If you’re thinking about purchasing an inground pool, you are probably also pondering installing an underwater pool light. As we work with thousands of customers around the country each year we have the chance to answer hundreds of questions pertaining to pool lighting. In this post, we’re going to answer some of the more popular in ground pool lighting questions we get on a daily basis. Let’s dive right in!
Why should I light my pool?
First, lighting your pool will give you the chance to use your pool both day and night. Many people find nightswimming to be an amazing experience, but it’s not the same without the mesmerizing glow the reflective lights give underwater. Lighting your inground pool also gives a safe feeling knowing you can watch the kids swim at night with extra light allowing visibility throughout the entire pool.
Do pool lights have to be installed during construction, or can they be added later?
It’s best to have the pool lights installed during construction, pool lights are more of a hassle then other accessories and without having major reconstruction done Premier pools suggests getting lights during the construction.
How many lights do I need?
Depending on the type of light, we currently use the smaller LED lights like the Globright or the Pal 2000 in all our pools and one light will create visibility up to 30’ long. Pools longer than 30’, we suggest two lights. You are welcome to as many as wanted, this is only for the minimum amount, most people end up getting two lights in any pool, and some even have us install three on very large pools.
What are my lighting options and what are the pros and cons of each?
The main pool light on the market today is LED, but fiber optic lighting as well as incandescent lighting are also available. I’ll explain each one.
LEDs -. LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. LED lighting has no filaments, so they give off heat. LED lighting has a different selection of colors and have a few light show settings. LED bulbs have a very long life span…about 30,000 hours looking at the 5,000 hours of the incandescent and the 6,000 hours fiber optics. That’s the equivalent of SIX incandescent replacements and FIVE fiber optic replacements.
Fiber Optics – Fiber optic pool lights were almost taken off the market due to the use of LED technology. The build of fiber optic pool light is unique in that the light bulb is actually located in a dry box on top of the pool patio. The light from this bulb travels through fiber optic cables a special fitting within the pool wall where the cable ends and the light shines out into the pool. Some fiber optic lights have a color wheel located within the box which the light shines through, causing the light in the pool to change color.
The main concern of fiber optic lights is they are not as bright as all the other lighting options, they are also the most expensive, especially for the amount of light they give off.
Incandescents – Incandescents work by electrical current passing through a wire, known as filament, to heat up. The filament glows producing the bright light associated with an incandescent bulb. Two disadvantages of incandescent bulbs are that in order to change color, a colored lens must be placed over the pool light inside the pool, which was fine twenty years ago, but a bit antiquated today. Secondly, the bulb life is much shorter than that of LED bulbs.
How much do inground pool lights cost?
At the time of this writing, full size LED lighting, like what are normally used in Vinyl or Concrete pools, usually cost between $1,000 and $1,500 installed. The smaller LED lights cost between $700 and $900 installed. Fiber optic pool lights are usually around $1,300 to $1,700 installed, and full size incandescent pool lights are normally in the range of $450 to $650.
What maintenance is required?
A bare minimum of maintenance is required for bulb replacement. None of these lights require the water in your pool to be lowered, taking up to 10 mins you may be able to loosen a screw and check the light that way.
Fiber optic bulb replacement is very simple as you can just remove the box cover, located on or near the patio, and snap in a new bulb.
Bulb replacement costs at the time of this writing are as follows: Large LED lights-$450-$650, small LED lights-$50-$350 depending on the model, Fiber optic-$20-$60, and Incandescent- $30-$70.
Are pool lights safe?
Yes, they are extremely safe, so long as they are installed correctly by the manufacturer’s specifications and compliant with local building codes. Modern pool lights, installed correctly, are indeed risk free.
With that said, we hope you have found this information useful, and wish you the best of luck in your efforts to find the right pool light for you.
