I just bought a Pentair EC602128 Amerilite 10 Inch 120 Volt 500 Watt pool light. I wired it to my switch and the power goes all the way to the new housing but the light doesn't turn on. I tested the bulb and it works fine. Besides the housing being bad, is there anything I might be missing? I read through the manual but I don't think I missed anything.
New Pentair light not not turning on
- Thread starter stevenalther
- Start date
With a known good bulb in place test continuity between the white and black wires. No continuity usually indicates a bad fixture or a break in the cord. It has happened to me on a couple of occasions. That's why I would always do that check before the install. Hindsight is great, unfortunately. Also, check the next points.
Check that the center connection in the socket is making contact with the bottom of the bulb. Sometimes they are flattened and the bulb won't light. With a small piece of stiff wire you can pull it up very slightly to be sure. Sometimes the bulb itself has the solder at the center-bottom very small and it won't reach.
Take a regular incandescent 100w (or whatever size you have) bulb, install in the light while it is on the deck and turn it on. If it lights, the bulb may be bad. I've seen them test good (have continuity) because the filament was loose and, in the proper position, would fall against the other connection in the bulb, only to fail when installed.
I tried bending the tab up slightly and it didn't work. I know the bulb works and I even tried another one and it still didn't work. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what you mean by checking the continuity between the two wires. My electrician knowledge only goes as far as replacing all of my light switched and sockets when I moved into my house.
I also tested the socket and it reads 120v when I turn on the switch. The bulb is good. I don't understand how the socket could get power but not turn on a working light bulb
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,763
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You need to get a multimeter, put it on the resistance (ohms) function, and learn how it tells you if you have an open or closed circuit. Then test the fixture with the bulb installed as suggested above.
How are you testing the socket? Center to ground or center to socket edge?