Pool lights make a swimming pool safe and inviting after dark and turn it into a feature of the garden at night. Most new installs use LED pool lights, which run cooler and use a fraction of the power of the old halogen lamps. OutdoorLighting.co.za is a free quote service. You fill in one form and we pass it to independent local pool lighting suppliers, electricians and installers, who quote you directly. We do not sell, stock, install or repair anything ourselves, and there is no fee or obligation to accept any quote.
Types of swimming pool lights
The main options are:
- Niche lights: a fitting set into a niche cast in the pool wall, the standard for new pools
- Surface-mount LED lights: slim fittings screwed to the wall, popular when adding lights to an existing pool
- Retrofit PAR56 lamps: an LED lamp that drops into an existing niche in place of an old halogen
- Solar and floating lights: battery-powered, no wiring, for a soft decorative glow
Swim pool lights are usually placed in the deep-end wall, facing away from the house and the main viewing area, so the light lifts the water without glaring at people on the patio. A larger pool may need two or three lights for even coverage.
The 12 V transformer and safety
Underwater pool lights in South Africa should run on 12 V from a safety isolating transformer, never directly from 230 V. The transformer is mounted outside the pool zone, usually near the pump, and fed through an earth leakage device. This is fixed wiring, so a registered electrician must install it and issue a CoC. LED lamps draw far less current than halogen, so when converting, check whether the existing transformer suits the new LEDs. Swimming pool lights transformers fail with age and Highveld lightning surges; a surge arrestor on the pool circuit helps.
Pool lights replacement and retrofits
If a light has failed, the cause may be the lamp, the transformer, water in the fitting or a damaged cable. Many pool lights replacement jobs are done without draining: the fitting has enough spare cable to lift it onto the deck. An LED PAR56 retrofit is often the simplest upgrade. If you are not sure what is wrong, request outdoor lighting repairs and describe the symptoms. A light that trips the earth leakage must be switched off until an electrician has checked it, because it may mean water has reached the fitting.
Colour, control and the area around the pool
Pool lights LED come in white, blue or RGB colour-changing, controlled by a remote, wall switch or app. For the surround, add LED strip lights under the coping, garden lights on the planting or a patio light over the lapa, so the pool is not the only lit surface.
What to include in your request
- Give the pool size and how many lights it has now
- Say whether lights are niche, surface or none yet
- Describe any fault: lamp, transformer or tripping
- Choose white, blue or colour-changing
- Ask whether the existing transformer can be reused
Pool Lights for different properties
- Homes: one or two underwater LED lights in the family pool, switched from the patio
- Estates and complexes: LED lights in the communal pool and safe lighting around the pool fence
- Farms and smallholdings: LED pool lights and a simple transformer at the farmhouse or guest cottage pool
- Shops and offices: underwater lights in gym, hotel or office park pools, with timer control
- Industrial sites: underwater lights for fire dams, reservoirs and staff recreation pools
- Lodges, guesthouses and venues: colour-changing pool lights for lodge, guesthouse and resort pools
- Municipalities, schools and clubs: robust underwater lights for public swimming baths and school pools
Frequently asked questions
Does OutdoorLighting.co.za sell pool lights?
Do I need to drain the pool to replace a light?
Are solar pool lights any good?
What do LED pool lights cost?
Pool Lights by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester