Need some lighting advice!

Replace the halogen bulb. I think LED lights are expensive and overrated.

I was similarly torn when replacing my lights. My pool had color change LEDs that were stuck on a light green color. Not the most appealing color for a pool. I don’t know the exact age of the lights but they were 8+ years old.

I have a Hayward OmniLogic controller so I really wanted to get Hayward’s compatible LED lights to take advantage of all the features however I read far too many bad reviews to feel comfortable spending that kind of money on lights that might only last a couple years. I read similarly poor reviews for Pentair’s lights as well. For whatever reason these companies struggle to make a quality LED light.

In the end I went with Florida Sunseeker LEDs. I replaced all three lights for less than the price of a single light from Hayward or Pentair. They change colors by cycling the power on and off and have memory so once you find one you like it will always return to that color until you choose something different. They also have a few modes that slowly change shades of a color for a bit more interest and the full party mode which the kids enjoy.

Our lights have Edison screw bases so replacing them was easy. I didn’t need to pull wires back to the equipment pad. New housing seals were included with the lights. I submerged the trim rings and the mating face of the housings in diluted muriatic acid to clean them up and used Jacks Formula 327 lubricant on the seals to prevent any leaks.

Biggest challenging with lights is the unknowns you run into.

Was enough cord left in the light that you an remove the retaining screw and bring the light onto the deck to work on it?

Then you need to get a waterproof seal with the gasket when you reassemble the light fixture after replacing the bulb.

Then folks sometimes find it difficult to replace the retaining screw. Make sure you use the special bronze or stainless steel screw that came with the light. Don't lose the screw or strip it and try and replace it with a standard screw.

That reminds me, the retaining screw on two of my three lights snapped while removing them. Fortunately there was enough thread left on the backside to run them out through the back of the hole. I’d suggest buying new screws ahead of time for good measure. I found them on Amazon with Prime delivery.

RSKelme said:

That reminds me, the retaining screw on two of my three lights snapped while removing them. Fortunately there was enough thread left on the backside to run them out through the back of the hole. I’d suggest buying new screws ahead of time for good measure. I found them on Amazon with Prime delivery.

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My projects rarely go as easy as shown on the YouTube videos.

ajw22 said:

My projects rarely go as easy as shown on the YouTube videos.

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No kidding, I do my homework ahead of time to avoid issues but things often go sideways.

Contemplating this liner, do you have pics to share?

soonapool said:

Hi folks,

Looking for some advice on lighting. Just replaced the liner with Merlin Island Onyx- looks spectacular. Now onto lighting... one of our bulbs is bad, so we can either direct replace with the same halogen, or upgrade to the Pentair Intellibright 5G color.

I love the idea of a party mode for night swims, but two things are giving me pause-

1. The liner is pretty dark- will we get the full lighting effect?

2. I'm reading lots of horror stories with the Intellibright 5g. Not reliable, overpriced for what you get.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

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