If you plan to put up a pool, you know that it won’t be a walk in the park. The costs for labour and materials plus other considerations such as safety and logistics have to be given some thought, but you know what the payoff is. While others have to rent public pools, which may not be as sanitary as one would hope, your backyard pool will provide you and your family endless fun and relaxation. But to extend the good times, you’ll need to install lighting, like underwater pool lights. Aside from allowing pool usage in the evening, installing swimming pool lights underwater also makes the pool experience a lot safer. It is imperative that any pool, may it be traditional or inground pools, have underwater pool lights, which is why you have to work well with your technicians on how to choose the right swimming pool lights underwater. Or if you’re the DIY kind of person, you have to have enough know-how of putting up swimming pool lights underwater. Here at Vera, we might have a few ideas to help you get started with choosing the right underwater pool lights for you. We hope that through this article, you have some kind of grasp of what you want to have when it comes to swimming pool lights underwater.
But Wait… Inground or Underwater?
You may do your own search for pool lights and encounter these two: inground pool lights and underwater pool lights. Is there a difference? Apparently, there is. Inground pool lights are installed not on the pool itself but the ground next to it. These may appear to be swimming pool lights underwater, but in truth, they are placed in a hollowed area underground where the fixture and its cables are placed. Underwater pool lights are the ones that can be found, you guessed it, underwater. Inground pool lights are installed at the sides of the pool, while underwater pool lights are ones you see over the pool surface, submerges in pool water. Don’t confuse yourself when looking for swimming pool lights underwater.
Some Considerations
Imagine you are at the local hardware store and a salesperson approached you, you say you are looking for underwater pool lights. Then the salesperson, in an effort to help you, starts spewing these technical terms. You may not know how to respond, but here are some considerations you may carry with you as you search for swimming pool lights underwater:
Brightness
It is important that your underwater pool lights maintain a steady, bright light all throughout the evening. Putting up these swimming pool lights underwater will help visibility of the pool, which will assist in maintaining safety, and also for other functions such as cleaning the pool or doing maintenance work. But sometimes, you might not need a lot of underwater pool lights depending on the size. Some above ground pools are only for dipping and not really for long laps for exercise, so a few swimming pool lights underwater might do. For large-scale pools, the brightest halogen underwater pool lights are optimum. Some might argue that the light they have in the backyard is enough, but still, we urge you to install swimming pool lights underwater for safety.
Quality
Take note that underwater pool lights will react to the pool’s chemical composition, which means it can deteriorate faster if you choose low quality swimming pool lights underwater. Also, the bulbs used for these underwater pool lights is also an issue. LED lights might last longer but incandescent lights are definitely brighter. Do some research on which swimming pool lights underwater will last a long time, but provide quality lighting in the process.
Some Options
You may want to look at these other underwater pool lights as additional options:
Submersible Lights
Placing these swimming pool lights underwater is a quick, no-installation way to brighten your pool. Just stick them to the side of your pool and these underwater pool lights will quickly provide adequate lighting. But compared to inground pool lights, swimmers might hit them once in a while which can be a hassle. Before putting these swimming, pool lights underwater, assess how much activity there is in the pool because the more people are inside, the more likely these underwater pool lights might be struck.
Fiber Optic Lights
These are fancier underwater pool lights options. They are connected to a dry box that controls the power of these swimming pool lights underwater, and the shine is quainter than most pool lights. However, they aren’t as bright as other swimming pool lights underwater. They can be used though as accents to other lights.
Need more Input?
We at Vera may have more answers to your underwater pool light’s needs. You might want to check our catalogue of lighting options, or go through the entire website for other pool needs, perhaps for more smart home upgrades your pool can use.
