# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  how is in-pool lighting wiring installed?

## wozzzzza

i have a peblecrete pool and it has 2 lights in it underwater.
can anyone give me any diagrams on how pool light conduit is installed and how its waterproofed? and how i get the cable out as it s stuck in there and its stuffed.

----------


## Pugs

It is installed during contruction.. so 
Drain pool...   unscrew the fittings.. take lamp out get sparkie/ the pool builders to get the cable replaced.. reseal, fill pool you have light again

----------


## wozzzzza

thought so, stuff it, will just solder the wires on the new light i think.

----------


## Compleat Amateu

Sorry to chip in late on this one, but my pool has a pair of underwater lights - aboveground on that side, but no different as it matters. 
Essentially there is a length of standard electrical cable built through the pool wall, sufficiently long to get the end above water level when disconnected.  This takes 12 volt light, so there is a transformer somewhere, I've never found it. 
The pool lights themselves are a watertight unit with a length of cable protruding from their back.  This is jointed to the cable above, then a length of tube slid over the top and made watertight with a pair of cable clamps. 
This excess cable coils around the back of the light, which is then screwed into a mating plate that is attached around the cable on the wall of the pool.  God that sounds complicated .. but it isn't! 
When doing things like changing lightglobes, let the tide go out in the pool (weather does that most of the time) except for this year, and have a handy piece of string to retain the cable and light out of the water.

----------


## wozzzzza

> let the tide go out in the pool

  WTF??? im talking about an inground pool not connected ot the ocean. but everything else you mention is identical to mine, hose clamps, etc..

----------


## Compleat Amateu

So am I ... tide = evaporation.  I don't use a solar blanket or anything like that, so a week of hot sunny weather makes "the tide" go out about 25-35 mm. 
So if you want to work on pool lights, either wait for 2 weeks (easy with a low priority task like this), or do a big backwash and take it out thataway! 
Sorry for any confusion, I wish it was a nice tidal pool, but global warming is gonna have to be a big, big issue before that happens.  Don't worry about flat Pacific Islands, I'm talking 30% of New Zealand going under before I get a tidal pool!

----------


## scubabob

Hi mate,  i used to work in the pool game for quite a few years, i was the guy who looked for - and repaired leaks, which could often be in the lighting. 
a Pebblecrete pool would have been built somewhere in the 80's or so and more than likely have Waterco lights, unless they have had more modern ones retro fitted.  The conduit for underwater lights runs underground usually below water level to the pool beam where it enters the shell.  It will then go up to the top of the shell, which is above water level to a junction block (usually a plastic or s/steel disc screwed down).  It is here that the wiring from the transformer joins the wiring to the lights.  You can remove the covers in the top of the pool shell, undo the wires, tie new wire to it and slowly - and carefully, pull the new wire through.  You don't need to drain or empty the pool - even easier if you are a diver 
 It is done this way so that water will not flow out of the conduit as the conduit isn't usually sealed.  water can't flow uphill.  
The only issue with this is if the conduit breaks on the light side of the junction point, water will leak out (easily fixed by plugging the conduit at the light source) or if there is very heavyt rain and the pool overfills and the junction plate is well sealed, water will fill the conduit to the top then siphon out.  Again easily fixed by breaking the seal of the plate. 
Hope this helps  cheers

----------


## wozzzzza

the pool was refurbished or what ever you call it 5 years ago, it used to be all tiled, they ripped them out and pebblecreted it. i have also found that they pebblecreted the wiring in so that is not ever coming out.
i managed to solder new lights onto the existing wiring as it was not too bad in the end. i have nothing that resembles any sort of junction box anywhere near the pool that i can see unless it was pebblecreted over.

----------


## Boeing777

The juntion box and transformer for the pool light at mum's is located under the kitchen sink, a good 15-16m of cable away.

----------


## scubabob

i did say "usually"...................

----------

