How to Light up Swimming Pool with LED Lighting?

Lighting up a swimming pool is not easy because of uneven water surface. Nowadays, metal halide, HPS, LPS, mercury or fluorescent replacement for swimming pool lights by LED are very common because LED has overwhelming advantages. For instance, the primary and secondary reflection cause glare and thus random swimmers, trainers, trainees may feel uncomfortable; after replacing those HID lamps, the glare is reduced by 45%. Another essential point of having a good lighting plan for swimming pool is the overall power, beam angle designing and their placement. Since the concentration of water vapor is higher than other sports venue, the LED swimming pool lights that has high IP rating would be necessary. Our LED lighting is suitable for swimming pool as it has IP66 certification to to protect the LED fixtures from splashing water, high humidity and corrosion.

Let’s explore the two major swimming pool ceiling lighting options.

Direct lighting plan

Direct lighting fixtures are usually applied in professional swimming competitions, which need large quantity, high power flood lights to provide adequate illumination. The cost will be increased with the lighting requirement and nature of the pool. In a standard swimming pool, high-level illumination and anti glare cocntrol for both surface and underwater are required. Precise positioning is required – the angle of incidence should be around 50 degrees to avoid glare caused by reflection. LED is best fit for metal halide or halogen replacement on direct swimming pool lamps because of its longer life span (25 years), as well as higher lighting efficiency (increased by 50%).

However, what should we do to increase the underwater luminance?

The underwater swimming pool lighting fixtures should be powered by low voltage (no more than 12V) to guarantee the electrical safety. Choose LED lights with class III IEC protection. Why do we need underwater lighting under the pool? It is because the movement of swimmers can not be captured for broadcasting if it is to dim. This feature is easier to achieve for LED instead of the HPS or mercury because we have the compact and solid-state structure of LED flood lamps.

Indirect lighting plan

Contrary to direct lighting plan, the “indirect” approach is suitable for recreational pools. Although the indirect lighting plan would reduce the efficiency a little bit due to partial absorption of ceiling when the light shines on it. The glare is dramatically reduced because we use only the secondary reflection for illuminating the swimming pool. Since the LED swimming pool flood lamps are mounted on the wall, the maintenance is simplified because we have no need to climb to the ceiling to do the replacement.

But even for leisure pools, good lighting is vital for live saving as the lifeguard can quickly spot the people who are in danger, and give help immediately if they can see clearly.  Moreover, a well-lit swimming pool creates an enjoyable and comfy atmosphere for swimmers.

Extra tips: What else can we do to reduce the glare during day time?

Using shutters to block the extra sunlight or adopting tinted window glasses can further reduce the sunlight coming in from outside.

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