How to light up a swimming pool? Underwater luminaires, halogen sources to enhance details and LED spotlights: everything you need to know for functional light

The presence of water requires few but precise measures: following them will allow you to illuminate your pool correctly, without running any risk. You can choose luminaires with different shapes and halogen or LED light sources that, thanks to modern technologies, allow you to create lighting scenarios. In addition to the pool, do not forget to study the right lighting for the edge: a good project can allow you to illuminate dark areas of your garden. Floating lights can be a good eco-friendly solution, even if more suitable for particular scenographic atmospheres.

Underwater lights

To illuminate the pool, you can choose underwater lights or floodlights. Available on the market and produced by all companies specialized in lighting, they are generally powered by low voltage (12 V) for safety reasons.

The presence of water requires attention and, above all, the purchase of suitable products, as well as the intervention of a professional.

Given the particularity of the environment in which the headlights are installed, the transformer, which allows to power the light sources, must be positioned far from the appliances, in a special electrical panel far from the water.

The underwater lights are installed during the pool design phase. They are generally positioned at 70 cm below the water level. The ideal is to choose flat models, in particular if the pool has a rectangular shape; if, instead, it is round, you can also install different products, more rounded, and have a good lighting.

Dishes or not, it is important that the headlights never remain lit if not covered by water that has the important function of cooling them. During the winter it is not necessary to switch them off, there is no risk if they stay on. However, you must check the light bulb and change it if it is burned out. And, before the next season, check that everything works properly.

Halogen sources to illuminate the details

Floodlights with halogen sources are ideal for illuminating water jets or fountains. You can apply them directly to the nozzle or you can choose adjustable floodlights: they must be positioned in the corner of the pool, in relation to where the water is present, and adjusted so as to illuminate the waterfall.

The choice of LEDs

An external electrical system implies an additional consumption of energy and therefore a higher cost in the bill. This is why if you use your outdoor space very often, even more if the lights in your pool are on even during the winter, the LED sources are the best solution because they guarantee, with the same lighting, a considerable saving. These sources, even if they have a higher cost during the purchase phase, have a longer duration.

Scenarios colored for scenographic effects

For an elegant and scenographic result you can choose LED RGB spotlights and create colored atmospheres. Thanks to a remote control, connected to a control unit, you can change the color of the light: red, yellow, green, blue or the classic white. Thanks to modern home automation systems, today you can manage the lighting of your rooms through an application on your smartphone.

How to illuminate the pool

There are no rules for which it is better to collect the spotlights inside the tank in one way or another. But the shape of your pool can help you. If it is irregular or characterized by different communicating tanks and with different heights, the spotlights can be installed just in those points to highlight the differences in height.

If positioned on the ground, it is better that they are on the side to be less intrusive. You are free to install them in order to follow a geometric line or create a starry sky for a more romantic atmosphere.

If you place the spotlights on the edge, perhaps a corridor of water, and the distance between the two sides is very short, the effect will be very interesting: the light reflects on the opposite side as if to create a light beam moved by the water.

Tips for the poolside

The spotlights are ideal for illuminating the poolside and designing interesting solutions in the outdoor space.
To enhance the profile of your pool, it is advisable to set down the spotlights along the perimeter. So you can light up the edge, very useful if you organize dinners by the pool or evenings in the garden or if you have small children and animals, and indicate thanks to the light any steps or edges.

Even if the spotlights are close to the water, you can take advantage of all the possibilities offered by these modern sources: for example, to embed on the stairs the Led path lights that access the movement.

If the pool is surrounded by rich vegetation, on the leaves you can admire the play of light reflections caused by the movement of water. Beyond the scenographic effect, this solution allows you to illuminate dark areas of the garden.

Design solutions

You can replace recessed spotlights with different luminaires: for example columns with a square or rectangular base to be positioned along the edge of the pool. Interesting if the pool is raised compared to the garden and want to enhance it. You can apply LED sources to white or colored light for color games.

To spotlights, ideal if you are looking for a clean and minimally invasive solution, and to the more classic projectors, you can prefer more particular models and voluminous shapes for a more impactful result. They are a good option if you are looking for appliances that can furnish your exterior.

From the practical point of view, there is no difference. Instead it will be the source, halogen or not, to determine the differences in terms of consumption and type of light.

Floating lights

For a solution that is as effective as it is cheaper, you can choose floating lights. Ideal if you choose to light up your pool during summer evenings or for your beach house or if you like to organize poolside parties. Although today there are many shapes and models (and the most beautiful and performing I can get to cost a few hundred euro each) certainly allow you to save on the cost of a lighting system installed in the pool and poolside. And they can be an eco-sustainable choice: they can be recharged, even solar. The ideal, however, would be to use them to support a basic lighting of your pool, for occasions or to strengthen the light in those points that it considers to be too dark.

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