I am in the process of filling my pool back up and decided to take the pool light out of the niche to see why it is tripping the GFCI breaker. It was very obvious why it was tripping once I pulled the can out of the wall. It was half full of water. I took it all apart and plan to replace the bulb and gasket. Do I need to look at replacing anything else? Everything seems to look almost new. It is made by American Products / Model No. R-500 BC. I am having a hard time knowing for sure what gasket to purchase. The bulb is a 500w Helco but have seen some specify R40, not sure what that means. I put the lens back on and held it under water for several minutes and never seen any bubbles come out but I figure since I have it apart I should go ahead and replace the gasket.
Pool Light Help.
- Thread starter joshua5438
- Start date
Jaimslaw
LifeTime Supporter
This YouTube video has some helpful pointers (though you may already have this gasket replacement exercise well in hand).
A couple of pointers:
Try to purchase a true OEM gasket for that model. Some ppl on here have had issues in buying ill fitting gaskets that claim to be the correct gasket. But yes, you should buy a new gasket.
The bubble test for leaks is not adviseable as a real small leak can develop without bubbles. After assembly, place the housing in a home depot bucket full of water, weight it down, and let it sit there for a few days. Then check for water. I found a leak in mine after about 3 days even tho it passed the bubble test. You can also invert it so that wire port is in the bucket and the gasket is above water should you also wish to make sure water isn't entering there.
Make sure the flange on which sits the gasket is not distorted or has any quirks to that surface as this will invite leakage.
As for the light itself, check out the BULBWIZARD. Its a competively priced led replacement light. Like a lot of LEDs, it will not give off as much light as a standard replacement bulb. But it can add some real visual snap (multiple colors, etc).
I bought my gasket HERE but paid twice as much as they sell on ebay...I thought the extra $ was worth it to be sure I got a true fitting OEM gasket.
A couple of pointers:
Try to purchase a true OEM gasket for that model. Some ppl on here have had issues in buying ill fitting gaskets that claim to be the correct gasket. But yes, you should buy a new gasket.
The bubble test for leaks is not adviseable as a real small leak can develop without bubbles. After assembly, place the housing in a home depot bucket full of water, weight it down, and let it sit there for a few days. Then check for water. I found a leak in mine after about 3 days even tho it passed the bubble test. You can also invert it so that wire port is in the bucket and the gasket is above water should you also wish to make sure water isn't entering there.
Make sure the flange on which sits the gasket is not distorted or has any quirks to that surface as this will invite leakage.
As for the light itself, check out the BULBWIZARD. Its a competively priced led replacement light. Like a lot of LEDs, it will not give off as much light as a standard replacement bulb. But it can add some real visual snap (multiple colors, etc).
I bought my gasket HERE but paid twice as much as they sell on ebay...I thought the extra $ was worth it to be sure I got a true fitting OEM gasket.
Thanks for the info. I will make sure to get an OEM gasket. That is a really cool light but a little pricey for me right now.
