replacing lights? how difficult?

[jr219]

Hello,

I'd like to replace my lights with some of the pentair 5gs. I have two pool lights and a spa light. What exactly is involved with it? I assume just unscrewing the old one from the niche and pulling through the new cable? Do you need to seal up the conduit in the back of the niche?

Pool company wanted to change me like almost $3k for the 3 lights installed? Seems high to me. I'm fairly handy so I think I can handle it just wondering what exactly is involved!

thanks!

-jr

 

[JasonLion]

When things go well it is fairly simple, pull the old cable out, pull the new cable in, make the connections and you are done. The back should not be sealed (if possible). There can be complications sometimes. If the back of the niche as been sealed you need to undo that, and then deal with what ever caused them to seal the niche, presumably a leak, or work quickly and reseal the back again. Another problem comes up if the conduit has been crushed. Then there won't be any way to pull the wires and replacing the lights becomes a major project. But mostly it goes fairly quickly.

 

[jr219]

Thanks Jason. So, basically it should be simple.

I pulled out the lights (not cable) while in the pool today and none of them seem like they are sealed where the cable exits the niche. There is some "green goop" on the ground connection in the niche, but I think that is some anticorrosion stuff? LEaving that alone I hope. The one issue I have is that I don't know how long a cable for the spa light and its a hayward light and no length is listed in the model. The other two pentair lights give lengths (100' and 150'). I may have to yank spa light to measure cable length before I can order replacement. If I pull the cable out I'll pull a pull string I can use to pull in new cable.

Hopefully I can just pull out the cable without having to pull out the ground as well.

Thanks for your reply. Always appreciate your help.

-jr