Pentair ColorCascade major design defect... should be recalled.

[jtech1]

I have posted before about my pool built in 2013 where I used three Pentair ColorCascade bubbler lights on my shelf. One by one, each one has failed in the last three years. The latest one was end of last season. And now, this year, after they are out of warranty, the other two (that were replaced a year ago), have now failed again. There are SERIOUS design problems with these lights. Over time, moisture gets into the fixture and shorts out the circuit board. At first I thought it was the seal around the cable entering the unit... but after the last one failed, and was full of water, I dried the outside off completely and watched water start to leak from the epoxy seals that secure the plastic housing to the front lens.

These are not cheap lights... and now I am in a position to have to decide to just disconnect them and use them as plain old bubblers (not what I paid over $1500 for on my pool install)... or keep shelling out $400-$800 a year as they continue to fail.

Pentair should be ignoring the warranty here and issuing a recall and replacement with units that have a proper seal and will last more than one season in the water! I had hopes that the design had evolved over time and the replacements were built properly, but that is NOT the case.

Also, the design allows light to get into the niche behind the light and algae grows after only a month or two. They could easily ensure all light is blocked or allow pool water to circulate into the niche to ensure chlorinated water is always back there so no algae grows... with simple design changes.

I am curious if anyone else is experiencing these same issues... or was I one of the few suckers to spend money on these?

 

[Iceman 21]

Yep. I have one on my shelf that has been replace FOUR TIMES so far since 2013

 

[satravis]

I have the same problem and have been looking for a replacement the fits right in the existing niche but I have not found any. The Colorvision bubbler Pentair now sales has the water and the electrical connections swapped along with a different niche.

Does anyone have an idea on a replacement bubbler that will fit in the existing niche?

 

[illuminator]

Ditto. 3 bubblers on sun shelf. First 2 went within 2 months of water in pool, then 3rd 11 months later. They replaced all three at once, but now one of those is leaking with condensation inside. My original pool builder (Primarily Jandy) started pool in 2014 & put these 3 in the shelf, but then abandoned job in late 2015 just before interior, so a different builder finished in 2016 (who actually uses Pentair primarily, & surprisingly built a pool for a Pentair Engineer locally- would love to bend his ear). Recently when the latest one went out, I looked on the website & see they don't even offer this model anymore...they have an all-new model. I called them to hopefully get replaced under warranty (still less than a year old) and asked why it wasn't on their product list. I was told they were not offering them for new purchases but they will still have some stock for replacements...(?) and oh, they weren't going to warranty mine anymore. I asked hoping this "new" version could retro into the existing housing and to my dismay, NOPE! So, what are we to do? They made a permanent housing that only fits THEIR light, but won't even support it moving forward. One would think they could've offered an updated design for this <very> flawed one and even if they charged a reasonable 'upgrade' fee, would save face & keep happy customers.

Being an electrical/design engineer myself in the LED world, I couldn't help but tear the first one apart... as expected very cheap unit. The 3 Cree MCE LEDs ($6ea) and cable ($12/100') are the most expensive components. Now granted, you have molding costs for lens, assembly, etc...but they've definitely implanted at least two warranty replacements in the cost (and from what I gather these were originally made by a different co than PA, so tooling wasn't a factor). Of course I have a couple ideas to remedy my own (after I got the cold-shoulder), but now I find "Brilliant Wonders" bubbler light.... hmmmm

Does anyone know if the Brilliant Wonders bubbler light engine will fit in the Pentair housing? It looks very similar, & thought I saw a Q/A where it said it would, but can't find it now. Might be worth a shot (if it holds up better & they stand behind it).

Unfortunately, it appears Pentair won't do anything & doesn't care about this issue. Edit by Jim R....

 

[ChillyWilly]

YESSS!! I have one of these lights in my pool that was built on 10/2014. We have had two swapped out already. The one that is in there now already has moisture so its a matter of time before it goes. Has anybody tried to remove them and reseal them before they go. or better yet had anyone found a compatible replacement. I'm very dissatisfied by the way Pentair has handled this issue, and we are left with no other option. Looks like this light has been discontinued all over the place so getting the replacement ligh engine is also difficult and costly.

Hopefully someone decides to make a 3rd party replacement. Edit by Jim R.

 

[JamesW]

Lighted water features are nice but seem unreliable to me. They are complicated and expensive.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Pentair seems to have problems with lots of their LED products. Their IntelliBrite lamps also seem to suffer from premature failure (particularly the red LED bank). I think their product engineering team needs to reconsider their design and materials choices.

 

[Hogman111]

I am having all the above problems with my 2 year old Pentair Colorcascade lights. One went out and was replaced under warranty. Immediately after refilling pool, a 2nd light is now showing the signs of failing. All the lights had moisture in them. Very poor design. The new version of these lights do not fit into the housing (imagine that). It will require major work to replace the housing. Also during the removal of the bad light, I discovered the horror that lays within. Major algae. That explains the problems I was having late last summer where I couldn't keep the chlorine levels up. Algae bloom never developed in pool but my CH would drop 2 ppm a day. I fought that for 6 weeks before I got things to settle down. Pool builder suggests that I run the bubblers every day to keep chlorinated water circulating in this area. I am disappointed in Pentair. Now my CVA-24T actuators are acting up, but that is for another thread. Luckily, those are still under warranty also. I foresee major issues with these bubblers in the future. Lastly, Why are they so EXPENSIVE!!!