Simple Fixes For A Broken Pool Light

Pool lights are not only necessary for safety, but they also provide dazzling effects to your poolscape. When pool lights are dim or broken, you can be left in the dark as to how to diagnose and repair the problem. Pool lights can have hundreds of feet of cable, circuit breakers, GFCIs, and junction boxes that make troubleshooting problems difficult.

When addressing problems with your pool lights, follow the adage of working smarter, not harder, and start with easy fixes first. Here are some simple solutions to try before making your way to more complex issues when your pool lights are on the blink.

Loose Lighting Fixture

While pool lights are waterproofed and containing a hundred or more volts of electricity, they are affixed to the sides of the pool by one bolt called the lockscrew. This lockscrew can be found at the 12 o’clock position on the light fixture facing. If the light fixture wobbles back and forth with a slight touch or ripple of the water, it could be that the lockscrew is loose.

A loose lockscrew will make your light blink on and off or just remain off altogether. To correct this problem, simply use a Phillips head screwdriver to tighten the screw on the light fixture. If you find that the screw is lost or stripped, you will need to replace it and the gum o-ring, which is vital to prevent leaking.

Pool Light Leaking

You may observe light actually in the water fixture where it should not be. Water in light sockets is a potentially dangerous scenario, so use the utmost caution when troubleshooting.

A leaky pool light is the result of a damaged or broken lens gasket. Also referred to as a housing gasket, the lens gasket is held by a heavy gauge rubber ring that acts as a clamp seal. The clamp seal waterproofs the joint between the light and the lens housing. Pool chemicals like chlorine can deteriorate the rubber ring over time, causing it to fail and water to seep into the fixture.

When water is inside the light fixture, it can cause the light to blow or a breaker to trip. A less common cause of a leaking pool light fixture is a power cord conduit seal leak which can happen from degradation over time.

The Take-Away

A broken pool light should be tended to as soon as you notice it is not working correctly. Fortunately, more often than not, the outage of a pool light is due to a heavy-gauge relatively simple reason that can be fixed if you know what to look for in advance.