There’s nothing like having a swimming pool if you want a personal, private wellness space in your home. It offers the opportunity to get fit and spend some quality time with your family and friends, especially during summer days and evenings. No wonder then the number of homes with pools is growing in the UK. If your house has a pool, do make sure you have quality pool lighting.
Why? You may wonder.
Well, the answer is simple. Pool lighting contributes to pool safety by ensuring you can see the water better. It also makes it easier to see what is going on around the pool. Plus, quality pool lighting, especially string lighting, can significantly enhance your pool’s aesthetic appeal.
At this point, you probably might be thinking, “What’s the right way to install string lights near the pool given that electricity and water aren’t the best of friends.
When it comes to lighting up your pool, safety comes first. While you can install low-voltage string lights (typically, 30V or less) near a pool, provided you adhere to the minimum clearance guidelines. Another thing to remember is that you should only go for string lights that are IP65 certified. Stay away from lights that aren’t IP65 certified or low voltage — they’re not worth the risk.
Now, let’s discuss these things in detail.
Minimum Clearance Distances
You should follow the your area’s minimum clearance requirements for hanging string lights over your swimming pool.
IP65 string lights
Wondering what’s all this fuss over IP65 rating string lights? Well, it’s all about safety. If you remove all the technical mumbo-jumbo, IP65 is basically a fancy way of saying how well an electrical device can handle water and dust. Think of this rating scale as a report card for electrical devices — the higher the rating, the better the electrical device can handle water and dust. They’ll keep the pool party going without any shocking surprises (pun intended).
So, when you’re picking out string lights for your pool, settle only for those with the IP65 rating. You may come across online or offline light stores that claim IP44 string lights are safe to use near water, but don’t you buy that. Only IP65 string lights are safe to use near or over a pool.
Why does experts recommend only low-voltage string lights near swimming pools?
If you use string lights that are not of low-voltage near water, you’re risking electrocution. For this precise reason, only low-voltage (30 volts or less) should be used near a pool. We repeat, never use 240 volts lights near your pool.
To sum it up:
It is safe to use string lights near or over a pool if:
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They are low voltage
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They are IP65 certified
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You follow your area’s minimum distance requirements
At LiquidLEDs, we have a wide range of IP65-certified, low-voltage string lights. Have a look at our collection, and in case you need any help, we’ll be more than happy to guide you.