Best light options?

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Brant

Well-known member
Jan 25, 2024
140
Boerne Texas
Hello, at the point of ordering equipment and want to know what the best light option is for the pool. We are around 40x20 size. Was considering using pentair microbrites but want to know if there is a better option. I've heard mix reviews on micro lights with regards to brightness, leaking, longevity, etc.

Thanks in advance!
 
Brant said:
Hello, at the point of ordering equipment and want to know what the best light option is for the pool. We are around 40x20 size. Was considering using pentair microbrites but want to know if there is a better option. I've heard mix reviews on micro lights with regards to brightness, leaking, longevity, etc.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
What will the rest of the pool equipment be as far as controls?
For longevity, using a standard pool light, like the Pentair Amerilite, and then replacing the incandescent bulb with what ever LED you would like along with a silicone gasket, is often the better option.
For about half of the colored LED lights I installed (and I always tried to talk a customer out of them), the novelty wore off and wasn't enough to make up for the extra cost and short life.
 
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1poolman1 said:
What will the rest of the pool equipment be as far as controls?
For longevity, using a standard pool light, like the Pentair Amerilite, and then replacing the incandescent bulb with what ever LED you would like along with a silicone gasket, is often the better option.
For about half of the colored LED lights I installed (and I always tried to talk a customer out of them), the novelty wore off and wasn't enough to make up for the extra cost and short life.
Click to expand...
pentair equip with intellicenter controller

so pentair amerillite has longer longevity over LED? i assume they are white color only then?
 
Brant said:
pentair equip with intellicenter controller

so pentair amerillite has longer longevity over LED? i assume they are white color only then?
Click to expand...
Amerilite has a replaceable bulb. You start with white and then you can use one of the many replacement bulb options, like the J&J Colorsplash or ones available at Florida Sunseeker. When those bulbs go bad, and they will, you can go back to white or get a new LED color bulb without changing the entire fixture.
When installing a new light, for the last at least 10 years, I would remove the incandescent bulb and install a white, or color-changing, LED along with a silicone (basically lifetime) gasket, depending on the customer's wants. If you use the light frequently, just changing the bulb to one of the white LED bulbs available will more than pay for it self in energy savings. It also keeps the light fixture from "cooking" itself. You might be surprised how hot a 300 - 500w bulb gets, even in a pool light surrounded by water.
You would need to find an installer willing to make the changeover.
 
Another vote for simple Pentair Amerilites. The fixtures can last decades (with bulb replacements as needed) vs the <10 or even <5 year lifespans that seem to be associated with many LED pool lights.
 
1poolman1 said:
Amerilite has a replaceable bulb. You start with white and then you can use one of the many replacement bulb options, like the J&J Colorsplash or ones available at Florida Sunseeker. When those bulbs go bad, and they will, you can go back to white or get a new LED color bulb without changing the entire fixture.
When installing a new light, for the last at least 10 years, I would remove the incandescent bulb and install a white, or color-changing, LED along with a silicone (basically lifetime) gasket, depending on the customer's wants. If you use the light frequently, just changing the bulb to one of the white LED bulbs available will more than pay for it self in energy savings. It also keeps the light fixture from "cooking" itself. You might be surprised how hot a 300 - 500w bulb gets, even in a pool light surrounded by water.
You would need to find an installer willing to make the changeover.
Click to expand...
How do you replace the bulb when it's underwater? Is this something I as an owner can do or is it difficult?
 
Brant said:
How do you replace the bulb when it's underwater? Is this something I as an owner can do or is it difficult?
Click to expand...
All pool lights like the Amerilite must be installed with enough cord wrapped around the fixture so that it can be worked on while on the pool deck. There is about 3-4' of cord wrapped and the entire assembly inserted into the Amerilight niche. Lights in spas usually require the spa to be drained.
Its not difficult if you are careful. Remember that the fixture will be underwater and must be water-tight or the fixture will be ruined at the very least. That's one reason I use a silicone gasket. They are readily available for the Amerilight. Halco GP-P is one.
 
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They're still widely available on Amazon and various online pool equipment retailers.

When the new DOE standards went into effect last year which (on paper at least) outlawed the sale of high-wattage incandescent pool light bulbs and associated fixtures, I panicked and bought a spare Pentair Amerlite and Spabrite fixture, to keep on the bench for when the nearly 30-year-old fixtures in my pool eventually fail. I needn't have bothered, because both bulbs and fixtures are still available ~a year later.
 
 

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