How To Temporarily Extend a Short Pool Light Cord to Replace Bulb

Step 1

VIEW CORRECT INSTALLATION - This is a view of how your light fixture should have been installed. The 4'-5' of wire you see coming out of the light niche was coiled up behind the installed light fixture.

Step 2

TURN POWER OFF - Before working on your light fixture, be sure to turn OFF power to your lights at the circuit breaker.

Step 3

DISCONNECT LIGHT WIRES - Locate the power junction box for your lights. It will normally be next to the house close to the pool control box. Open up the junction box and disconnect the wires to your light . You may have several light cables coming into this box. Generally they are labeled on the PVC pipes. If not, you may have to disconnect each indepentently and turn the power back on and off to see which cabel powers each light. Mark the pipes for the future.

Step 4

ATTACH CORD TO WIRES - Now you want to attach a cord or special fish tape to the light wires. One way to do this is to bend back the white and black wires to form a loop. Leave the green ground wire out straight. Then attach the cord though the loop. The green ground wire will parallel the cord as shown.

Step 5

TAPE CONNECTION - Tape the wire connection on both side of the joint so that no wire ends are left exposed. A smooth connection will move around any bends in the pipe more easily.

Step 6

REMOVE LIGHT FIXTURE - Remove the light fixture off the pool wall. It is generally secure by one screw at the top of the light fixture.

Step 7

PULL WIRES ON LIGHT END - Pull the light fixture away from the wall. Once it is off the wall, reach behind the fixture and pull the wire out of the wall behind the fixture. Avoid pulling the wire out of the wall by pulling on the fixture. It may break the sealed connection at the back of the fixture. Pull out enough wire to be able to set the light fixture on the pool deck.

Step 8

FEED CORD AT BOX END - As you are pulling wire on the light fixture end, have someone else feed the other end of the wire and the attached cord down into the pipe.

Step 9

PLACE LIGHT FIXTURE ON POOL DECK - When you have enough wire pull though the back of the niche, set the light fixture on the pool deck.

Step 10

REPLACE BULB - See our guide on "How to Replace a Pool Light Bulb".

Step 11

PULL WIRE BACK TO TERMINAL BOX - After you have replace the light bulb, lower the light fixture into the water and pull the light cable back into the pipe by pulling on the cord at the terminal box end of the cable. Have someone feed the cable into the pipe at the back of the pool niche so that it doesn't bind as you are pulling on the other end.

Step 12

RECONNECT WIRES - Pull the cord until the other end of the cable/wires is exposed. Disconnect the cord and reconnect the cable wires to the appropriate terminals in the junction box. Close the junction box.

Step 13

RE-ATTACH LIGHT FIXTURE - Replace the light fixture into the pool niche and re-secure it with the single screw at the top of the fixture.