If you want to make your outdoor space look like it was designed by an interior designer, all you need is a few creative and stylish pool lighting ideas! In this blog post, I’m going to share with you the best way to light up your pool and create a luxurious ambiance that will make your friends and family jealous. So put away those candles and dive into these stylish pool lighting ideas – they won’t break the bank!
Benefits of Outdoor Pool Lighting
Outdoor pool lighting offers a variety of benefits for your backyard oasis. It can create an inviting atmosphere with its soft brightness, making it more desirable to use in the evenings. Lighting also helps to provide increased safety around the pool area, illuminating walkways and entrances for greater visibility. Further, it enhances the landscape aesthetically, creating a luxurious look and feel from its thoughtful placement. The combination of these effects makes outdoor pool lighting one of the most popular upgrades for pools.
The various options for them include deck, submersible and colored lighting. Deck ones are great for adding a gentle brightness to pathways or other features around it and come in many styles and options to fit any space. With submersible lights you can add beautiful underwater illumination to your design while colored ones add a dazzling effect with multiple colors that rotate or fade into another, bringing eye-catching vibrancy while adding plenty of aesthetic value to your outdoor space.
Types of Pool Lighting
Incandescent Pool Lights: They have been around for decades and are an inexpensive option to light up your swimming area at night. They come in either traditional white, or multi-colored bulbs, as well as adjustable models that allow you to control intensity using varying wattages. While providing plenty of brightness from single lights, clusters offer better illumination capacity without too much hassle.
LED Pool Lights: They provide several advantages over incandescent ones including longer life spans (making them more cost effective long term), brighter levels (for better nighttime visibility) and the ability to switch between different colors for fun effects on special occasions. LEDs typically require less energy than traditional bulbs so electric bills are kept low as well.
Lunar/fiber optic: They provide a great option if brightness isn’t your main concern but ambience is still important; these systems use small lenses placed around the perimeter of the pool that project a soft glow into the water that looks particularly nice at night time while providing some helpful guidance while paddling around at all hours.
Halogen/MDI: Halogen or MDI systems can be used in combination with existing LED or standard illumination for maximum effect. Halogens offer intense beams that add depth and dimension to any outside environment when used properly during evening gatherings or just beachfront relaxation with family members or friends.
Tips for Installing Pool Lighting
There are many types available to you that can be used for both functionality and aesthetics. They range from traditional landscape lighting features to even smart and color-changing LED lights, providing a stunning glow to show off your pool after dark.
Once you select the appropriate type of light fixture or product for your needs, consider how they will be installed around your pool area. Many homeowners opt for an in-ground installation which is typically a bit more expensive but often worth it due to its convenience and longevity. If an in-ground installation isn’t possible due to budget or space constrictions, there are plenty of options for above ground installations as well using mounting boxes or posts. Consider any potential obstacles such as trees or landscaping from which these fixtures might need mounted away from as well during installation planning so that you optimize visibility and versatility without sacrificing quality or safety.
Finally, once all of them have been installed ensure that all electrical connections have been made safely and thoroughly according to local codes before testing them out with friends or family members present in the pool area when running electricity through any newly reconfigured electrical circuit should never be attempted unsupervised! With safe installations made and all wiring connected properly now is finally time to enjoy the look and feel of tasteful outdoor lighting at night!
Maintenance and Safety Tips
Apart from the aesthetic benefits that lighting can provide, it’s important to consider safety and maintenance when installing lights around a swimming pool. Following these tips will ensure your lights remain safe and in good condition for a long time.
- Use LED bulbs whenever possible as they use a fraction of the energy that an incandescent bulb would.
- When buying waterproof fixtures, they should have an appropriate IP rating to protect against electrical shocks or short circuits due to water splashing onto the light fixture or into the wiring.
- Make sure any wires used near water are insulated properly against moisture and electrical shocks.
- Avoid installing lights in high traffic areas or sockets directly in the pool so your guests don’t accidentally come into contact with them.
- Never leave poolside lights on when no one is in the area as this can cause a fire hazard. Invest in timers and motion sensors for outdoor lighting for convenience and safety.
- To protect against corrosion and wear, it is important to regularly clean fixtures using detergents specifically designed for outdoor use on electronics, such as CLR (calcium lime rust) remover/cleaner/descaler. This will help extend their lifetime and ensure they remain safe to use around water sources like pools or hot tubs.
Conclusion
When it comes to brightening your outdoor space, there are many creative options available. Whether you choose stylish solar or classic string lights, make sure to get enough light to comfortably illuminate the area. And don’t forget that your outdoor lighting can be more than practical: it can also be an aesthetically pleasing addition to your overall design. Utilizing any of these pool lighting ideas can instantly make your outdoor space look expensive and sophisticated.