Water in light dome

[MrSparkle]

I've got the Fibrestars in my fiberglass pool also, it's about 7 or 8 years old. The third season I noticed water droplets in my lens and eventually got to 1/3 of way up. The water in the lens dramatically reduces the intensity of the light.

A couple of things first. Water in the lens should not affect the light source operation unless water penetrated the control box, entered the tube to the pool that holds the fibres, and damaged the circuitry in the control box. Water could still enter the sheath holding the fibres and not damage the circuitry.

Another way water can get into the lens is the fibers are in a sheath, the sheath is run inside a flexible PVC tube which is attached to the rear of the lens housing outside of the pool underground. If this seal is not water tight, it can seep in.

The way these things work - Your control box has a high intensity bulb that is held over one end of the fibres. The fibers are very small, flexible hollow glass tubes. I don't remember how many fibres strands I have but it is a lot. The light enters the glass tubes, bounces around in there following the bends of the tubes until it exits behind the lens in the pool. There is no electricity anywhere near the light lens in the pool.

On mine I originally thought the installers did not seal the lens in the pool properly so I drained the pool down to the lens, unscrewed it and tried to dry out the sheath that holds the fibres as best I could. I used silicone on the o-ring, teflon tape on the lens threads and reinstalled. Was fine for a couple of years and last year I noticed water droplets in the lens again and this year water is a third of the way up again.

I'm thinking now that water vaper is entering from the open end underneath the control box and finding its way down to the lens due to gravity.

I was recently at the pool installers shop to get a new skimmer basket and I asked if others were having this problem. I was told some, but not all have this issue. They have a U-shaped stainless steel tub that is opened on the top which gets placed around the lens in the pool, water is pumped out providing suction to hold the tub against the pool. Then you have access to the lens.

I have relatives with this same system and they don't have the problem. The only difference is their control box in on top of the cement apron of the pool. Mine is in the landscaping beds sitting on dirt and wood chips.

I'd be willing to bet yours is in the landscaping beds too.

Water in the lens itself will not damage you system, but algae can start to grow inside the fibres and that will dramatically reduce the available light at the lens. If that happens the fibers can be replaced.

edit: Almost forgot. Your water in the lens may or MAY NOT have anything to do with the light not working. You have two separate issues. One, you light is not coming on. Could be a burnt out bulb, could be the circuitry. And two, you have water geting into the fibre sheath somehow. Show your electrician the control box and have him look there.