Underwater lighting gives your pool a charming, romantic look at night. It also makes swimming after dark more enjoyable. Such lighting can be a big help when you’re trying to test your pool water after dark. However, changing these underwater bulbs when they burn out isn’t quite as simple as changing a household light bulb.

When you go to replace a pool light bulb, keep in mind that working with water and electricity requires special attention to safety. Be sure to switch off the electricity to the pool area, either at the breaker box or the main shut-off switch. You will need your new bulb, a lens gasket that fits your pool light fixture, both a Phillips-head and a regular screw driver, a couple of towels, and a circuit tester.

The type of bulb you need is generally written on the edge of the fixture. If this information is worn, you can measure the diameter of the existing bulb and compare that number to common replacement bulbs. It’s important that the replacement bulb be the right size to prevent water from entering the bulb fixture and shorting out the bulb.

After you have the right equipment assembled and the electricity off, it’s time to switch out the bulbs. Start by removing the bulb from its casing. Most light fixtures have a screw at the top that holds the unit together. Next, pull the bulb assembly from its casing. There should be a long enough cord so that you can set the whole thing on the deck outside of the pool while you work.

Now that you have the light out of the pool, gently remove the face ring, gasket and lens so that you can get at the bulb. Once that is done, the next part of your pool light repair is to carefully unscrew the bulb and wipe off any moisture. Clean the entire assembly gently to remove any corrosion, but don’t scrape it or the unit may not seal properly when it’s put back together.

Finally, insert the new bulb, install the new lens gasket and put everything back together. Return the light fixture to its casing and replace the set screw. Turn the electricity back on and make sure that the light is working properly.

At Kolb Electric, we want you and your family to enjoy your swimming pool—at night as well as in the daytime. If you don’t feel comfortable replacing the pool lights yourself, we’re here to help. In fact, our licensed electricians are experienced in all aspects of pool light replacement, so we can help you with any service you require. To schedule an appointment for your Maryland, Northern Virginia, or DC-area home, call us at 877 287-1179.

The majority of contractors and building owners are creating networks that interconnect all the components. These provide a single point of monitoring and control the different types of devices, sensors, and equipment.

While wiring the building during the construction phase is the ideal situation, modifying or upgrading existing systems can be challenging.

As the building gets bigger and more complex, so does its automation, making it a real task to interconnect all components. It may require hybrid systems consisting of the UTP, RS-232/RS-485, wired and wireless networks, and a variety of protocols. However, there is still a need to unify all these. It’s best to have a single point of managing and controlling the devices regardless of the style, location, function, and type of network.

As building automation evolves, there are now industry standard network protocols that allow people to interconnect components from different manufacturers. The three most commonly used interoperable protocols in use today include:

Building automation enables efficient control of the various systems and conditions in the building. This allows the occupants and owners to save costs, while improving comfort and living conditions. It adds the ability to automatically monitor and adjust the lighting, air conditioning, heating, ventilation, security and other parameters. Specific benefits include:

Building automation offers several benefits to the owners and occupants of the facilities. It allows the savings of resources such as energy and water while improving the conditions and comfort of the space.

As building automation networking evolves, equipment and applications from different manufacturers are able to work together via standard interfaces and protocols. This allows consumers to benefit from the latest technology and decreases our ecological footprint.