Installing proper lighting is crucial for any indoor pool project. The right pool lighting system creates a safe, inviting environment for swimmers. In this blog post, I’ll guide you through choosing and installing pool lights to illuminate your indoor pool beautifully.
When constructing an indoor pool, lighting is often an afterthought. But it’s a key part of shaping the overall pool environment. A well-designed lighting layout enhances the space with natural-looking illumination. It also provides essential visibility and safety.
Follow these tips to add lighting that makes your indoor pool shine!
Choose Light Fixtures for Pool Purpose
When starting a swimming pool project, the type of light fixtures you choose should match the intended purpose and indoor pool environment.
For example, a lap pool focused on exercise needs bright, even illumination across all lanes, which powerful floodlights mounted above the water can provide. Leisure pools for recreation are better complemented by ambient mood lighting using multiple small fixtures with warm, inviting lamp tones. Competition pools demand maximum visibility for races and events, so intense floodlights pointed straight down without glare are ideal.
In all cases, select lighting solutions that create the pool atmosphere you desire while supplying adequate brightness and visibility for the size of the indoor swimming pool space. The fixtures should fit your unique pool project’s aesthetics and functional needs.
Place Lights for Uniform Coverage
Strategically position pool lighting to avoid shadows or dark spots. Here are some tips:
- Space ceiling-mounted lights evenly apart for consistent coverage. Follow recommended spacing intervals.
- Place luminaires to light up the pool bottom for visibility. Angled fixtures prevent surface glare.
- Line walls with small fixtures to illuminate the whole area and perimeter.
- Use above-water accent lights and underwater fixtures for visual interest.
- Map out a lighting layout that eliminates shadows and provides uniform illumination. Mark mounting points to guide installation.
Choose LED Pool Lights
When lighting indoor swimming pools, energy-efficient LED pool lights are highly recommended to save on energy costs. The benefits of LEDs include an ultra-long 50,000+ hour lifespan with minimal maintenance required, 90% greater efficiency compared to incandescent bulbs, and customisable colour temperatures ranging from warm to cool white.
LED lighting fixtures are available as waterproof spotlights or strip lighting that can be installed anywhere. They are also dimmable, allowing you to control the ambience from bright for competition to subtle for recreation.
For indoor pools, choose LEDs in the neutral white colour temperature range of 3000K-5000K to mimic natural light while providing adequate illumination. The energy efficiency, customisation, and longevity of LED pool lighting make it the perfect solution for any indoor swimming pool project.
Use Indirect Lighting
With indoor pool lighting, it’s important to use indirect techniques to avoid glare. The water’s surface can act like a mirror, reflecting harsh light from ceiling fixtures into swimmers’ eyes. To prevent this, bounce light off walls and ceilings using sconces for soft, indirect illumination.
Also, aim fixtures at downward beam angles with louvres to limit glare reflecting off the water’s surface. Installing small lights under overhangs and coping edges is another way to indirectly and adequately light the indoor pool environment.
Overall, keeping light sources out of swimmers’ sight lines and using indirect lighting helps create a comfortable indoor pool area without disruptive glare reflections on the water. Careful indirect lighting allows you to achieve the desired lighting level for safety and ambience.
Follow Codes for Wet Location Lighting
Indoor pools involve installing lights in a wet location. Follow codes to prevent hazards:
- Use corrosion-resistant fixtures rated for pool installation.
- Only low voltage lighting within 5 feet of the water.
- Ground all metal junction boxes and conduit.
- Use GFCI-protected circuits.
- Follow minimum clearances from the water.
Proper wet location lighting precautions prevent electrocution risks and ensure safety. Consult local codes.
Create an Underwater Ambience With Niche Lights
Adding coloured niche lights towards the bottom of pool walls is a great way to complete the lighting and create an underwater ambience. LED or fibre optic niche fixtures can produce vibrant effects beneath the pool’s surface.
Choosing RGB niche lights allows you to display colours like tranquil blue or energetic red to match your desired mood. It’s important to coordinate the coloured accent lighting with the overall poolscape design for a cohesive look. Ensure any niche lights are fully watertight and sealed to illuminate the underwater environment safely.
While dramatic niche lights add appeal, adequate visibility for swimmers should remain the priority. Supplemental mood lighting should enhance, not replace, the necessary light sources to illuminate below the water’s surface and ensure a safe pool environment.
Set the Right Lighting Levels
Determining the right lighting levels is key for an indoor swimming pool. Adequate illumination can be achieved by following general lux recommendations. Aim for a minimum of 50 lux overall for leisure pools to provide sufficient natural-looking light.
Lap pools require brighter lighting of 150-200 lux measured across the swim lanes. Competition pools demand intense lighting of 500+ lux focused over racing areas for maximum visibility. Underwater niche lights typically range from 25-100 lux depending on the desired effect.
Reducing unnecessary lighting in areas outside active swimming zones is also wise. Using a lux meter during installation allows you to calibrate and adjust fixtures as needed to deliver the optimal light source and lighting levels for your indoor pool’s unique needs and uses. Careful attention to illuminance creates comfortable, inviting environments.
Create Lighting Scenes for Multi-Purpose Pools
Does your indoor pool serve different functions at various times? If so, install lighting zones controlled by a dimmable multiscene system.
For example, you can preset:
- Bright competition mode for events.
- Softer lighting for recreational swims.
- Colourful lighting for the evening atmosphere.
- Low-level safety lighting for unoccupied times.
Preset lighting scenes make it easy to reconfigure your pool’s ambience for any occasion. Integrate with smart home systems for voice activation.
Maintain Pool Lights
Keep your pool lights running efficiently by following these maintenance tips:
- Clean fixtures regularly to prevent mineral deposits from diffusing light.
- Replace LED lamps when light output drops below 70% to maintain visibility.
- Check niche light seals routinely for leaks. Reseal if needed.
- Group lights on circuits controlled by GFCI breakers to minimise outages.
With good maintenance, pool lighting has provided safety and ambience for years.
Illuminating Indoor Pools: A Guide to Designing the Perfect Lighting Layout for Your Aquatic Oasis
Installing the right lighting is key to any indoor pool project to create an inviting, aesthetically pleasing environment. From choosing energy-efficient fixtures to determining adequate lighting levels, proper illumination enhances enjoyment while maintaining safety.
For a lighting design that meets your pool’s unique needs, contact our team of experts at The Pool Co in Sydney. We offer customised lighting plans, fixture selection, and installation services so you can see your vision brought to life. Our years of experience lighting indoor pools provide the insights needed to illuminate your aquatic space perfectly for a safe environment. For a sparkling indoor pool, partner with the pros and contact us today!
