Swim Spas and Exercise
Pools are Spa World's area of expertise.
Being owned by Monarch Spas who produced their first commercial-grade swim spas way back in the
early 1980's our brand has swim spa heritage in it's blood. This guide aims to provide useful
facts that anyone buying a swim spa should know:
History of the Swim
Spa...
The first swim spas were
commercially available in the late 70's and evolved from a combination of the popular one-piece
fibreglass pools and hot tubs that are now most common throughout Southern Europe, South Africa,
Australia and the USA.
The first designs were a standard pool with a swim jet on one wall. As things moved on, a separate
spa was added to the end of these "exercise pool" moulds, which meant that both a pool and spa
could be heated from one heat source, filtered with one sand filter, and pressurised by the same
pumps.
Simple above-ground wooden pools
can also be modified to work as an exercise pool, however the lack of insulation or hard cover
prevent these from being cost-effective as a year-round solution and are generally for summer use
only. The floating 'bubble' covers can assist heating during hot summers but leak heat excessively
when the aminet temperature drops below the water temperature.
The latest evolution happened in
the last decade where for the first time a one-piece free-standing "Portable" swim spa could be
positioned, filled and used in the same day with none of the mess or expense associated with
digging a pool. This also means that the item can be re-located if you move house, unlike in-ground
pools, which rarely add value and can in some cases de-value a property.
Today, Monarch Spas manufacture a Swim Spa range of four different
shapes and sizes, each available in three specification levels, with a plethora of options and
upgrades. We can even custom-build them to your own personal specification in our manufacturing
facility in Melbourne, Australia.
Now with over 50
Spa World stores across Australia and Europe, we are sure to have a Monarch Aquacise Swim Spa
on display near you.
Swim Spa or Exercise
Pool?
Swim Spas or Exercise Pools are essentially the same thing; an
aquatic treadmill. Both provide you with a counter-current. There are different methods of
propulsion emerging into the market place using water wheels and even propellers to move water
past the swimmer.
While Swim Spas offer a counter
current as well as the added benefits of a hot tub and are often self-contained, exercise pools
are generally built-in like a swimming pool. Most use pumps to suck water from one end of the swim
area, and pump it out at great speed at the other.
Swim Spas are essentially a very
large hot tub where you can exercise, swim on the spot, or have a spa, without the installation,
heating, cleaning and cost often associated with a swimming pool. They generally have a hot-tub
style insulation system and cover that can bring running costs down to under 10% of an 8x4m outdoor
pool.
Propulsion Devices and
Techniques
There are three common methods
of propulsion, each with their pro's and cons:
Swim Jets - Adjustable, fully controlled pressure via diverter valves but can throw swimmers off
course
Propeller - Can be noisy, and
consume a lot of energy. Yet can also provide a more steady current
Wheel - Can be noisy, and consume a lot of energy. Yet
can also provide a more steady current
Typically the latter two examples do not have Spa seating, so do not double as a hot tub,
and are simply for exercise.
Insulation
Techniques
While most Swim Spas and Exercise Pools are made by
Hot Tub manufacturers, there are a few exceptions. Some dedicated exercise pools are either dug and
installed by a specialist company , or sold as a DIY kit.
The in-ground types are often
sunk into a hole and back filled with concrete. This can cause servicing issues at a later date if
the plumbing needs to be accessed, as well as heat loss by the ground temperature sucking the heat
out of the water.
Our Swim Spas and Exercise Pools
are fully perimeter insulated and come with a 4" thick hard cover in two folding sections -
effectively like two hot tub covers that join in the middle. We also upgrade all swim spas to a 4"
or 100mm thick perimeter of cavity wall insulation. 
This has a number of advantages.
Firstly, all the plumbing, filters and equipment is housed inside the insulating barrier. Some Swim
Spas just have a few mm of foam sprayed onto the back of the shell - this is next to useless as all
the pipe work is exposed to outdoor temperatures (see left), although at least it isn't in direct
contact with the ground as with a built-in pool.
