How can I spruce up my pool light

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tedinelkgrove

tedinelkgrove

0
Jul 2, 2009
98
Elk Grove, CA
I never use my pool light because it is a regular energy eating, boring white flood type. I would love to install an LED light show that I see others have on TFP, but with minimum cost/effort. I have an aqualink that I turn the light on with now, among other things. What would it take to make the conversion to an LED show?
 
There are special replacement bulbs available for most common pool light fixtures that contain color LEDs and support some kind of color changing mode. Some of them have RF remotes and others work by turning the power on and off quickly N times to switch modes. You need to know what kind of bulb your fixture takes and what the voltage is and then do a search on eBay and see what you can find.
 
Melt In The Sun said:
No need to drain, you can unscrew the light from the niche and lift it out. There should be enough wire in the niche for you to set it on the ground outside the pool.
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NO need to worry about water getting inside of where the light is? The only reason I ask is there pole inside my house where the light switch is on for the pool, the inspector said the gfci did not trip when he tested it. He said with that being said if water gets inside the light housing it could shock whoever is in the pool.
 
We have LED lights with the multi-color show option. We have a pebble-tec finish that is a brownish color. I wish we had the "regular energy eating, boring white flood type". The finish does not reflect the light well, so the pool has a filtered light look and the colors seem very weak. I am sure the flood style would provide more light in my particular situation. We rarely use the lights but when we do it just isn't bright like our previous pool.
 
tedinelkgrove said:
I finally removed the light fixture. One of the stamps on the side says Pentair 120v 500w. So all I need to do is buy an LED screw type bulb? I don't need to repalce the fixture itself?
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How old is the light? It is usually best to replace the rubber gasket to assure no leaking, especially when you spend as much as an LED cost. I have an old Amerlite 8" fixture.

No one, yet, has heard of this, but when I tried to put my new rubber gasket on, last year when I replaced the 500 watt monster with an LED color changing, the new gasket was thicker than the old gasket. I did get the right part number but in order to use the new gasket longer stainless steel screws are needed for the clips that compress it together. I haven't gotten them yet but I did do a good restoration treatment on the old gasket and cleaned up the areas it touches very well (along with all the rest of the housing). I, also, let the gasket sit out a couple of weeks, uncompressed, out of direct sunlight, in hopes that it would "plump" up a bit. It has been holding well since last summer.

BTW.... I ordered the correct gasket, as per online parts lists, advised to get the same one by our experts, and even took the gasket to several different pool stores. ALL of the new ones are considerably thicker than the old one. When I tried to use the new one, even clamping the fixture around the edges in several places, with a lot of force, I still couldn't get the old screws to catch. :shock:

Just wanted to let you, and anyone else interested, know about that.

RE the pool surface color. My "Favorite Most Trusted" pool guy likes his white plaster for many reasons, one being that it takes better advantage of the color changing LED lights he has. Before I put in so much low voltage lighting around the pool and yard we used the pool light dusk to dawn for safety reasons. That 500 watt light ate up a tremendous amount of electricity. With my LED the light is adequate to give enough light for safety but doesn't light up the deck and overhanging trees and any structures close by as well. My plaster color is medium blue. I surely do like not being blinded by the 500 watt incandescent when I'm in or out of the pool.

gg=alice
 

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Wanted to add that, depending on the age of the current light, the rim that goes over the lens, if not stainless steel or "plastic" but chrome, can become pitted where it contacts the gasket. If yours is this way I would advise replacing the rim to assure a good seal or if not too bad smooth it with a dremmel. I was in a hurry to get mine in so I dremeled down the pitting ridges just a bit for better gasket contact and lubed the heck out of the gasket. It took a lot of elbow grease to get the whole light fixture cleaned up. Check for rubber that has stuck to the light bucket rim and front lens holder because heat from a 500 watt light can cause the rubber gasket to break down and deposit on those areas.

gg=alice
 
It is a relatively new fixture, being the pool was built summer of 2006. I will replace rubber gasket, as I noticed water inside the fixture when I took it out yesterday. I didn't undo the seal, just examined the outside. Not sure if water is suppose to be in there, but regardless the light does work. I thought water inside would trip the breaker.

My pool is white/off-white plaster, so I would imagine the LED colors will look great.
 
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