Repairing a leak around swimming pool lights

[Monomial]

My swimming pool contractor has screwed up. I built an overflow swimming pool, and the swimming pool lights are installed with an electrical box and access panel inside the overflow gutter just below the grating. From this box there is PVC tube that carries the low voltage cable underwater, where the lights are mounted.

Unfortunately, it appears this PVC tube was installed but never sealed after the lights were mounted in the pool. There is now gushing water coming out of the electrical boxes and into the overflow gutter as soon as the water level in the pool reaches the height of the PVC.

Given the current drought and the fact that the pool took 8 days to fill, I really do not want to drain the entire pool and start over again.

Is there a product or epoxy available in Thailand that can be safely used to seal the lights while underwater? This guy claims to be an expert, but he clearly has very little experience and has made countless mistakes, so I do not trust him to repair this himself. After a week of complaining the problem still exists.

Thank you for any advice.

[SwimmingPoolsThailand]

This may not be quite the problem you are attempting to describe.

Any water 'gushing' into the overflow gutter will go back to the balance tank and be ecirculated; it is not lost any more than the overflow water is.

However, underwater lights for pools should be connected through a junction box specially designed fore this purpose. See these deck boxes for examples.

To ensure a proper watertight seal and a waterproof connection, the boxes are then usually filled with high quality clear silicone from a silicone gun - after the lights have been tested, and before the pool is filled.

[Monomial]

Thanks.

I agree with everything you have said. You understand the situation perfectly. Unfortunately, that seal you are talking about did not happen in this case due to the contractor being very inexperienced and careless.

So I still have the question: do you have an epoxy or sealant that can be applied to correct this issue while underwater?

[SwimmingPoolsThailand]

For specific product information or personal advice, please contact our sales or customer services departments directly here. They are quick to respond.

You can also call them - they speak perfect English, French, German, Swedish, and of course Thai.

[fdimike]

To answer your question about a sealant. Underwater epoxy sealant is available at a number of places here in Thailand to include Home Pro. It normally comes in a tube about 3" long. You'll need to cut off the amount you need and then it must be kneaded (sp) in your hand until the color is all white. Then just force it into whatever crevasse you want to seal. It will cure in the water and affect a seal. I guess in your case you'll need to seal the conduit as it exits the box. It would be really helpful if you could upload a couple of pics in order to see where the sealant should be placed. This stuff works great. I've used it underwater numerous times.

[thairay]

the box is in the wrong place..it must be above the water at high level or the water will come up the pipe from the light..if the box was higher the pipe would flood without the water reaching the join in the cable.. as for sealing it now...move the box and it will be ok.. if you completely seal the pipe you can have trouble when the light fails and you need to rewire a new one....complete design failure i am afraid...chase the plastic pipe along the overflow channel and pop it up somewhere above the high water line .. where are you?.

[SwimmingPoolsThailand]

On overflow pools, deck boxes are always located flush with the deck and the overflow water will flow over them if they are located between the pool and the gutter. Ideally the deck box should be located after the gutter. The 2.5m bonded cable supplied with all quality underwater lights for swimming pools in Thailand and are designed for this purpose.

On the other hand, the PVC conduit rising from the light will naturally fill with water to the level of the pool and deck and if not addressed will flood the interior of the deck box. Most electricians should knowq about the use of waterproof glands for terminating the ends of PVC conduit and threaded waterproof glands for junction boxes with punch-out holes or female threaded holes.

Filling the interior of a swimming pool deck box will add further security and should be done using a relatively easily removable silicone or lanolin gel. A 2-component epoxy adhesive or filler may be harder to remove and attempted removal could result in the destruction of the box and damage to the cables.