Jandy LEDs color not matching

[kicksavedave]

So I did search this forum first and I found this thread which seems close but not identical to mine, so I'll ask here.

Newly remodeled pool, where I added one new light niche and installed two large Jandy Watercolor RGBW LEDs and one smaller spa sized Jandy Watercolor RGBW LED. Immediately upon first use, I noticed that the blue's didn't match each other. The timing was fine, but like in the thread I linked above, the two lights (1 large 1 small) that are in the existing niches match, but the light in the new niche doesn't match those two. The blue colors are just different, the two being being dark blue and the new niche light being more purple, or the two being light blue and the one new niche being more violet maybe... I took pictures with my cell phone but they don't show the color differences at all.

Red, green, yellow and white all seem identical on all three lights, its only the blue variants that are off.

Now the variable is the new niche light doesn't match the two existing niche lights alignment. So I look more closely and the new light is installed perfectly vertical, with the screw at 12 o clock like this image.


The two existing Niches are installed with the screw at about 10 o clock, so those horizontal lines in the lens are diagonal pointing to about 1 and 7 o clock.

Upon learning these use a "light engine" and given they are all brand new identical lights, is it possible that this different orientation is causing my blue's to be different from each other? If so, it would seem the two existing ones, diagonal as they are, are the problem and not showing their blue's properly, although it may be easier to adjust the one newer niche to also be diagonal so they all match? I could use these clips to rotate the light so it matches, no?

Before I stand in the pool at night removing a light and trying to put it back in 45 degrees counter clockwise, I'd like to get some, any, wee bit, of confirmation that this may in fact be my problem. If instead it seems that its just a bad engine, I can try to track down the invisible PB and see if he can get me a replacement, but that seems like a bigger hassle than just rotating one or two lights.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[ajw22]

Are the old and new light niches at the same depth in the pool?

 

[kicksavedave]

Are the old and new light niches at the same depth in the pool?

The old niche pool light is ~24" deep in the deep end. The New Niche Pool light is ~20" deep closer to the steps in the shallow end. Then the existing Spa light is in the top wall in the spa, so maybe 12" deep in the square spa. The two existing ones match colors perfectly despite being in dramatically different positions from each other.

 

[Pool Clown]

It could very well be an "age" thing. The new light is fresher and has a richer color than the two existing lights...

OR

There was a change made in manufacturing. Call it an upgrade, improvement, or enhancement. And the new engine provides that more richer color than the older version.

I would call Jandy and explain the issue you are having. They MAY be willing to do something for you. This will probably be in lieu of an admission that a change was made though.

Someone here may chime in with some more information on this. Proof of a difference in color through a manufacturing change.

The lens not perfectly straight up and down probably won't affect the color as the pattern on the lens dictates light refraction rather than color balance. You could in theory straighten up the lens, or make the other one look the same by loosening the clamp and rotating the lens on the fixture surface.

Note: Any time you "unseal" the lens from the fixture, you are supposed to replace the gasket. If this is a brand new unit, you may be able to get away with using the same gasket again. I may take this chance if the fixture were an incandescent light (bulb type). If it leaked, i would be out a bulb (maybe), and gasket. Around $30 depending on bulb quality, etc. If your LED fixture leaked, You would be in for a $950.00 engine replacement, if the water got to the engine, that is. Lets say for arguments sake you could get the engine (internet) for half that. That is still a costly leak!

 

[kicksavedave]

One thing to clarify, these are all brand new identical lights. It was the two niches that were existing, and we added one new niche. But all three lights were installed fresh a few months back.


I was thinking I could rotate the entire light fixture and remount it in the niche, not open it up and try to rotate the lens only - I would not open the lens or fixture unless it was dead and I wasn't risking much. I was/am suspecting that maybe the orientation of the light engine was causing some color differences on the blues (not any other colors), more so than the orientation of the actual lens. ITs hard to see what it looks like but it does appear to be a rectanlge shaped bar of lights and the blues all seem to be close to each other inside, but again its blurry underwater behind a lens. Anyone know what the light engine looks like?

One thing I know, the location/depth isn't causing this. I put on goggles and looked right into the lenses on all three and the difference I'm seeing from out of the water is the same inside the water looking right at them. What I didn't do was tilt my head like a dog and notice how they looked at identical angles. I'll do that tonight. Pending that amateur test, I'll call Jandy.

- - - Updated - - -

Actually the light engine looks like this, which isn't that helpful.

 

[ajw22]

I would think you can remove the screw and rotate the entire light to orient it with the other light and see if the color changes. That is an easy non invasive test that does not open up the gasket.

