We have two “Gentle Flood” fixtures, mounted identically, on wall- mounted stand-offs, with lenses facing up, gaskets and lenses properly secured, and with similar exposures (about 25-feet apart). One of the two stopped working, and when I opened it up, I found about 1/2” of water inside. The water had been there long enough, it seems, to have invaded and corroded the lamp. I drained and dried the housing, replaced the lamp, and reinstalled gasket and cover. The fixture works again. I checked the other fixture. It was dry. What’s the likely cause? Is a design issue? QC issue? What’s the long term fix?
Hi, Ron. I'm a fellow DIYer. In winter (after they've been covered with snow for a day or so), from time to time, condensation will form inside of my floods. That usually evaporates once the lights turn on (the heat probably helps). Otherwise, I haven't encountered this issue (and my fixtures are five or six years old and still functioning). I've noticed instructions included with submersible fixtures, VOLT usually offers guidance on how to properly tighten the bolts to insure that the fixtures are water tight. I think it would be a good idea for VOLT to include similar guidance in the instructions for these fixtures and others that have a similar gasket. With these flood fixtures, I believe it's possible that the integrity of the rubber gasket's seal may be compromised (possibly irreversibly) if the faceplate screws are screwed down too tightly. If you've ever tightened the bolts on a toilet tank too much, you've seen what can happen. My own approach with these fixtures is to tighten them until the faceplate can no longer be wiggled or just shy of the point where the screws can no longer be tightened by hand. At that point, the gasket should be snug but not compressed to the point where water could seep inside. Anyway, if you haven't done so already, I would examine the gaskets on your fixtures to confirm that they aren't deformed in a way that could allow water to enter. If your gaskets are toast, it can't hurt to contact VOLT and ask them if they'd comp you replacements or sell you some at a nominal fee. If not, you can almost certainly find weather proof gasket material you can cut to size. If you end up going that route, you'll probably want to ask customer service what type of material is best to use as a replacement gasket. HTH