Another advantage to perimeter
insulation is that the four boost pumps in our pools give off a tremendous amount of heat when they
are running. So much so that the water temperature can often be maintained without the heater being
used at all. For this reason full-foam is generally not used on swim spas as all this heat must
then be vented outside the cabinet and wasted.
Full foam is generally not used
on all but unbranded Asian-made swim spas. These cost almost as much as a proper branded swim spa,
but can be very poorly backed-up by the suppliers, often just an eBay trader with no real business
behind them.
Heaters and control
systems
Swim Spas operating outdoors in
the UK climate will need a 5kw heater as a minimum. It is also important that the heater has more
than one element, so that even with several pumps running, there is still enough spare power
available to keep at least one element on.
Another thing to be sure of is the control system on the swim spa. Our Swim Spas use a dedicated
controller, into which plug:
2 x Synchronised touch pads, up
to 4 x Synchronised LED lights, 4 x 3hp pumps, an air blower, temperature sensor, circ' pump, and
UV Sanitiser.
Synchronisation means that when one touch pad is used to change the
colour of the LEDs, or change the temperature, all the changes happen at once so that both ends of
the pool are talking to each other.
Something to be wary of are Swim
Spas that have "2 x Ozone generators" or "2 x 3kw heaters" . Unfortunately, this often means that
the swim spa doesn't have a dedicated control system and effectively has two spa controllers bolted
together.
This means that there is no
Synchronisation so one touch pad doesn't talk to the other - one end of the pool is trying to raise
the temperature and run the pumps, but the other isn't. This can lead to inadvertently heating the
pool when you don't intend to. Often this also means that only two of the four pumps can power the
swim jets, while the other two are permanently fitted to the spa end.
Diverter
Valves
Diverter valves are an essential
feature. Generally there is one diverter valve per pump.
Take a
look at the picture to the right - the diverter handle can be set left, right or anywhere
in-between.
This means that swim spas fitted
with a diverter valve for each pump can divert all this power to either end of the
pool.
Swim Spas without diverter
valves have "fixed plumbing" which means that if there are four pumps, two will power the "swim
end", and two will power the "spa end".
Our swim spas, fitted with four
pumps and four diverter valves enable users to divert the power from all four pumps into the swim
jets, the spa, or a combination of both.
Our "extreme" swim spas have
four pumps and four diverter valves. This can make our
products twice as powerful as those with the same pumps, but no diverter valves. Note the 50/50
position of the 4 x diverter valves in the image below, compared to that of the image
above.
Ozone vs Ultra Violet Light?
An ozone generator produces
ozone gas which is dissolved into the spa water. This, like chlorine, bromine and other sanitisers
helps to kill bacteria in the spa, meaning less chemicals are used.
Two types of ozone generator are: CD or UV (Capacitor Discharge or Ultra Violet). The generator’s
CD Chip or UV Bulb will generally need replacing year or two.
Ozone’s drawback is that it soon escapes from the water and builds up under the cover where the
gas attacks it, as well as other plastic parts, causing staining, discolouration, and
disintegration. There is also mounting evidence linking surface-level Ozone gas to Asthma and
other respiratory problems.
A new, but very different
technology called a "UV Sanitiser" also uses UV Light to kill bacteria, yet without
producing any Ozone.
The filtered water passes through a
clear tube where it is exposed to a specific spectrum of Ultra Violet light ,so no gas or chemicals
are added to the water. This light kills 99.9% of bacteria, yeasts and viruses on the first pass
through the chamber.
The "UV Sanitiser" also helps oxidise the by-products of the disinfection process. These are the
by-products called "Chloramines" (responsible for "that chlorine smell", sore eyes,
etc).
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Ozone
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UV Sanitiser
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Can it cause respiratory and asthma problems?
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Yes
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No
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Can it reduce the life of my Spa Cover?
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Yes
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No
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Can it discolour and bleach my Spa's fittings?
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Yes
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No
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Will it add gas or chemicals to the water?
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Yes
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No
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Is it less effective at higher temperatures?
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Yes
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No
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UV's most common application is in
the purification of drinking water and in Koi Carp ponds, where excessive chemicals cannot be used
to kill the bacteria. It is also increasingly used
in commercial swimming
pools.
