Winterizing - Drained too much water and Underwater light Question

[IUsedToSail]

Folks -

Today I sort of screwed up and left to go mountain biking over lunch and forgot that I had started draining the pool. When I returned, the water level had dropped well below the return outlets. I normally drop the water level 2" below the outlets so I can blow out the lines and then plug them for the winter. What's the consensus on how much water I need to have in the pool? Currently there is about 15" in the shallow end and about 36" in the deep end. Should I start filling it up again?

I had entertained draining the pool to this level so that I could swap out the incandescent light bulbs and now that I'm in this situation I figured I might do it this weekend. However, I'm not really sure what's involved in the process. I assume the housings can be opened up.

 

[Newdude]

15 inches in the shallow end should be enough to keep the liner in place. What kind of cover do you have ? Looploc recommends no more than 18 inches between the water and cover, others are closer to a foot.

I'm not really sure what's involved in the process. I assume the housings can be opened up.

You need to replace the gaskets anytime you open the housings, assuming they weren't replaced recently.

 

[1poolman1]

Be sure to replace the pool-light gasket along with the bulb.

How to Replace a Pool Light Bulb - INYOPools.com

An easy step by step guide on how to replace a swimming pool light bulb.

www.inyopools.com

 

[IUsedToSail]

15 inches in the shallow end should be enough to keep the liner in place. What kind of cover do you have ? Looploc recommends no more than 18 inches between the water and cover, others are closer to a foot.


You need to replace the gaskets anytime you open the housings, assuming they weren't replaced recently.

No liner, the pool is plaster. We do have a Loop-Loc cover - which becomes a trampoline for our Brittany Spaniel. *sigh*
I didn't even consider the cover, thanks for bringing it up!

I also just realized that the water doesn't need to be drained to replace the bulbs. I should have looked this up over the summer.

 

[Newdude]

I didn't even consider the cover, thanks for bringing it up!

Especially with dogs, the cover will shred if the water doesn't help hold it up and it's a full trampoline.

No liner, the pool is plaster

Then there is shell floating concerns too if there are any flash floods in the off season, or a wet early spring and the water table is high. I'd fill it back to a foot low.

 

[IUsedToSail]

I think I'll order some LED light bulbs and start gradually refilling it. We've had issues w/ the dimmer for the lights getting hot and I recently swapped it out for one rate to 1200 watts. I would like to eliminate it all together and replace it with a switch as the kids have a tendency to bump it and turn the pool lights on.

Any comments on the LED color changing bulbs on Amazon?

 

[Newdude]

Any comments on the LED color changing bulbs on Amazon?

Supposedly the electronics are junk (as with most LED bulbs) and the heat kills them in a year or two. It's a fun party trick that won't break the bank about $100 each, especially if you get 2 seasons from them.

 

[Newdude]

Another option, they make blue, red and green lens covers for $14 each. IIRC it was $29 if you wanted all 3, but i only wanted the blue. It made a big difference getting rid of the yellow tint.

 

[IUsedToSail]

That looks really nice

 

[wireform]

If you weren't in a snow region you can probably get away with a bigger difference between the cover and the water but for a snow region with the snow weighing down on the cover you must have water within the 12 - 18 inches to support the cover otherwise you'll break all the springs and the cover will collapse.

 

[Newdude]

That looks really nice

I just checked and there's 3 shades of blue (I went with the dark one), red and green. The prices are $15 to $20 each at the moment but there were deals/bundles during the season.

It took 5 seconds to snap in place and it came off for the first time last week when I forgot about it and the manual vac pulled it off. Whoopsies. Lol.

I'm really happy with it. I debated the LED bulb but supposedly it wasn't as bright as the 500W monster it was replacing, and I have alot of real estate to light up. As you can see in the pics above, the lens cover lights the far side better than just the bulb.

 

[IUsedToSail]

Follow up - Since the water is so low, I took the opportunity to remove and inspect behind the lights. I found a lot of dirt and sediment which I cleaned out, also of interest the was the conduit for the electric supply had loose chunks of caulk on the them and were open. I assume that these should be resealed with silicone caulk? I wonder if I'm losing some water through the conduit.

I also order new seals for the lights and two new LED light bulbs. I'm going to replace the dimmer (that is currently getting concerningly hot) with a switch. Given the low power draw of the LEDs hopefully this will be one less thing to worry about.

 

[Newdude]

Keep us posted.

We go back and all, but interwebs rules are interwebs rules. Without pics, it didn't happen.

. I assume that these should be resealed with silicone caulk?

The mouth is fine to seal but don't go too far in or you risk difficulty replacing the light/cord.

 

[IUsedToSail]

Alrighty... here are a few low quality pictures taken by a non-professional.

I ended up ordering some new 40w LED color changing bulbs off of Amazon. I decided to skip the ones that use the remote, as they all pretty much get marginal reviews for the lack of range. The bulbs I chose are fully sealed, water proof, and have a cast aluminum housing. I used them for a while in the house and they didn't even get warm to the touch. For only $35 they seem like a great deal, I may order a spare. I can't wait to get rid of the dimmer, might rip that puppy out today.

I also installed new silicone seals, which were only $14 on Amazon. I cleaned out the coves the light sit in and caulked the conduit with silicone.

My kids were super impressed with the lights as they do a bunch of different colors and also have a disco style modes. My wife also didn't say anything negative about them, which seemed like an endorsement.

I'm going to start adding water to the pool today.

Here are few pics -

 

[wireform]

I'd do a leak test in the area you worked to be sure you don't have any mad surprises mid winter.

 

[Lanzz]

Another option, they make blue, red and green lens covers for $14 each. IIRC it was $29 if you wanted all 3, but i only wanted the blue. It made a big difference getting rid of the yellow tint.

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man, that's a nice smooth floor under the liner. mine looks like the surface of the moon with the light on at night.

 

[Newdude]

mine looks like the surface of the moon with the light on at night.

So does mine looking upstream at the light, or from the side.



It was worse with the yellow light. The blue on blue helps some for whatever reason.