Tell me about LED lights....

[Wantapool]

Why do I want LED lights vs halogen? Is their lifetime really that much longer? I don't think I want a "light show" feature... they just seem disco-y to me (no offense to those who like them ) . My brother keeps telling me I need LED ... I trust him, but he's only 1 pool owner. I need more reviews. Thanks!

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, the "bulbs" really do last far far longer for LEDs. That can be important with an underwater light, as changing the bulb is a project. LEDs also tend to be just slightly safer to use. However, LEDs tend to not be quite as bright as similar halogen lights.

You don't need to use the light show feature, even if the light you purchase has it available. Several of the common LED models include it as it tends to be popular and doesn't really cost them much of anything extra to include.

 

[Keven]

You can go with Pentair Intellibrite white lights..

 

[carlos31820]

Why do I want LED lights vs halogen? Is their lifetime really that much longer? I don't think I want a "light show" feature... they just seem disco-y to me (no offense to those who like them ) . My brother keeps telling me I need LED ... I trust him, but he's only 1 pool owner. I need more reviews. Thanks!

I went with LED in my pool because of the many color choices. I don't use the shows at all. The LED lights use much less power than the standard bulbs but the extra expense of the LED light probably makes this a moot point. I guess it would depend on how often you use the light and how long it lasts. My LED light only uses 50 watts and is supposedly rated for 50,000 hours. That's a Jandy Watercolors light.

http://www.jandy.com/html/products/lights/watercolors.php#pf

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

LED fixtures don't need bulb changes. They are sealed units. They are rated, as Jason said earlier, at about 50,000 hours of life, white or color. At 12 hours of use per day, every day, they'll last about 11 and a half years. Halogen or incandescent bulbs would get swapped ever couple years along with it's lens gasket, at best. Color changing Halogen fixtures will also need a new color wheel in that time frame. Halogen fixtures usually have more than one bulb too.

While a 500 watt, white, incandescent fixture will put out more lumens per light fixture, the Halogen and LED fixtures are fairly close to each other, comparable to a roughly 250 to 300 watt incandescent fixture. The 500 watt can light a 20x40 pool but it will take 2 LEDs.

LEDs use between 50 and 90 watts of power but put out as much light as a 200 to 300 watt incandescent, depending on the manufacturer. Lets take the power usage, bulb and gasket and color wheel costs into account and the payback isn't that long considering the price. If's even faster if you don't change the bulb yourself.

There are a lot of positives with LED fixtures.

Scott

 

[Wantapool]

So if I was quoted for one 500w light for my 18 x 32 freeform ... If I decide to upgrade to LED I will need 2? Hmmm, so many decisions!! I think we'll go for it, better spend some extra $$ now, then regret it later.

 

[Brentr]

So if I was quoted for one 300w light for my 18 x 32 freeform ... If I decide to upgrade to LED I will need 2? Hmmm, so many decisions!! I think we'll go for it, better spend some extra $$ now, then regret it later.

You will not regret getting led lights. We initially had a 500watt light and quickly changed to a pentair LED. We love the various light shows and use all of them on a frequent basis

 

[Melt In The Sun]

So if I was quoted for one 500w light for my 18 x 32 freeform ... If I decide to upgrade to LED I will need 2? Hmmm, so many decisions!! I think we'll go for it, better spend some extra $$ now, then regret it later.

Yep, you'd probably need 2. More expensive yes, but you'll also have more even lighting throughout the pool rather than having one blinding light at one end. If it were me, I'd put both lights on one long wall, facing away from the house/sitting area(s) if possible.

 

[Nightmare]

I putting 4 LEDs in our pool. We'll see how much I use the Disco setting on the Jandys
I'm going with all LED outside, so I can run them as much as I want without too much concern over the cost.
At about $400 each, I have no clue how long it will take to payoff the investment.

I went to EWing the other day and he gave me a rough figure of 2-3 years to pay for the LED Landscape "Investment"

 

[Aquatica]

I highly recommend the Hayward ColorLogic 2.5 LED's. We just installed 2 in a pool and they look incredible. Everyone wants them now. They have 12 programs to select from. you can select a fix color..they have 5 fixed colors. just works off the light switch. turn off and on the light switch and you toggle through the 12 programs.

These are the only lights we recommend now. forget the white lights. the colorlogic have some really nice colors to chose from and will enhance your pool experience.