Fiber Optics Pool Lights Provide Safety And Color | Science

By millimoo
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One of the most colorful and safest methods of lighting up a swimming are is with fiber optic pool lights that have no electricity running through them, offering no chance for shock in the water. It is well-documented that mixing water and electric is a deadly combination, one that does not exist when using fiber optic lights.

With fiber optics, all of the power components are contained in an area isolated from the pool and all water sources, usually in a garage or separate building housing other swimming pool units. This unit also supplies the different colors to the fibers, which are extended to the area of the pool where the light is wanted. There is no power transferred through the fibers, only the light and the owner can change the colors going to the fiber optic pool lights essentially at will, enabling them to change with the season or with the holiday.

Other than the safety aspects of using fiber optic lights is they can be set in various arrays and shapes to create spectacular lighting effects in or around the pool. While they are not usually visible in bright sunlight, their use as walkway lights are not meant to illuminate, rather to show the boundaries to prevent tripping and falling in the dark.

Technology Improves Fiber Optics Brilliance

In many applications of fiber optics, the light from the generator is transmitted through the fiber and the end of each one is illuminated by the light transmitted through each strand. Newer technology allows for brighter lights with translucent sides, allowing the light to show through on the sides of the fibers as well. For spot concentration of lighting, a 25, 50 or 75-strand fiber optic cable can provide illumination similar to light emitting diode (LED) lights.

Depending on the generator chosen, it is possible to create multi-color lighting display using fiber optic pool lights with some generators offering two or more lighting options. By using more generators and configuring the location of the fibers, interesting displays can be established. Translucent sides can be placed under the lip of the pool deck with a second color in a wading pool or shallower adjacent area.

The option of installing fiber optic pool lights will not be cheap as the equipment to create the light show is more expensive than traditional lighting, but the safety factor and the display possibilities offset the additional expense.

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For more information on fiber optics please visit laserandfiberoptics.com

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