There are some common misunderstandings regarding pool lights. First of all, the lights are only 12 volts, so the risk of electrocution is minimal. All pool lights are connected to a step-down transformer which reduces the normal 120 volts down to 12 volts.
Second, you do not have to lower the water level down below the light in order to change the bulb. The light fixture is installed in a light niche (a metal can embedded into the wall of the pool). You need to remove one screw at the top of the light fixture and unclip it from the bottom, and you can pull the entire fixture out of the water to the pool deck. It is still connected to the electrical cord, which needs to be wrapped around the fixture to reinstall it into the niche. It will be obvious, once the fixture is on the deck, how to remove the lens and gasket and expose the light bulb. The procedure is just reversed to reinstall after the bulb is changed.
Third, you cannot use any regular light bulb, since, again, pool lights are 12 volts. Normal household bulbs are all 120 volts and will not work. Pool and spa lights will be one of 4 sizes. If the light ring in the pool is about 6 or 7 inches in diameter, you either have a 75 watt halogen bulb (most common; has two prongs which plug into the socket), or a 100 watt spa bulb (fairly uncommon). If the light ring is about 12 to 15 inches in diameter, it is either a 100 or 300 watt pool light bulb. These are screw-in bulbs and cannot be interchanged. It is best that the customer brings in the old bulb to match up.
A complete pool light system consists of several components. First, there is the light niche, which is mounted into the pool wall when the pool is built. Second, there is the light fixture which includes the light bulb and has a very specific length of cord. The cord goes through the back of the niche and is connected to a junction box, or deck box, which is usually located somewhere outside the pool deck. Then there is the light transformer, which is mounted on the wall by the pool equipment. A separate wire goes from the transformer to the junction box to complete the electrical circuit. The transformer is connected to the light switch, usually located inside the house.
There are some innovations in the pool lighting business which are very exciting. If the customer has an existing 100 watt or 300 watt light (the big light niche), he can install a colored light (Hayward color logic, Pentair Intellibrite, or Jandy Watercolor Lights ). For the smaller 75 watt lights, a smaller color logic, intellibrite, or watercolor light can be installed. These are special colored lights that will rotate through a series of colors and light shows. The customer can stop on any particular color just by turning the light switch off and then back on.
We are also getting more invloved with fiber optic lighting which can add lots of color to a pool.
