Adding a light to a pebbletec pool.

[billm]

Hello All,

So I purchased a house with a Fiberstars fiberoptic system. It has 1 main light going to the pool and 2 small lights that are up in the water fountain.

It's a pretty cool concept but the light output is pretty horrid. I'm thinking down the line I'd really like to add some lights, and maybe swap in some LEDs instead.

I see FiberStars makes a PAL TREO light that would fit into the current FiberStar optic niche, however, I'd really like to see 1 or 2 more niches added.

I know I've seen some threads where the prevailing wisdom is that it'd be a huge hassle to add niches in a gunnite pool. It seems like a core drill just going into the side and out into the yard where I could dig down would be easyish. Any thoughts on doing that?

I realize the rock might get a big jaggy where the core is drilled, but it seems like the niche ring would cover that up.

Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

Bill

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you truly core drill the wall there shouldn't be any spalling of the concrete. However it's very expensive to core drill a hole that big.

 

[billm]

When you say to big do you mean diameter or length? Right now my niche for my fiber optic is only about 3" in diameter. I was just wanting to add another hole about that size. It would be about 3 feet to get past the decking and into the yard.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[Bama Rambler]

I was thinking 9" hole but a 3" core drill is pretty common and once you're through the wall you can use an earth auger to finish the dirt hole. You'll need to case the hole through the dirt but that's easy with a piece of PVC pipe.

 

[Pool Man Paul]

Bill,

If you're going all the way and wanting to install additional niches in the pool wall, you should look at this new light we installed last month. it's called a Dekko light by a company called Splash Lights in Florida. They have a video on You tube showing how to retro fit one in to a gunite pool using an existing niche. You would have to core drill a 2-3" hole to get the guide hose through and recess around this hole to fit the light in. It does not use a niche and is accessed from the deck or even a landscaping bed.
Changing a bulb takes less than 2 minutes and I know they have a colored LED coming out soon that will take less than 1 minute to upgrade to from their xenon lights.
check them out, it's a neat product.