Pentair Spectrum AquaLight (SAL) bulb replacement options

[rme36]

My Pentair SAL color light in my spa was not working so I drain the spa and pulled the fixture out. I have moisture in the fixture and the gasket was definitely deteriorating so i know the gasket needs replacing. I am hoping just the bulbs need replacing. There are 3 - MR11 FTF (650037) and 1-MR8 (650036) bulbs to replace. Does anyone know what is so special about these bulbs where Pentair wants $20+ a piece for MR11 and $40+ for the MR8. This seems a bit ridiculous considering all the bulbs on the market. My question is does anyone have any recommendations for bulbs or have you used any in lieu of the ones sold by Pentair? I have found MR11 bulbs from $2.50 to $10 that would seem to do the job. MR8 bulbs are little harder to come by but I have found some for $5. I guess if I go by the typical pool manufacturer markup then these prices seem logical, but I just want to make sure I am not missing something. I also thought about just replacing this with one of the cheaper LED color options out there. I have to do research to find what if anything will fit in my fixture. Any recommendations?

Also, specs are almost impossible to come by for these bulbs. Does anyone know, exact dimensions, lumens, color temp, and beam angle. I doubt it will make as a big of a difference in my spa, but why not try to match the lights as closely as I can. or has anyone replaced these with MR11 and MR8 LEDs?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help.

 

[rme36]

Since no one has an answer, and it sucks when people don't share their finding then I would like to share what I found. I was able to locate different bulbs from different places with the same specs as those from Pentair. In any case, I ended up ordering bulbs from BulbConnection.com - Name Brand Replacement Lamps for Less!. I went ahead and ordered bulbs for my SAm light as well. Here is the following with specs to anyone who needs it.

I replaced the gasket with a silicone one from Amazon with the following description."Pool Patch ABSSSG Sub Seal Silicone Spa Light Gasket for Pentair Spabrite/Aqualight, 4-Inch" to replace pentair for $15.99 - Pentair part#79108500 - I am hoping the silicone holds up better than the rubber gasket that became gummy from the pool chemistry.

Bulbs are as follows
Pentair MR8 - part#650036 ~$40 - ordered Hikari R-8525P MR-8 12V 35W GZ4 26deg Cover $1.95
Pentair MR11 FTF (x3) - part#650037 ~$20 - ordered Hikari R-8055PC FTF/CG - MR-11 FTF Cover $1.95

SAm light replacement
Pentair 2x MR16 71W, 12V GX5.3 - part#79112400 ~$20 - GE 20840 EYC - Q71MR16/C/FL40 $4.68 (Most people sell 75w replacements but this is a direct EYC 71w replacement)

So basically for the price of the MR8 bulb I was able to order bulbs and extras to fix my pool and spa lights. Pool part manufacturers have ridiculous markup. Hopefully this can help someone out there.

 

[Daniel16399]

Since no one has an answer, and it sucks when people don't share their finding then I would like to share what I found. I was able to locate different bulbs from different places with the same specs as those from Pentair. In any case, I ended up ordering bulbs from BulbConnection.com - Name Brand Replacement Lamps for Less!. I went ahead and ordered bulbs for my SAm light as well. Here is the following with specs to anyone who needs it.

I replaced the gasket with a silicone one from Amazon with the following description."Pool Patch ABSSSG Sub Seal Silicone Spa Light Gasket for Pentair Spabrite/Aqualight, 4-Inch" to replace pentair for $15.99 - Pentair part#79108500 - I am hoping the silicone holds up better than the rubber gasket that became gummy from the pool chemistry.

Bulbs are as follows
Pentair MR8 - part#650036 ~$40 - ordered Hikari R-8525P MR-8 12V 35W GZ4 26deg Cover $1.95
Pentair MR11 FTF (x3) - part#650037 ~$20 - ordered Hikari R-8055PC FTF/CG - MR-11 FTF Cover $1.95

SAm light replacement
Pentair 2x MR16 71W, 12V GX5.3 - part#79112400 ~$20 - GE 20840 EYC - Q71MR16/C/FL40 $4.68 (Most people sell 75w replacements but this is a direct EYC 71w replacement)

So basically for the price of the MR8 bulb I was able to order bulbs and extras to fix my pool and spa lights. Pool part manufacturers have ridiculous markup. Hopefully this can help someone out there.

Yes, thanks. I have to replace a bunch of MR16 bulbs in my pool and was shocked when I saw the manufacturer wanted $40 for 2 bulbs!

Of course, I found a "regular" 10-pack of those bulbs on Amazon for $14. So, I've been searching for like an hour to see if there was actually any difference between what the manufacturer was offering and "regular" bulbs.

Sure, I might be taking a chance on these "cheap" ones, but at $14 for 10, it's worth a shot. I just wanted to make sure they would work.

Thanks again!

 

[Earthman Bob]

Since no one has an answer, and it sucks when people don't share their finding then I would like to share what I found. I was able to locate different bulbs from different places with the same specs as those from Pentair. In any case, I ended up ordering bulbs from BulbConnection.com - Name Brand Replacement Lamps for Less!. I went ahead and ordered bulbs for my SAm light as well. Here is the following with specs to anyone who needs it.

I replaced the gasket with a silicone one from Amazon with the following description."Pool Patch ABSSSG Sub Seal Silicone Spa Light Gasket for Pentair Spabrite/Aqualight, 4-Inch" to replace pentair for $15.99 - Pentair part#79108500 - I am hoping the silicone holds up better than the rubber gasket that became gummy from the pool chemistry.

Bulbs are as follows
Pentair MR8 - part#650036 ~$40 - ordered Hikari R-8525P MR-8 12V 35W GZ4 26deg Cover $1.95
Pentair MR11 FTF (x3) - part#650037 ~$20 - ordered Hikari R-8055PC FTF/CG - MR-11 FTF Cover $1.95

SAm light replacement
Pentair 2x MR16 71W, 12V GX5.3 - part#79112400 ~$20 - GE 20840 EYC - Q71MR16/C/FL40 $4.68 (Most people sell 75w replacements but this is a direct EYC 71w replacement)

So basically for the price of the MR8 bulb I was able to order bulbs and extras to fix my pool and spa lights. Pool part manufacturers have ridiculous markup. Hopefully this can help someone out there.

I know this is a very old thread, but thanks for the info! So do the bulbs you bought change colors, just like the originals?