Leaks in swimming pool plastic light housings1 The PoolLeakAcademy.com 2017

There is a huge pool leak problem with this style of plastic swimming pool light housing cracking along the back and being notoriously difficult to repair. We have a repair kit for sale and also dye testing leak detection kits available.
www.poolleakacademy.com/poolle...

[@readmore3634]

I asked a few pool inspectors in my area: "Who's the best pool builder around here?" By far they all agreed it was "****** Pools"...They said they're competitively priced but go the extra mile in many important places...So I hired them.... One thing they did was use a heavy duty aluminum light housing and they're the only pool builder who still use 3/4" brass conduit all the way to the junction box. Also, all the plumbing ditches were wide and flat on the bottom so that each pipe was installed on virgin dirt and separated... not to touch each other. I'm a professional plumber and can certainly appreciate that. I'm sure there were other quality measures taken I don't even know about....25 years later absolutely no issues.

[@bradfordweston7583]

Accurate, complete and detailed; made fixing my pool a snap! Thanks NATE

[@brentbailey559]

Excellent, detailed video. Makes it easy for anyone to understand.

[@siasil]

TY, I will be building a pool soon! We are going to add flex pipe as you suggested. TY for bringing this out!

[@angelicaaguilar3795]

I’m getting this work done as I type, now I’m gonna go ask about the flex pipe. Thanks for the information it’s much appreciated.

[@chrisdunn2723]

How did the process go? Was it expensive?

[@BobsPoolService]

We see similar fractures from settling on the bottoms of skimmers, pipe doesn't move but the skimmer does and you see a ring around where the pipe screws in which can leak. On vinyl pools I've actually seen people take the light niche out, install a longer piece of flex pipe, run the cord through then put it back in with a coil of flex behind the light. Fixes the leak but the next guy that has to change the light fixture is doomed! Water bonds inside skimmers are another thing that will become leaks, they use brass and stainless in some of those products and you get a reaction. Very cool video you made.

[@michaelchow8944]

Thanks for your professional insight and tips.

[@carlosgaray3433]

Great detail well explained I need to fix my niche in Orlando thank you.

[@joepie221]

Thank you

[@nedcroughan5425]

Thanks for putting out this video.

[@adsanti130]

Great detailed video. Thanks

[@darvinlafarga]

great video! very informative. i don’t even have a pool.

[@GRJCLyon]

Having a brand new pool done right now. I found this video by accident but glad I did. I know it's a few years old now but looking around the internet I'm finding the flex piping is not the best idea. Even though it would keep from snapping under the pressure of ground settling, the flex can collapse causing another issue. Also, I'm finding that certain insects like termites actually love it and eat through it ultimately causing an issue. I'd love to hear thoughts on that as well. I'm also wondering if you have a concrete collar done around your inground pool and your backfill is over that concrete, you allow the ground to settle for 4-5 weeks before pouring concrete, just how much will the ground really settle after that anyway?

[@jrt1776]

Excellent video. Leak detection needs to becone better

[@devitaslife7858]

Great video

[@jonprunes9646]

Great to know! If there is only one light, can the wire just run directly to a GFI breaker? No need for J box if there is only one light correct? Just making sure. Thank you!

[@ericstemmer2821]

Can you explain more about the flex pipe, what exactly I need to buy and where to buy it? Thanks.

[@matthewkoons886]

I am refinishing my pool and the light that is in there is in bad shape. What is the best way to go about replacing the entire housing. I'm not sure I would be able to get it out.

[@traviss2217]

Exactly the video i need

[@gamshehab228]

can I fix the light housing from the outside if I dig from behind

[@johnnunez3451]

Great video. Where can I get that flex pipe? Home Depot has a piece but it’s long and it’s got a male on both ends

[@mawhiteside]

Where is the link to the 30 minute detailed video mentioned in this one?

[@ronjames-music]

I wish you were on Long Island, NY. I just spent $13,000 to repair leaks and it is still losing 3" of water per day. I suspect it is the light or the skimmer. The light stopped working a few days after they "completed" the project.

[@chadcoates321]

I am in the middle of this right now with a 12 year old pool, looking for the right answer. I can not find the video on your channel that you said you have that is 30 minutes long showing how the repair is done. Can you respond with a link to this video?

[@ruthlessluder]

Is this only an issue with plastic niche?

[@oldtimedrumcorps]

I needed to reset my junction box further back from the pool. When i removed the light from niche I found a mess of white water mold .Stainless steel niche . I vaccumed to waste the niche water mold and cleaned the light capsule in a bucket of chlorinated water .Shocked pool, left out light for a few days to allow shock to work in niche. bought a special rubber plug for niche hole which goes around light cable .. . I would reccomend that the niche be cleaned about every 2 to 3 yrs . That appears to be where my chemicals were being used up . If you do the cleaning your self ALWAYS DEENERGIZE the electricity. If in doubt call a Pro .

