sealant for light fixture

Ranvirkang1 · Feb 1, 2018

I have a light fixture that had water in it, but I wasn't ready at the time to replace the bulb due to the expense. I replaced the gasket to keep the water out, but when I went in today to change the fixture out, there was water in it again. I'm not sure why water got into fixture again when I replaced the gasket when I had opened it up the first time. The previous owner had the wires at the junction to this fixture undone (not connected) since I am assuming it was tripping the GFCI and keeping the other light and spa light form working. My two questions are:

1) Is there a sealant I can use to keep the water out with new gasket when I replace the light bulb on fixture 2 so I can make sure water doesn't get into that fixture and ruin it. Do I need something for salt water resistant?

2) The light fixture that had water in it is probably blown since it had water in it or is it still usable? I have the new light fixture already so I was just going to replace it.

Sorry if it sounds confusing.

Rani

mknauss · Feb 1, 2018

Sounds odd so I am messaging someone to come give you some advice.

Saltwater has no effect on those items.

Can you add what state, province, or country 'Atwater' is in? More detail in the signature will also help --- see mine.

Take care.

Ranvirkang1 · Feb 1, 2018

I'll try to add more information to my signature when I get home. I have the manuals so I'll try going off of that.

InyoRob · Feb 1, 2018

1) Nothing special needs to be added for salt water pools. You do not need to add any sealant to the light when the gasket is replaced. If the light is reassembled properly, it should not leak. Check out "How to Replace a Pool Light Bulb" for a full list of instructions.

2) If the socket or internal casing is corroded, I would toss the light. Read through "Tips on Troubleshooting a Light" to see if the light is worth salvaging.

Ranvirkang1 · Feb 2, 2018

InyoRob said:
1) Nothing special needs to be added for salt water pools. You do not need to add any sealant to the light when the gasket is replaced. If the light is reassembled properly, it should not leak. Check out "How to Replace a Pool Light Bulb" for a full list of instructions.

2) If the socket or internal casing is corroded, I would toss the light. Read through "Tips on Troubleshooting a Light" to see if the light is worth salvaging.

I think I didn't clean it well last time since I figured I had to replace the fixture. My new problem is that I can't take the wire out. I just won't budge. I'm going to go home and pour some wire pulling lubricant and try pulling again later on in the day. I do have a picture of the back of the light fixture when we had drained the pool. It looks like there is epoxy putty in there. Could this be that strong to keep the wire from moving even when pulled on real hard? What's the easiest way to remove it?

Rani

InyoRob · Feb 2, 2018

You'll need to chip away at that epoxy and remove it. We have a video on replacing the light and it covers the epoxy removal around the 2:15 mark.

Pool Clown · Feb 2, 2018

If your pool is not loosing water at this time, I wouldn't chip that epoxy off in the picture shown above. Chances are that the epoxy was put there to stop a leak that was in the light fixture conduit. Typically that conduit is flooded. That is normal. If you are changing the fixture, of course you will have to remove the epoxy, but you should replace it once you get the new fixture in place. There is a product called A+B Epoxy that works very well for the type of sealing you need to do there. For best results, apply the epoxy patch to the area and leave the fixture out of the niche overnight or until the epoxy has cured solid. Then replace the fixture. If you apply the patch then immediately replace the fixture, you will move the cord, and upset the patch creating a leak. Best to wait a day with the light fixture up on the deck so you can visually see a good patch until it hardens.

If you were still getting water in the fixture after replacing the gasket, it is probably coming in through the point where the cord enters the fixture. If you are not ready to replace the fixture yet, and don't like the view of water in the fixture, you can use a good high temp silicone sealer (orange) to seal around the cord until you are able to replace the fixture. For best adhesion, don't forget to clean the sealing surfaces before applying the silicone.

Ranvirkang1 · Feb 3, 2018

Yes! We got it done! There was no epoxy, it was just the wire that wouldn't budge. Poured some wire pull lubricant and water down the pipe and let it sit for about an hour before trying to pull again and we were able to pull it through easily. We didn't attach the new light fixture wire to the old one because it made it harder to pull for some reason. Instead, we used a fish wire, attached the new wire to this, and my husband pushed it from the pool side while I pulled it up from the jbox. It wouldn't let me pull on the fish wire on its own (there had to be pushing from the pool side). Thanks for everyone's help.