Imagine night swimming with a myriad of mesmerizing floating lights above your pool. Not only do the lights look captivating, but it’s also a way to impress invited family and friends. 

Quoting Ann Frank, a Jewish diarist, “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” True to these words, seeing beautiful and colorful lights can help us feel happiness and other emotions.

But floating pool lights have become a somewhat controversial and polarizing purchase among pool owners. 

So in this article, we will talk about all about floatable pool lights – their purpose, the misconceptions, types, usage, and the best pool light that you can get to accent your pool.

Let’s get started!

What Are Floating Pool Lights?

As the name implies, floating pool lights are buoyant devices that emit light. Although most floating lights are in the shape of a sphere, there are other shape variants such as stars and discs. 

Floating pool lights are controversial topics to pool owners. This is primarily because of the misconception that it is a primary light source for swimming pools. 

Quoting Einstein: “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Getting the essence of this quote, the controversy behind the floating pool light is because of its misconceived purpose.

If so, then you might wonder what the main purpose of a floating pool light is. A floating pool light is there as an accent light for your swimming experience. Meaning it can help set the mood and the appearance of your pool.

Floating pool lights won’t be able to brighten your pool by themselves, so you still need primary light sources such as submerged LED lights and overhead LED lights.

Are Floating Lights for Pools Safe?

Now that we’ve cleared up the misconception about floating pool lights. Let’s talk about another important topic-safety.

You may worry about getting electrocuted by floating pool lights, but it’s generally safe because it operates on 12 volts direct current. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), recognized shock hazards are at 50 volts or more regardless if it’s a direct current or an alternating current. [1]

You might think, “ok, I will not get electrocuted by floatable pool lights, but what about my pool equipment? It might clog up my pool system.” Well, it won’t. Even if it deflates, your skimmer baskets will catch it before it can enter your pool’s filtration system. 

Types of Floating Pool Lights

So assuming that you want to buy a floating pool light to accent your pool, let’s talk about the two main types of floating pool light-solar and battery-operated.

Solar Powered Lights

These are floating lights that run on solar energy. Meaning you don’t need to plug a solar pool light into your home’s outlet to charge it. Just leave it under the sun for 6 to 8 hours and it’s good to go for your night swimming. Its main advantage over the battery-operated type is it’s renewable and charging it won’t cost you a single cent. 

Solar-powered pool lights are usually made from translucent vinyl materials. They are also ingress protection (IP) rated so you don’t have to worry about water getting into the pool light. Also, most solar floating pool lights can serve as decoration for your garden or backyard. So it’s a win-win purchase for your home. 

Battery Powered Lights

These are floating lights you’ll need to charge before using for your pool. Although not eco-friendly, battery-powered floating lights have larger energy capacities than the solar-type which enable more features such as customizable lights and speaker capabilities.

Like the solar types, battery-powered floatable lights are also ingress protection (IP) rated, so you don’t have to worry about water damages. 

Nice to Have Features of a Floating Pool Lights

One of the best features that a floating pool can have is having Bluetooth communication. This opens up many capabilities. For example, since a floating light serves as accent decoration, it is nice to have sync capabilities through Bluetooth. Having light sync capabilities will ensure an easy-to-use way for selecting the best color to match the mood. 

If Bluetooth is not available, it is nice to have a remote control function to control the color as well as the operating time. Although this will take a longer time than using Bluetooth it’s better than nothing right?

Some floating lights with Bluetooth capabilities have speakers, so you can enjoy listening while swimming. Some floatable lights also have call receiving features so you won’t have to worry about missing a call while taking a dip in the pool.

Also, to ensure that your lights are energy-efficient, it’s best to select floating LED pool lights. It uses 80 percent less than other light sources and can last up to 25 years. [2]

Best Floating Pool Lights on the Market

Moving on to the best part, let’s talk about the best floating pool lights available on the market. We will also link the products below so you can easily view them and see the reviews on Amazon.

Blufree Floating Pool Lights With Bluetooth Speaker

This IPX7 waterproof floatable light is a top rated floating light at Amazon. Rated at 4.3 stars by more than three thousand buyers, this has many easy-to-use features aside from its color-changing lights. 

First off, it has Bluetooth speaker capabilities so you can listen closely to your music while in the pool. Its control offers other features other than music control player abilities, you can also receive and answer calls through this device so you won’t have to get out of the pool.

This device LED lights that can display up to seven modes of colorful lights-music flash mode, red light mode, green light mode, blue light mode, slow flash mode, fast flash mode, and auto flash mode.

This floatable lights and speaker device has a rating of IPX7 so you won’t have to worry about water damage. It has a built-in rechargeable 1600mAh battery which can last up to continuous 8 hours of use when fully charged.

