Help with troubleshooting spa light tripping

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R

Raytrey

Member
Jul 9, 2022
19
San Diego County
Pool Size
17500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hello!
New pool owner here from a house we recently moved into. This forum has been a goldmine!

We just had our pool refinished with fresh stonescapes pebble and we’re happy with it. However after the construction and refill, the spa light is now immediately tripping via GFCI every time I turn it on. There’s about a half second of light before it trips.

I just took the light fixture out of the spa to see if I could see any water in it, but I can’t. The only troubleshooting step I took so far was to try turning it on when it’s out of the water- same immediate tripping.

What’s the next best things to try in troubleshooting? Should I open up the fixture? If so what am I looking for? Other advice?

If I have to get tech out, should the PB pay for that? The light was working before the rebuild.

Thanks for the help!
Pics below:
https://imgur.com/a/PzD39Oj
 
Ray,

What could the PB have done that would have caused the light to go bad???

Color changing lights have about a 30 nonosecond life span, so I doubt that re-plaster had anything to do with your light going bad.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Ray,

What could the PB have done that would have caused the light to go bad???

Color changing lights have about a 30 nonosecond life span, so I doubt that re-plaster had anything to do with your light going bad.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
I didn’t know if the PB could have done anything, just asking. This is an old white incandescent bulb.
 
Pretty common problem when the pool is drained for a period of time the gasket shrinks or cracks. Most contractors will recommend new lights during replaster for this reason. Changing gaskets before putting them back in is also a good idea. You may get lucky and can try and open it up and let it dry and replace the gasket.
 
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Ray,

Since it is an old style light, then the next step is to open it remove the bulb and see if it still pops the GFCI.

As pointed out above, you will want a new gasket, no matter what.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Raytrey said:
Hello!
New pool owner here from a house we recently moved into. This forum has been a goldmine!

We just had our pool refinished with fresh stonescapes pebble and we’re happy with it. However after the construction and refill, the spa light is now immediately tripping via GFCI every time I turn it on. There’s about a half second of light before it trips.

I just took the light fixture out of the spa to see if I could see any water in it, but I can’t. The only troubleshooting step I took so far was to try turning it on when it’s out of the water- same immediate tripping.

What’s the next best things to try in troubleshooting? Should I open up the fixture? If so what am I looking for? Other advice?

If I have to get tech out, should the PB pay for that? The light was working before the rebuild.

Thanks for the help!
Pics below:
https://imgur.com/a/PzD39Oj
Click to expand...
Open it, dry it out, put in a new gasket properly and tighten the clamp well. Place it in a bucket of water and turn it on. If it still trips the GFCI, it needs to be replaced, there is nothing that can safely be repaired in a pool or spa light besides those items and a bulb.
 
Thanks everyone for your tips! It took me a while to get the clamp bolt off but I finally did and when I opened it up, inside the fixture there was some liquid more viscous than water- it almost seemed like oil?? Does that ring a bell?

But the GOOD NEWS is that when I removed the bulb and turned the power on, the circuit did NOT trip!

So I believe next steps from the feedback here is that I should:
A) let the fixture body dry out
B) get a new gasket (any brands to seek out or avoid here)?

And should I try it again with same old incandescent bulb?
Or should I just get an LED at this point and try it with that in there?

Pics below:
https://imgur.com/a/j6JzTIz

Thanks again!
 
Last edited:
1poolman1 said:
There are silicone gaskets for that light available. They seal better and are virtually a lifetime gasket as they are very heat resistant. Try to get one.

Halco Lighting - Silicone Spa Light Lens Gasket for SpaBrite Series​

Click to expand...
Found one and ordered! Will report back! Thanks so much for the recommendation! FYI the model number for SpaBrite is Halco GS-P and I found it for $17.
 

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Alright! Happy update here. I got the new silicon gasket, cleaned things up, wrestled with the tension wire for a bit and tested the same incandescent bulb in a bucket and it worked!

The only question remaining is this:

When I went to put the fixture back in the niche, it was hard to fit it in perfectly flush. I used the same pilot screw and got it good and tight. But there’s probably a quarter inch (maybe less?) that juts out a bit. I think the new plaster got inside the niche a bit and made it more cramped? But is this okay? I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right here. Anything I should be testing or checking?

Pics below. Thanks again for the help folks!


https://imgur.com/a/MoSfx2S
 
If your light has a mounting tab on the rear, you'll need to tilt the light when inserting it into the niche to ensure that goes in behind the plate.

niche.png
 
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Raytrey said:
Alright! Happy update here. I got the new silicon gasket, cleaned things up, wrestled with the tension wire for a bit and tested the same incandescent bulb in a bucket and it worked!

The only question remaining is this:

When I went to put the fixture back in the niche, it was hard to fit it in perfectly flush. I used the same pilot screw and got it good and tight. But there’s probably a quarter inch (maybe less?) that juts out a bit. I think the new plaster got inside the niche a bit and made it more cramped? But is this okay? I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right here. Anything I should be testing or checking?

Pics below. Thanks again for the help folks!


https://imgur.com/a/MoSfx2S
Click to expand...
Lights seldom fit perfectly flush after a pool has been re-plastered and many time even when new.
 
Welp, it was too good to be true! The circuit breaker (that is upstream of a new GFCI outlet and the newly replaced spa light) is not moving to the on position. I try to move it to on but it keeps falling back to off.

I’m thinking it’s likely a short based on my new spa light work, but then why wouldn’t the GFCI trip instead?

This is an old setup (I just inherited it) so it’s likely this outdoor breaker is ~20 years old.

Is it worth me trying to replace the breaker itself or is this a sign I should throw in the towel and call my pool tech?

Thanks!
 
What happens if you manually trip the GCFI? Does the breaker still refuse to set? If so, it's 99% the breaker is bad. (You have taken the possibly shorted light out of the circuit unless there's a bad wiring error around the GCFI.)

Breakers do fail. It's simple and inexpensive to try replacing. So I wouldn't give up yet.

Verify the light is bonded, that it's absolutely correctly wired, check and double check, and that there's no one including you near the water when you're trying this stuff. It's not worth frying anyone for a $150 light.
 
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