[@poolleakacademy5573]

I swam up to one light and felt my fingers tingling- time to get back.

[@oldtimedrumcorps]

@@poolleakacademy5573 How close were you ? Had you actually touched the light or trim ring .De enrgize and replace that light and cable . Be careful ! Let me know what was causing the ground .

[@grassthief1280]

Hello Nathan i was wondering if i wanted to purchase the kit from your website does it matter if my housing is metal or plastic ??

[@thomastirolflorida5363]

looks like jumper bonding wire was loose as well....nono

[@frankmaniaci3520]

Sounds like this could be my problem. Do you have any colleges in NJ that you could recommend?

[@atifkhairi]

Can you please clarify what the flexible conduit is, and it would great help if you can recommend where to get it from. Thanks for sharing this video, it is a huge help in taking care of this issue permanently.

[@poolleakacademy5573]

The flexible conduit is spa pipe or PVC "flex pipe" available in 3/4" or 1"

[@BobsPoolService]

@@poolleakacademy5573 I hate to say it but while this may solve one problem it could create another. Flex pipe is notorious for expanding under low pH conditions, it's also susceptible to grub and termite damage. Lastly I don't think it's UL listed or approve for that application but I may be wrong. We use Hayward niches and haven't had one crack like that yet in the roughly 10 years we've been installing them. Can't say I'm a fan of all hayward products but I do think they have the best plastic niche design, it's pretty beefy where the conduit glues in. The old SS ones with the brass nut were very problematic.

[@joeshmoe5935]

fifty cent fix, seems to be using plumbing flexible PVC. Have had many wiring jobs where I wished to have flexible pvc conduit. It doesn't exist, not to electrical code. only the gray stuff.

[@grasscutter1963]

Hi, the 10 hole liner sealing ring behind my pool light that is screwed into the pool wall has the tab that has the threaded hole for mounting the light lenses to the light housing. Will there be trouble with the liner if I unscrew this ring and replace it? Thanks

[@poolleakacademy5573]

Probably not a good idea, I have a picture of one slipping down the back of a fiberglass pool. A vinyl liner might be built different- but there is no reason to remove those 10 screws because the light is held in with just one screw on the top.

[@HEAVENLYTUNESDJANGEL]

Hi Nate, is there anything I can do now? The backfill was just done but I can dig out the dirt for the light but the pvc conduit are already installed. Can I place anything underneath the pipe or silicone the hell out of it from the outside. Or do anything inside the niche now that is empty? No liner yet. Thank you in advance

[@readmore3634]

FYI....I asked a few pool inspectors in my area: "Who's the best pool builder around here?" By far they all agreed it was "**** Pools"...They said they're competitively priced but go the extra mile in many important places...So I hired them.... One thing they did was use a heavy duty aluminum light housing and they're the only pool builder who still use 3/4" brass conduit all the way to the junction box. Also, all the plumbing ditches were wide and flat on the bottom so that each pipe was installed on virgin dirt and separated... not to touch each other. I'm a professional plumber and can certainly appreciate that. I'm sure there were other quality measures taken I don't even know about....25 years later absolutely no issues.

[@docpulliam8190]

❤

[@rh1974]

any idea the cost of a repair like this?

[@poolleakacademy5573]

The repair kit is $80 at www.PoolLeakAcademy.com possibly on Ebay also

[@nedcroughan5425]

I live in NC. I have called many so called pool experts no one will take on fixing pool leak .A leak company wants 1600.00 $ to repair leaks . It was dumb design to install niche from back. Liner installer didn't even tell me I had this problem. I guess I'll have to learn to hold my breath under water!

[@harryb4366]

Those plastic light housings are in every pool built from 2000. We got a problem.

[@moochee22]

Don't you think we'd get changes in code if this were a problem?

[@joshyingling]

@@moochee22 you don't follow much permitting laws and codes? They don't change codes because it costs you money in a few years, unfortunately they wait till a couple hundred kids drown before they change code.

[@marcuswray1797]

Stupid design. That engineer should be sued

[@moochee22]

I don't understand what the issue is with the cracks? What other issue does a crack cause? Wouldn't there be a code change if this cracking issue were causing an issue? Can people die from this? What happens if I have a crack?

[@poolleakacademy5573]

The cracks cause the pool to leak water- up to 1-2" per day. The codes need to be changed but as far as I know Im the first one to point the problem out and make a video.

[@joshyingling]

Yeah you lose a ton of water, you won't be shocked due to the transformer that your light is running through converting the electrical inflow to 12v DC. However your pool losing water can cause multiple problems, houses settling, decks cracking, pipes breaking. Already described in the video you can see how a constant amount of water in the ground will compact the soil continually.

[@johnvrymoed418]

The backfill is "soil" Dirt is what is underneath your fingernails.

[@AidanSkoyles]

thank you for this important clarification

[@oscarcoker6816]

Great video