Lighting Basics

Lighting Basics

Lighting can be a key element in the enjoyment of your poolside paradise. Illuminating the pool at night can provide an ambiance as well as safety for your pool area. Lighting can set the mood and extend your swim time.

Pool lighting used to be simple when your only choice was white and how many did you want? Now there are a multitude of lighting options for in and around the pool. Today's pools have tanning ledges, water features, and vanishing edges. Lighting can set the mood and ambiance.

Jandy has an excellent Lighting Design Guide using nicheless LED lights .

Lighting Technologies

Pool light technologies has evolved over the years with incandescent lights, halogen lights, fiber optic lights from a central light hub, LED lights, all being used in pools.

In 2023 the U.S. Department of Energy released its Energy Conservation Standards for General Service Lamps. They aim to limit energy use for lighting in various applications and industries. Like the DOE rule for variable-speed pool and spa pumps, this new regulation is performance-oriented. It applies to all lamps that emit between 310 and 3,300 lumens. If a light falls under that category, it must emit at least 45 lumens per watt. Beginning March 1, 2023, the DOE prohibited distributors and retailers from selling non-compliant lights .

This ruling affects many incandescent and halogen lights. They don't usually fall within the mandated range. This impacts the replacement of lights on existing pools. You may need to replace fixtures with ones that fit the niche, unless a compatible, compliant bulb is available. In some cases, you can find bulbs out there that can retrofit into the incandescent fixture. But, depending on the situation, you may need to pull the light as well.

This is why major pool equipment manufacturers offer only expensive, often unreliable, LED lights.

Pentair still sells their white incandescent Amerilite in 400 watt and 500 watt, 120 volt models. The Pentair website says "Due to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regulations regarding incandescent lights, the 100W and 300W Amerlite Incandescent Lights are now obsolete and have been removed from this specifications grid."

Niched or Nicheless Pool Lights

“Niche” refers to the pool light housing. Niched pool lights are larger. They need careful placement during the pool design and rebar installation.

"Nicheless" lights are smaller. They don’t require a niche or special accommodation with the rebar. Nicheless lights usually fit in a 1.5" PVC pipe. Nicheless lights are smaller, have fewer LEDs, and put out less lumens then niche lights. Light niches are usually proprietary to a manufacturer, which makes changing lights difficult.

With nicheless lights, you are not locked into one manufacturers lights as others should fit the 1.5" opening. A different light may need more depth in the pipe. So check specifications carefully when changing light models.

You can light most swimming pool designs with one or two niched pool lights. You can use multiple nicheless lights with little to no difference in energy consumption. Also, more lights in the pool will spread the light better. Giving you a more even and pleasing look.

Considerations For Pool Light Selection

• Light Controls and Automation Compatibility
• LED Pool Light Cost and Reliability - No LED pool lights have been installed long enough to know their reliability. The first generation of LED lights was unreliable and costly to replace after the warranty expired. In 2024, we are seeing 2nd or 3rd generation models being brought to market. That resets the clock on evaluating the reliability of these new models. Independent manufacturers now offer, they claim, more reliable replacements for the major brands' lights. Only time will tell if the lights and companies will last.
• Warranty
• 12 Volts or 120 Volts
• Niche or Nicheless
• Color Compatibility - If you mix lights from different product lines, even from the same manufacturer, the colors may not match. For example, Pentair warns that the SpaBrite blue LED is 470-475 nm. Their other lights use a Royal Blue LED with a 455-460 nm wavelength. Pentair says "Appearance of color and white LED light may vary between various models of lights. Appearance and perception of pool lighting may vary depending on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the particular model of light, the location/depth/angle of the light’s installation, pool finish/material, pool depth/shape/geometry, ambient light sources, subjective factors and more. For best results when using multiple lights, use all the same model and do not mix multiple models of lights within a single installation." If you are picky about color matching, this may bother you.
• Daylight White or Warm White - Even many white LED pool lights now give you a color choice of Daylight White (5000K) or Warm White (2700K) models.
• If you are building a new pool and want lights with the lowest long term cost of ownership then install Pentair Amerilites in niches and replace the bulb with a white or color changing LED bulb. The J&J ColorSplash bulb is compatible with many automation systems. Or there are many bulb replacements available from Amazon with various controls.

