EasyTouch controlled incandescent light - inconsistent operation. Help!

[FailedChemistry]

Hello all,
I'm having some issues with my pool light, and was hoping someone here might have seen something like this and could suggest a fix.
I may have to call someone to come out, but... thought I'd try here first.

I control my pool with an EasyTouch remote. I'm not really sure what version or anything, it was installed in 2009.
The EasyTouch remote controls the pump, the heater, the pool cleaner, and the light. The light is setup on Aux 3, so it has a dedicated button on the remote.
The light is a 300w 120v incandescent.

This season, after the pool was opened, I hit the button for the light and nothing happened. (The LED on the remote turned on, but nothing in the pool does.)
I tried several times, scrolled through various options looking for some clue as to what was going wrong, but nothing worked.
My first assumption was that after 14 years, the bulb was probably burned out.
So I started researching how to change the bulb, what kind of bulb to get, etc...
The proposition of dealing with an electrical system submerged in water makes me a little skittish, so I've admittedly been dragging my feet a bit. Plus, I've been thinking LED this time, and they're pretty expensive. So since may, I've been debating over what kind of bulb to buy, and fumbling with the remote kind of hoping I'd stumble across a miracle, while watching videos on how to do replace it and building up courage to go and pull that thing out of there.

I finally decided on the Hayward ColorLogic Color LED Bulb - 120V, and ordered it along with a new gasket.
The night it arrived, I was looking at the box and was thinking "OK, tomorrow morning we'll do this." Picked up the remote, pressed the button one last time and...

THE LIGHT CAME ON.

What?
I didn't do anything differently. It just came on.

Ok. So... then I'm thinking, do I return this bulb and gasket? Will they even accept it back? Meanwhile enjoying a beautifully illuminated pool once again.
For almost a week.
Last night I hit the button and nothing happened. Again. The remote indicates the light is on, but it isn't.

I'm completely at a loss as to what is going on, or what I can do about it.
It'd be annoying to go through the hassle of replacing this bulb if there's some larger issue at play.

Any ideas?
Is it possible for a bulb to not work one day, and then work the next?
Is there some quirk in the EasyTouch system that might cause this?
Should I have a technician come out an look at it? Or is there something I can do?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading.

 

[Jimrahbe]

FC,

The most likely problem is that the remote button is intermittent.

The next time it happens, go out to the equipment pad and look at the light above the Aux 3 button. Is it on or not?

If not on, push the Aux 3 button and see if the light works.

If the light above the Aux 3 button is on, but the pool light is off, then open the panel and then tap on the Aux 3 relay with the plastic end of a screwdriver and see if the light comes on. If not, I would swap the relay.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JamesW]

Maybe a thermal cutout in the light.

Picture of light?

 

[1poolman1]

Hello all,
I'm having some issues with my pool light, and was hoping someone here might have seen something like this and could suggest a fix.
I may have to call someone to come out, but... thought I'd try here first.

I control my pool with an EasyTouch remote. I'm not really sure what version or anything, it was installed in 2009.
The EasyTouch remote controls the pump, the heater, the pool cleaner, and the light. The light is setup on Aux 3, so it has a dedicated button on the remote.
The light is a 300w 120v incandescent.

This season, after the pool was opened, I hit the button for the light and nothing happened. (The LED on the remote turned on, but nothing in the pool does.)
I tried several times, scrolled through various options looking for some clue as to what was going wrong, but nothing worked.
My first assumption was that after 14 years, the bulb was probably burned out.
So I started researching how to change the bulb, what kind of bulb to get, etc...
The proposition of dealing with an electrical system submerged in water makes me a little skittish, so I've admittedly been dragging my feet a bit. Plus, I've been thinking LED this time, and they're pretty expensive. So since may, I've been debating over what kind of bulb to buy, and fumbling with the remote kind of hoping I'd stumble across a miracle, while watching videos on how to do replace it and building up courage to go and pull that thing out of there.

I finally decided on the Hayward ColorLogic Color LED Bulb - 120V, and ordered it along with a new gasket.
The night it arrived, I was looking at the box and was thinking "OK, tomorrow morning we'll do this." Picked up the remote, pressed the button one last time and...

THE LIGHT CAME ON.

What?
I didn't do anything differently. It just came on.

Ok. So... then I'm thinking, do I return this bulb and gasket? Will they even accept it back? Meanwhile enjoying a beautifully illuminated pool once again.
For almost a week.
Last night I hit the button and nothing happened. Again. The remote indicates the light is on, but it isn't.

I'm completely at a loss as to what is going on, or what I can do about it.
It'd be annoying to go through the hassle of replacing this bulb if there's some larger issue at play.

Any ideas?
Is it possible for a bulb to not work one day, and then work the next?
Is there some quirk in the EasyTouch system that might cause this?
Should I have a technician come out an look at it? Or is there something I can do?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading.

Sometimes the relay that the "button" activates goes bad and won't latch into place. Easy test is to place another working relay wire in the one for the light and see if it stays on and do the same with the light-relay cord. Try it in a different socket.

 

[FailedChemistry]

Thank you both!

If the light above the Aux 3 button is on, but the pool light is off, then open the panel and then tap on the Aux 3 relay with the plastic end of a screwdriver and see if the light comes on. If not, I would swap the relay.

Yeah, the light above the Aux is on.
(On both the remote, and inside the main control.)

Sometimes the relay that the "button" activates goes bad and won't latch into place. Easy test is to place another working relay wire in the one for the light and see if it stays on and do the same with the light-relay cord. Try it in a different socket.

I've only ever dealt with the remote, and never really cracked open the panel covering the relays.
Could either of you point me to resources for monkeying around with relays inside there?

 

[Jimrahbe]

FC,

When you open the door to the EasyTouch you can see the control panel at the top and the circuit breakers below that, behind a metal panel.

To take out the metal panel, you remove the two screws at the top that hold the panel in place.

Once you get the metal panel out you can see the wiring and the relays.

The relays are normally in this left to right sequence.. Top left is the Pump/Filter relay, then the Aux 1 relay, then Aux 2, then Aux 3. You may or may not have more relays. If you do they would be on the bottom row of relays and numbers as Aux 4, Aux 5, Aux 6, and Aux 7

Blank Panel.jpg

• Jimrahbe
• Feb 2, 2022

If you look at the inside of the door, you will see a diagram of how the relay operates. Off the top of the relay are two very small wires. These wires go to the coil of the relay and tell the relay to turn on or off.

The 4 pins on the bottom of the relay are input and output pins. If we label the relay pins left to right as pin 1, 2, 3, and 4.. Then pin 1 and 3 are the input or Line pins. Pins 2 and 4 are the output or load pins. Any voltage applied to pin 1 will come out pin 2 when the relay is energized or on. Any voltage on pin 3 will come out on pin 4.

If the light over the Aux 3 button is on, then the relay 'should' be energized or on.

If the light is off, then tapping the relay with the plastic end of a screwdriver might cause the light to come on. This would mean the relay is bad.

You can also use a voltmeter and test the input voltage and see if you have 120 Volt AC on pin 1 and on pin 2...If you do, the relay is closed and the problem would then be between the relay and the light.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[1poolman1]

Thank you both!



Yeah, the light above the Aux is on.
(On both the remote, and inside the main control.)



I've only ever dealt with the remote, and never really cracked open the panel covering the relays.
Could either of you point me to resources for monkeying around with relays inside there?

Be aware that with the main panel open you are exposed to high voltage. Be very careful what you touch.