If you want to know more about the product prices and other technical details, click this link here to direct you to its Amazon page. 

Loftek Floating Pool Lights

This product is rated at 4.0 by more than a thousand reviewers who made a purchase on Amazon. Like the other LED floating light in this list, these are battery-operated and color-changing floating LED pool lights that are also 3 inches in diameter. If you prefer bigger LED pool lights then there are other sizes available: 6 inches, 7 inches, 8 inches, and 12 inches. 

This Loftek LED pool light can be controlled through remote control using radio frequency (RF), giving you control over its settings such as color and lighting mode. The LED lights operate on two CR1632 batteries and can last up to 30 hours of continuous use. 

Using the remote control, you can choose from 7 different colors and different light modes-static, flash, and fade. But unlike other brands, this floating LED light ball uses an automatic timer. After operating for 6 hours it will automatically shut down. 

The product material for these pool lights is made of vinyl, so it is weather resistant and durable. You also don’t have to worry about water damage because it is rated IP67. 

You can click the link here if you want to know the product prices and other details. This will direct you to the Amazon page of the product. 

Blufree Floating Pool Lights

With a product rating of 4.3 by more than a thousand reviewers who made the purchase on Amazon, these starfish shaped lights are one of the best floating LED pool lights you can find on the market.

Its main selling point is that it can be used in two ways: upright or upside-down. If you use it upright, you’ll be able to enjoy a star shaped light above your pool. And if it is upside down, the LED lights will create a light show below the pool.

This floating light measures 3.3 inches in diameter and needs 3 AAA batteries to power it. There are seven colors available upon turning the LED lights:red, green, blue, yellow, mint, purple, white. And you can choose from two lighting modes: static or gradient (color changing).

This product is made from durable materials so you can be confident that it will last long and has an IP68 rating so you don’t have to worry about water damage.  

You can click the link here to direct you to the Amazon page of the product. 

Esuper Floating Pool Lights

These solar powered pool lights are rated at 4.5 stars by more than eight hundred reviews on Amazon which makes it one of the top-rated floating pool lights. When inflated to its full capacity, the diameter measures up to 14 inches. 

The built-in battery inside the LED pool lights needs to charge for 6 to 8 hours under the sun. A full charge can last up to 6 hours of lights for your pool.

The color-changing lights will automatically change colors after 15 seconds. It features four colors during operation: red, blue, green, and white. 

The product materials are translucent vinyl which makes it very durable and it is certified waterproof having a IP68 rating. Due to its vinyl material, it is repairable using a patch kit. 

You can click the link here to direct you to the Amazon page of the product. 

Hapikay Solar Floating Pool Lights

These solar pool lights are rated at 4.5 stars by more than seven hundred reviewers on Amazon-it is one of the top-rated floating pool lights. Inflatable being one of its main features, it can be easily packed and stored just in case you don’t need it for certain occasions. When fully inflated, it measures up to 14 inches in diameter. 

The built-in battery inside the Hapikay LED pool lights needs to charge for 6 to 8 hours under the sun to get the maximum effect of the lighting. 

One of its major downsides, when you compare it to other options, is that you cant select the color or the type of transition you want. The color-changing lights will automatically change colors after 25 seconds. 

The product materials are translucent vinyl which makes it very durable and can be easily repairable with a patch kit. 

You can click the link here to direct you to the Amazon page of the product. 

Spin Master Pool Light

With a product rating of 4 out of 5 on Amazon by more than seven hundred reviews, these are one of the unique pool lighting solutions that you can find on the market.

What sets this apart from other floating swimming pool lights is that it gives a light show on your pool floor. Enjoy as the LED lights on this device illuminate shapes of fishes and sharks in different colors-red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. So this might be perfect for kiddie pool parties that you are planning.

This floating light for pools uses four AA batteries, it is made out of durable plastic material and the electronic parts are watertight so you don’t have to worry about water damage.

To know more about this product, you can click the link here for the Amazon page of the product.

Geediar Floating Pool Lights

Rated at 4.1 by more than two hundred and fifty reviewers on Amazon, this is one of the best solar floating LED pool lights that you can find on the market. This floating LED pool light takes on the form of a donut and has a 10-inch diameter with a thickness of almost 3 inches.

It has a built-in 2000mAh lithium battery to store up the gathered solar energy during the day. On a good day, it takes about 8 hours to charge and lasts up to 5 to 6 hours during the night.

Using the remote control, you can select 16 RGB colors and can change the brightness and transition speed for color changing.

These solar-powered LED pool lights are made up of double-layer polyethylene which makes them extremely durable even under heavy weather conditions. It is also IP68 rated so you don’t have to worry about water seepage that can damage the internal parts.

