Is Your Pool Light Not Working?
If you have a swimming pool in your yard or on your property, you probably also have a light installed in it. Swimming pool lighting can add a great amount of beauty to your pool, along with the ability to utilize and enjoy it safely, 24 hours a day. However, after a while you may notice that your light is flickering or won't turn on. While you may think the time has come to drain your pool and change out the bulb, which can be an extremely tedious and expensive process, you may be surprised when you learn that you might just need to fix a different factor in your electrical system. The trick is doing some troubleshooting to figure out the problem before taking the water out of your pool.
Easy Pool Light Troubleshooting
- The first thing you should do is strap on your swim goggles and head underwater to check the light for yourself. Try to see if you can shake the ring that holds the light fixture into the pool itself. If it moves easily when you touch it or move water past it, try diving back down with a larger phillips-head screwdriver to tighten it up.
- If that doesn’t work, try checking your light fixture to see if you can spot any water in it. If there’s water in the fixture itself, then you might have a leak. This usually stems from a bad lens gasket, which is a rubber seal between the lens and the housing. However, this could also be the conduit seal wearing out over time. Unfortunately, fixing either of these issues will require draining the pool.
- Finally, if you repair the fixture and the light hasn’t turned on, then your bulb may be burned out. Take the bulb out of the fixture and shake it near your ear. If you hear the filament running into the sides of the bulb, then your bulb is dead and needs replaced.
Harder Troubleshooting
If replacing your bulb doesn’t work and you’ve made sure all your seals are in good working condition, you may have tripped the circuit breaker. Generally this happens when you plug in or turn on a new appliance from a socket that’s on the same circuit as your pool light. Check the circuit breaker panel that’s usually found on the side of your house. If the breaker that your pool light is on has been tripped, unplug whatever you just turned on or plugged in and then reset the breaker by turning it all the way off and then back on again.
If that doesn’t work, you may have a bad breaker. If that’s the case, it’s highly advised you call a Marietta electrician to replace it.
Finally, there’s one more potential option: you tripped your ground fault circuit interrupter. Better known as the GFCI, this is a device used to lower danger on installations that have a higher-than-usual risk of electric shock. They’re usually found on sockets in bathrooms and kitchens, and you’ll usually find them outdoors too. If you have any GFCI outlets on your pool light circuit, try resetting them. If that doesn’t work, you may need to replace it.
At Lighting Bug Electric, we offer an array of pool lighting services in Marietta and Atlanta. If you're having trouble with your pool lights, contact our experienced and skilled team. We work quickly and efficiently to diagnose the issue and provide lasting solutions. Additionally, we provide competitive prices to fit all budgets.
If you need help with an electrical issue, Lightning Bug Electric can provide you with quality service! Call us today at (404) 471-3847 to schedule an appointment.