I have a rectangular pool, 16 x 36, I am planning a major remodel on. Fuller details to come, but right now I am wondering where to put the lights. I am planning two color changing LED's. Most of the posts I have read counsel to put the lights points away from your entertaining area. For me, that would mean putting them both on the long side of the pool. I have read some websites that say that a rectangular pool should have lights on each narrow end. One website said that would minimize any flaws in the pool surface and plaster, since any uneven areas would be hit by light from both ends and so would not cast shadows.
Here is a drawing showing the pool, house, the main entertaining area and a secondary entertaining area. The long side light position is shown with yellow arrows, the narrow end positions are the red arrows.
The view from the house is not that important - we don't have many windows that look out at the pool. The view from the main entertaining area is very important. We like to sit there at night in the summer, eat outside and hang out. The secondary entertaining area we normally only use in the daytime, although we sometimes use it for a kid's table if we have a lot of people for dinner. At some point, we might put a fire table back there, which would presumably mean we would use it more at night. Both lights can't point away from both entertaining areas, but the primary one is definitely the more important of the two. The kids sometime swim at night and presumably that will increase as they get older.
My main concern with putting the lights on the side is that I think the light beams beams will be sort of funnel shaped, and leave dark an area between the lights and at each end of the pool between a light and a pool corner.
Love to hear suggestions from others with rectangular pools. If anyone has photos of their pools at night with lights, that would be even better.
Thanks!
Here is a drawing showing the pool, house, the main entertaining area and a secondary entertaining area. The long side light position is shown with yellow arrows, the narrow end positions are the red arrows.
The view from the house is not that important - we don't have many windows that look out at the pool. The view from the main entertaining area is very important. We like to sit there at night in the summer, eat outside and hang out. The secondary entertaining area we normally only use in the daytime, although we sometimes use it for a kid's table if we have a lot of people for dinner. At some point, we might put a fire table back there, which would presumably mean we would use it more at night. Both lights can't point away from both entertaining areas, but the primary one is definitely the more important of the two. The kids sometime swim at night and presumably that will increase as they get older.
My main concern with putting the lights on the side is that I think the light beams beams will be sort of funnel shaped, and leave dark an area between the lights and at each end of the pool between a light and a pool corner.
Love to hear suggestions from others with rectangular pools. If anyone has photos of their pools at night with lights, that would be even better.
Thanks!