Why Do LED Lights Fail

Manufacturers design LEDs to last many years, so why do pool lights have reliability issues? It is because of heat and leaks.

The LEDs that create the light need electronic boards, called light drivers, to control the lights. It is usually the electronics that fail and not the LEDs. Each colored LED needs some components on the board controlling it. And often you see a single color on the light fail because a few components in the electronics failed.

The LEDs are controlled by electronics crammed into a small, uncooled space in the light. The only cooling is from heat shed to the pool water. Cramming heat-producing electronics into a small, underground space is inhospitable. Light manufacturers have learned this. When 12V LED lights are offered as 120 volts to simplify retrofits, it means the 120V to 12V transformer is in the light and generating heat.

If the heat generated in the light does not kill the electronics, it can cause cracks in the light shell and leak water in. Manufacturers have learned that some of the materials used could not withstand all the thermal cycles a pool light can get. In some cases, manufacturers used dissimilar materials that expanded at different rates and cracked.

Heat in nicheless LED pool lights is becoming a serious problem, with lights melting. Reports we have seen include:

• MicroBrite light melted
• Pentair Microbrite Caught on Fire - Wire Stuck in PVC
• PoolTone Problems!!!!!!!!

LED pool lights are still in their infancy, and manufacturers are learning what they need to do in future products to improve reliability. Unfortunately, it will take years of actual experience to see good reliability, and in the meantime, consumers will be paying the price.

Lighting Manufactures

Below is a survey of pool light manufacturers in no specific order.

Pentair

Pentair has three product lines of LED pool lights - IntelliBrite, GloBrite, and MicroBrite. As mentioned above Pentair still has incandescent Amerlite lights in 400 watt and 500 watt models. The IntelliBrite uses the same niche as the Amerilite. The GloBrite uses a proprietary niche, while the MicroBrite is nicheless and has an adapter that fits the GloBrite niche.

Pentair recently came out with their next generation IntelliBrite lights, called the Architectural Series. Pentair also came out with next generation GloBrite lights. Both those are supposed to address reliabilty issues in the first generation lights.

Pentair LED Pool Lights has more detail on Pentair LED lights.

Jandy

Jandy has niched and nichless LED lights in both color changing and while models. The Watercolors light were their first generation LED light. The Infinite Watercolors models are next generation. Jandy Infinite WaterColors LED Light Controller requires Aqualink Revision Y or later.

The Watercolors Nicheless LED Lights with Hydrocool Technology seems to be from Fluidra's acquisition of CMP and like CMP's Brilliant Wonders nicheless LED lights they come in P-Series, H-Series, or S-Series models to work with Pentair or Hayward automation. Make sure you get the series that is compatible with your automation.

CMP

CMP, which was recently acquired by Jandy's parent company Fluidra, has Brilliant Wonders nicheless LED lights with Smart Synch Technology. You need to order the lights to be compatible with your automation - J Style for Jandy Aqualink, P Style for Pentair automation systems, or H Style for Hayward automation systems.

The Brilliant Wonders lights also have a IP68 waterproof quick disconnect allowing the lights to be replaced without pulling the wire from the light conduit or removed for winterization.

Brilliant Wonders has some of the best reliability and we hear of few failures.

Hayward

Hayward has a wide range of niche and nicheless LED light product lines and models. Hayward's Universal ColorLogic lights are different then the ColorLogic lights and some Universal ColorLogic Lights have networking controls while some do not. Hayward also has ColorLogic 2.0 and OmniDirect light controls. It is best to check carefully the capabilities and features of the Hayward lights you select.

