Pentair IntelliBrite Architectural Series

The IntelliBrite Architectural Series is Pentair's current underwater LED light, and the line Pentair names as the replacement for the discontinued IntelliBrite 5G. It comes in color, white, warm white and turtle versions, in pool and spa sizes, at 120 V or 12 V, with cords from 30 to 250 feet. Pentair's product page lists 77 item numbers, 65 for dealers and 12 EC- versions sold online. All 77 are on its cross-reference sheet, and all 65 dealer numbers are in its manual.

The color light changes color the same way the 5G did: by counting how many times the power is switched off and on. A standard wall switch runs it, and so can Pentair automation.

Finding the number that replaces a 5G

Pentair publishes a cross-reference grid that maps every IntelliBrite 5G item number to an Architectural Series one, so the label on the old light is enough to order the new one:

• The 5G color pool light, 601000 to 601004, becomes 602185 to 602188 and 602206, in the same order of cord length. So a 601002 with a 100 ft cord becomes 602187.
• The 12 V 5G color pool lights, 601010 to 601013, become 602151 to 602154.
• The CSA-evaluated 5G numbers, 602000 to 602004 and 602010 to 602012, map to the same Architectural items as the standard ones. Pentair notes the new lights are evaluated by UL and cUL instead.
• The 5G white at 400 W equivalent is not carried over. Pentair's grid sends those numbers to the 500 W equivalent Architectural light.
• Warm white is new. There was no 5G warm white to replace.

Online-only versions carry an EC- prefix. There are twelve, all with a 100 ft cord, and the 5G's online 120 V color pool light, EC-602122, becomes EC-602232.

The niche rule

Pentair's manual is blunt: the light must only be used with Pentair niches. Installed in any other niche, the installation does not carry UL approval and voids all warranties.

Where local code requires a cord seal, the manual names Pentair's plastic niches, 79206600 and 79206700, and the 670044 cord seal kit.

Twelve settings on a wall switch

Switch the color light on and it shows white for a moment, then goes to the last color it was on. To pick something else, turn the switch off and on the number of times below:

1. SAm — cycles through white, magenta, blue and green
2. Party — rapid color changes
3. Romance — slow color transitions
4. Caribbean — a range of blues and greens
5. American — red, white and blue
6. California Sunset — orange, red and magenta
7. Royal — richer, deeper color tones
8. Blue — fixed
9. Green — fixed
10. Red — fixed
11. White — fixed
12. Magenta — fixed
13. Hold — saves the current show or color
14. Recall — returns to the last saved one

So California Sunset is six cycles. The light saves whatever it was on when the power goes off, and Pentair's example is to wait more than 10 seconds before switching back on to resume it.

The pool goes dark while you switch. The manual warns that the light gives no illumination during the off and on sequence, and that precautions should be taken during that gap to avoid accidents.

Never put it on a dimmer. Pentair says a dimmer switch damages the light permanently.

What "60% brighter" was measured against

Pentair advertises the color light as 60% brighter and 50% more energy efficient than its predecessor. The footnote narrows that a long way:

• It is against the IntelliBrite 5G color light, in white mode only.
• In the colors, Pentair gives the brightness gains as 28% for blue, 118% for green and 141% for red, and the efficiency gains as 17% for blue, 58% for green and 19% for red.
• The tests were done in open air, without water.

The white light's claim is different in kind. Against the IntelliBrite 5G White, Pentair says the Architectural white gives 2.3% more light while using 44% less power. That is roughly the same brightness for a little over half the electricity, not a brighter pool.

12 V lights and the transformer

A 12 V light needs an external safety isolating transformer; the manual says no other kind may be used. Its wiring diagram shows a 100 W or 300 W step-down unit.

• No more than three 12 V lights on a 300 W transformer.
• With several lights, keep the transformer within 100 feet of them. A single light can be up to 200 feet away.
• For longer cable runs, Pentair says to set the transformer to 14 VAC.

The siting rules

The manual says a licensed or certified electrician brings the pool's electrical system up to code before the light goes in. These are the US requirements it lists:

• 120 V lights need a GFCI with an appropriately rated breaker. The US diagram shows no GFCI required on 12 V lights.
• The junction box or low-voltage transformer sits at least 8 inches above the maximum water level and at least 4 inches above the deck, whichever is higher.
• The junction box is at least 4 feet from the inside wall of the pool, unless a solid fence, wall or other permanent barrier is between them.
• Bond the fixture to all metal within 5 feet of the pool with No. 8 AWG wire, at the lug on the back of the niche. With non-metallic conduit, a No. 8 AWG wire runs through the conduit to the lug inside the niche, and the connection is sealed.
• The top of the lens is at least 18 inches below the maximum water level.
• Leave at least 4 feet of cord coiled in the niche so the light can be lifted onto the deck with the pool full, and fill the pool until the light is under water before switching it on.

In Canada the lens goes 60 cm down, all lights need a GFCI, the GFCI breaker or transformer is at least 3 m from the pool, and bonding is No. 6 AWG to metal within 3 m.

What can be replaced, and what cannot

Pool lights come apart into replaceable parts: the lens, gasket, face ring, wire clamp, cosmetic cover, pilot screw, the three LED boards, and on 12 V pool lights only, the fuse. Each light type takes its own LED board kit, and Pentair warns that fitting the wrong type or wattage damages the light and creates a shock hazard.

Spa lights have fewer: lens, gasket kit, face ring, wire clamp and pilot screw. Their LED boards cannot be replaced.

The cord cannot be replaced on either. The manual says a light with a damaged cord is to be destroyed, and its procedure for a new light has you cut the old cord near the fixture and pull the new light's cord through the conduit in its place. Measure the run to the junction box before ordering, because the cord length is part of the item number.

Three rules apply every time a light is opened:

• Take it out of the water first. Pentair says not to service the light in the pool. There is no need to drain it; the coiled cord lets the fixture sit on the deck.
• Fit a new gasket and wire clamp. Not the old ones, however good they look. Pentair's reason is that water leaking into the light is a shock hazard and can damage the lens.
• Use only the pilot screw that came with the light. It grounds the housing to the face ring and the niche.

Where Pentair's documents disagree

• The depth, in metric. The manual's text gives the lens depth as 18 inches, 45.7 cm. The installation diagram on page 5 labels the same 18 inches as 42.7 cm. Eighteen inches is 45.7 cm; the diagram is wrong.
• The online listing. The Amazon title for EC-602232 calls it a pool and spa light. Pentair's cross-reference lists EC-602232 as the pool light, and the 120 V color spa light online is EC-602233.

The warranty depends on where you buy it

• Two years under Pentair's standard terms, bought from a store, pool builder or service company and professionally installed.
• One year, parts only, bought online, including from an authorized Pentair online reseller. Pentair's terms give the same to a product that needed professional installation and did not get it.
• Three years if it is bought with a Pentair pump and filter on one invoice from a store or professional, under Pentair's bundle program. Online purchases do not qualify.

Register it, because Pentair says registration activates the coverage. And keep it in a Pentair niche, because nothing above survives a different one.