Swim Spa
Covers
Spa World supply a thermal, rigid cover as standard
on all Swim Spas and Exercise Pools. Floating "Bubble" or "Solar" covers used in conjunction with a
hard cover can further improve its performance, yet are not suitable for the UK climate when used
on their own.
The purchase cost of
a proper hard cover is far less than a year‘s running costs without one!
Our extra-strong covers taper to the sides to
that water runs off, preventing formation of puddles or unsightly water marks; and are included in
the purchase price of our Swim Spas. They insulate so well that in winter, frost often forms on the
cover before the ground!
Fitting a cover lifter to swim spas at either end can make cover removal and replacement a
one-handed operation.
Pumps and
Power
Pump performance is generally
quoted in HP or Horse Power. This
is an area of the market that is prone to ambiguity, as the number litres per minute the pump
produces determines how good it is.
Swim Spas made in the USA
generally have higher horsepower figures for the same size European pump - this is because
horsepower can be calculated in different ways - is it the HP of the motor or the pump? Is it BHp
or Hp?
BHp is often used, (and
misquoted as HP) to artificially inflate the perceived power of a pump; 2.5Hp is often referred to
as 4.8BHp and 3.0Hp is often referred to as 5.2BHp. Our pumps are equivalent to what are often
referred to on US-made spas as "56 Frame 5Hp Wet End Pumps".
An easy way to work out how powerful the pump is, is by looking at the motor. Our pumps
are:
3Hp, or 5.2bHp, (or misquoted 5.2Hp), or approx 700+ Litres Per Minute, with a 2200watt
motor.
Older technology uses a two
speed pump. This is so the same pump can filter/heat the water (on the low speed) and power the
jets (high speed). These pumps are typically less reliable and far noisier than single speed pumps
due the motor being adapted to work on two speeds.
Circulation (or circ') pumps are small pumps often fitted to more up market
swim spas and normally run 24/7. These little pumps are just used for heating/filtration, not for
powering the jets. Their small motors and 24hr operation, not only save energy, but reduce chemical
consumption with permanent filtration. These can have a short life span as they run 24/7/365
without a break so are normally given just a one year warranty.
Monarch now use a circulation
pump that is slightly larger than an average circulation pump. While the power and size of the pump
are not much larger than normal, the inlets, outlets and actual pump are much larger in diameter.
The increased flow rate means that the same level of filtration can be achieved during just 8 hours
per day, saving energy and extending component life - that's why these pumps are warranted for a
full 3 years, and cost less to run.
Electricity Supply
Swim Spas and Exercise Pools use
electricity to operate. All our fitness pools must be installed by a an
NICEIC or other "Part P" registered electrician in
accordance with BS7671 and any other relevant codes of practice. Ask to see their card to ensure the person is
qualified and competent to carry out the electrical works safely. You should also receive a
certificate signing-off the completed work.
Swim Spas generally come with a
40amp power configuration, anything less than this, and you may find it is not powerful enough to
maintain temperature, or to swim properly.
Some swim spas use load shedding
to turn off the heater element(s) when the pumps are activated, keeping the total current drawn
under 40amps.
Our heaters use two separate 3kw
elements combined into one unit so that if load shedding is needed, one element can be turned off,
rather than cutting all the heat to the water. This helps prevent the pool from cooling when
multiple pumps are used.
SEE OUR PRE-DELIVERY GUIDE FOR HELP
FINDING YOU NEAREST PART-P APPROVED ELECTRICIAN
Further
Information
There are many ways to integrate
your spa with its surroundings by using a terrace, walls, screens and plants. If your garden
slopes, this is an ideal opportunity to sink the spa slightly so that you can step down into
it.
There are also a number of
useful tips in our Hot Tub buyers guide.
Swim Spas require up to a 200mm
thick base with reinforcing mesh laid onto compacted hardcore. See the Swim Spa section of our
pre-delivery for more info on foundations, electrical
supplies, cranes and decking... ...or you can use our slide show of customer
installations around the world as inspiration for your own grand design!
Spa WORLD - Have the GOOD LIFE...