Why Does My Garage Door Light Keep Going Out?

The vibration from a garage door can cause garage door lights to stop working – especially if they’re incandescent. Find out what types of replacement bulbs can withstand the constant movement of a garage door.

LESLIE: Rosemarie in New Jersey, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

ROSEMARIE: Yes, hi. I’m having a problem with the light bulb for the garage door. The light bulb keeps going out and I understand there’s a special one to use but I haven’t had time to check it out. Have you heard of such a thing?

TOM: Well, sometimes with all the vibration associated with that operation of that garage-door opener, you can get a lot of vibration. Sometimes, that will ruin a standard incandescent bulb. There’s a type of bulb called a “rough-duty bulb.” You may have a hard time finding that in a normal hardware store or home center. I think a better idea is just to get yourself an LED light bulb. I think the LED bulbs are much more durable than incandescents, in addition to being much more cost-effective. And I think that will solve it.

ROSEMARIE: Oh, OK. Thank you so much. I’ll try that.

TOM: You’re welcome, Rosemarie. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.