It is interesting that blue is the color that water refracts the least which is why water looks blue. That's why I asked about the placement of the niches.

Blue LEDs are the most difficult to manufacture. Inventing blue LEDs won the inventors the Nobel Prize https://www.popsci.com/article/technology/why-blue-led-worth-nobel-prize I do wonder if Jandy changed their blue LED supplier or it may just be a normal manufacturing variation. Most people with one light would not notice.

It could also be a color refraction interaction between the blue light, the fresnel lense and the water.

 

[Pool Clown]

The WaterColors light fixture will only mount into the niche one way. IOW, the light ring, and the niche, align in only one position. To rotate the lens you must remove the clamp assembly, and rotate it independently from the light ring and housing. This will more than likely require complete disassembly as the gasket fits snugly into the housing, and probably wont just rotate when simply loosened. You will see what i mean if you choose to disassemble it. To just rotate the whole assembly in the niche would not work as the set screw (top) and the notch (bottom) would not align with their mounting counterparts in the niche.

If all of these fixtures were purchased at the same time, i would definitely (assuming you are still under the warranty period) get Jandy to make them all the same. I don't believe that this is a problem that rotating one lens will correct.

FYI, Jandy may want to send a warranty station to look at this at night to see the differences.

 

[kicksavedave]

Thanks AJ and Pool Clown. I thought I might be able to use this clip to rotate the entire light fixture in the niche, but it sounds like that wont work due to the location of the notch on the bottom.


Amazon.com : Pt Light Wedge 132 : Swimming Pool Pump Parts : Garden Outdoor


I'll call Jandy. They are HQ'd about 25 minutes from me, so maybe I'll just stop in to their offices and demand satisfaction

 

[Pool Clown]

Thanks AJ and Pool Clown. I thought I might be able to use this clip to rotate the entire light fixture in the niche, but it sounds like that wont work due to the location of the notch on the bottom.


Amazon.com : Pt Light Wedge 132 : Swimming Pool Pump Parts : Garden Outdoor
View attachment 84050

I'll call Jandy. They are HQ'd about 25 minutes from me, so maybe I'll just stop in to their offices and demand satisfaction

You are correct!

 

[ajw22]

I'll call Jandy. They are HQ'd about 25 minutes from me, so maybe I'll just stop in to their offices and demand satisfaction

You might want to invite some executive over some evening for a beer and to see the issue with their lights. Some execs like to visit customers and see their products in action.

 

[kicksavedave]

So I called Jandy and they said it could be a bad light and would be covered under warranty, if a service company comes out and agrees that the colors are off. My PB could come check it out, but he's flaky, so they gave me another name near me that would probably charge me $100 for the service call but the replacement light (or lights) would be under warranty.

Just for giggles I got in the pool and unscrewed the light from the new niche and held it by hand at the same orientation as the other two lights. My wife looked at it and said "it looks great" then went inside to finish getting drunk, so she was not very helpful, nor was my 3 year old son. Bottom line I think by changing the orientation, the blue colors did not really change to match so that sorta rules out that as a cause for me.

I may pursue a warranty claim with Jandy if I can get my PB to check it out for free, but it may not be worth the hassle. Thanks anyway for all the advice in here.

 

[geneargyle]

Did you ever figure out anything with this?

I just got my new pool build filled with water on Thanksgiving and I am having a similar issue. I have 3 Jandy main pool lights, a Jandy bubbler or fountain light and a Jandy tanning ledge light. The "Cobalt Blues" in the ledge and bubbler light do not match my main pool lights. It is only with the color "Cobalt Blue" that I notice as well.

My wife seems to think it is because the water isn't as deep or naturally blue in the tanning ledge as it is in the rest of the pool. I'm not convinced... although my pool water is very blue and I'm having a problem with the "Cobalt Blue" color.

I did have an interesting experiment. I went into the programming of the lights and in the programming there is an option to select Jandy Colors instead of the Jandy Watercolor LED. When I changed the tanning ledge and bubbler light in Jandy Colors and I selected the "Cobalt Blue" they did seem to match the rest of the pool. However, in Jandy Color mode the options for colors and light shows are not the same.

So, for example, if you wanted to use the "USA" light show for the main pool lights you couldn't do it with the tanning ledge and bubbler lights because there is no "USA" mode in Jandy Color mode if you get what I'm saying.

So I believe whatever causes the changes in the color of the lights, resistance, watts, or whatever, that whatever they have the "Cobalt Blue" setting for on the smaller lights isn't the same as the larger lights in the Jandy Watercolor LED programming.