- Jun 27, 2021
- 2
- Pool Size
- 23000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Autopilot Digital PPC3 (RC-42)
There are numerous posts on here about frequent failures for the Hayward Colorlogic 4.0 color-changing LED lights. My pool's Colorlogic light lasted around 7 years of very light usage before finally failing which seems pretty good! However, the pricetag for a direct Hayward replacement was ~$900. I decided to try the Florida Sunseeker "Pooltone Standard 16 Color LED Pool Light" which currently runs between $500-$600. I was curious to see if pool lights were one of those situations where "you get what you pay for" or whether Hayward was ridiculously overpriced. I was also unable to find any reviews, so I am posting this to help others that may find themselves in the similar situation of replacing a Colorlogic 4.0.
First off, the FL Sunseeker website promises fast shipping and they definitely shipped same day via 2-day FedEx from FL to NY. This was far faster than I expected. Off to a good start! The light arrived in good shape and was well-packaged.
When comparing the Sunseeker Pooltone to the Colorlogic unit, I noticed a few immediate differences:
1) The Pooltone enclosure appears to be made of a coated/plated ferrous material (i.e. iron or steel) rather than a quality stainless steel. If you set this directly on your concrete, you can expect to scratch it. I noticed a few scratches that had immediately began to rust when exposed to salt pool water. It's a little troubling to have rust already forming on a housing that will be submerged in a salt water pool. I wonder how long before a hole rusts all the way through it? I chose to ignore this for now.
2) A clamp holds together the 2 parts of the light housing (bezel with backshell). The clamp screw protruded out to the very edge of the fixture and caused some rubbing on the niche during install. This made it hard to get it properly aligned into the niche on install. Consequently, I cut off most of the screw to help with clearance. This step may not have been 100% necessary as I was also struggling with the power cable slack & the next issue below. It is possible I just got confused.
3) The Pooltone did not fit properly into the same niche that the Colorlogic 4.0 fit into. Specifically, if I had the Pooltone unit low enough in the niche for the bottom "catch tab" to be in place, then the Pooltone mounting screw hole was too low to mount into the niche. If I lined up the mounting hole of the Pooltone with the niche mount screw, the Pooltone would sit just a little too high for the bottom catch tab to be in place. This meant the bottom of the Pooltone was able to swing freely outwards out of the niche. To solve this, I drilled a new hole in the Pooltone flange about 0.25" higher. This ensured everything lined up perfectly by allowing the Pooltone to sit low enough for the bottom catch tab while allowing you to screw in the single top mounting screw.
Once the issues above were dealt with, the Pooltone sat nicely in the niche and worked properly. The Pooltone LED light is just as bright and dynamic as the Colorlogic 4.0:
Overall, I am happy with the Sunseeker Pooltone product. At this point, I don't regret the purchase and feel that it was a decent budget option. I'm not sure why I ran into issues with mounting the Pooltone into the niche. I suppose it is possible my niche is not compatible with the Pooltone light. I was unable to find the part# for my niche. My logic is that if the Pooltone can replace the Colorlogic in a variety of niches, then it should be able to replace the Colorlogic in my niche. Who knows!
Let me know if you have any questions, and I'd be happy to try and answer.
First off, the FL Sunseeker website promises fast shipping and they definitely shipped same day via 2-day FedEx from FL to NY. This was far faster than I expected. Off to a good start! The light arrived in good shape and was well-packaged.
When comparing the Sunseeker Pooltone to the Colorlogic unit, I noticed a few immediate differences:
- The Pooltone uses a metal enclosure where the Colorlogic is mostly plastic. In terms of fitment into a niche, the plastic is superior as it is molded which allows for a very precise fit into the niche.
- The power cable on the Pooltone is slightly thinner than the Colorlogic. The thinner Pooltone cord was a lot easier for me to snake through the conduit and I doubt the conductor was any thinner. Both cables seemed very adequate for a 50' run of 120V AC to a 35W LED light.
- The Pooltone has a domed shape that appears to house a regular style lightbulb, whereas the Colorlogic is a very flat shape without a servicable bulb. It may be possible to replace just the bulb in the Pooltone upon failure but I'd have to check with the manufacturer to be sure.
1) The Pooltone enclosure appears to be made of a coated/plated ferrous material (i.e. iron or steel) rather than a quality stainless steel. If you set this directly on your concrete, you can expect to scratch it. I noticed a few scratches that had immediately began to rust when exposed to salt pool water. It's a little troubling to have rust already forming on a housing that will be submerged in a salt water pool. I wonder how long before a hole rusts all the way through it? I chose to ignore this for now.
2) A clamp holds together the 2 parts of the light housing (bezel with backshell). The clamp screw protruded out to the very edge of the fixture and caused some rubbing on the niche during install. This made it hard to get it properly aligned into the niche on install. Consequently, I cut off most of the screw to help with clearance. This step may not have been 100% necessary as I was also struggling with the power cable slack & the next issue below. It is possible I just got confused.
3) The Pooltone did not fit properly into the same niche that the Colorlogic 4.0 fit into. Specifically, if I had the Pooltone unit low enough in the niche for the bottom "catch tab" to be in place, then the Pooltone mounting screw hole was too low to mount into the niche. If I lined up the mounting hole of the Pooltone with the niche mount screw, the Pooltone would sit just a little too high for the bottom catch tab to be in place. This meant the bottom of the Pooltone was able to swing freely outwards out of the niche. To solve this, I drilled a new hole in the Pooltone flange about 0.25" higher. This ensured everything lined up perfectly by allowing the Pooltone to sit low enough for the bottom catch tab while allowing you to screw in the single top mounting screw.
Once the issues above were dealt with, the Pooltone sat nicely in the niche and worked properly. The Pooltone LED light is just as bright and dynamic as the Colorlogic 4.0:
Overall, I am happy with the Sunseeker Pooltone product. At this point, I don't regret the purchase and feel that it was a decent budget option. I'm not sure why I ran into issues with mounting the Pooltone into the niche. I suppose it is possible my niche is not compatible with the Pooltone light. I was unable to find the part# for my niche. My logic is that if the Pooltone can replace the Colorlogic in a variety of niches, then it should be able to replace the Colorlogic in my niche. Who knows!
Let me know if you have any questions, and I'd be happy to try and answer.
