pulling wire for 12V Pentair LED retrofit through conduit

[dmh]

I want to replace my dying 120V Pentair LED pool light with a 12V IntelliBrite 5G light. Besides installing the 12V transformer, this will involve pulling the new wire for the 12V light through about 50' of underground conduit by using the wire cut from the 120V light. Has anyone done this? How hard is it to pull the new wire with the old wire? There is no way to lubricate the wire because it has to pass through the water.

I have nightmare visions of the wire getting stuck, the taped ends pulling apart, the wire breaking, etc. If anyone has any words of wisdom, I would love to hear them. Thank you.

 

[ajw22]

It is better to cut the cord by the existing light, attach a pull string to it, then pull the old one out from the junction box side.

Once that old one is out, attach the pull string to the new one at the light side of the pool, then pull it towards the junction box.

Easiest way to fish pool light through conduit???

I am going to change my pool & spa light today with new Pentair 5g lights and throwing old ones away(they are no good). just wanted to know any tricks or tips to make it easier. the conduit is 1" plastic with extra ground wire that will I will leave in place. i bought metal fish tape already...

www.troublefreepool.com

How do I use lube to pull light wire?

I have a long run (~130 ft) to pull a globrite wire. I want to use lube to facilitate the pull. A couple of questions: - What lube should I use? - How should I use it? I've done a bit of research and this is what I found: I see folks recommending Liquid Dawn, others some 3M product. I was...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Bperry]

I want to replace my dying 120V Pentair LED pool light with a 12V IntelliBrite 5G light. Besides installing the 12V transformer, this will involve pulling the new wire for the 12V light through about 50' of underground conduit by using the wire cut from the 120V light. Has anyone done this? How hard is it to pull the new wire with the old wire? There is no way to lubricate the wire because it has to pass through the water.

I have nightmare visions of the wire getting stuck, the taped ends pulling apart, the wire breaking, etc. If anyone has any words of wisdom, I would love to hear them. Thank you.

They just replaced mine a few weeks ago and had a heck of a time using a shop vac to suck the string back through the conduit, but an electricians fishing tape helped a lot.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

There are cable grips that you can use to help get better leverage on a hard to pull wire but if it’s that stuck then it might be coiled around a ground wire or a bond wire in the conduit. You really won’t know until you get into it. Having fish tape handy helps save a trip to the hardware store. Attempting to do the pull without lowering the water level and using wire lube is going to be a gamble but I hope it works out for you.

 

[Woody007]

I don't know anything, so take this for what it's worth, but can't the same wire be used for the 12v setup that already exist for the 120v lights?
I get that there may be something else on that circuit, but if just the lights can't the transformer be put on the pad and use existing wire?

 

[ajw22]

Pool light wires are not removable from the light fixture.

You can splice old and new low voltage wires together but I really do not like electrical splices underwater.

PoolTone⢠Underwater LED Pool Lighting Splice Kit

Swimming pool Spa electric cord repair splice kit so you can swap out a new light into niche without having to pull a new cord through the conduit. 2 waterproof layers with an optional 3 layer of waterproofing. Makes installation much faster and easier then having to pull and entire new cord...

www.florida-sunseeker.com

 

[1poolman1]

I don't know anything, so take this for what it's worth, but can't the same wire be used for the 12v setup that already exist for the 120v lights?
I get that there may be something else on that circuit, but if just the lights can't the transformer be put on the pad and use existing wire?

No.

 

[Bperry]

Pool light wires are not removable from the light fixture.

You can splice old and new low voltage wires together but I really do not like electrical splices underwater.

PoolTone⢠Underwater LED Pool Lighting Splice Kit

Swimming pool Spa electric cord repair splice kit so you can swap out a new light into niche without having to pull a new cord through the conduit. 2 waterproof layers with an optional 3 layer of waterproofing. Makes installation much faster and easier then having to pull and entire new cord...

www.florida-sunseeker.com

It’s also worth noting that electrical splices are not allowed by code to be in inaccessible areas like in the middle of a conduit underground. At least that’s true for residential construction. I’m not sure if they would have a different rules for swimming pools, but seems like they would be the same.

 

[1poolman1]

I want to replace my dying 120V Pentair LED pool light with a 12V IntelliBrite 5G light. Besides installing the 12V transformer, this will involve pulling the new wire for the 12V light through about 50' of underground conduit by using the wire cut from the 120V light. Has anyone done this? How hard is it to pull the new wire with the old wire? There is no way to lubricate the wire because it has to pass through the water.

I have nightmare visions of the wire getting stuck, the taped ends pulling apart, the wire breaking, etc. If anyone has any words of wisdom, I would love to hear them. Thank you.

Unless you want to save the old light for some reason, it is easy to cut the old fixture from the old cable, strip about 6" off each of the conductors of both the old and new cable, loop them together, and using electrician's tape tightly cover that loop and about 2 or 3 inches onto the insulation of both the old and new. Make sure the tape is not larger than the cable by much. Use the old cable to pull the new from the j-box. Once the cable starts moving it should be relatively easy as the water in the conduit will act as a lubricant