Nowadays, more and more people prefer using LED swimming pool lights to replace incandescent lamps, swimming pool lights with LED light sources have much greater reliability, longer operating life, and lower running costs. What’s more, led pool lights enable people to have more dynamic color-changing effects by remote control or DMX control.
However, when people are buying swimming pool lights, they will be a little confused to choose the led swimming pool lights, there are two types of LEDs light sources: SMD or high power LED (usually 1w/pc). What’s the difference between them? which is better for pools? Here we will give some tips.
- What is a high-power LED swimming pool light?
High power chips were widely used in swimming pool lights in the past, usually, the chip is 1W per piece, like an 18w swimming pool light, mostly it has 18pcs 1W Led chips. Most of the high-power pool lights are with the lens on the chips, normally lens angle 30° or 45°.
High power LED swimming pool light
SMD Swimming pool light
  2. What is an SMD Swimming pool light?
SMD is short for Surface Mounted Device, SMD size is much smaller than normal LED. Also, take an 18W swimming pool light as an example, it can have 36pcs 5730 chips, each chip is 0.5W. SMD pool lights won’t have the lens on them, the light output angle is 120°.
Some main differences between high power LED & SMD swimming pool lights:
NO.1 Focusing on the swimming pool lights housing structure, high power led designed swimming pool lights can be changed into SMD types, but not all the SMD designed pool lights can be changed into high power led types, because there may be not enough space for the lens height.
NO.2 Lighting output angle, as mentioned above, high power led swimming pool light will have an angle of 30° or 45°, while SMD swimming pool lights have 120°angle.
NO.3 As they have different lighting output angles, the lighting effects underwater are different. High power led swimming pool light performs like a spotlight, the lighting output is narrow. SMD swimming pool light performs like a bulb, the lighting output is wide.
NO.4 SMD swimming pool lights will have a higher lumen output efficiency than high-power led pool lights.
High power LED swimming pool light
SMD Swimming pool light
So, how to make choice to use a normal led or SMD swimming pool light? Based on the market feedback and lighting effects, our suggestions are below:
- For small size swimming pools, people can use SMD swimming pool lights, because the pool is small, the lighting distance is short, SMD pool lights with wide lighting output angles can satisfy the whole pool area.
- For big size or long shape swimming pool lights, we suggest using the normal LED swimming pool lights, the spotlighting effect can make the pool with more visual stereo.
- If people require more lumen output, they can choose SMD swimming pool lights. We can see a 30% lumen output efficiency difference. SMD swimming pool light lumen efficiency is 80lm/w while normal LED swimming pool light is 60lm/w.
- Of course, people can choose the lamp based on what they prefer.
For more information on IP68 swimming pool lights, welcome to contact Judeng Lighting.
