Audio and when they work they work great but the ear pieces keep failing on me–so I’ve just ordered a waterproof iPod system from Waterfi. Seems to me EP should just offer one of these systems with each full pool system they sell. I am 6’5" and 245lbs (former defensive lineman in college) so I got my pool both wider and longer than standard. Below are some pics of our EP pool in process. I found that I really couldn’t keep pecan tree debris from blowing in under the cover the year the pool sat in the open. However I’d planned from the beginning to enclose the pool and build the concrete pad a third again bigger so the open end of the enclosure now serves as a sitting area and as it’s glassed in we use it as a sorta green house to get our veggie plant sets ready in the early Spring to go into raised beds right after last frost.
I love swimming in my EP and I can swim year round. I swim using music for sets. Two songs cruise interval; one song high temp; and repeat. I only heat it during the winter and then–since my structure is unheated–I’ve found I can keep the water warmer cheaper if I stack sheets of insulation on top of the cover when not in use.
Decided I wanted my pool beside the big hay barn (that had some wind damage). My plan iwas to build a work shop in the near barn bay and connect it to my EP structure eventually.
forms built and set. Reading Dan’s adventures I decided to let pro’s come in and pour the concrete for me. I have the main pool pad and then the equipment pad which is about 18’ away with the hydraulic lines and water lines running between the two via underground conduit.
Setting up the pool on the pad.
Insulating and finishing off pool by covering it with hardy paneling.
Wife swimming late in the afternoon.
Building the structure over my pool and connecting it to work shop in barn.
now i can truly swim year round!
It’s a big investment–really not cheaper than a standard lap pool in terms of initial sunk costs but I my mind or at least for my circumstances it works perfectly. This is a pretty simplistic set up. There are folks that have very beautiful installations in basements, on patios, etc. but I was trying to minimize costs–and do some learning on construction type skills–so did as much myself as was with or just beyond my skill set.
v/r
I am also looking at an Endless, only as a Fastlane built into new construction mini pool.
Do you have any feed back as to the 5hp versus 6hp motor.
The initial feed back from our pool guy constructors is that Endless does not sell a 6hp due to some federal act limiting pool pumps strength.
same question to the experienced one
I am also looking at an Endless, only as a Fastlane built into new construction mini pool.
Do you have any feed back as to the 5hp versus 6hp motor.
The initial feed back from our pool guy constructors is that Endless does not sell a 6hp due to some federal act limiting pool pumps strength.
Have you looked into a Vasa swim trainer? I’m seriously considering buying one, and even though it’s pricey, it’s WAYYY less of a hassle than a fastlane pool, and a bunch of folks have actually improved using it (I’d love to swim as fast as those guys.) Seems like it’s got a lot of users including Jarred Shoemaker and Gordo Byrne, which is definitely good enough for me.
They seem to sell pretty quickly as well if you get tired of it - the ones on the ST classifieds are all long gone, and nobody has one for sale in Norcal, so they seem to be in use and not just getting passed around.
That said, I’ve started using resistance cables just to see if what it’s like before dropping coin on a Vasa, and I’ve been really surprised at how tough the resistance bands are. Still have no idea if these things will make me any faster, but I’m slow enough and get to the pool infrequently enough that I suspect nearly any regular swim-type training will improve me.
I trained through the summer using €5 worth of thin bungy rope, some wide velco for ankle straps, hooked it all together with some old keyrings and voila, instant swim tether for the backyard pool at my parent´s house.
I found that using a snorkel made things easier as the absence of any bow wave round the head made breathing a bit more annoying without one. Also, attaching the tether 4 foot up a fence post lifted my feet slightly in the water and made the body position better.
Bloody boring but an effective workout.
I had to read that several times to figure it out, at first I was imagining you suspended between a couple trees with bungees
around your wrists and ankles and a snorkel in your mouth 
No I realize you were using bungies in your parents pool in the backyard.
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No mate, last time I looked I wasn´t a Tory MP:
The sad thing is - if someone published a study about cross-dressing and bondage raising your Vo2 by 5% - a goodly portion of
the ST would down at Victoria’s Secret in a flash.
Don’t even bother denying it - half the men here already shave their legs. It is a small step from there to a thong and a pushup bra.
.
