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Magnetic lights for above-ground pools

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are standing next to an above-ground pool and the advert says the light is magnetic. Magnetic lights for above-ground pools only work when the wall matches the magnet. A soft PVC liner and a steel panel are different products. The Intex pair needs a thin non-steel wall. A disc magnet needs steel, a plate, or something you add, such as glue or a holster. Prices and stars are on the [magnetic pool light comparison](/hub/pool-care/magnetic-pool-light). Peter F. used the Intex sheet, a UK retailer and the amazon.co.uk reviews, updated 19 October 2026, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are standing next to an above-ground pool and the advert says the light is magnetic. Magnetic lights for above-ground pools only work when the wall matches the magnet.

Our top picks

Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698

Best overall

Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698
8.8/10about £54.95
View offer
TEPENAR TEPENAR magnetic pool light, 1 pack

Best value

TEPENAR TEPENAR magnetic pool light, 1 pack
8.4/10about £19.99
View offer
Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698BS

Alternative

Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698BS
7.6/10about £46.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Soft-sided and thin non-steel walls
  2. 2.Steel walls
  3. 3.Liners with nothing ferrous behind them
  4. 4.How large a pool the wall light is sold for

Soft-sided and thin non-steel walls

A soft-sided summer pool is the wall Intex wrote the set for. The sheet allows a storable pool with a non-steel wall 1 mm thick or less. PoolPro says soft-sided PVC only, up to 24 ft. A 28698BS review says it fits an Easy Set. Intex Wetset lists the family for pools up to 7.32 m. On that thin PVC the pair is a coupler: transmitter outside, lamp inside, mains on the garden side. If you already have an RCD socket more than 3.5 m away, this page allows the Intex set. The sequence is on how to fit a magnetic pool light.

Steel walls

For the Intex pair, a steel wall is the banned case. The sheet says non-steel, and a UK review of the 28698BS says it does not work on steel. Some US write-ups reverse that. Follow the sheet. The pair is a coupler for a thin non-steel skin. A disc can use the steel, because the panel is ferrous. It still has to stay put. SANSI reviews say movement knocks the magnets off, and one buyer used glue. SoulBay reviews describe a holster. Other shop lights aimed at steel walls are not in this set.
Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698

Testsieger

Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698
8.8/10about £54.95
View offer

Liners with nothing ferrous behind them

A vinyl liner with no steel behind it is a third wall. The Intex pair can still be right if the wall is non-steel, thin and storable, because it couples through the wall. It does not need the liner to be magnetic. If you have ruled that set out, a disc magnet has nothing to pull on. TEPENAR suction cups fail under water, and the lamp floats. What worked was glue, or a washer outside the liner. The washer does not carry 230 V. Glue held on a rough hot-tub shell and marks a smooth liner. A SoulBay review fixed holders to flat stones. SANSI's magnet-only attempt ended on the surface within about half an hour. Without glue, a washer, a holster or a stone, none of the discs has a mount the reviews support.

How large a pool the wall light is sold for

Intex Wetset and PoolPro state pools up to 24 ft, or 7.32 m, and PoolPro limits that to soft-sided PVC. Reviews mention a 24 ft by 12 ft pool and an 18 ft by 9 ft pool. A permanent in-ground pool is outside that span, and a niche there is an electrician's case under BS 7671 Section 702. A steel above-ground pool still takes a disc. A soft pool within about 7.32 m takes the Intex set if the wall is non-steel and 1 mm or less. The 28698 is the top pick when the plug is a UK plug. The TEPENAR one-pack is the best value only if a washer or glue is acceptable. A holster points at SoulBay.

Common questions

Will the Intex set work on a steel wall?
No, on the evidence that matters here. The Intex sheet allows only a non-steel storable wall of 1 mm or less. A UK review of the 28698BS says it does not work on steel above-ground pools. Buy a rechargeable disc if the wall is steel. The coupler is not a fridge magnet on a steel panel.
What holds a disc on a vinyl liner with no steel behind it?
Not the magnet alone, and not the suction cup in the TEPENAR reviews. Those cups fail when wet, and the light floats. Reviewers used glue, or a washer outside the liner, or a SoulBay holster. One SoulBay review fixed holders to flat stones so the lights could sit on the floor.
What did reviewers do on a rough shell?
On a rough hot-tub shell, glue in the TEPENAR reviews held where the suction cup did not. That is a shell you can accept a mark on. A smooth liner is a worse place for the same adhesive. SANSI's magnet-only fit came off once the water moved, and glue was the mount one buyer reported as working.
Is a washer outside the liner the same as the Intex transmitter?
No. A washer gives a TEPENAR magnet a small piece of steel to pull against. It does not transform mains, and it does not put 12 V through the wall. The Intex transmitter is the outside half of a powered pair, and it is only for the thin non-steel wall in the sheet. The washer is a battery-disc trick.
Are these lights for a permanent in-ground pool?
No. The Intex sheet is for storable above-ground pools. A permanent basin, and any niche light in one, belongs with an electrician under the pool rules in BS 7671 Section 702. A marketplace disc is not that luminaire either. Keep these products on the above-ground wall they match.
What should a steel-wall owner buy from this set?
A rechargeable disc, not the 28698 or the 28698BS. The magnet can grip steel, which the coupler is forbidden to use. Expect to add glue or a holster if movement knocks a bare magnet off, which is what the SANSI reviews describe. The TEPENAR packs share one star line, so pick the pack size.

Related pages

Magnetic pool lights buying guide

Best magnetic pool lights

Magnetic pool light

How to fit a magnetic pool light, and when to stop

Rechargeable pool lights vs an Intex magnetic light

Sources

Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in the display file.

  1. IET Wiring Matters, Section 702 — swimming pools and other basins (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. NAPIT, BS 7671:2018 Section 702 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Intex LED pool-wall light safety rules, model WL698 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Intex Wetset UK magnetic LED pool-wall light (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. H2O Fun, Intex 28698 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. NICEIC garden electrics (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First, RCD questions (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. IEC 60529 preview — IP code (retrieved 19 October 2026)