Hayward ColorLogic 4.0

ColorLogic 4.0 is Hayward's 120-volt color LED underwater light. The range is only two lights: the SP0527 pool light at 95 W and the SP0535 spa light at 40 W. Each comes with a stainless or plastic faceplate and a choice of cord lengths, which is why Hayward lists 18 part numbers for it.

It changes color the simplest way possible: by counting how many times you switch the power off and on. No controller is required, and any plain on/off switch works.

Reading the part number

Every ColorLogic 4.0 number follows the same pattern, so the label on an old light tells you what to reorder:

• SP0527 is the pool light, SP0535 the spa light
• An S after it means stainless trim; no S means plastic
• The number at the end is the cord length in feet — 30, 50, 100 or 150
• A W3 in front is Hayward's Open Line version, approved for online sale

So W3SP0527SLED100, the version this site shortlists, is the pool light with stainless trim and a 100-foot cord, sold through the Open Line.

Measure the cord run before ordering. The cord runs from the niche all the way up through the conduit to the junction box, and the manual has you trim any excess there rather than at the light — so buy a length that reaches, with enough spare to coil in the niche.

The niche decides the UL listing

Hayward designs the fixture to mount in Hayward niches made in 1993 or later. The manual is candid that it may fit other niches — but installed in one, the installation does not carry UL approval.

For the pool light, the niches Hayward names are SP0600U, SP0607U, SP0604C and SP0609C. In an SP0607U the light needs the brass spacer that comes with it, and the mounting screw passes through it.

Two more conditions from the manual:

• The top of the lens must be at least 18 inches below the normal water level, unless it is in an area not used for swimming with the lens guarded.
• The light is UL listed for permanently installed pools and spas only. It is not listed for storable pools, which the manual defines as those on or above ground holding no more than 42 inches of water.

Twelve programs on a light switch

The light holds twelve programs: five fixed colors and seven color shows. Turning the power off and back on moves to the next one.

1. Voodoo Lounge — fast color wash
2. Deep Blue Sea — fixed
3. Afternoon Skies — fixed
4. Emerald — fixed
5. Sangria — fixed
6. Cloud White — fixed
7. Twilight — slow color wash
8. Tranquility — blue, cyan and white fade
9. Gemstone — blue, green and magenta fade
10. USA! — red, white and blue switch
11. Mardi Gras — fast random fade
12. Cool Cabaret — fast random fade

Three timings run the whole system:

• To advance, turn it back on within 10 seconds. The manual's fix for a light that keeps coming back white is exactly this: keep the off time under 10 seconds.
• Leave it off for at least 1 second. Flicking it too fast is the manual's first explanation for a light that will not change.
• After more than 60 seconds off, it comes on white for 15 seconds so you can see the pool, then returns to the last program it ran.

Never put it on a dimmer. If a Hayward PSC2100 controller runs it on its main light circuit, that circuit has to be set for a non-dimming light — dip switch 1 down.

Getting several lights back in sync

Lights wired to the same switch or relay synchronize themselves. When they drift apart, the manual's reset is:

1. Turn the switch on
2. Turn it off
3. Wait 11 to 14 seconds
4. Turn it on

They should all come back on program 1, together. The pool light troubleshooting guide covers why lights fall out of sync in the first place.

When it will not come on

The manual's list is short:

• Won't come on — check and reset the GFCI.
• Comes on and goes off by itself — the automatic thermal switch may be cycling because the water is too hot. Check the pool or spa temperature.
• Doesn't work properly at all — make sure the controller is not dimming the light.

Beyond those, the fixture is sealed with no serviceable parts inside, and a failed one is replaced whole.

The wiring rules

These come from the manual and the electrical code it cites, and Hayward requires qualified personnel to do the installation:

• A GFCI is required on every 120 V underwater light.
• The junction box goes at least 48 inches from the pool edge, and at least 8 inches above the maximum water level or 4 inches above the ground, whichever is higher.
• Coil enough cord in the niche that the light can be lifted onto the deck for service. Cut any excess at the junction box, not at the niche.
• With non-metallic conduit, a No. 8 AWG copper ground wire runs to the niche's grounding connector, sealed with a listed potting compound.
• When several lights share a circuit, size the wiring for their total wattage.

Where Hayward's documents disagree

Two things, neither of which changes how you run the light:

• Power. The manual says the light uses "approximately half of the power needed for an ordinary 100 watt light." Its own table rates the SP0527 at 95 W, as does Hayward's product listing. The half-power claim holds for the 50 W ColorLogic models the same manual also covers, not for the 4.0 pool light.
• Shows. Hayward's product listing gives the light 5 colors and answers "No" for light shows. The manual lists seven color shows alongside the five fixed colors.

Check the prefix before you buy

SP0527SLED100 and W3SP0527SLED100 are the same light sold down two channels:

• SP0527SLED100, through a dealer — three years parts, one year labor
• W3SP0527SLED100, Hayward's Open Line — one year parts, no labor

On a light that a professional has to wire, the missing labor matters as much as the shorter parts term. The Hayward brand page explains the two channels.