Light Cord Rust Spot

[mcoos]

Hi my spa light kept tripping the gfi. I took it out and noticed a spot of rust on the cord/wire at the light housing. I let it dry and put a new bulb in. It stayed on but flickered. Do i need to replace the entire cord/fixture or could i possibly wire brush off the rust and goop some flexible epoxy/glue/cement around the rust spot? What type of epoxy should i use?

[kelemvor]

If there is any exposed wiring, you should replace the fixture (to which the cord is permanently attached). Having electrical wiring connected to a pool is a huge safety risk. Huge as in potentially deadly to you or your family or guests. I do mean to scare you here because of the risk that is involved.

MAKE SURE you verify that your bonding and grounding are both spot on.

If it is just discolored insulation and it reasonably seems like the discoloration is from some source other than the wiring its-self you still have the issue of why this light is flickering. Was the cord in contact with some metal (the niche)? It sounds like an incandescent bulb. If so, it could be defective. I've encountered incandescent bulbs that were defective from the get go. Bulbs can generally be had cheap from online sites like 1000bulbs.com.

If you do decide to replace the light, do not pull the cord out of the niche yet. When you put a new light in, you can cut the old cord and use the old cord to pull the new light cord through the conduit easily.