Jasong is technically correct the code does not require a GFCI on a low voltage lighting circuit. However, as a general rule most of us on TFP recommend a GFCI on all pool circuits even a low voltage lighting circuit.
The light always has to be a dedicated circuit because it has to be protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). A GFCI is a device that monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral.
Code Change Summary: Changes in 680.21(C) make it clear that all single-phase, 120-volt through 240-volt branch circuits serving pool motors require ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection for personnel. GFCI requirements are expanding and are expected to keep doing so in the years to come.
In truth, 12V Lighting can be the brightest, safest, most cost and time-effective option you can offer your customers.
Because these lights operate at a very low voltage, they are less inherently dangerous when taken on their own. Some believe the 120 volts generated by an incandescent light can introduce a fatal charge, whereas the power from low-voltage lights, generally 12 volts, can injure but not kill.
Swimming pools and spa's always need 12 Volts of AC power. Most people hear 12 Volts and immediately think of DC which is used in cars and also outside landscape lighting. If you hook pool LED's to 12V DC, sometimes they work, but not correctly.
You can get electrocuted by a pool light where faulty wiring or defective lighting equipment causes an electrical current to be released into the water and you come into contact with the electrified water.
Fortunately, the answer is no—the water typically does not need to be drained! Because the electrical cable is sealed, it's impervious to any water that will get into the conduit when the bulb is being replaced.
If your current pool light is a 120V pool light, then you'll need to have an electrician install a transformer between the power source and the junction box. The Junction Box, or J-box as it's sometimes called, is the point where the wires from the pool light meet the wires from the breaker box.
12V Is More Energy Efficient
Low voltage systems are more energy efficient than 120V systems. They typically use 20 to 40 percent less electricity than 120V, and that savings is even higher if you use LED lighting.
Heat pumps do not require a GFCI. Heat pumps fall under NEC 680.45 as a "circulation heater" which requires a GFCI when supplied by a brach circuit of 150 volts or less. Any pool Heat Pump that runs on 240 volts then does not require a GFCI.
Only single phase 120-240-volt pool motors require GFCI protection. The replacement pump motor shall be provided with ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection.
GFCI is the term normally used in the USA with 5mA trip current. RCD or RCCB is the term normally used in the UK with 30mA trip current. A combined earth leakage and overload protective device is known as RCBOs.
This can be due to a small amount of water being inside your light fixture which the light may heat up and vaporize. This can then cause the GFCI to trip. GFCIs are also known to trip from extreme humidity. Be sure that the outlets that may be on the same GFCI circuit are covered to help prevent this.
Check the circuit breaker panel that's usually found on the side of your house. If the breaker that your pool light is on has been tripped, unplug whatever you just turned on or plugged in and then reset the breaker by turning it all the way off and then back on again. If that doesn't work, you may have a bad breaker.
At first, all pool lights used an R-40 bulb, a large incandescent flood lamp. In the 80's, halogen pool bulbs began to gain favor, as well as fiber optic lighting that can run above or below water. The most popular pool lights in use today have LED bulbs.
Step 2. VOLTAGE 12V vs 120V - Pool lights are designed to operate with 12V or 120V. In some areas of the country the local code requires a low voltage 12V light while in other areas it is fine to use a 120V light.
The 220Va 4 Inlet Transformer is a garden light transformer that can run pool lights and withstand complete immersion in water.
Technically, yes. You can add pool lights to your existing pool, but it might mean that your pool needs to be remodelled, which requires a considerable amount of work. If you have an older pool, it could be a good chance to combine your need for lights with the need for a pool refresh.
If the bulb tests well (3-20 ohms) the fixture is probably bad. Try a new bulb without closing the fixture. It probably will not light, and the fixture will have to be replaced. If the bulb tests poorly (overflow, open, no continuity, infinite ohms), the light most likely will work fine with a new bulb and gasket.
Water inside the Pool Light? If there is water inside the lens of the pool light, which you can usually see from on-deck, that doesn't mean that the light is leaking, but it does mean that the lamp gasket has failed, letting water leak inside and surround the bulb.
An electrician should ground the light niche, to protect against any stray voltage. Inside the wet niche there is a grounding lug that must have a bare copper wire connected to it, normally this a continuous ground around the entire pool.
* There were 23 deaths from electrocutions in pools and spas from 2002-2014. Two fatal incidents from 2013-2014 were received in 2015. No injuries or deaths due to electrocutions in pools and spas were identified in 2018.
How to test pool water for electricity? One way to test pool water for electricity is to use a device called shock alert. It will notify you if there is electricity present in the water. If it beeps and flashes red, it means there is a presence of electricity in the water and you should not swim in it.
Pool Lights: 12v, 3.5 watts each. Self-Contained Hot Tub: 240v 50 amps. Automatic Pool Cover: 220v, 5-7 amps OR 110v, 11-13 amps.