Pool lighting

Gone are the days when your pool was dark and uninviting once the sun had set; with the right kind of lighting, your pool will be the most appealing place in your home to be after dark.

In addition to creating an amazing mood, lighting makes the area much safer, and can help create an amazing backdrop to outdoor entertaining. Waterco’s range of LED lighting can open up many options for those looking to reap the benefits of pool lighting.

There are many more options now available for pool lighting. Initially there were only halogen surface mounted lights available. Now there is the option for LED, fibre optic, wall mounted, flush mounted, multi coloured and various shapes and sizes.

Britestream LED

Halogen lighting

Halogen globes are still the most commonly used kind of pool lighting, however they are slowly losing favour as consumers turn to more energy efficient LEDs. They enjoyed the majority of the market for many years due to their brightness and easy maintenance.

The main advantage halogen holds over LEDs is that you can simply change the globe when it has reached the end of its life, whereas an LED light needs to be completely replaced. However, an average halogen light can be expected to last 2000-5000 hours, considerably less than an LED. However, you can maximise this lifespan with regular usage, as lack of use can damage the globes.

Although halogens are initially cheaper to buy, be aware that halogen bulbs will consume more power than some other types of light.

Waterco offers Litestream Halogen Lights for those who prefer the halogen option; this 100 watt light is specially designed to refract light around the entire pool without losing any brightness.

LED lighting

LED (light emitting diodes) have revolutionised the lighting industry over the past 10 years with their low energy usage and long lasting quality.

Although LED lights are usually more expensive than halogen, they have a number of advantages that are fast making them the most popular option on the market. LED lights operate on 15% of the energy of a Halogen light. They also emit light in a specific direction, plus don’t create the amount of heat a halogen light creates. In fact Waterco’s Britestream lights have built-in heat management. In addition, the Britestream LED lights also have a very long life span – over 70,000 hours, which is equivalent to more than 30 years of illumination (based on six hours’ usage per day).

The availability of high quality brighter LED lights is much more widespread, and the price has come down to make them more affordable and a viable option vs halogen.

Waterco stocks the Britestream range of LED lights, which incorporate high quality components to project a bright light and generate minimal heat. Britestream is also one of the brightest LED lights on the market.

There are numerous options: wall mounted, surface mounted and retrofit LED lights in different diameters for concrete and fibreglass pools.

Versatility is an integral part of LED lights, as they can produce a myriad of different colours without the need for coloured lenses. The Britestream’s multicoloured combinations are easily programmed via its light switch, and nine different colour programs are available.

Retrofitting LED pool lights

Britestream lights are designed so you can easily replace your existing halogen pool lights and, thus, slash your pool light electrical power requirements by 85%. Britestream LED Replacement Kit includes a retrofit connector and a universal pool light adaptor, cleverly designed to adapt the Britestream to convert a majority of lights.

Flush mounted lighting

Flush mounted lighting can be of the halogen or LED variety, and essentially is installed inside the wall of the pool so that it creates a smooth finish. All that can be seen is the face of the light.

One of the main advantages of flush mounted lighting is the flexibility in terms of placement, as they can be placed almost anywhere inside your pool, including near stairs, as they do not protrude and therefore won’t be knocked about.

Waterco’s Britestream niche lights only protrude 11mm from the pool wall, giving your pool a stylish, clean finish.

Surface mounted lighting

Surface mounted lighting is installed on the side of the pool, and therefore does stick out into the pool a certain amount, depending on the brand and model. The main advantage to surface mounted lighting is the amount of light they give off; not being installed inside the wall, they can light the pool considerably more than a flush mounted light. They can also be easily installed in concrete, fibreglass and vinyl pools.

Another advantage is that existing surface mounted lights can be easily replaced by the Britestream surface mounted LED light via its adaptor plate.