Can't Use LED in Garage Door Opener - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 03:12:40 am
content: The light bulb burnt out in my garage door opener. I checked the allowed bulbs/wattage and it states:Use an A19 incandescent (100W Max) or compact fluorescent (26W, 100W equivalent) light bulb.Do not use halogen, short neck, or specialty light bulbsDo not use LED bulbs.Why would LED not be allowed? They use less wattage and generate less heat, so I think they'd be a better choice.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 03:29:34 am
content: My guess would be that some LED bulbs give off too much EMFwhich could disable the RF remote control.You could try a couple different brands to see if they work.

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 03:54:44 am
content: QuoteI somewhat thought about this after sending the message. Initially I was thinking more about heat and whether an LED would be too omnidirectional, but, you're probably correct, must be EMF.

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 04:24:46 am
content: I would guess heat. Many LED bulbs specifically state not to use in enclosed fixtures because they can overheat. Even though they produce a lot less heat than incandescent bulbs, they are also a lot less heat tolerant. That still doesn't make a ton of sense because I think CFL bulbs have the same problem and garage door opener lamps are usually only on for a few minutes at a time so they shouldn't have time to get that hot.It could be EMI, but I don't see why a CFL high frequency ballast wouldn't be worse than an LED bulb?It could also be bullshit.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 05:55:14 am
content: It's LED bulbs with SMPS inside that make too much EMI and cause a blackout with the remote control. If this is the case, you can open the garage door but not close it...The RF remote antenna is typically located a foot away from the lamp.Some LED bulbs use a capacitive-dropper and are not a problem spewing out RF.Right now, I'm using rough service incandescent. Halogen have too much inrush and wear out the lamp relay.

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 07:37:05 am
content: Could be heat if it is enclosed.Also, sometimes LED lights will still glow when switched off because the wiring or circuit has some capacitance. If they have received complaints about this then the solution is to state not to use LED lights.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 03:31:06 pm
content: Since manufactures are required to go 'green' andnot permitted to make incandescent or compact fluorescent bulbs andyou can't use halogen, short neck, or specialty light bulbs norLED bulbs.Just what kind of bulb is left?All you see in stores now are LED bulbs.Get out your candles boys.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 03:36:16 pm
content: I've had an "Overhead Door" opener for 25 years. Have an LED bulb in it for probably tens years now.No problems at all with remote opening.

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 03:48:04 pm
content: QuoteThis was basically my initial thought. I think maybe kerosene may be left.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 04:06:13 pm
content: I just hacked a 9W (60W equivalent) bulb to reduce it to 1.5W per guidance from Big Clive, and I don't think there's anything particularly noisy in these bulbs. Mine had a FWBR across the mains, a big smoothing cap, and then all the LEDs are connected in series across the rectified mains, along with a current limiting IC. Unless the LEDs themselves are noisy, I don't think there's anything that would cause a problem.But on my opener, when an error occurs, it flashes the light at about 1Hz as an error code. If something blocks the IR detector at the bottom, which is the typical problem, it flashes 12 times. i don't know if that would be a problem for an LED bulb. I wouldn't think so.

author: CaptDon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 05:08:31 pm
content: I wonder if they are worried about welding the relay contacts in the opener? Some of those LED bulbs have a large but short inrush current as the line voltage capacitor charges. Although I would have to agree about the RF interference thoughts also. A23 style LED bulbs have so many different types of power supplies over the years and I guess the manufacturer wanted a C.Y.A. policy in case someone's garage burns.

author: TomWinTejas
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 05:26:45 pm
content: You can find low interference bulbs that work better with garage door openers. I discovered this some years back when I put in a LED bulb and noticed the range on my remote had decreased significantly... from like 80' to 15'. Here's one such bulb:https://www.homedepot.com/p/310186985

author: BrokenYugo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 05:32:48 pm
content: Most basic "dumb" 120V bulbs now use a linear current regulator, it's fairly efficient since the LED string runs just under the rectified line voltage. No RF noise. Just make sure it's rated for enclosed fixtures and run it.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 06:09:49 pm
content: Quote from: TomWinTejas on December 06, 2023, 05:26:45 pmStrange: the Genie LED bulb pops up momentarily when I go to the Home Depot site, then disappears.A similar thing happens when I searched for Genie on the Home Depot site.I found the bulb at another vendor:https://overheaddoorpartsonline.com/garage-door-opener-led-light-bulb-ohd/

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 06:53:07 pm
content: There is even a Chamberlain version of that bulb:https://www.amazon.com/Chamberlain-CHLED1-Light-Bulb-White/dp/B08K98S95DSo who is gonna be the first one to pay up for one of these, then take it apart, and tell us if there's actually any difference vs one costing 1/5 as much.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 09:05:38 pm
content: They're both touting low RF interference.Which would seem to confirm regulator noise.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2023, 10:30:56 pm
content: I had one LED bulb that took out IR remotes, the light output pulsed at ~31kHz and saturated all IR receivers. That was not fun to figure out I thought my receivers were oscillating.The garage door safety obstacle sensors are pulsed IR at around 31kHz but they have a lens and should not be affected... but I've never confirmed.