Cannot Find Junction Box

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treyklub

treyklub

0
Jun 26, 2017
5
Memphis
I moved into my home in Memphis, TN in February 2017, and it was built in 1986. My guess is that the pool has been here since that time, but I am not sure. It is at least 20 yrs old for sure. The home has a kidney shaped pool that is roughly 25-28k gallons.

I have struggled with water getting into the light fixture since we moved in. There was a ton of water in the fixture initially, so I took off the cover and drained it. I scraped some corrosion and the 12V light actually worked, so I replaced the gasket and cover. I couldn't make out the specific brand, so I measured the size and found parts that looked similar to what was there before. I bought an expensive LED color changing bulb and replaced everything, only to have it flood again 2 weeks later. I assumed that I didnt tighten the cover enough, so I tried tightening more but that didnt work. I also tried to silicone the edges and cord, but that didn't work either.

I have concluded that it would be best to buy a new fixture, but I have run into a major challenge. I cannot find the junction box anywhere. There is definitely a stepdown transformer located with the pool equipment, so I don't think the cord is going directly from the pool light to the transformer, but I could be wrong.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to stop water intrusion in the existing light fixture or how to locate a lost jbox? I am at a loss on how to handle.
 
Well you’ve done all that can be to stem the tide if water intrusion simply by replacing the gasket. If it didn’t work, just swap out fixture and pull new wire to the jbox, which should look like this:
Junction box or
J Box image 2
By code it must be jutting up from terra firma by about 2 feet with the jbox on top. It could be a good distance from the lights themselves and if it’s 12v, well then the transformer location could be a big hint to where it is.
Many have tried (myself very much included) to seal up the cord or epoxy backing, but honestly if the fixture is 10-15 years old it’s not worth salvaging or wasting light bulbs (LED oooh $$) and endless GFI trips on.
Many times I’ve found the jbox hidden in foliage or thick brush/bushes or behind a gate. Some junctions are maybe 30 feet away, while others are 100 feet.
 
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I just want to clarify that you are saying the light itself is leaking into the bulb part and not the recess/niche in the pool wall, right? A new light would have been covered by the warranty I would think.
 
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PoolGate said:
I just want to clarify that you are saying the light itself is leaking into the bulb part and not the recess/niche in the pool wall, right? A new light would have been covered by the warranty I would think.
Click to expand...

That is correct, the light fixture fills with water after a week or so. The light is over 10 yrs old (I assume based on looks) so its prob just time to start over. Finding the jbox is my problem on that front.
 
JamesW said:
If you have a diving board, look under there.

Do you have bushes around the pool?

Do you have pictures of everything?
Click to expand...

Here is a pic of the layout. There are bushes and trees behind it, with this vine-like coverage on the ground, so its quite possible that it is hidden back there. I feel like I have looked everywhere though, so I am thinking that it may be buried underground.
 

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KDpoolguy said:
Well you’ve done all that can be to stem the tide if water intrusion simply by replacing the gasket. If it didn’t work, just swap out fixture and pull new wire to the jbox, which should look like this:
Junction box or
J Box image 2
By code it must be jutting up from terra firma by about 2 feet with the jbox on top. It could be a good distance from the lights themselves and if it’s 12v, well then the transformer location could be a big hint to where it is.
Many have tried (myself very much included) to seal up the cord or epoxy backing, but honestly if the fixture is 10-15 years old it’s not worth salvaging or wasting light bulbs (LED oooh $$) and endless GFI trips on.
Many times I’ve found the jbox hidden in foliage or thick brush/bushes or behind a gate. Some junctions are maybe 30 feet away, while others are 100 feet.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that feedback. I found an outlet for landscape lights in the flowerbed, but no jbox yet. Thanks for the images though, because I at least sorta know what I am looking for now.
 
My low voltage wiring was pulled in the same conduit as my GFI outlet by the pool, and went to the light from there.
Not code here, so I have disbanded my lighting
 
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Our previous pool's jbox came up out of the ground and apparently a shrub was planted (by previous owner) in front of it to hide it. Over the years the shrub grew around it and kind of consumed it. We didnt find it until the area was demoed for the new pool. It was well hidden inside the shrub.
 
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