Light bulb and socket problem

[Senator]

The issue is not the filament, for certain. The contact in the socket is not solid enough ( I think). There are two bulbs, and it has happened to both.

Very seldom do sockets go bad. The odds of two going bad on the same opener are astronomical. I am not an electrician, but I have worked with 100s or maybe even 1000s of fixtures. Maybe if the opener is 20+ years old?

Bending the tab out should work. Garage door opener light bulbs go bad at a high rate due to vibration. I always use appliance, ceiling fan, or garage door opener bulbs. CFLs are not the bulb to use. Maybe LED? But I would use incandescent.

If the bulb only works for a few hours before going bad again, and is still tight, try a new bulb. Or bulb type. Typically, if it had bad conductivity, it should still flicker. Test for proper voltage at the socket.

The contact inside the opener should have plenty of flex and should not flatten so far as to avoid contact. You can try and put a bit of ink on the bulb, screw it in, and see if you have an ink mark on the contact. Or a piece of tape.

You can put some dielectric grease on the contacts to improve conductivity after it has been cleaned.

 

[aja8888]

You can put some dielectric grease on the contacts to improve conductivity after it has been cleaned.

Dielectric grease is non-conductive and will keep out moisture (typically used in auto and marine applications on rubber boots over spark plugs, etc). Since the bulb/socket will mate pretty well and there will be pressure points, it should allow conductivity. A better choice is a conductive grease like DeoxIT M260:

http://www.amazon.com/DeoxITM260-Gr...&sr=8-7&keywords=electrical+conductive+grease

 

[427Vette]

I would go down the road of just replacing the socket. I don't see the point in involving all kinds of complex wiring methods such as adding motion lights, getting an app for your smart phone to turn on a light etc, when all that you want is to have your door opener light come on like it used to. Not to mention some of the horrific wiring I have seen done by do it yourselfers in these situations.

I have replaced hundred of sockets in ceiling fans, bathroom fan/light combos, range hood fans, door openers etc. All of the aforementioned have one thing in common, they all have motors creating vibration. The vibration causes the already poor connection on the back of the socket to come loose and open the circuit. I am betting that your problem isn't anything to do with the contact in the base of the socket that you have tried bending. It is more than likely the factory connection that are usually fastened using small rivets. By bending or moving the tab you just simply made the connection at the rivet again until it was able to vibrate loose again. Once you get it apart you may be able to simply compress the rivet better allowing a better connection. There is no need to complicate the situation and turn off the circuit breaker, just reach up and unplug the opener.

Home Depot or your local hardware store will have a general purpose replacement socket that you should be able to mount into the opener without to much hassle. If possible get a socket that has screws that attach the wires to the screw shell and the base electrode rather than rivets.


As far as what bulb to use, CFL's are the best option, LED would be my next choice followed by an incandescent. If you go the route of an incandescent get a rough service bulb. The rough service bulbs have a heavy duty filament that resist vibration.

 

[Music Lover]

I would go down the road of just replacing the socket. I don't see the point in involving all kinds of complex wiring methods such as adding motion lights, getting an app for your smart phone to turn on a light etc, when all that you want is to have your door opener light come on like it used to. Not to mention some of the horrific wiring I have seen done by do it yourselfers in these situations.

Adding a motion light is not complex...it's a very simple task. However, those who lack the required knowledge should not attempt it on their own.

 

[427Vette]

Adding a motion light is not complex...it's a very simple task. However, those who lack the required knowledge should not attempt it on their own.

I know that it is not complex but we also do not know the OP's garage situation. If the walls and ceiling are all insulated and sheet rocked it complicates the issue. We also do not know anything about the wiring inside the garage. Depending on how it is wired it may not facilitate the easy addition of another light or control device.

 

[Music Lover]

I know that it is not complex but we also do not know the OP's garage situation. If the walls and ceiling are all insulated and sheet rocked it complicates the issue. We also do not know anything about the wiring inside the garage. Depending on how it is wired it may not facilitate the easy addition of another light or control device.

