Water in light. Harmless?

[jkalan]

I have a two year old gunite pool with a Riversand (Riverbend-Sandler's version of PebbleSand) finish. One of my lights has a little water in it, but it appears not to be filling up any more. A friend of mine speculates that there is a small leak towards the bottom of the ring and that the pressure has now equalized, preventing any more water from leaking in. The water level doesn't seem to change over time. Should I leave it or replace the gasket?

Also, the rings are chrome/brass and the chrome is almost all gone already. Is this normal? Could it have been due to a bad startup, i.e. chlorine but no CYA? Should I worry about it?

Forgive the blurry picture, but I just stuck a camera in a ziploc bag and went for a swim.

 

[all your parts]

remember water and electric do not play well
i would fix thas ASAP

 

[TresW]

That looks like a Pentair and I was reading on another forum that they've had some gasket problems. It may be the lens gasket or the seal around the wire out the back of the housing. Try replacing the lens gasket first, if that doesn't fix it you may have to replace the whole unit. Check with your PB and see if it's under warranty. You should cut power to the breaker until it's resolved.

 

[bluenoise]

After I replaced the bulb in my light, that happened to me, too. I pulled the light back up and found I had pinched the gasket a little when I reassembled it. The gasket wasn't perfectly straight when I tightened the screws and it kinked. I took the old gasket to the pool store and they sold me a new one. I was more careful this time and now all is good and dry.

I would not operate that light until you're certain it is completely dry inside.

 

[waste]

If it's the lens gasket and you replace it - make sure to allow the inside of the fixture to fully dry before replacing the bulb and resealing the unit!!!

 

[jkalan]

Light replaced under warrany by PB

As it turns out, the light (Pentair) is under warranty and the pool builder (Riverbend-Sandler) replaced it free of charge on Friday.

 

[TresW]

You're welcome!

 

[ntxpool]

I have exactly the same problem.....Riverbend pool, same fixture (even looks like the same color Riversand!). I replaced the light last year with a LED one, but noticed it had the same amount of water as you this spring. I just pulled it out last weekend and my LED bulb is toast...water got it. However, I can't figure out where it leaked. When I replaced the bulb last year, I used a new gasket and was very careful to follow the directions. I used some silicone grease on the gasket...was that a mistake? Any additional tips on sealing it? I don't want to trash another $200 bulb.

BTW, I think the seal design on this light sucks.....there has to be a better way, but that doesn't help me right now. I had to vent....

 

[ntxpool]

Additional question: has anyone ever applied a small bead of silicone between the glass and niche fixture, before installing the gasket? I know this would make it tricky to pull apart later, but not really that hard....nothing that a razorblade can't fix. This would ensure no leaks from a faulty/failing gasket.