J&J Electronics

J&J has been acquired by Hayward and the ColorSplash Series is now on the Hayward website.

The J&J ColorSplash LXG Replacement 120V Color-Changing LED Pool Light Bulb replaces the ColorSplash 3G bulb. LXG bulbs cannot be used in a pool where other 3G bulbs are also installed.

The J&J ColorSplash 3G Replacement 120V Color-Changing LED Pool Light bulb is an Edison base replacement for incandescent bulbs. The ColorSplash has seven different colors, multi-color blends, and five light shows including Parisian Blue, Brazilian Red, Tahitian Blue, Miami Pink, Tuscan Orange, Arctic White, and New Zealand Green colors. Each light has a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours.

When replacing an incandescent bulb with the LED bulb be sure to match the voltage of the light fixture for the replacement light bulb (12V or 120V) and replace the light gasket (LPL-G-P) for Pentair/American Amerlite and (SPX0580Z2) for Hayward AstroLite for proper installation.

J&J also has the ColorSplash XG Series Color LED Pool Light. The fixtures are compatible to most existing Pentair, Hayward and Jandy incandescent light niches and are ETL listed for safety and electrical code compliance. Color Splash XG Series operate with a standard pool light switch or can be integrated into most Pentair and Jandy automation systems

Florida Sunseeker

Florida Sunseeker has a wide range of replacement niche and nicheless pool lights. There have been questions if the Florida Sunseeker products have gone through the UL676 testing as people have not found them listed. PoolTone Problems!!!!!!!! describes where a PoolTone light melted and damaged the pipe. Given these issues you should be cautious with Florida Sunseekers products.

Spa Electrics

Spa Electrics has innovative niche and nicheless LED lights and a series of retro fit lights for 10", 8" and 6" niches. The Retro lights fit many Hayward, Pentair and Jandy niches and can upgrade incandescent lights to LED.

Some of their lights feature a quick disconnect power cord on the back of the light as well as a forward facing Heat Sink harnesses the full cooling potential of the pool, for maximum LED brightness and longevity.

Blue Square

Blue Square has niche and nicheless LED lights as well as 12 volt and 120 volt LED bulbs that can replace incandescent bulbs.

LedecSun

LedecSun has solar powered LED pool lights, made in Spain, that are installed using adhesive or magnetic attachment.

Landscape Lighting

Landscape lighting around the pool can enhance the pool lights. It will create a nicer atmosphere for enjoying your pool at night.

Volt Landsacpe Lights is a good choice if you want to DIY the light installation with LED lights. Volt has white and colored bulbs but not color-changing lights. Many members have been happy installing Volt Landscape lights.

Pentair's IntelliBrite color-changing LED landscape lights work with Pentair automation. They have the same color shows and fixed colors as the IntelliBrite 5g color-changing pool and spa lights.

Hayward acquired Sollos Landscape Lights. It offers a wide range of landscape lights, including path, bullet, accent, flood, hardscape, in-ground, hanging, and underwater lights.

Jandy's Pro Series Wet Area LED color-changing lights are NRTL-listed. They are suitable for submerged or unsubmerged installation within 10 ft (3 m) of the pool or spa. Intertek evaluated and tested them.

Low Voltage Light Transformers

Low Voltage lights need to connect to a Class 2 transformer that changes the 120 volt AC to 12 to 14 volts AC.

The power supply must be listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Lab (NRTL) as being in compliance with UL 379, “POWER UNITS FOR FOUNTAIN, SWIMMING POOL, AND SPA LUMINAIRES.”

The transformer has outputs for 12, 13, or 14 volts. The higher voltage outputs are used with longer light cord runs so that the light has 12 volts at the light.

Intermatic has a PJBX52100 5 light pool light junction box that includes a 100 watt transformer. It complies with NEC Code 680.24 requirements for junction boxes and per NEC 411 for low-voltage landscape lighting.

