Bubbles from light fixture

[SilverJK]

I have been working in reassembling my Hayward astrolite and kept seeing bubbles after reassembly. After redoing the gasket mutiplr times, finally turned the light on and held it shining to the bottom of the pool. That's when I saw air bubbles streaming from the housing (not the gasket/seal or plug where the wires enter the housing). It's so tiny that I could never see the hole from the inside of the housing unless I knew it was there. I assume this isn't by design?

Since it's a small pinhole (small as a straight pin tip), is it possible to seal it with some epoxy, jbweld or even silicone? Again, I only noticed the bubbles when the light was on allowing the heat to escape the sealed fixture.

 

[duraleigh]

With a hole that small, you may have to actually make it a bit bigger to get a good bond. I would suggest epoxy.

You will have quite a bit of expansion/contraction, I think, so it may not be a permanent fix.

Any clue how it got there?

 

[SilverJK]

No clue, it looks like it was designed that way. There were no indications of wear on the inside. I've seen pitting around the rim, but that's all.

I was just going to smear epoxy on the inside and outside the fixture; I mean it's a tiny tiny hole. The light is about 8 years old, but thought they should last longer.

 

[JohnT]

Make sure you use an epoxy designed for being wet. Some won't hold up.

If it won't hold, drill a hole through the pinhole and put a sheet metal screw coated with sealer through the hole.

 

[SilverJK]

I picked up some marine epoxy today. I could not see any holes on the inside surface of the fixture at all. But I applied to the corresponding spot of the outside. I also touched up around the socket edge to make sure there was nothing I overlooked.

 

[Pool Clown]

As stated above, your patch must not be rigid due to the hot and cold. It needs to be flexible. I would use high temp silicone sealer (red or orange) from the inside as well as the outside.

 

[SilverJK]

Well, I proceeded to use epoxy several days ago and I cannot tell that it is leaking. I do get some bubbles floating to the top, but I believe they are just like the ones that form along the edges of the pool in colder weather. When I moved the light and held it shinning towards the bottom of the pool, the same bubbles were not rising to the top. I assume that bubbles in the pool in colder weather are normal and rise thru heat (light turned on)?

So, I have left it sitting loosely in the niche for several days now and have turned it off and on several times; nothing too obvious that there is still a problem. I suppose that only time will tell.