The Best & Most Popular Ways To Light Up Your Pool!
A well-designed swimming pool can make a stunning statement in any backyard and adding lights can take the aesthetics to a whole other level. With so many options on the market, you may be wondering which types are best suited to your pool and home. Here’s everything you need to know about lighting for your pool.
What Lighting Options Can I Have For My Pool?
Technology is always advancing, and new and innovative pool lighting options are constantly hitting the market. Today lighting lasts longer and produces a cleaner light using far less energy. There are two main types of pool lighting they include:
Halogen Lights
Incandescent lighting once ruled the pool lighting world until halogen lighting came on the scene. They use less energy and have longer endurance. Although they do come with their pitfalls. Halogen globes are expensive and need replacing often plus still they omit a yellow glow. Whilst they are far better than incandescent they still aren’t the best option available.
LED Lights
LED technology has set a new standard of pool lighting. They are far more environmentally friendly, last for longer and produce a clean light. Filaments are not used to produce light in LED lighting, so you won’t get the greenish glow in your pool water that incandescent and halogen lights are notorious for, they emit a clean white light. Most people opt for LED over halogen for these reasons.
Can I Have Different Coloured Lights?
Today, you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to pool lighting. You can choose a coloured system which allows you to change the colour of your pool lighting with one touch of a button from your smart device. Additionally, you can set your lighting up to alternate colours which is a great way to give your pool the ‘wow factor’.
Types Of Lights
There are two main types of lights including surface-mounted and flush-mounted. Surface-mounted lights are generally large and placed on the side of the interior surface of the pool. They tend to not be as popular nowadays as they are a bit of an eyesore. Those with newer contemporary pool designs often opt for flush-mounted lighting as they don’t protrude out, they sit flush into the pool wall which makes for a much more seamless and modern finish.
How Many Lights Do I Need?
How many lights you need depends on a few things such as:
• How big your pool is and the shape
• How much light you already have on your backyard.
• The look you are would like to create.
The bigger your pool is the more lighting you will need, and how much lighting you require will vary depending on how much outdoor lighting you already have. If the pool has curves or corners you will need to make sure you allocate enough lighting to those areas. You can choose whether you want to light the entire pool, partially or just light the stairs. Additionally, think of areas in your pool that you want to stand out such as a water slide or water feature.
Where Is The Best Place To Position My Lights?
It’s a good idea to consider your pool lighting in the design phase of your pool. That way you can swap and change the placement of the lights to give you the best result. Whilst you can add pool lighting later it can be more costly in some cases. For safety, the stairs should be lit. Your pool builder can offer helpful advice on this.
Are LED Lights User Friendly?
There are many benefits to LED lighting one of them being how simple they are to programme and operate. Many newer pool light systems enable you to control your lighting from a smart device and they normally have numerous settings which allows you to personalise it to your specific tastes or requirements. You can turn the lighting on and off when you are not home and put the lighting on a timer. This drastically reduces the amount of energy your lighting consumes and in turn will save you money come bill time.
What To Look For In Pool Lighting
When choosing lighting for your pool it’s important to choose quality lights that are going to stand the test of time rather than selecting the cheapest ones you can find. You firstly need to establish the kind of lighting effect you are trying to achieve and ensure that the lights meet your expectations. Have a look at what kind of warranty the lights include. Some lighting choices require professional installation, and you want to be sure that if your lights need repairing or replacing down the track you are covered. Many cheaper quality lights don’t have good warranties backing them so be mindful of this when choosing your lights, you may be out of pocket more in the long run by having to replace them more often than you’d probably like. There are many different lighting varieties to choose from ranging from solar portable lighting right up to smart technology lighting. Have a chat with your pool builder about which pool lighting options are suited to your budget and what you want out of lighting for your pool. They will be able to recommend some suitable options.
Pool Scaping Lighting
It’s not only your pool lighting you should consider when installing a pool. The area surrounding it will need to be well lit to ensure that people can get to and from the pool safely once the sun goes down. Ideally, you should have lighting on the walkway to the pool and if you want to enhance the look of your backyard at night time, placing lights to highlight focal points can create a stunning feature. Again, there are many options to choose from when it comes to backyard lighting, which ones are best suited depends on your budget, the effect you are trying to create and ultimately how much light you want outside.
Our Top Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Lighting
1. Maintain your pool’s water balance correctly. This ensures that the water isn’t damaging your lighting.
2. Make sure you turn your lights on every week. This prevents moisture from building up inside.
3. Invest in quality lights that are energy-efficient and long-lasting.
4. Make sure they are bright enough to light up your pool adequately, so it is safe to access at night-time.
5. Lighter coloured pools usually don’t need as many lights as darker coloured pools.
6. Make sure your pool lights are easily accessible.
7. If you have halogen lights, turn them on every day for a few minutes to ensure they are still working. Not using them can damage the globes.
Talk To The Professionals
Lighting not only makes your pool area safe, but it can also enhance the overall appeal of your pool. With so many choices you may not know where to start. Our team here at Barrier Reef National are experts in the pool industry and can offer friendly advice on which pool lighting options may be best suited to your home and pool. For further information, get in touch today!
