Any recommendations for LED 120 or 12v pool and spa lights? Have to replace my existing 120v incandescent lights that are holding water inside.
Led 120 or 12v?
- Thread starter Fpppool
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I replaced all my incandescent lights with LED by purchasing J&J (Halco) bulbs and installing in my existing fixtures using new gaskets (that is important to avoid leaks). I switched everything to 12V by adding a transformer near my panel. There is a lot of interest on this site in Florida Sunseeker, but I wanted bulbs that could emulate the Jandy Watercolor lights in the Aqualink RS settings. The J&J ColorSplash XG series match the Jandy programming and are available for pool and spa fixtures, whereas the Sunseeker Pool Tone bulbs emulate Pentair and Hayward. If you have space in an existing weatherproof junction box, Florida Sunseeker recommends some very small transformers that you can put inside (e.g. the Emcod EOM50S12AC which you can buy from them or Amazon). I used these as I had an existing trough with lots of space. Otherwise, you can purchase a pool transformer (e.g. Intermatic) to handle this and mount it separately. That said, I've read opinions here that basically both 12 and 120V are equally safe if wired correctly. The safest, of course, is no lights at all.
Thanks! I'll check the J&J out. I have to put a new j-box anyway so I can accommodate the transformer. I have to buy the whole artifact, (bulb, housing with new cable, j-box, gfci, etc) and I like the idea of having lower voltage.
Either one works. I simply replaced mine with the 120 V system since there is not a need to change. It is perfectly safe. They have only been around for like 70 years.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Your light looks like a Pentair Amerlite based on the rim design..
www.pentair.com
Amerlite® Underwater Incandescent Lights - TradeGrade
Add lighting to your pool with Amerlite, the world standard of reliability for underwater pool lights. Shop the Amerlite collection from Pentair here.
Hm... Wondering now if I should buy the Pentair Amerilite Incandescent and just replace the bulb for an LED. Anything I should take into consideration before replacing an incandescent bulb with LED using the incandescent housing?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
How much do you run the pool lights? Do the pool lights really consume enough power to even pay for the LED bulbs?
Incadescent or halogen bulbs last much longer then the LEDs.
Only real benefit to pool LED lights is the color changing if you are into that.
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If you only want white light just go with the incandescent/halogen. You have a pool, so you should not be too concerned about the difference between a incandescent watts and LED watts.
I haven't run the pool lights much in the 2 years I've been on this house since the lights started failing pretty much immediately. My intention at some point was to leave the lights on all night everyday so ~ 8 hours per day. But I am growing convinced that it might be crazy. Color changing is a nice to have but not a hard requirement.
The comment about LEDs lasting less than incandescent worries me. If we are talking about a life expectancy of less than 2 years for the LEDs it would be a deal breaker for me.
The comment about LEDs lasting less than incandescent worries me. If we are talking about a life expectancy of less than 2 years for the LEDs it would be a deal breaker for me.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
8 hours/day for 2 years is over 6,000 hours of operation. I doubt you will get that out of an LED pool light.
Heat kills LED pool lights since they are in a niche without any cooling around the electronics.
Heat kills LED pool lights since they are in a niche without any cooling around the electronics.
Thanks all for the answers. Related/unrelated question: do you guys use separate GFCI for pool light and spa light when they are on the same circuit? I am planning on having separate GFCIs so I immediately know which light is faulty in case they break again.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
That really complicates the electrical wiring through a common J box with one circuit. Where will the GFCI be placed in the circuit for each light?
Next to the current GFCI. Pigtail the hot and connect one tail to each GFCI line side, pigtail the neutral and connect one tail to each GFCI line side. So, two GFCI connected in parallel basically, if I am making any sense...
Another thing I need to double check is whether my pumps and blower are GFCI protected. I don't think they are. The breaker is a 2-pole non gfci, and I dont see any other gfci around the pool equipment... Am I wrong or that is something I should correct asap?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,452
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Blower does not require a GFCI.
Pumps should have GFCI based on current NEC. Many older pools are grandfathered in from older NEC before GFCI requirement.
Pumps should have GFCI based on current NEC. Many older pools are grandfathered in from older NEC before GFCI requirement.
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