Pool lighting

When you need it

• A light has failed or flickers.
• Water or condensation inside the lens.
• The breaker or earth leakage device trips when the lights are switched on.
• You want colour changes, or control through an automation system.
• Old halogen or incandescent fittings that you want to replace.

How a specialist does it

Pentair's IntelliBrite 5G manual sets out the safety basis for this work. Among its instructions:

• Installation must be by a licensed or certified electrician or a qualified pool professional, following the applicable electrical code and local rules.
• In its North American instructions, 120 V pool lights require a ground fault circuit interrupter, while 12 V lights run through a low voltage step-down transformer placed above the maximum water line and above deck level.
• The niche housing must be bonded to other metal items around the pool.
• At least 1.2 metres of cord is left coiled in the niche, so the fixture can be lifted onto the deck for service.
• Power is disconnected at the breaker before servicing, and the light is never serviced in the water.
• The lamp must not run for more than ten seconds unless fully submerged, because it becomes extremely hot and can cause burns or break the lens.
• A new lens gasket and clamp assembly are fitted every time the light is reassembled.

A typical repair follows that pattern: isolate the power, lift the fixture out of the niche onto the deck, inspect the gasket, lens and cable, replace the lamp or the whole fixture, reseal with new parts, test, and lower it back into the niche. Water inside a fitting points to a failed seal. Tripping can point to damaged cable or a failed fixture, and needs proper electrical testing rather than a reset.

Converting to LED means replacing the fixture or lamp with an LED unit that suits the existing niche, the supply voltage and any controller that will operate it.

What to ask before you hire

• Who does the electrical work, and what qualifications do they hold?
• Is my system mains voltage or low voltage, and is the protection correct for it?
• Will you check bonding and earth leakage protection while you are there?
• Will the new light fit my existing niche, or does the niche need changing?
• Can the new lights be controlled by my existing automation?
• Will you fit a new gasket and seal every time the fixture is opened?

UAE notes

Dubai Municipality's guidelines for approving pool plans require low voltage underwater lights, and an earth circuit breaker on each electrical circuit, shown on the drawings. They also ask for lighting that covers the whole pool, including the bottom, without glare or reflections. If you change lights on an approved pool, check with the specialist that the new installation still meets those points.

Electrical work in villas, communities and towers may need permission from the building or community management. Check with them before any rewiring or new cable runs.

For hotels and shared pools, a failed light at night can be a safety issue as well as a cosmetic one. Managers should agree response times for lighting faults in the maintenance contract.