How to choose the best lighting for your pool?

Having a swimming pool in your backyard is one of the best features that spells hours of entertainment, relaxation, and full-body exercise. Not to mention, it also elevates the value of your property considerably.

To enjoy your swimming pool fully, it should be such that you can use it any time of the day. This means choosing the best lighting for your pool.

Getting the right pool lights brings in a lot of benefits. Read more to find out what these are and how to select the best ones for your pool.


Important considerations before selecting lights for your pool

Before we talk about the different kinds of pool lights available, let’s take a quick look at why they are essential:

  • They enhance the aesthetics and create a beautiful ambiance around your pool area.
  • Pool lights make it safer for you to use the pool, especially at night.
  • These lights enhance the features of other design elements that you may have such as a pool deck, gazebo, waterfall, fountain, pergolas, etc.


Choosing just any pool lights will not do much for your backyard. Considering some essentials will help you zero in on the best possible pool lights and help you save time and money on their maintenance in the long run:

  • You need to determine your pool usage at the outset. For instance, if you host pool parties regularly, you will want to have lighting all around the swimming pool. If the pool is more for personal use, you can limit the amount of lighting.
  • Don’t forget to use lighting for the area around your swimming pool. You can use flood lighting to illuminate bigger pool area sections or feature lighting to highlight the key design elements such as waterfalls, decks, and fountains.
  • Go green! We recommend that you select energy-efficient lights. They do not just help you save monies, but they are also more durable and better for the environment.
  • Make sure the lights are color-coordinated and match the aesthetics of your house’s exterior and pool furniture.
  • Make use of technology. Most pool lights today come with features such as smartphone integration and dimming features, which can be easily operated through home automation systems or mobile phone apps.
  • Remember that the color of your pool’s finish will have a huge impact on how your lights look. Dark pool finishes will absorb more light and may create a gloomy ambiance. Light & medium-colored surfaces tend to bounce light and create a livelier and lighter ambiance.
  • Determine the number of pool lights based on the size and shape of your swimming pool and the amount of brightness that you are looking for.


What kinds of swimming pool lights are available?

With innovation in lighting technology, pool owners can now choose from a variety of options. Let’s take a look at each of them and compare their advantages and disadvantages:

LED pool lights

One of the most popular swimming pool options, LED lighting is perfect for illuminating your pool. These lights function through their light-emitting diodes (LED) and are known for their efficiency and ease of use.

Incandescent pool lights

These lights have been around for the longest. In these, regular light bulbs are used that have a running current through a filament. This makes them glow in a tone closest to the natural lights.

Halogen pool lights

Another popular swimming pool lighting option, halogen lights work like incandescent lights with a little difference. Halogen pool light bulbs have halogen gas trapped inside, which creates a higher temperature translating to a brighter light.

Let’s now look at the pros and cons of these in detail:

 

Type of light

Advantages

Disadvantages

Halogen lights

  • Cost-effective
  • More efficient than incandescent lights
  • Longer lifespan
  • No option of changing colors
  • Becomes hot after a few hours of use
  • Less efficient than LED lights

Incandescent lights

  • Cost-effective
  • Natural color
  • Low energy efficiency
  • Short lifespan as compared to LED lights, need to be replaced more frequently

LED lights

  • Extremely energy efficient
  • Last for up to 50,000 hours when used moderately
  • Don’t become hot after prolonged use
  • Can change colors
  • Slightly expensive than other lighting options

 

Summing up

The benefits of choosing the right swimming pool lights are many. Besides making your pool area safe, especially for children and pets, they also make your backyard look spectacular. Installation of pool lights requires proper safety compliances to prevent them from causing harm to the swimmers and breaking down. The best way to do this is to hire a professional to install your pool lights. The Pool Connect lets you choose credible and affordable pool maintenance professionals in your area so that you can sit back and enjoy your pool.