Recommended LED light to replace vacuum line?

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ChadJ

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2016
79
Delray Beach, FL
I’d like to add some light to my pool and figured out that I have a vacuum line to the pool that I no longer use and never will. (Have robot). It’s in a near perfect location to add some light to the pool and the plumbing is already disconnected from the suction line. I’ve seen nicheless lights that can thread right into the existing fitting. With my pool’s layout, running the light’s wire through the PVC will be simple. My question is whether the TFP community has a recommendation on which nicheless LED light manufacturer seems to have figured out longevity. I had 2 nicheless lights in a pool at a house I owned in FL about 6 years ago and would go through a new set every year because the blue LEDs would fail. They were under warranty, but it was annoying. Fast forward, my immediate neighbor builds a pool a couple years ago and within a year, most of his nicheless LED lights fail the same way. Blue dies. Different brand. As I am about to add one to the pool at my current home, I am hoping to find an option that will last more than a year or two without having to be pulled out and replaced. I appreciate any suggestions the community can offer!

Chad
 
Running electrical wiring thru fittings meant for liquids (standard PVC 90° elbows for example) probably isn't going to work.
Additionally, where are you planning to locate the pool light junction box?

And then there is the question of meeting the required electrical codes, proper installation, bonding, etc, etc, etc.

LED pool light longevity is still an issue. And replacements are expensive.
 
I do not see a problem with electrical codes. There is no difference between an electrical conduit and the vacuum line: both are just PVC pipes. So, technically, the existing PVC pipe can be repurposed as a conduit by modifying it where it exits near the equipment pad. Nether is bonding required for low voltage LED lights such as microbrite.

The only issue will be, as correctly stated, the 90 degree joints that may make fishing the cable hard if not impossible.
 
Assuming this old suction line is 1.5" or 2" pvc the wire pull will be difficult but likely not impossible. You probably wont be able to run a fish tape thru with the expectation of hitting plumbing 90"s. First thing I would do is attempt to adapt a shop voc hose to the 1.5" mip port at the pool and suck a pull rope/mule tape thru from the pad to prevent the need to drain below the port.
If you are successful there, you'll likely be able to pull the wire (though it will still suck) and you'll know the length of wire light you need. At the pad you'll want to adapt the pipe to 1" so that you can install a proper juntion box.
For lights, all the led nichless seem to be disposable and spendy but It seems many have had some level of success with the florida sun seeker nichless. I have pentair microbrites and 2 of 5 have had to be replaced since the pool was finished june 2022.
 
Ahultin said:
First thing I would do is attempt to adapt a shop voc hose to the 1.5" mip port at the pool and suck a pull rope/mule tape thru from the pad to prevent the need to drain below the port.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's what I had to do with a conduit for landscape lights -- use a shop vac to pull a string in. Not sure how well it will work with water though, never tried it. So, the pool may need to be drained for the shop vac to pull air rather than water.
 
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