How to remove pool light from niche?

[rowiac]

We recently bought a house with a pool (my first one) and I'm figuring out how to maintain it thanks to TFP. The pool is older vintage--I'm guessing '70s or '80s. The problem is that the pool light is not working. I found the switch, which is a GFI circuit breaker on the electrical panel next to the pool equipment. I also found the junction box, which is about 12" above the pool level with a metal cover on it. I have power at the junction box terminals when the circuit breaker is turned on, but no light. I do not see any transformer so it looks like the bulb is 110V. The fact that the terminal block has power leads me to believe that the bulb is burned out, but I'm not sure how to remove it.

There is a hole at the top of the metal light bezel, but no screw head that I can see. It's hard to tell what's going on because it's underwater. I can poke a small screwdriver in the hole quite a ways before it stops, but I don't get any bite with a phillips tip. I'm wondering if the screw is missing or has corroded away, but I'm afraid to damage the plaster if I try to pry the lamp out of the niche.

Any ideas on how to remove the lamp from the niche?

One more question: is it common to have a pool light actuated by only the circuit breaker? I would think that a regular switch in a more convenient location would be the way to go, but I can't find another switch anywhere.

Thanks.

 

[jblizzle]

First you really shouldn't be using the circuit breaker to turn it on and off, you should install an actual switch. Second, I think most lights are held in by a single screw at the top. If yours is missing a screw I would think you could just pull it right out. Without the screw mine almost falls out.