I think many or most of us here agree with
@ajw22 about the led reliability. Folks discuss “years of service” but I think specifying the “hours of use” is the real measure. I tend to feel graced if I get more than 10,000 hours from any LED, whether in my pool or in a variety of other home fixtures. That might mean 2-3 years for me, given 8-10+ hours of pool light use per day. So I tend to hunt for the least expensive solution to minimize the painful cost of replacement.
@willerd was kind to give us a link to this
Pureline one for $339 which seems a decent alternative for 12V RGB lighting with a long cord. More written in the thread he started at
12v AC Colorlogic pool light drop-in replacement resolution
Alternatively I know of one person who enjoys
this one for less than $75 on amazon. The big downside is a 5 foot cord that, if it doesn’t reach a nearby dry junction box, reviewers state they are splicing the cord, which appears to be a code violation and possibly dangerous – even with a very high quality sealed splice and only 12 volts. On the other hand any light – 12v or otherwise - can incur water seepage, and I’ve seen a dozen or more that did - so I’m not sure how dangerous it truly is at 12vac. Start a new thread debating that?? But, even when using a pool rated transformer I always strongly suggest folks implement a GFCI circuit breaker to feed the primary of the transformer. Also, this cheaper light has a lens that protrudes more than most but it’s not ugly. Lastly, as reviewers note this fixture requires modifying the bracket for most wet niches.
I know of another person with
this one from amazon for $200, he’s happy with it for the past year, but he does not use it much. Downside is a proprietary multiwire cord that must be pulled all the way back to a proprietary transformer, usually back at the equipment pad, and it probably is not a UL or CEC rated transformer for pool use. There are dozens of imports like this along amazonian way.
So I reiterate the suggestion to anyone with 12V pool lighting - regardless of style or type - to swap the circuit breaker with GFCI if same is not already present. It can save a life when errant decisions are made at various points of wiring and/or with various uncertified devices - and even in cases of “approved” NEC-compliant installations with deteriorating wiring in and near approved transformer enclosures.
Still more options: If you had a standard 10” resealable luminaire that accepts the common E26 base bulb (or acquire such a luminaire for $400-$800+ I guess - or a used one) then you have better options for spinning in an E26 base RGB or white bulb for $30 to $50. RGB ones as well, less bright, for $50-$75. One friend had good luck with a white one for $60 for 2-3 years and he used it a ton.
I know of another “handy” person who used a standard 10” re-sealable luminaire and mounted and wired 3 MR16 bulbs inside, at about $2 each. He went with white, very bright, 5 watts each. But I think I also saw an NEC code page stating that wiring inside the luminaire is not allowed, despite the fact that some old Sta-Rite fixtures did exactly that to wire multiple halogen bulbs – some at 12V, some even at 120v. I call that one the “build your own lightbulb” solution.
