Jandy laminar jets lights

[Drsingh07]

Just got these installed and as you can see they are not lighting up all the way.
they are connected to a transformer which has sheer descent leds connected as well.
Just wanted to get an opinion before they come out to check it out

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Do you have the lights connected to the right voltage tap on the transformer and the correct voltage at the light?

 

[rstrouse]

If those are the same as the Pentair laminars there is a little pin just before the water exits the canister. This when screwed out just a little will add a little bit of air into the stream that will carry the light.

 

[Drsingh07]

Welcome to TFP.

Do you have the lights connected to the right voltage tap on the transformer and the correct voltage at the light?

Yes I believe so , they connected it to a 300 W transformer

 

[JamesW]

This when screwed out just a little will add a little bit of air into the stream that will carry the light.

The stream is not supposed to have any air. It works like a fiber optic glass wire.

Unfortunately, these things almost never work.

They might work for a while but most stop working at some point.

I would estimate that maybe 10% of any type of fiber optic light actually works.

 

[rstrouse]

The light engine in these are not fiber optic. They have a local LED that is in the laminar flow canister. I have had to replace one at $700 because the LED burned out and the whole thing is sealed so you can't actually repair them without cutting the plastic open. The problem isn't that the light isn't generating enough the problem is that the laminar flow is not disturbed enough to show the light. Take your finger and stick it into the flow where you don't see the light and it will magically appear.

 

[JamesW]

Ok. In any case, they are a waste of money, in my opinion. They rarely work for very long. They are not fixable and the cost to replace them is ridiculous.

 

[rstrouse]

Ummm yeah but isn't this all about that big money hole in the backyard.

I have had one of them working since the build in 2009 but the other needed replacing about 5 years in. To be fair the LED 5g lights start going stupid as well and they are ~$600 to replace. I have 5 of them and their light is no longer consistent across them all. When they annoy me enough they will get replaced by the DMX controller that is used for the rest of the backyard lights. The failure for LED is often gradual, losing some portion of the light spectrum. One day our successors will no longer say that the light burned out. The will probably say something like the light went dull or simply stupid.

 

[Drsingh07]

The light engine in these are not fiber optic. They have a local LED that is in the laminar flow canister. I have had to replace one at $700 because the LED burned out and the whole thing is sealed so you can't actually repair them without cutting the plastic open. The problem isn't that the light isn't generating enough the problem is that the laminar flow is not disturbed enough to show the light. Take your finger and stick it into the flow where you don't see the light and it will magically appear.

You’re right about the light on the finger, but even loosening the stream screw to where it disturbs it the max it still barely reaches half way. False advertising i m starting to think where the light touches splash zone

 

[juantcr]

hi did you fixed ? i have the same issue

 

[rstrouse]

If you use one of the Intermatic or Pentair power supplies. You may need to use the 13v or 14v tap (check the manual for your transformer model). If you have a long run from the transformer this can cause enough voltage drop to make them dim. On the Pentair transformer. Simply move the wire to one of the higher voltage taps on the transformer.
Brown = 12v
Yellow = 13v
Blue = 14v
However, if it is bright at the start of the stream and dim at the end the issue is that the laminar flow is not being broken up enough.

 

[juantcr]

thanks i did to the yellow that is 13v and not make any diference, do you think i should put it in 14v?

 

[rstrouse]

Is the light bright at the base of the flow? Bear in mind that you don’t want to drive the leds too hard.

 

[JamesW]

However, if it is bright at the start of the stream and dim at the end the issue is that the laminar flow is not being broken up enough.

Can you explain this?

Why would you want to break up the laminar flow?

 

[rstrouse]

Light will not show in a laminar flow that has no turbulence. It will be clear. There is a screw that pushes a hollow needle into the stream that adds a small amount of turbulence and air to the stream for this very purpose.

 

[Norman Tyree.]

The stream is not supposed to have any air. It works like a fiber optic glass wire.

Unfortunately, these things almost never work.

They might work for a while but most stop working at some point.

I would estimate that maybe 10% of any type of fiber optic light actually works.

 

[Norman Tyree.]

Over 500000 Fiber Optic Lights sold in the 70s failed
Yes they are bound to Fail.
Get a decent Led Pool Light

 

[Peiloy]

I do not have the Jandy laminars, but instead have the Hayward. I had the same issue when I first installed them. I disassembled my own and found that there were about five mesh screens in them close to the top of the unit that are supposed to sit on tabs at different heights through the body of the laminar. They were all bunched up to the top. I set them back to where they should be and it fixed the light output issue. I think what happened is that on initial startup these units need to be slowly filled. If they are filled two quickly the mesh gets moved as the air is being evacuated. So after setting the mesh I throttled the valve to slowly allow them to fill before fully opening the valve up. Once full I haven’t had to adjust the valve and I have never had the problem since. I’m not sure if this is your issue as it is another brand, but I just wanted to let you know what happened with mine in case there is some overlap in design.