Question about lights...

[mariner09]

My light only comes on for a flicker, then the GFI pops. Is it likely to assume a bad GFI or is the light more likely to blame?

I took the fixture out and cleaned it up, lots of brown algae or gunk on it. Housing was also filled with water.

[JohnInSoCal]

what does your GFI look like ? If your GFI has a receptacle then plug something (small shopvac or something like that) into it and see if it works without tripping. The GFI's are very sensitive and can get corrosion quite easily from moisture and weather and that is enough to trip them, it only takes a few milliamps to trip it.

-- john

[waste]

Hi, welcome to the forum. The light itself is not sealed properly, hence the water in the unit, this is causing the gfi to trip. Take it apart and let it dry, inspect the gasket for dry rot or being worn out. The original problem was probably that the retaining screw wasn't tight enough and let water seep in, crank that puppy tight. When you put it back together, submerge it for a minute and check for bubbles, pull it back up and gently shake it to see if water has seeped in, if neither of these has happened, reinstall the light. If you experience any trouble with doing this, let me know and I'll help you as much as I can

[mariner09]

Would the GFI still trip if the unit was dry? I cleaned it up and let it dry and put it back together and was just testing the light to make sure the bulb was good. It would flicker until the GFI popped which was in an instant.

It was full of water and lots of brown junk. I cleaned everything in the socket as best I could. The gasket looked good, but I'll check for bubbles before putting it back in the wall.

I suspect the GFI as well, it had some rust on the bottom of it as if condensation may have somehow come up the pipe.

We'll see what happens in the morning...

Thanks

[waste]

Sorry, I thought you knew, turning on the light when it's not immersed will burn out the light very quickly. The light needs to be cooled by the pool water, though not in the unit itself. It's a little late for me but I'll keep a watch on this thread. Perhaps tomorrow we can really discuss this. -Bed time, - good night

[mariner09]

That's why I would only try to turn it on for a second to verify the bulb. I would not have left it on. I did find that info on one of the many pool resources. Most sites say not to turn it on longer than a couple seconds.

[JohnT]

The GFI can be tripped by dew or condensation, so it's very hard to get something that has been fully wet dried out enough to work on a GFI circuit. Leaving it out on the deck in the sun might help.

When I installed my winter cover, I left the extension cord on the pool deck (unplugged) overnight. The next day, I went to start drilling and nothing. Dried the cord with a towel and still nothing. Finally got a hair drier and dried both ends.

[mariner09]

I wasn't talking about drying out the GFI, I'm just replacing that.

I was drying out the light fixture and cleaning it up. Maybe a hairdryer is the right approach if it still gives me trouble.

[KirstenHW]

So, how did things turn out with your light?