When it comes to entertaining, relaxing, celebrating, or creating a certain atmosphere—lighting is everything. This goes for your pool as well. The party does not have to end when the sun goes down. There are many types of lighting for pools. At first halogen surface mounted lights were the only lights available. Now there are LED lights, fiber optic, wall mounted, flush mounted, multi-colored, and they all come in various shapes and sizes.
Halogen Lighting
Halogen lighting or halogen ‘globes’ are still the most frequently used pool lighting. They are slowly losing popularity because consumers are choosing to go with more energy-efficient LED lighting.
Halogen lighting does have its benefits. First, the globes can be simply changed when it reaches the end of its life. Halogen lights are bright an easy to maintain. An average halogen light can be expected to last 2000-5000 hours, much less than LED lighting.
The cons of halogen lighting are worth considering as well. They can create heat in your pool and simultaneously will consume more power than other forms of lighting.
LED Lighting
LED lighting (light emitting diodes) has become extremely popular in the lighting industry for many reasons. One of those reasons being they use less energy and are longer lasting than the average light. They are more expensive than halogen lights but it is important to keep in mind LED lights use only 15% of the energy of a halogen light.
There are many high quality brighter LED lights available for your pool and due to the increase in popularity, the price has come down to make them more affordable.
LED lights are extremely versatile. They can be wall mounted, surface mounted, and retrofitted in different diameters for both concrete and fiberglass pools. They can produce a multitude of colors without the need to mess with colored lenses.
2 Kinds of Mounting for Halogen or LED Lights
Flush Mounted Lighting
Halogen or LED lights can be flush mounted. This type of mount installs the lights inside the wall of the pool so that it creates a smooth finish. They do not protrude in any way and all that can be seen is the illumination of the light. Flush mounted lighting has flexibility in placement and can even be placed near stairs, which is an advantage over surface mounted lighting.
Surface Mounted Lighting
Surface mounted lighting is installed on the side of the pool and does protrude slightly from the side of the pool; it depends on the brand and model. Surface mounted lighting has a distinct advantage over flush mounted lighting because it emanates more light in the pool. They can also be easily installed in vinyl, fiberglass, or concrete pools.