Lighting Options for Inground Pools

A dark pool is not a great place to swim, so make sure you lighten the pool at night. Everyone will love the backyard. This blog will discuss the various lighting options available for existing and new inground pools.

Installing lighting simultaneously with pool installation is easier because it is more difficult to establish lighting after the pool has been built. Instead, you will need to tunnel under the deck and cut a hole in the pool wall to run the light cord to the junction box.

There are still options available for pools without a light niche. For example, you can use fibre optic lighting in strands along the pool coping or in cups that can easily be mounted to the wall.

Inground Pool Lighting

You have two options for pool lights: 12v or 120v from Pentair or Hayward. A stainless steel or plastic face ring is also available. We recommend the plastic ring for anyone with a saltwater chlorine generator. You will need the light voltage to be 12v, so a 300-watt transformer is required. Ensure the pool light cord is long enough to be wired to your power source or junction box. There is no way to increase the cord length if it is too short.

Amerlite Incandescent - A Pentair incandescent light uses an R-40 lightbulb, like a floodlight bulb. This light features a stainless-steel housing with a stainless-steel face ring and a clear tempered glass lens. This light can be purchased in 120v or 12v, with different wattages: 100w to 300w, 400w to 500w and 500w.

LED Colour Lighting – There are many manufacturers that offer colour-changing pool lights. A traditional pool light uses more energy than an LED pool light. LED lights use up to 86% less power and can last up to 10x longer than conventional incandescent lamps. 

LED lights offer many length options, the most common being 30, 50, 100 and 150 feet. This is the distance from the junction box to the light niche, plus approximately 4 feet.

Fibre Optic Lighting - There are two types of fibre optic lighting: pool lighting and perimeter lighting. You will need to install some concrete, vinyl, or fibreglass lens housings for the fibre optic light. Next, fibre optic pool lights are installed in the lens housing. A fibre optic cable is attached to the light - the more strands there are, the brighter your pool will be.

After installing the in-pool fibre optic light, the fibre optic cable is fed back through a rigid conduit. The fibre optic cable can then be wired to an illuminator box, a standard light source. The illuminator boxes contain a colour wheel, which rotates and allows you to adjust the light to different colours.

Perimeter Lighting – This is another fibre optic light used mainly for decoration and mood lighting. The translucent cable is usually installed under the coping of your spa or pool. If you have a double track, the fibre optic cable would be installed within that track and run around the perimeter of your swimming pool. The line runs continuously around the pool and ends at the back of your skimmer. The cable then runs to the light source or illuminator box.

Additional LED Pool Lights

Oro lights are lightweight indoor/outdoor LED lights that glow softly, used to decorate your patio, pool or indoor space. Oro lights are powered by a rechargeable battery and look great floating in your pool or deck.

Each light has a colour-changing lens that can change from red, blue, green, and white to a vibrant colour display that automatically fades from another colour. Oro lights can be used in all weather conditions and are water-resistant.

The Floating LED pool light has a 12-hour battery life and can be used in many ways. In addition, it is very easy to use – charge it and turn it on. It will keep its charge for many weeks on standby. As a benefit, it can withstand rough water and cannonballs.

LED pool lighting is here for the long term. LED pool lighting is the best option to replace or add vibrancy to your pool. You may never need to change a lightbulb again. Your LED light bulb could last up to 12 years if you use it for 12 hours per day, 7/7 days a week. It saves money and requires less maintenance.

LED Pool Lights Have:

• Very low energy consumption

• Long life expectancy LED bulbs

• Bright, rich colours

• Programmable light shows

• Very low maintenance

Pool Deck and Patio Lighting

Small downlights for steps or walls - If your outdoor patio or retaining walls have steps, then using downlights to illuminate the steps is a good idea. They also provide safety and look great. Retrofitting downlights to concrete steps can be difficult, but you can hide wires with wooden or stone steps.

Small up lights for feature trees - These can be solar-powered spotlights used in small areas to highlight statues, water features, or sitting areas. There are many outdoor lighting options which have advanced in recent years.

Pathway lighting- This is another good option for solar-powered lights. They come in many styles, from classic and modern to vintage. First, stick them in the ground and hide the cord in the dirt. Then, attach the solar collector at the end of the run.

Tiki Torches This is an inexpensive way to illuminate your backyard and around your pool area. It is vital to keep your Tiki torch safe. The flame should not reach more than 6 feet.