In most cases an electrical outlet is situated right next to the garage opener where power for a light can be obtained. But, if there are access issues or someone doesn't feel comfortable with electrical, then another alternative may be better.

 

[Beldar]

We have the same problem, and tried many of the suggested fixes to no avail. I think the 100w bulb (in our case) generates too much heat in the enclosure and works it's way out over a few cycles (design defect).

We just leave the garage light on when we expect to return when it's dark out. Problem solved.

_B

 

[Car-Guy]

Extend the time delay on your car headlights to turn off by another 30 to 60 seconds (if that is an option available on your car)

 

[MRG]

Check out #4,5.

http://www.garagedoorrepairco.com/garage-door-blog/garage-door-opener-light-not-working

 

[Lsbcal]

I am impressed by the fire power directed at this problem by the forum members!

Will wait breathlessly for the OP's fix.

 

[travelover]

I am impressed by the fire power directed at this problem by the forum members!

Will wait breathlessly for the OP's fix.

You can tell the market is doing relatively well when there is this much response to a garage door opener light bulb problem.

 

[MichaelB]

I am impressed by the fire power directed at this problem by the forum members!

Will wait breathlessly for the OP's fix.

You can tell the market is doing relatively well when there is this much response to a garage door opener light bulb problem.

I am surprised, and appreciative. As for the fix, I'd say don't hold your breath.

Check out #4,5.

Garage Door Opener Light Not Working? Here's Why... — Garage Door Repair Co.

I did, thanks. I think it is #3 and not a bad bulb or vibration problem. It has a motion activated circuit, so when that triggers (I hear the click) and there is no light if I just touch the bulb, or perhaps turn it a bit, it will light up. But the fix is temporary and short-lived. Putting in a new bulb makes no difference.

The socket itself looks like it is part of the plastic mold of the unit, and I'm not going to dismantle and open the motor to see if I can remove it from the inside.

I've wiped clean the contacts and pulled out the side one. I'll try a bit of sandpaper and see if the bottom contact can be pulled up. If that doesn't work, I think I'll look for another option that does not depend on the door opener. There are already two options in this thread.

 

[NW-Bound]

...I am betting that your problem isn't anything to do with the contact in the base of the socket that you have tried bending. It is more than likely the factory connection that are usually fastened using small rivets. By bending or moving the tab you just simply made the connection at the rivet again until it was able to vibrate loose again. Once you get it apart you may be able to simply compress the rivet better allowing a better connection...

+1

I mentioned this possibility in an earlier post, that the loose contact is not necessarily between the bulb and the socket.

I have solved this kind of problem in the past by running a solder joint over the chintzy rivet that they use. Of course, you have to dismantle the doggone thing to get access to that spot. However, I am the kind of guy who has to find the root cause and fix it once for all.

YMMV, but most people do not have the same MPG I do.

 

[Hermit]

Here is the "Mother of all Options": Install automated home light switches and a security system. Have a key fob for the security system so when you come home, you can hit the button on the key fob to disarm the security system. The security system is connected to the automated home system so when you disarm the system, the garage door is activated and goes up. Usually that would be sufficient because the light bulb in the door opener would go on. In your case, you would also need to program the automated home system to turn on whatever lights in the home work best for you when the garage door goes up. BTW, you could also program it to turn on your favorite music and have it say "Hi Michael" when you open the door into the house!

 

[gerntz]

Switch to gas lighting.

 

[dallas27]

Have you consider having an engineering firm commission a study on your options?


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[pb4uski]

In our former house we had a half stairway from the garage down to the basement ... so to get into the house in the winter you would walk to the front of the garage (the wall shared with the house) and then down four steps into the house. That corner tended to be dark so I wired a light fixture into the wiring of the garage door opener light so the light over the stairs would come on when the garage door was opened and stay on as long as the garage door light stayed on which gave me enough time to walk into the house.

I think it has been mentioned but since it seems like the problem is the socket and you don't think it is replaceable you could just wire in a separate light fixture next to the opener. Easy peasy.