7 Reasons You Need LED Pool Lights

If you’ve been limiting your swim time to daylight hours, you’ve been missing out on half the fun of owning a pool. But no one wants to swim in a pitch dark pool. Who knows what may be lurking in the deep end? Adding a light-emitting diode (LED) pool light or two (or ten) will let you brighten up the night and have twice the fun. And ward off swamp monsters looking for new homes.

Upgrading to LED pool lights will also allow you to gain a few benefits you might not’ve considered, including how much money you’ll save compared to traditional illumination. Plus, it’s easy and fun. Taste the rainbow of options available, and enjoy your swim even after the sun’s done for the day.

How Does an LED Pool Light Work?

Unlike humans or coach seats on a crowded flight, not all bulbs are created equal. Understanding how an LED pool light is superior to an incandescent bulb requires learning some new terminology and—brace yourselves—a bit of math.

It’s not all about the savings or the efficiency, though. Making the switch also gives you high-tech aesthetic and control options old-school lighting just can’t match.

All bulbs use energy to produce light. This usage is called wattage, and is the traditional way to rate a bulb’s overall efficiency, since it’s tied directly to energy cost.

A 100-watt incandescent bulb, for example, uses electricity flowing through an interior filament to produce light, and more than a little heat. It uses 100 watts of energy for every hour it’s on. Multiply this by the wattage rate your energy provider charges, and you’ll know how much leaving that light on costs you.

Making wattage the biggest factor in choosing a bulb means you might’ve been keeping your pool a little dimmer than you’d like, or skipped lighting altogether in order to save money.

LED pool lights changed the game. LEDs have no filament, and are in effect tiny, light-throwing semiconductors. Electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the LED. They have built-in heat sinks to keep them cool, while also enhancing their brightness and useful life.

Increases in energy efficiency mean that wattage has become less important than how much light a bulb actually provides.If you’ve been limiting your swim time to daylight hours, you’ve been missing out on half the fun of owning a pool. But no one wants to swim in a pitch dark pool. Who knows what may be lurking in the deep end? Adding a light-emitting diode (LED) pool light or two (or ten) will let you brighten up the night and have twice the fun. And ward off swamp monsters looking for new homes.

Upgrading to LED pool lights will also allow you to gain a few benefits you might not’ve considered, including how much money you’ll save compared to traditional illumination. Plus, it’s easy and fun. Taste the rainbow of options available, and enjoy your swim even after the sun’s done for the day.

How Does an LED Pool Light Work?
Unlike humans or coach seats on a crowded flight, not all bulbs are created equal. Understanding how an LED pool light is superior to an incandescent bulb requires learning some new terminology and—brace yourselves—a bit of math.

It’s not all about the savings or the efficiency, though. Making the switch also gives you high-tech aesthetic and control options old-school lighting just can’t match.

led-luxury-pool
All bulbs use energy to produce light. This usage is called wattage, and is the traditional way to rate a bulb’s overall efficiency, since it’s tied directly to energy cost.

A 100-watt incandescent bulb, for example, uses electricity flowing through an interior filament to produce light, and more than a little heat. It uses 100 watts of energy for every hour it’s on. Multiply this by the wattage rate your energy provider charges, and you’ll know how much leaving that light on costs you.

Making wattage the biggest factor in choosing a bulb means you might’ve been keeping your pool a little dimmer than you’d like, or skipped lighting altogether in order to save money.

LED pool lights changed the game. LEDs have no filament, and are in effect tiny, light-throwing semiconductors. Electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the LED. They have built-in heat sinks to keep them cool, while also enhancing their brightness and useful life.

Increases in energy efficiency mean that wattage has become less important than how much light a bulb actually provides.

4. You Can’t Spell “Durable” without “L-E-D”
When you lay out your hard-earned dough for a pool upgrade, you want it to last, whether it’s a new pool filter or that DIY dolphins ‘n’ rainbows floor mural you’ve been contemplating. So you’ll be pleased to learn that, like energy efficiency, longevity is one area where LED pool lights really shine.

Your average incandescent light has a useful life of around a year. But an LED pool light producing the same amount of—or more—light, while using less energy, has a useful life of 15–20 years. Holy Methuselah, Batman!

LAMPAOUS RGB Multicolor LED Pool Light 120V - 35W
LAMPAOUS RGB Multicolor LED Pool Light 120V - 35W
$89.99
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12/28/2020 05:50 am GMT
5. Lower Usage Costs
Owning a pool can cost you a pretty penny. In 2018, in the United States, pool maintenance cost an average of $190 per month. Why not save money every way you can?

Thanks to a much lower average wattage, an LED pool light costs only pennies a day to operate, while an incandescent bulb can cost up to $1 a day. Think of each LED pool light as an investment. You’ll likely pay a bit more up front, but you’ll quickly recoup what you spend thanks to the energy savings.

Don’t miss out on even more savings from rebates, either. Depending on where you live, your local or state government might offer cash rebates for upgrading to energy-efficient lighting. Check with your local utility.

TOVEENEN Color-Changing LED Pool Light with 16 light shows - 120V - 35W
TOVEENEN Color-Changing LED Pool Light with 16 light shows - 120V - 35W
$119.99
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12/28/2020 04:48 am GMT
6. Put the Spotlight on Safety
Aesthetics and economy make the LED pool light a pretty tempting upgrade by themselves. Add in greater safety for folks in and out of the pool, and you’ve got a must-buy.

WHAT? Lights help people SEE? OK, we know, it’s not exactly news. But what makes an LED pool light special is its higher frequency. Its light is perceived by the human eye as brighter and bluer than incandescent light.

This can be a problem when LEDs are used in streetlights, for example. But in your pool, this means you can get adequate illumination with fewer lights.

led-pool-landscaping
Don’t forget to add some external LED illumination as part of your pool’s landscaping. If your pool’s lit like a supernova, but the rest of your yard is dark, people outside the pool might have trouble seeing where they’re going. Strike a balance and keep things aesthetically pleasing and safe.

ZUCKEO Waterproof LED Landscape Lights - 5W - 8 Pack
ZUCKEO Waterproof LED Landscape Lights - 5W - 8 Pack
$52.99
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12/28/2020 12:48 am GMT
7. Dip Your Toes Before You Commit
Pulling out existing incandescent lights and replacing them with LED pool lights can be quite a chore. So if you’re on the fence and want to make a test run, consider battery-operated, floating LEDs.

You can add as many as you like to get an idea of what your pool will look like in the new rainbow realm of joy that awaits you.

Solar-Powered Floating Lotus Flower LED Pool Light
Solar-Powered Floating Lotus Flower LED Pool Light
$19.99
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12/28/2020 04:47 am GMT
You’ve Achieved Illumination
An LED pool light or three might be a small purchase in the grand scheme of your swim. But with their versatility, durability, and efficiency, they offer a large return on that minimal investment.

LEDs are, we think, the clear choice for lighting up your pool, helping you save money, and just having more fun. Step out of the shadows and make the night part of your poolside bliss.

Happy Swimming!


Matt Giovanisci is the founder of Swim University® and has been in the pool and spa industry since 1995. Since then, his mission is to make pool and hot tub care easy for everyone. And each year, he continues to help more people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting.
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