With all the time, money, and effort put into installing a pool, you should be able to enjoy it whenever you want. To fully enjoy your installation, pool lights are must-haves, particularly if you want to use your pool at night. Pool lights can transform your deck and swimming pool area into a fun party spot fit for any celebration. However, as you may have already noticed, so many available lighting options make it hard to narrow down your choices. If you’re looking to perfectly illuminate your swimming pool, let’s dive into what you need to consider when choosing pool lighting features.
How Bright Do You Want Your Pool To Be?
The first question you need to ask yourself is why you want to light up your pool. This will help you determine how bright you need your pool to be. For example, if you want to host deck parties, you’ll need your pool lights to be bright to provide ample, safe illumination. Alternatively, if you’re interested in just night swimming every once in a while, you don’t need to worry as much about illumination.
However, if you plan on using your pool at night at all, you absolutely need some form of pool lighting. Tripping hazards abound on a pool deck, and water can get extremely dark at night. If someone is struggling or drowning, you need to be able to see them to save them.
How Many Lights Do You Need?
After determining how bright you want your pool to be, your next step is to figure out how many lights you need. This will help you build a budget you can stick to. To determine how many lights you need, consider the shape and size of your pool, any existing light features, and how many walkways or steps are in the area. You need just an estimate, as you may not need as many lights depending on the type of bulb you choose, which we’ll get into later.
Where Will You Place Your Lights?
On the topic of walkways and steps, you don’t necessarily need to put a bunch of lights in your pool to fully illuminate the area. You can light up your pool in plenty of ways; it all depends on the overall mood and aesthetic you’re going for. You can line the inside or outside of your pool with lights, use lights to highlight different features, or place floodlights to brighten an entire area. Light isn’t just a necessity—it’s a design tool.
What Colors Are You Looking For?
The color lighting you choose can drastically affect your pool’s mood. Most pool owners who want to just illuminate their space will stick to white, but if you’re looking to set the mood, don’t be afraid to choose some unique colors. Today’s pool lights can come in any color you can imagine.
If you want an after-dark oasis, consider cool colors like blues, purples, or even soft greens. Alternatively, if you’re looking to liven up the space for a nighttime party, then fun, bright, and vibrant colors like pink, yellow, or any neon always do the trick. However, if you can’t decide on just one color, you can purchase a light fixture that lets you change colors with the click of a button.
Types of Lighting
LED Lights
LED lights are undoubtedly the most popular choice for pool lighting. This is because they offer excellent illumination and last a long time. Why would anyone choose anything else? Well, the downside to LEDs is that they are rather expensive, and they aren’t great for lighting large pools. If you do want to illuminate a larger pool with LEDs, you’ll have to install more lights, which will run up the cost. The good news is, due to their high energy efficiency, they can save you more in the long run.
Fiber-Optic Lights
Fiber-optic lighting is a great choice if you’re looking for an easy way to replace your bulbs. The housing system for these lights is located outside of the pool, so you don’t have to change the bulbs underwater as you would with LEDs. This makes fiber-optic lights much safer to change, and they offer the same amount of brightness as LEDs. However, they are much more expensive than LEDs and don’t last as long, so you may spend more in the long run.
Halogen Lights
Halogen lights are the brightest pool lights you can get your hands on and are a great option for illuminating larger pools. For a very long time, they were the most popular option until the invention of LEDs. They’re cheap, bright, and easy to replace. However, you’re limited in your color selection, as they only come in white and warm tones. They also produce a high amount of heat, which can warm up the surrounding water and be a burn hazard if they’re left on for too long.
Solar Lights
Solar pool lights are a fun addition if you want some extra light at night without having to install more light fixtures. Solar lights float on top of your pool. After they absorb sunlight during the day, they can light up your pool at night. Plus, they come in a wide variety of designs and colors for extra flare. However, they don’t emit that much light, so they aren’t great for solo use, especially if you’re looking to brighten up your entire pool.
Are You Interested in Energy Efficiency?
Different lightbulbs will illuminate your pool in different ways, and not all lightbulbs are as bright as the next. Though you may be interested in making your pool as bright as possible, you also have to consider how much they’ll run up your electric bill. There’s a delicate balance between ample illumination and energy efficiency.
As we mentioned, LED lights are incredibly energy efficient, with halogen lights coming in at second place. However, if you want to keep your usage low, throwing in a few solar lights can save you money and brighten up your pool.
Now that you know what to consider when choosing pool lighting features, let Limitless Custom Pools and Backyard Inc. help you design and install your dream pool. If you need pool resurfacing in Houston or want to build a pool from scratch, we have the expertise and experience to bring your vision to life.
