I have a Hayward astrolite fixture in which I replaced the bulb with a Colorsplash 3G bulb. It worked fine for several months and then began to malfunction. It turns out that the fixture was leaking and caused a short inside the bulb. I can't believe the GFCI never tripped, as it was about half full, but maybe it never made it all the way to the socket??
Anyway, my question is whether or not I re-installed the new gasket and lens properly. It is a horrible design that is extremely imprecise and only has one screw & nut through a metal band. It shifts around while trying to tighten it, and is very difficult to keep centered and know how much to tighten it. Luckily, the manufacturer of the bulb has a replacement program and has offered me a complete bulb and sealed fixture for a pretty ridiculously low price. Not so luckily, my current fixture cord is completely stuck and is going to be a nightmare to dig up and replace the conduit.
Soooooo, I'm wondering why the hayward was working fine until I messed with it? Maybe I'm just putting it together wrong and its still usable? As a test I put it back together and dropped it in the pool. No bubbles seen, but in a few weeks it had water in it again. I'll post a few pics I took of the assembled unit and maybe someone can point out that I've done it completely wrong. It seems to me that the metal band HAS to go around the cone-shaped fixture, the lens, and the chrome trim through which the screw attaches the whole thing into the niche. Maybe I'm wrong???.....
Anyway, my question is whether or not I re-installed the new gasket and lens properly. It is a horrible design that is extremely imprecise and only has one screw & nut through a metal band. It shifts around while trying to tighten it, and is very difficult to keep centered and know how much to tighten it. Luckily, the manufacturer of the bulb has a replacement program and has offered me a complete bulb and sealed fixture for a pretty ridiculously low price. Not so luckily, my current fixture cord is completely stuck and is going to be a nightmare to dig up and replace the conduit.
Soooooo, I'm wondering why the hayward was working fine until I messed with it? Maybe I'm just putting it together wrong and its still usable? As a test I put it back together and dropped it in the pool. No bubbles seen, but in a few weeks it had water in it again. I'll post a few pics I took of the assembled unit and maybe someone can point out that I've done it completely wrong. It seems to me that the metal band HAS to go around the cone-shaped fixture, the lens, and the chrome trim through which the screw attaches the whole thing into the niche. Maybe I'm wrong???.....