LED lighting for pools and hot tubs
Thanks to the many benefits of LED lighting it was only a matter of time before this technology was designed for use in the commercial/residential aquatics industry. One of the most obvious benefits for pools and hot tubs is energy efficiency. Many large commercial pools and hot tubs have several large lights that need to operate for extended periods of time. Even smaller pools and hot tubs use one or more large lights. These lights can be anywhere from 250 to 500 watts in size. In comparison, an LED light with similar lumen output will operate at approximately 45 watts.
These new, high tech pool lights use special super-bright LEDs with wide viewing angles to increase light output. They last longer than traditional lighting options and the bright vivid colours they provide are a nice upgrade to any pool installation. Further, LED lights have also replaced fibreoptic lighting systems as the product of choice for pool and landscape designers/builders thanks to their low-cost operation, durability, and ability to provide multicolour lighting options.
New installations and retrofit projects
Most of the larger equipment manufacturers in the pool and hot tub industry now offer a full line of LED lights for new installations and retrofit kits for older pools. These lights are easy to install and can spice up the installation of a beautiful inground pool and hot tub. Many companies provide complete LED light systems with automated controllers to co-ordinate everything from yard, pathway, and accent lighting to pool and hot tub lighting via one central location.
In addition to replacing and enhancing traditional lights, LED lighting has also allowed designers/builders to create dramatic water effects in pool and hot tub designs. Many companies have created lighting systems that allow designers/builders to add multicolour lighting options to traditional features. For instance, a traditional waterfall can now be installed with an integrated, multicolour LED-light system, which can produce dynamic light shows and be synchronized with other landscape features.
As the price for the LED products continues to drop, consumers will be able to add lighting features that, until recently, were only found in high-end commercial designs.
Using LEDs in portable hot tubs
One of the products that have benefitted greatly from LED lighting technology is the portable hot tub. Originally, hot tubs used small 12-volt incandescent bulbs in the footwell to illuminate the interior. Coloured-plastic lenses were used to change the colour of the light; however, the light was not really considered a design element of the hot tub.
When outdoor fibreoptic lighting became popular in the pool industry, many hot tub manufacturers added this feature as well. For example, the fibreoptic cable was used to create ‘points of light’ around the bar-top of the hot tub. These lights could change colour and provided added ambiance to the hot tub design; however, manufacturers found that even though consumers liked the lighting option, the technology was not suited for hot tubs. The optic cables were often difficult to work with and the main light box created unwanted heat.
A few years later, manufacturers started leveraging LED lighting technology into their product designs. LED manufacturers were also quick to see the emerging markets and many companies built specific lighting systems for the hot tub market.
First, manufacturers used LED lights to replace the main hot tub light. These light systems, which incorporated up to 24 LEDs, used an array of red, green, and blue (RGB) LEDs. Many of these systems were actually designed so they could be easily retrofitted on older hot tubs. These systems typically had five-to-nine colours as well as several ‘light shows’ that created a multitude of lights in a colour-wheel effect.
Today’s LED lighting systems use smaller processors and heat management systems, along with a multitude of RGB lights. Once installed they completely change the esthetics of the hot tub’s interior. While these lights are more expensive than the incandescent bulbs they were replacing, the added ambiance, low-power consumption, and longevity has made them a perfect fit for the hot tub market.
