Best Hayward Pool Lights Reviews & Buying Guide
Installing the best Hayward LED pool light can be vital to make your facility more beautiful or add safety.
However, finding the best swimming Hayward pool lights can be challenging as there are hundreds of different models and types.
Thankfully, we have reviewed the best inground and above-ground pool lights you can find on the market.
Read on, see what every light has to offer, and go through the buying guide in the last part of the article.
Hayward W3SP0583SL100 – Pool Light 120V, 500W, 100′ Cord, Face Ring – Limited Warranty
Hayward W3SP0527SLED100 – LED 120V, 100 ft. Cord Pool Light- Limited Warranty
Hayward W3SP0582L100 – Pool Light 120V, 300W, 100′ Cord, Face Ring – Limited Warranty
Hayward W3SP0535SLED100 – LED 120V, 100 ft. Cord Spa Light
Hayward W3SP0527LED100 – LED 120V, 100′ Cord for In-Ground Pools- Limited Warranty
Buying Guide
What to Consider
Light types
There are three major pool light types: LED, Halogen, and Incandescent. The older incandescent bulbs are like the standard bulbs you use in your home which only provide a white light. The Halogen lights are more compact and use less power than standard lights, but they will only produce a white light.
The LED bulbs are the newest lights on the market, and they come with many advantages. They are cheaper to use since they use less energy, although they are more expensive to purchase at the beginning. Some LED bulbs also feature up to five colors of light in different programs.
Voltage: 12V vs. 120V
Either 12V or 120V will be used to operate the lights for your pool. Depending on where you live, you may have a local code that requires the lower voltage of 12V light while other areas allow the 120V light to be used, so it is important to find out what your local code says.
Power
Measured by watts, power has the general rule of thumb that it costs more to run a light that has a higher wattage. LED lights tend to run between 30W and 90W while incandescent lights run between 100W to 500W. This means that LED lights are more efficient, and they reduce your electricity costs in the long run.
Brightness
The brightness of a bulb does not vary from of a 12V and 120V. Lumens is usually the way brightness is measured, but it is published inconsistently. Basically, the higher the wattage for incandescent lights, the brighter the light will be. It is harder to figure out the brightness of LED lights, but generally, they will be brighter for a higher wattage.
Face Ring
There are generally two face ring options, either plastic or stainless steel. Plastic rings are generally white, but can also be found in black and gray.
Cord Length
Some lights will come with a power cord that is permanently attached. They will come in varying lengths from 15’ to 150’, and the 30’, 50’, 100, and 150’ are the most common. Make sure when you purchase a pool light that the cord is long enough to get from the power source to your pool plus about 10 feet.
Compatibility
Niches are installed when the pool is built and the contractor places permanent fixtures into the pool’s sides to hold light fixtures. There are some lights that are compatible with any niches, but in most cases, lights aren’t going to be compatible unless you use the original manufacturer lights the niche was created for.
Bulb Replacement
You can easily replace most halogen and incandescent light fixtures. If you want to put in a color-changing light bulb, you will find that you can only convert a couple of incandescent light fixtures, but the rest of them will need a complete light fixture change, although there is a color light bulb conversion for halogen lights.
Remote Control
Like lights that can be switched on and off with a wall switch or control box, LED lights have color changing features and light programs. If you want to sync multiple LED lights so that they can be controlled together, it is possible to connect them together through one switch and a common junction box. There are also newer LED lights that come with a remote control, so that you can select the programs or colors easily.
Types of Pool Light Bulbs
There are positives and negatives to each type of pool bulb. Some bulbs that are cheaper might be a good deal now, but down the road when you have to make multiple replacements, it probably isn’t such a good deal.
Halogen – Halogen bulbs have been very popular bulbs for spas and pools that were a great way to upgrade the intensity of your lighting and lower the power you used. They are still used a lot today and are the most popular replacement bulbs.
Compact Florescent – Compact fluorescent light bulbs use less energy than regular incandescent bulbs and last six times longer. Unfortunately, they are sensitive to being switched on and off making them more likely to fail. They also tend to have lower illumination levels and poor lighting ability around pools.
LED – LED’s use about a quarter of the energy that is used by a standard bulb, and they last 40 times longer. They emit deep rich colors that are eco-friendly, but they do cost more than a standard bulb at their initial purchase. If you factor in the savings over time, they become a more cost effective option than other light bulbs.
