Pool lighting 110 volts
 

Recently I bought a home with a swimming pool. I assumed that the lights
in the pool would be 12 volt to protect again shocking the swimmers. To
my surprise - I opened an electrical box near the pool lights and it was
operating on 110 volts.

The light is in the water - literally surround by water - it is not just
outside the pool shining through a glass. Will someone tell me why we
aren't getting shocked while swimming?

Harry

I think if you look closer you will see that the bulb is actually
sealed in a waterproof enclosure.

PS

It's a good idea to inspect the enclosure every year. When I was a kid
we had an inground pool with a 120V lamp, and if I recall watching my
dad take it apart - it's just rubber gaskets keeping everything dry.
Also, think the encosure had a pigtail connection to the 120v, which is
also subject to failure.

Seems like an excellent place for a GFI to me.

Thinking back, the light we had was turned off and on via a circuit
breaker in a small panel next to the filter. I dunno how it is that
someone didn't get killed at some point.... kids jumping out of a pool
to go flip a circuit breaker when the sun went down. Bare feet, wet
grass, and a hand in a 220v panel.

But, the pool was put in in the 50's, and kids back then could sustain
a 240v 100a charge, I suppose.

We didn't need no stinkin GFI to save us.

"Harry" wrote in message
...
Recently I bought a home with a swimming pool. I assumed that the lights
in the pool would be 12 volt to protect again shocking the swimmers. To
my surprise - I opened an electrical box near the pool lights and it was
operating on 110 volts.

The light is in the water - literally surround by water - it is not just
outside the pool shining through a glass. Will someone tell me why we
aren't getting shocked while swimming?

Harry

There is probably one screw holding the light fixture in. It's is in the
trim ring, once you remove this the can or sealed fixture will come out
,there is about six feet of cord out the back of the unite ( this cord is
continues all the way to the junction box.) you can lay it on the side of
the pool and open it up. Mine has a 500 watt heat lamp bulb. I had water in
mine so the GFI would trip ( that's you safety against getting a shock) The
can was leaking on mine was able to reseal it . Mine cost about $155 with a
50 foot cord, you buy them with the length cord you need. Getting the can
back in the pool took awhile I could not stay down . If you do ever have fix
or replace the light shut the circuit breaker off.

Matt wrote:

PS

It's a good idea to inspect the enclosure every year. When I was a kid
we had an inground pool with a 120V lamp, and if I recall watching my
dad take it apart - it's just rubber gaskets keeping everything dry.
Also, think the encosure had a pigtail connection to the 120v, which is
also subject to failure.

Seems like an excellent place for a GFI to me.

Thinking back, the light we had was turned off and on via a circuit
breaker in a small panel next to the filter. I dunno how it is that
someone didn't get killed at some point.... kids jumping out of a pool
to go flip a circuit breaker when the sun went down. Bare feet, wet
grass, and a hand in a 220v panel.

But, the pool was put in in the 50's, and kids back then could sustain
a 240v 100a charge, I suppose.

We didn't need no stinkin GFI to save us.




When I was a kid, we had to walk 10 miles to
school.............................in the
snow...........................barefoot!

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 15:10:32 -0400, Harry wrote:



Verify that there is a GFCI on the light and there is no water
collecting in the fixture. Beyound that you are just trusting NEC
article 680 and the electrician. The lamp fixture is bonded and
grounded. So is the niche it fits in.

When I removed my light to repair it I went a step farther an and unwired it
at the junction box. I also have two lights and it HAD some electronic
dimmer switches. Now there is one ON Off

Even if it wasn't insulated by from the water, why would it want to go
through you? It has an almost perfect ground right there in the fixture.

"Harry" wrote in message
...
Recently I bought a home with a swimming pool. I assumed that the lights
in the pool would be 12 volt to protect again shocking the swimmers. To
my surprise - I opened an electrical box near the pool lights and it was
operating on 110 volts.

The light is in the water - literally surround by water - it is not just
outside the pool shining through a glass. Will someone tell me why we
aren't getting shocked while swimming?

Harry

Pools can come with dry niche fixtures, wet niche fixtures and low voltage.
If you get exotic there is fiber optic.
120v is pretty common where I live. Most pool companies use a wet niche
fixture. You can remove the screw and the light will bob up to the surface
so you can change the bulb. Providing it was installed correctly. A dry
niche,,, time to drain the water below the fixture location.

Most pools come with GFCI protection on the lights. As for me I will not
swim in a pool with the light on. My life is worth more than the $10 bucks
it costs for the el cheap o GFCI's.

"Matt" wrote in message
ups.com...
PS

It's a good idea to inspect the enclosure every year. When I was a kid
we had an inground pool with a 120V lamp, and if I recall watching my
dad take it apart - it's just rubber gaskets keeping everything dry.
Also, think the encosure had a pigtail connection to the 120v, which is
also subject to failure.

Seems like an excellent place for a GFI to me.

Thinking back, the light we had was turned off and on via a circuit
breaker in a small panel next to the filter. I dunno how it is that
someone didn't get killed at some point.... kids jumping out of a pool
to go flip a circuit breaker when the sun went down. Bare feet, wet
grass, and a hand in a 220v panel.

But, the pool was put in in the 50's, and kids back then could sustain
a 240v 100a charge, I suppose.

We didn't need no stinkin GFI to save us.

You hit the nail on the head Matt...GFCI...!!

"SQLit" wrote in message
...

"Harry" wrote in message
...
Recently I bought a home with a swimming pool. I assumed that the lights
in the pool would be 12 volt to protect again shocking the swimmers. To
my surprise - I opened an electrical box near the pool lights and it was
operating on 110 volts.

The light is in the water - literally surround by water - it is not just
outside the pool shining through a glass. Will someone tell me why we
aren't getting shocked while swimming?

Harry

Pools can come with dry niche fixtures, wet niche fixtures and low
voltage.
If you get exotic there is fiber optic.
120v is pretty common where I live. Most pool companies use a wet niche
fixture. You can remove the screw and the light will bob up to the surface
so you can change the bulb. Providing it was installed correctly. A dry
niche,,, time to drain the water below the fixture location.

Most pools come with GFCI protection on the lights. As for me I will not
swim in a pool with the light on. My life is worth more than the $10 bucks
it costs for the el cheap o GFCI's.


Ok SQ...so since I know you are an accomplished electrician I have a
suggestion. Drive a copper rod down into the water table, connect your best
DMM to it, drop the other lead into the pool and jump in...when the digits
start rolling .... Get the hell out of Dodge...
or you could just shut off the lights....Just having some fun at your
expense....Ross

toller wrote:

Even if it wasn't insulated by from the water, why would it want to go
through you? It has an almost perfect ground right there in the fixture.

It's certainly possible. Consider this:

"In May 2002, a 14-year-old girl from Arlington, Texas, was electrocuted when
wiring problems in an apartment swimming pool’s underwater lights charged the
water with electricity. A 16-year-old boy was seriously shocked when he
jumped in the pool to try to save the young girl. Another teenager used a
fiberglass shepherd’s hook (a non-conductive device) to pull both victims
from the water. "

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml03/03125.html

Fiber optic is not so exotic these days. My pool was installed about
five years ago, and I chose the fiber optic pool lights. All of the
electrical components are in a box near the pool, with only fiber optic
strands going into the side of the pool. I have two light systems, one
at the shallow end, with white light, and one at the deep end, with a
color wheel, in the box near the pool, above ground, and easy to
access. This month, the lights weren't working, so I took two screws
out of the box cover, checked the fuses, replaced one, cleaned the
light source and color wheel, and put it back together, without getting
wet.