Adding light post construction?

[Zamsaf]

We just finished our pool and wish we added an extra light. Is there any reasonable way to add a light after the pool is done?

 

[ajw22]

Depends what you think is reasonable?

 

[Zamsaf]

Not paying thousands of dollars and having them drain the pool/break through the gunite

 

[Sparks22]

Not paying thousands of dollars and having them drain the pool/break through the gunite

I think you already may know that is what the answer is if you want the light in the water.

One other option is to add lights around the outside of the pool that will generally light around the pool.

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

Not paying thousands of dollars and having them drain the pool/break through the gunite

As someone about to build a pool, this is concerning to read. How many lights did you do, what kind, and what size pool? I'm hoping 2 microbrites are enough for our pool because they're almost $1k each and I figure I'll have landscape and enclosure lighting.... think that would fix your problem or not enough? Curious to read more if you're willing to share.

 

[Sparks22]

As someone about to build a pool, this is concerning to read. How many lights did you do, what kind, and what size pool? I'm hoping 2 microbrites are enough for our pool because they're almost $1k each and I figure I'll have landscape and enclosure lighting.... think that would fix your problem or not enough? Curious to read more if you're willing to share.

Go read through this thread for more detail.

Pentair IntelliBrite vs GloBrite vs MicroBrite

Hi all, I am working to design a new pool and I am trying to decide on lights. I am going to go with Pentair equipment, so I am trying to pick between the Pentair IntelliBrite vs GloBrite vs MicroBrite. I just can't seem to find a good source to compare these lights. Does anyone have a good...

www.troublefreepool.com

In a nutshell, you should aim for 4 lumens per sqft of pool surface area. Color MicroBrites have 500 lumens each, so for two lights that gives you 1,000 lumens. Based on the 4 to 1 ratio, that means 2 Microbrites should roughly be good enough to cover 250 sqft of pool surface area. What is the surface area of your pool?

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

What is the surface area of your pool?

The pool is about 370sqft plus 35sqft of sunshelf. The PB has two microbrites at each of the two bottom "push outs" on the left and right of that middle bench. Do you have a suggestion for good locations if we went to 3 of them? I don't like that the globrites have a proprietary niche and will likely be eliminated over time, I like that the microbrites are nicheless in a standard 1.5" return fitting. At the same time, I'd really rather not spend another $1k if I can get enough light into the pool through landscape and enclosure lighting...

Let me know what you think because I definitely don't want to regret whatever we decide... really really appreciate it!

 

[Sparks22]

The pool is about 370sqft plus 35sqft of sunshelf. The PB has two microbrites at each of the two bottom "push outs" on the left and right of that middle bench. Do you have a suggestion for good locations if we went to 3 of them? I don't like that the globrites have a proprietary niche and will likely be eliminated over time, I like that the microbrites are nicheless in a standard 1.5" return fitting. At the same time, I'd really rather not spend another $1k if I can get enough light into the pool through landscape and enclosure lighting...

Let me know what you think because I definitely don't want to regret whatever we decide... really really appreciate it!

I am not an expert on placement, other than knowing you want them relatively evenly distributed.

If you wanted to try to save money, and since the MicroBrites use the standard fitting, you might consider having them just pre plumb for a 3rd Microbrite right in the middle. Then if 2 end up being enough, you do nothing, but if you need more light then you already have the fitting there and ready to go. I think you could likely do that install yourself because it is just pulling the cord through the pvc pipes and plugging it into the transformer with the other 2 lights. You can buy a color Microbrites for about $300 online.

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

If you wanted to try to save money, and since the MicroBrites use the standard fitting, you might consider having them just pre plumb for a 3rd Microbrite right in the middle. Then if 2 end up being enough, you do nothing, but if you need more light then you already have the fitting there and ready to go. I think you could likely do that install yourself because it is just pulling the cord through the pvc pipes and plugging it into the transformer with the other 2 lights. You can buy a color Microbrites for about $300 online.

I actually tried to get them to let me do the whole microbrite install myself - it doesn't look hard at all. But if I do anything myself, they list it with the normal price and then "credit" me a certain amount which just so happens to be the ACTUAL cost of the item. So, for instance, they are charging me $2800 to install 3 lights (2 pool, 1 spa). When I asked them to quote me doing it myself, they quoted me $2800 and then took off $320 x 3 lol they did the same thing with the intellicenter and anything else I asked to see done myself. So, in other words, their profit margin is non negotiable.

It's a sellers market - buyers have almost no power right now in Florida anyway. Even getting an appointment is over a month out right now - but a huge number of them are tire kickers so I've gotten some companies to take me seriously by communicating how much we know and are ready and serious buyers... but I still have not gotten much movement in the way of negotiation. That's one reason I'm probably going to sign with one of these final 4 companies within the next 3 weeks - the first company has the price expiring 30 days from the quote and the new worksheet has our price up by several thousand.

Anyway... I was thinking about the location today and I guess you'd either do:
1) One on the sunshelf to light that up - though you wouldn't want it toward the pool or it would be in your eyes so you'd need it to be on the left side pointing kind of sideways on the shelf. But if you do that, you won't get much (any) light on the stairs and no light to the rest of the pool so it's a very expensive single use light.
2) Could do one light under the bench in the middle, then two the furthest left and right pointing kind of in towards the pool.
3) Leave it as is. Our pool is only 14' at the narrow point so the light should have no problem traveling across, so at the current locations, I feel like you'd get a nice glow of that back wall even if the entire pool isn't lit brightly.

I don't know man, this whole thing is much more difficult than I expected - PBs don't even want to spend time on design/questions because they have SO many leads who aren't so informed.

 

[Auburn02]

I don't know man, this whole thing is much more difficult than I expected - PBs don't even want to spend time on design/questions because they have SO many leads who aren't so informed.

So true. I want to discuss options, pros/cons of various items, I'm leaving it wide open for them to "sell" me, that is work with me to show me what they can do and win me over, but right now the reality is they can hit the "easy button" and just move right move on to the next prospect and not skip a beat if I don't sign.

 

[Tres Gatos]

I have two lights in my pool but with a dark blue plaster the pool was still not lit up enough. What I did was buy some 12 volt LED landscaping spotlights (50 Watt) equivalents from Lowes and installed them on the roof eave pointing down at different angles into the pool. It worked great lighting up the entire pool. I notice you have a patio cover about 5-6' from the pool which is about the same as my eave to the pool. You might try this as an easy inexpensive solution.

 

[matthewsunshineflorida]

I have two lights in my pool but with a dark blue plaster the pool was still not lit up enough. What I did was buy some 12 volt LED landscaping spotlights (50 Watt) equivalents from Lowes and installed them on the roof eave pointing down at different angles into the pool. It worked great lighting up the entire pool. I notice you have a patio cover about 5-6' from the pool which is about the same as my eave to the pool. You might try this as an easy inexpensive solution.

That's really encouraging to hear - I was thinking of doing something very similar, glad to hear it worked well. We will have landscape lighting for palms down the whole fence behind the screen, then the screen will have hanging lights around it and then I'll either do lighting up the eaves of the enclosure or hanging lights diagonally over the pool. I'll have them all connected to my smart home system so I can keep them dimmed but I THINK that will give us enough light - really glad to hear it worked well enough for someone else in a similar situation!!!

We're doing Wet Edge Cadet Blue so it's kind of a grey/blue plaster with brown, blue, white, grey pebbles - I figure it will be medium/dark and will need an extra boost but the in pool lights are so dang expensive.