Hi Neal,
I’m a new Endless Pool owner. It’s been operational for 2 weeks now and it’s an outdoor pool (we have a serious deficit of outdoor pools where I live in Colorado and there is something I love about breathing fresh air when I swim). The pool will cost you about as much as a new car, but from my perspective, it’s totally worth it. My daughter is a fanatic about swimming in the Endless Pool and her stroke is already light years better in 2 weeks. I highly recommend it if you have kids. As far as the feel, some describe it being weaker on the pull phase due to the moving water, which is what I would have expected, but what I have found is that my arms get a killer workout (maybe because I don’t get to “rest” every flip turn?). The feel of the water is fantastic…it just feels very thick like you have a lot of force against your hand and forearm. You also get a slight pulling down on your legs as you slide back in the current which forces you to keep your body balanced and kick slightly more (a good thing from an aerobic training standpoint). I haven’t had any issues with bubbles, but we have a 7x14 ft version that is extra deep (48"). My husband is 6’5" and it’s plenty long enough for him. We also just added in the pace clock which goes down to 1:10/100m pace at max speed. It feels right on with respect to effort for a given speed. The best thing about it hands down is the mirror setup. It is continuous entertainment to tweak your swim stroke and try to be more efficient in the water. Sometimes I put on the Finis swim snorkel to focus completely on my stroke. It’s also really easy to get underwater video from the side if you have a volunteer to stand there and get a bit wet holding the camera. I think it will make a big difference in my swim times…I guess I’ll find out in November at ITU long course. Even after my first 2 sessions in the Endless Pool, I felt like I was swimming faster in the pool at masters. I wouldn’t exclusively train in the Endless Pool though. I still enjoy masters workouts 2-3 times a week for the speedwork. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. What model did you get. I know they now have the same design as the elite with the 5 HP motor. I think I am leaning that way, but may go all the way to the 7.5hp model. Just curious because I want to understand the smoothness of the current.
Also did you put it completely in ground or above ground? What options did you pick and do you have any advice about installation?
Thanks for your help,
Neal
Hi again Neal,
We got the original Endless Pool with the 5HP motor and the pool is entirely above ground. Our deck is adjacent to it, so the step-up is a bit shorter than if it were free-standing, but since we got a 48" depth pool, it’s still pretty tall. I am glad about going a bit deeper and the pace clock was another add-on that we purchased after the fact that I wouldn’t go without. You also need the front angled mirror at the minimum. We bought a floor mirror from swim outlet, but in retrospect, would have just paid the extra $50 for the floor mirror from Endless Pools, as we had to use some creativity to make it work and not damage the liner from its sharp edges.
They are now offering a cheaper T2 model that is deeper and narrower, but still has the water return channels like the original Endless Pool, but is not as pretty. The only thing I wish we bought and didn’t was the underwater lights. We just bought an outdoor floodlight that will have to suffice for night swimming.
My understanding is the 7.5hp model is no longer available due to the motor being considered too strong by federal guidelines (i.e. they don’t want people sucked underwater and drowning in the elite pool at the intake point). I think the current feels pretty good, even at max speed. Yes, there is some turbulence, but the generator is wide enough that it doesn’t feel too awkward and you are still able to take breaths normally without taking in water.
I would recommend you contact Endless Pools to find a demo in your area and actually get in and swim a bit in one. That helps out the demo people too because they get a check for $500 if they showed you their pool and you end up buying one. We will definitely be a demo pool once we get all of the finishing touches completed.
As far as installation, we used an outside contractor for the electrical and cement pad who was a bit cheaper than the Endless Pool installer. We then had the Endless Pool installer install the pool and cover, but did not have him install the outside walls. Instead, (yesterday, in fact), we did all of our own insulation from Home Depot purchases. Our R-factor in our walls is 40, with two, 2" insulation foam boards with fiberglass insulation between them and wood siding that matches our home. This will save us tons on heating in the winter as it is about 3 times more insulated than the standard walls and it cost us less (unless you count the hard labor). We also are going to have a custom top cover built before the winter hits that we will use only in the winter.
All in all, you are probably looking at a good $30K by the time all is said and done. Lots of money for a pool, but for me and my family, well worth it. It will be nice not to have the bike shorts tan all year round now that I can swim outdoors : ).
Not to troll but only function I found useful on an endless pool is that it can be a good masseur if you place your aching body parts near the jets. I just think 1:15/100m is a bit slow sometimes. Might be okay for a distance set though.
My wife runs a Bed and Breakfast with a focus on triathletes and we have an Endless Pool. It’s great. Whether you are up for serious training or just playing around they are an amazing bit of equipment. It’s really good for practicing your technique - we have the mirror - and coaches (or even long suffering spouses) can give you advice. I’ve used it to train for two Ironman races and it really helped with my swim times. It just saves so much hassle schleping to the pool.
If anyone is doing Ironman New Zealand or Challenge Wanaka come and train with us! http://www.cats-pjamas.com. Nelson is the best place in NZ to train.