Dimming a Pool Light

[Phillbo]

I'd like to have my pool light on a dimmer switch. I believe it's a 500w bulb so getting a dimmer that will handle the load should not be a problem but are there other issues that could prevent me from doing this ? Will it shorten the life span of the bulb ? Is there a specific type of dimmer i need to use other than the standard weather proof type unit ?

[Poconos]

Nothing special. Standard dimmer. Running a lamp at lower than specified voltage will increase the life of the lamp as the filament is not running as hot. Another thing that kills incandescant lamps is the inrush current when first turned on. This is when most blow. Filament is cold, resistance is low, starting current is very high and the weakest part of the filament bears the brunt and poof. So, if you ramp up the voltage at turn on, or just leave the control off maximum, you should get a lot of extended life.
Al

[Phillbo]

Nice ... and I thought it was a lame idea..

My pool is set up so the light faces my party area.. I need to tame it down a bit.

[Poconos]

I have 3 floodlights on the roof of the poolhouse and got a lot of complaints because of the glare and high intensity. So I got 90' of white ropelights and strung them along the top of the poolfence and put those on a dimmer. Lot nicer. Floods are there in case the area has to become daylight real fast, such as seeing the bottom of the pool.
Al

[aquarium]

My pool is set up so the light faces my party area.. I need to tame it down a bit.

Same here. I bought one of those blue plastic lenses to cover my light and it does a good job of taming it down. The only problem is that the lense isn't a good fit on the light and it falls off easily.