You can click the link here to direct you to the Amazon page of the product. 

Chakev Floating Pool Lights

Rated at 4.1 stars by more than a hundred reviewers who made a purchase on Amazon, these battery-operated color-changing floating LED pool lights are 3 inches in diameter and are great accent lights for your swimming pool.

One of its best features is it can be controlled by remote control using radio frequency (RF). Although its mode of communication is not through Bluetooth, it gives you control over the settings of color, brightness, lighting modes, and even the operating time.

Using the buttons of the remote control, you can choose from 16 different RGB (red-green-blue) colors perfect for any mood or event. There are 3 different lighting transition modes: fade, smooth, and flash. For the timer, can set the operational time of the LED ball lights by either 2 hours, 4 hours, or 6 hours.

The product materials used for these solid LED ball lights are high-quality double-layer polyethylene which makes it very durable, weatherproof, and long-lasting. This LED light ball runs on two CR2032 batteries that can last up to 30 hours of use. It is also rated at IP67 so you can ensure that no water will enter the battery slots and cause it to be defective.

If you want to know the product prices and other details, you can click the link here to direct you to the Amazon page of the product. 

Cootway Floating Stars Pool Solar Lights

Having a rating of 4.4 in Amazon, these floatable color-changing lights are one of the great buys in the market. This floatable LED light is in the shape of a star, so kids might like having this in the pool. Having a diameter of 17 inches, it is quite large so it’s a great added decoration to draw attention.

This floatable light device senses when the sky turns dark, and automatically turns on its LED light. Color changing of the lights in this device is automatic-it cycles from the colors white, pink, red, purple, blue, aqua, green, and lime.

Since this is a solar-powered light, you just need to soak it under the sunlight for the day and will shine during the night. It is made out of vinyl so you can be assured of its durability. You also don’t have to worry about water damage in the electronic components since this is waterproof rated at IP68.

To know the product prices and other details, you can click the link here and it will redirect you to the Amazon page.

Tially Full Moon Floating Pool Lights

Garnering a 4.4 rating by people who made the purchase on Amazon, these solar-powered lights create a great serene ambiance due to its appearance like that of the moon. When fully inflated, it has a diameter measuring up to 14 inches.

Inside this spherical lights are LED lights which run on solar energy. Just soak it up for 6 to 8 hours in the sunlight and it can light up for around 6 hours during the night. The LED lights have two lighting options: cool and warm mode. The cool lighting mode can be suitable if you want a cleaner or a more elegant look. Warm mode might fit cozy and romantic moods.

The Tially full moon lights uses vinyl as its prime material making it durable and easily repairable. With an IP68 rating, it ensures that no water damages will happen as long the usage is proper.

You can click the link here to direct you to the Amazon page of the product. 

Proper Usage and Maintenance of Floating Pool Lights

After selecting a floating light and making a purchase, it is essential to use it properly. Not only will it maximize the lifespan of the swimming pool light, but also prevents accidents due to mishandling. 

One of the most famous quotes goes like this, “safety doesn’t happen by accident”. True enough, for us to be safe we need to be careful and follow certain rules and guides.

With that said, the first thing that you need to do is always follow the instructions included in the product that you have brought. The manufacturer knows best on how to properly use the product.

Second, although some products are safe for children it is best to always supervise them while using these floating pool lights, doing so can prevent unforeseen accidents.

Lastly, changing seasons, especially winter, might damage these pool lights. As such, it’s best to always store them in a nice dry place when not in use.

Closing

To sum up, floating pool lights are not recommended to serve as the primary pool lighting source for your swimming pool. Its primary purpose is to accent your pool and set the right mood for your pool parties and events.

Also, there are many best value options that you can purchase in the market. Choosing one depends on your preferred type, shape, and the feature you want for your swimming pool lights. 

Can’t get enough of this interesting article to read? Don’t worry, we heard you! We are here to guide you to have a safe and well-suited pool for your home. These are some of the articles that surely will excite you.

• A Complete Guide for Heating an Above Ground Pool
• Solar Pool Covers: How It Works, How to Use, & Select the Well Suited for Your Home Pool
• Pool Heat Calculator – How to Estimate the Btu Rating and Heating Cost for Your Pool

Lastly, if you want to maximize the lifespan of the floating lightings, proper usage and maintenance must be observed. With that said, make a purchase and enjoy your floating pool lighting. Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section.

• [1] https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2015-09-04#:~:text=However%2C%20OSHA%20considers%20all%20voltages,or%20above%20to%20be%20hazardous.&text=The%20current%20through%20500%20ohms,sufficient%20to%20cause%20serious%20injury.
• [2] https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/how-energy-efficient-light