pool light replacement

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drfishingator

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Our pool is being redone and new underwater LED lights are to replace the old lights. The contractor says they cannot pull the old wiring(9years old) and it is stuck due to expansion within the conduit. They only tried to pull it by hand.
He wants to just splice the new light into the old wiring using shrinkwrap and then electrical tape covering. This will leave this splice inside the housing in the wet side.
Is this legal and up to code to have a spliced wire in wet side?

Thanks
Steve P
 
Although we can’t generally allow DIY posts, I approved this because you are just asking for opinions on what your (hopefully) licensed contractor is proposing. Hopefully those with more experience in pool lighting can chime in.
 
Do not allow them to splice the wiring in the conduit. Pool lighting is very dangerous if not done correctly. Splicing in the conduit will allow the splice to be in direct contact with the water as the conduit will fill with water. The chemicals in the pool water will damage the splice. There are ways to add products in the conduit to help free the stuck cable.
 
This is something I routinely encountered and usually there was a pull box buried somewhere that no one knew about. It wasn't uncommon either to have boxes buried under the pool deck that needed to be cut out. Tracing the existing light cable would be the first step. You can also run a fish tape from the niche and see how far it goes.
 
Only time I saw cases like this was on old pools, 60's builds, that used 1/2" galvanized conduit. The light cord would swell rendering nearly impossible to pull. These were the old lights which a thicker cord then. Plus, the galvanized conduit would rust on the inside from the chemicals adding to the jam.
There was a trick with cooking oil poured down the conduit at the deck box, Compressed air hose on the end aided in pushing it out. That was years ago I heard about that trick.
I don't see these anymore as most of those pools are demo'd or someone broke up the patio and replaced the conduit with PVC at some point.

brantmacga could be correct about a pull box.

Splicing is dangerous as previously stated.
 
Reading 2017 in regard to deck/junction boxes. I did not look at 2020 or 2023 but I would imagine no change.

First few lines of 680.24 of 2017

(A) Junction Box. The junction box (deck box) that connects directly to
an underwater permanently installed pool luminaire forming shell must
comply with the following:
(1) Construction. The junction box must be listed, labeled, and identified
as a swimming pool junction box, and must be: }Figure 680–36
(1) Equipped with threaded entries or a nonmetallic hub,
(2) Constructed of copper, brass, or corrosion-resistant material approved
by the authority having jurisdiction, and

1734362054731.png

Also, 680.24 (A)(2)(a)

1734361969816.png

So having a pull box would leave me to believe it is not code compliant.

As I had mentioned about pools built in the 60's, the "deck box" was brass, usually round and set flush in the concrete pour around the pool. Maybe 4" above the water. I'm sure others here have seen this.
 
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