Using Lighting to enhance the pool ownership and swimming experience

by arslan_ahmed | September 13, 2023 12:22 pm

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Pool professionals should never leave a project half done or incomplete—especially when the entire backyard is their canvas. By not selling the complete project, including accent and landscape lighting, the door is left open for another professional, be it another builder or landscaper to complete the project and reap all the benefits simply by adding the finishing touches.

The evolution of pool lighting

Once considered a need in pool design, lighting has quickly become a want. Gone are the days of installing a single 254-mm (10-in.) light in the pool’s deep end. Homeowners are looking to create personality and uniqueness to their backyard projects. They want an environment that not only mimics resort life, but also allows for maximum usage. With the popularity of the 38-mm (1.5 in.) return fitting light, designers and pool builders around the world can create one-of-a-kind projects and illuminate them in a much more artistic and/or subtle way.

The functionality and design capabilities of the return fitting light lends itself to a sleeker and more modern application for underwater illumination. Light placement is no longer limited to one end or one side of the pool. Today, new options using advanced diffusers, combined with four-wire technology, offer benefits such as the ability to dim lighting and seamless colour change. These advances allow designers and builders to be more progressive and use their creative side of pool design, which in turn is what the modern homeowner is seeking.

It is more than just return fitting lights

Water features have become more popular with each passing pool season. From the casual placement of a lit waterfall on a deep-end wall to the soothing sounds of a lit bubbler in a sun shelf, homeowners have become savvier and more involved in their design process. Due to this involvement, these features are becoming the norm and not the exception. Homeowners are once again attempting to recreate the feeling and relaxation of being on holiday. Simple sounds of water flowing combined with tasteful accent lighting provide the white noise/visual distraction needed to mimic the lazy days of vacation.

The sun shelf or tanning ledge, as it is sometimes referred to, can be a focal point of any design. Coupling this modern approach to the traditional shallow end with either bubblers or strategically placed lighting below the water line on the walls, the sun shelf creates a resort-like feeling and enhances the esthetic appeal of the entire project. By incorporating additional lighting options such as waterfalls, bubblers, and 25.4 mm (1 in.) accent lights throughout the pool, builders can turn a cookie-cutter project into a centrepiece that will not only get the homeowner compliments but can also create a stream of referrals and leads for the installer.

Light-emitting diode (LED) is not fibre optic

LEDs have allowed lighting manufacturers to create new products and improve on existing ones that were once unavailable or did not perform to adequate standards. Strip, or linear lighting is now a realistic, consistent product that adds personality and character to any project.

Before, with fibre optic, there were concerns of brightness, longevity, and controllability. Modern LED strip lighting no longer relies on equally sizing lengths of lights or the usage of colour wheels. With the addition of four-wire lights and control systems that have been borrowed from the lighting industry, strip lighting seamlessly integrates into any design and syncs with existing in-pool lights. These new four-wire drivers/transformers give the designer the ability to separate lights into different zones of the pool/backyard and display different colours simultaneously, or even have one zone on and another off.

LED strip lighting opens the door not only to lighting the pool, but to the surrounding areas as well. Since four-wire LED technology “runs cold” and does not need to be water cooled, the lighting options become endless. This advancement has made it possible to create out of water accent lighting that can be combined with in-pool lighting to recreate the resort type atmosphere and the crisp high-end look many discerning homeowners crave.

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Synchronizing features

Once again, with the introduction of four-wire technology into the pool industry, the ability to synchronize lighting features around the backyard in conjunction with traditional pool lights is now a daily occurrence that is as simple as swiping one’s finger across an app. Landscape lighting is quickly becoming its own category within a category. Subtle placement of a singular light or small groupings around the backyard can add the fine-tuning that will tastefully highlight a builder’s hard work and provide the homeowner with the opportunity to enjoy their backyard sanctuary long into the evening.

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By inserting four-wire return fitting lights into aluminum landscape fixtures, the “runs cold” feature of the light is being used. What seems like a manufacturing shortcut, by using the same exact light, is a huge design advantage. The ability to use the same platform/control systems for all the lights in the project guarantees consistency and controllability over the entire lighting portion of the project.

Just like when syncing or designing with strip lighting, controllability and functionality are the key. Four-wire lighting makes it possible to have the pool lights on in one zone, water features on in another, and landscape illumination on a completely different zone all with the ability to be controlled by a single app or control system.

Another advantage of designing with four-wire lights is many home automation platforms are four-wire based and the possibility of integrating the backyard into the same control system as the main house has become appealing to the modern homeowner. The ability of four-wire lights to communicate with modern platforms does not stop at home automation. Digital multiplex (DMX) combines audio and visual together to create lighting shows that are choreographed to the homeowner’s personal music choice. Effects like these were once reserved for resort getaways and the wealthy, but now, with this new technology, residential pools can mimic the elite.

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Lighting should not be overlooked

Lighting is an often-overlooked component of the pool/backyard design process. While most homeowners are primarily concerned with the feel of their aggregate finish, the colour of their liner, or one of many sanitization options, thoughts toward lighting tend to fall to the wayside.

By overlooking this important component of the project, builders are not only neglecting potential monetary gains, but are also limiting their design options associated with this category. Just as builders do not want the homeowner telling them how to do their job, the client relies on industry professionals to help them maximize their backyard’s potential. By not providing sound lighting options, builders may be cheating their customer out of added design features and possible additional usage of their property. Further, pool professionals are not only missing out on highlighting their hard work, but are also leaving valuable dollars on the table. While a builder may be limited to the number of pumps, filters, or salt systems that can be added to a project, lighting options can always be upsold to the client to help increase the amount of time they get to enjoy their property and, as a result, increase the bottom line.

Author

Steve Santucci is the east coast regional manager for PAL Lighting. He brings a wealth of knowledge from not only his decade plus experience in the pool industry, but also from his building materials background. In his current role, Santucci consults with builders and designers on expanding their lighting opportunities through new products and technology. He can be reached via email at steve@pallighting.com.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/using-lighting-to-enhance-the-pool-ownership-and-swimming-experience/

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