# I blew up some Pentair 12V pool lights



## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

I sent 120v to a 12vac pool light, the nice LED multicolor $800 each kind.

They are fused for 7 amps. Ironically, I did not blow the fuse on the circuit board... I blew two capacitors in series with the line, hidden inside a molded connector for the pcb assembly. Don't ask me how I found something obviously hidden... I am lucky. I am going to delete the connector and wire in directly... But I still want two capacitors for dc isolation, and a glass fuse too, upstream where the wires leave the transformer and go down to the light.

I am no ee. What capacitor would be good for 12vac and 7 amps at 60 hz to let ac pass? Pentair said I was going to have to buy all new lights, I might have fallen for their ruse if the pool hadn't settled and made pulling in new lights impossible due to crushed conduit.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

A 1500uF capacitor would have a reactance of 1.7 ohms, which would allow 7A to pass. But I'm not actually sure if that's how you size this. You may want a capacitor with as little reactance as possible since it's in series, that way the cap isn't trying to limit current, and you avoid overheating: Any sized cap would still provide DC isolation.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

some reading links
http://my.execpc.com/~endlr/line-filter.html

http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/jun97/basics.html


http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/tec...citor-in-your-power-supply-filter-is-too-big/


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Bite the bullet and get a new one-- insurance should pay some if you use them.

My guy did something similar with a hi-tech switch--- cost $900 for the switch.....ugh


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## Jhellwig (Jun 18, 2014)

You are dealing with peoples lives. Swallow your pride and chalk it up to a lesson learned. Use new lights.


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

Dennis Alwon said:


> Bite the bullet and get a new one-- insurance should pay some if you use them.
> 
> My guy did something similar with a hi-tech switch--- cost $900 for the switch.....ugh





Jhellwig said:


> You are dealing with peoples lives. Swallow your pride and chalk it up to a lesson learned. Use new lights.


OP said the conduit was crushed, so can't pull in new lights.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

If the board and lights are still good, why replace them?


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

You can see if you can get ahold of a schematic that identifies those caps if you can't determine that from looking at them. Another possibility is call and ask for an engineer to ask a technical question, then see if he'll tell you the part numbers.


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

miller_elex said:


> I sent 120v to a 12vac pool light, the nice LED multicolor $800 each kind.
> 
> They are fused for 7 amps. Ironically, I did not blow the fuse on the circuit board... I blew two capacitors in series with the line, hidden inside a molded connector for the pcb assembly.
> 
> ...


*
Good grief, are you sure ?*
*
I don't understand such terminology. *

*Are you describing a low-pass filter ?*

*What ? 

I can't pull this picture together, it's that ugly.*

Is this a newly built pool ? 

How could such extreme settlement not cause grief in every direction ?

Wet humans + shoddy wiring conditions + hacked repair = unlimited liabilities; 

*criminal liabilities*, BTW.

There can be *no* short cuts// improvisations where pool circuits are involved.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

telsa said:


> Wet humans + shoddy wiring conditions + hacked repair = unlimited liabilities;
> 
> *criminal liabilities*, BTW.


Miller eats Felonies for breakfast and craps out misdemeanors. I've got pictures.


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

It's 12 volts through an isolation transformer. I am not worried... 

I found some black wirenuts in orange size. That should fix it right up.


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