Light Controls

White incandescent and halogen lights can be controlled by a basic wall switch to turn the lights on and off. With the advent of color changing LED lights more complex controls are used:

• Many color changing LED lights use power cycling on/off pulses to change colors. This allows color control through a simple switch. The number of pulses in a short period of time select a color. Once you get the light operating in the color/color cycle you want, the light will start in that color every time you turn it on, unless you power it on and off rapidly.
• Manufacturers sell dedicated Color Light Controllers for their color changing LED lights that basically let you select a color on a dial and the controller sends out the required on/off pulses
• Many automation system panels include Colored LED light control and the panel can send the on/off pulses. Check that the automation panel is compatible with the model color LED lights you plan.
• There are no set standards for on/off pulses and colors across manufacturers so a color light controller needs to support the specific lights you get.
• Hayward uses power line networking to control their Omnidirect networked ColorLogic lights with their Omni systems.
• No pool lights directly communicate through WiFi for control without going through an automation system or WiFi smart switch.

LED Light Wattage

You can choose LED lights with wattage between 6 and 24 watts. The higher the watts the brighter the lights. But it is not that simple.

Pentair guideline is to aim for 4 lumens per square foot of pool surface. For example, if the pool is 500 sq-ft then you need 500x4=2000 lumens. This would be 4 MicroBrites or 2 IntelliBrite rgb.

Inyo Pools also has a good blog on How Many Lights Do I Need For My Pool? with a table summarizing the coverage of different lights.

Jandy provides the chart below:

Jandy LED Pool Light Wattage Selector Guide

Pool Finish	Color Lights	White Lights	Recommended Wattage
Light	Up to 12 ft	Up to 16 ft	6
Light	12-20 ft	16-24 ft	12
Light	20 ft+	24 ft+	24
Medium	Up to 10 ft	Up to 14 ft	6
Medium	10-26 ft	14-22 ft	12
Medium	16 ft+	22 ft+	24
Dark	Up to 8 ft	Up to 12 ft	6
Dark	8-12 ft	12-20 ft	12
Dark	12 ft+	20 ft+	24

Is It Safe?

Many people assume that any low voltage is safe around pools and people. The authors of the NEC (National Electric Code) have a different view. They require that submerged equipment, with people present, to be evaluated under "UL-676 Underwater Luminaries and Submersible Junction Boxes". Products that are approved to be used by the NEC must be listed to the UL 676 and UL 1081 performance standards that can be found on the UL Product Specification website.

UL-676 testing is done by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). Pool lighting products must be tested and certified by a NRTL. They must comply with UL676 and be listed with an NRTL. To comply with NEC 680.23, use a listed underwater luminaire. Also install of listed ground-fault circuit interrupter in the branch circuit or a listed transformer for 15 volts or lower luminaires.

After certifying a product under the NRTL program, the NRTL authorizes the manufacturer to apply a registered certification mark to it.

This mark signifies that an NRTL tested and certified the product. It complies complies with the requirements of one or more safety test standards. Users of the product can rely on the mark. It shows the product is safe and meets OSHA approval for workplace use.

The rub here is that not all pool lighting products have a proper certification mark and are "listed".

It depends on the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction). They decide if a listed product is required and if they accept the Testing Laboratory certification. Jurisdictions can adopt the NEC as part of their code, but the NEC is not law in and of itself.

If they adopt the NEC, then a listed product is required unless the AHJ deletes that requirement.

The AHJ also decides which testing laboratories are acceptable.

In general, any underwater luminaire for pools or spas should conform to UL676 and be certified and listed by a qualified testing laboratory.

Any manufacturer selling any underwater luminaire for pools or spas should specify which testing laboratory has certified the product.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has a list of approved testing laboratories. Each lab hasan “Approved Testing Scope.” It defines which standards they are approved to certify.

In jurisdictions that adopted the NEC, your pool lights may be inspected. If you have an Inspector who is sharp, they may check if the lights are listed. Otherwise, it is up to you as the pool owner to decide what products you deem safe for your pool and family in your pool.