How to light your swimming pool
Tips for lighting your pool
When the sun is high in the sky, it is very pleasant to have a refreshing dip to escape the heat. But there will also be the occasional night when the heat gets the better of us and we also feel like relaxing in the cool water of our pool. To create the perfect night-time atmosphere, it is important to have good pool lighting to add a new dimension to our home and help us enjoy our nocturnal swim.
There are several types of lighting for the perfect pool atmosphere on the market: solar lamps, fibre optic lighting, LED lights, floating lights, halogens, incandescent lights… although the current trend and most efficient option is LED lighting.
The electrical system used most frequently at the moment is fibre optic, which has the advantage of there not being any heat or electricity in the wiring and so entails no maintenance. It comes in different colours and is usually situated around the perimeter of the pool to generate a very simple yet elegant effect.
LED lighting is the most frequently used. In addition to being very efficient, hardwearing and energetically efficient, it provides atmosphere with colours that can be adapted at any time using a remote control, which means you can customise your pool even more with the colours you want.
Where can we put our pool lights?
There are several places and endless combinations for fitting lights in the pool depending on the shape and length of the same. We will generally position the main lighting at the sides, about 30/40 centimetres below the edge of the pool, focussed so that they do not shine light on the house or the more frequently used areas. The recommendation is to install one lamp for every 20 m2 of water surface.
How to reduce your pool’s electricity usage?
Whether we are building a new pool or are replacing existing bulbs, we should take energy efficiency into account to reduce our pool’s electricity usage. The technologies that currently require the least maintenance, give thousands of hours of light and are low-energy are fibre optic and LED lighting.
Safety and pool lighting
Safety is one of the most important factors to consider when installing or replacing our pool lighting. Make sure that all of the underwater lights that you are going to fit in your pool comply with Spanish standard UNE-EN 60598. This standard requires them to be made of materials that are resistant to high temperatures and are totally watertight to prevent water getting in.
Lighting: a good safety measure
Pool lighting is both aesthetic/decorative and functional as it is an excellent safety measure.
Lights in or around the water may prevent unpleasant falls into the water in addition to lighting up the garden area during the night, allowing us to see any possible intruders.
