Swiftly ascending as a premier choice in the pool industry, and renowned for creating adventure pools, swim-in-place pools, and lazy rivers; Riverflow by Current Systems has established its reputation as the go-to solution. However, their prowess extends beyond private backyards; as evident by their frequent use in commercial pools.
The Riverflow pump itself is the brainchild of Peter Davidson, President of Current Systems. “I patented the pump back in the late eighties under a different brand name,” Davidson explains, “but the axial flow pump and technology and accessories have moved forward over the past three decades. We started off with the application being focused on countercurrent swimming and have moved into the lazy river application over the last decade.”
Manufactured in Ventura, California, these innovative pumps and associated equipment serve a wide array of markets. “We ship to domestic and international markets ranging from residential installations on up to international water parks and resort hotels,” Davidson continues.
Power & Performance in Commercial Pools
Modern commercial pool projects demand powerful and reliable equipment, particularly for applications that require managed current. Davidson highlights what sets Riverflow apart in this regard: “The product that we produce is pretty much the only one in the industry capable of that kind of flow rate and very suitable for the applications that it’s used for in countercurrent swimming and creating current lazy rivers.”
Riverflow’s success in the commercial market sector can also attributed to their commitment to accessibility and collaboration during project planning. “Probably one of the biggest assets is, I think, first our accessibility by builders and engineers and architects and designers,” Davidson notes. “For technical hydraulic help on the project, we use sophisticated engineering software, a computational fluid dynamic product that illustrates velocities, pressures, streamlines, vectoring within the lazy rivers and even within swim-in-place pools.”
This advanced software allows for precise visualization of water movement, ensuring all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the project’s hydraulic dynamics. “We can bring the client, the contractor, the designer, whoever else, and us all on the same page with a visualization of what the current is actually going to be doing within that geometry,” Davidson explains. This collaborative approach facilitates effective communication and allows for design adjustments to meet client expectations perfectly.
Enhancing The Pool Experience
The ongoing trend towards incorporating moving water into contemporary pool designs is driven by the desire to recreate resort-like experiences. “Clients that are building these resort-style pools in their backyard have had prior experiences on vacation. They’ve experienced this moving water that moves faster than just a lazy river,” Davidson shares. This desire for dynamic water features has led to the development of pools where “the event doesn’t end,” keeping the excitement and fun alive with continuous movement.
Aesthetic and Acoustic Excellence
One of the challenges with traditional high-powered pool equipment is audible and visual intrusion. Riverflow’s innovative design tackles these issues head-on. Phil De Tournillon, Vice President of Current Systems, elaborates: “One of the things that what Peter created some 25, 30 years ago was a piece of equipment that at the end of everything being installed, the builder and the homeowner and the client come back and they say, ‘I thought it was going to be noisy. It is so quiet.’”
This quiet operation is a hallmark of Riverflow’s technology, setting it apart from conventional pumps. “The contractors and everyone are just so pleased to know that that piece of equipment doesn’t put out the kind of noise that other pumps that they’re used to are creating,” De Tournillon adds.
Davidson further emphasizes the unobtrusive design: “The design criteria with this system was to make it flush mount, inobtrusive and quiet. So we checked those boxes, and we also make a variety of nozzles to actually pinpoint the application for spreading current out more quickly, for using it as a water curtain to corral or separate static from moving water in the same body of water.”
A Leading Solution for Commercial Pools
In the commercial sector, Riverflow distinguishes itself with innovative solutions tailored to large-scale applications. Davidson explains, “In the commercial pools, basically the larger lazy rivers, we sort of introduced a method of providing propulsion for these rivers. We term it distributed pumping.”
Traditionally, large lazy rivers relied on massive pumps housed in a central location, which posed significant risks if the pump failed. Riverflow’s distributed pumping approach mitigates this risk. “We put our small, quiet pumps distributed along the river at intervals that are appropriate for creating the kind of propulsion required,” Davidson states. This ensures that even if one or two pumps require maintenance, the river continues to flow uninterrupted.
Notable Projects and Success Stories
Riverflow’s technology has been instrumental in numerous high-profile projects at various hotels, resorts, and water parks. Phil De Tournillon recounts the success at Typhoon Texas: “Today, it’s rated as one of the top water parks in the United States. Their design team created a tremendous project in construction, and C.T. Brannon specced us into that project. They’ve had nothing but positive results for all the years and the reliability of our product to continue to function the way it does.”
Another notable project is the Jungala water park in Cancun. Davidson highlights the efficiency achieved: “We were able to reduce the power requirement, electrical consumption by 40% to achieve the same flow rate as the 40 hp pumps. The engineers and designers on this project were delighted to make a savings in equipment cost, installation cost, and power consumption during operation.”
Riverflow’s pumps have also been utilized in prestigious locations like the Atlantis Resort in Dubai and Margaritaville in Nassau, Bahamas, further cementing their reputation for excellence in the international commercial market.
Interested in learning more about how Riverflow by Current Systems is being used in today’s top commercial pool projects? Listen to our entire interview on the Pool Magazine podcast.
PHOTO CREDITS: AQUA NICK, TYPHOON TEXAS, NEPTUNE ISLAND / JUNGALA
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