Best Garage Door Light Bulbs

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7 Of The Best Garage Door Opener Light Bulbs

Chamberlain Universal Garage Door Light Bulb

Introduction

Hi and welcome to this article about the best light bulbs for garage door openers. To clarify, these bulbs go in the opening mechanism. The part that moves when the door opens. We are not discussing general light bulbs to go in your garage.

Firstly, I have to make a confession. I live in the city and neither own a car nor a garage. In fact the only garage I ever owned was one I rented across town as there was no parking outside my house. It was big and very long. One day, I was backing my car in. While my next door garage neighbor was taking his out. My tiny Citroen disappeared and his Rolls Royce Silver Shadow appeared. “It is the only place long enough to park one of these”, he explained.

Anyway, though I don’t own a garage or have an automatic opener I will do my best to guide you through buying a new light bulb for yours.

Firstly, a lot of newer garage door openers have integrated light sources. So you can’t replace the bulbs. You will have to contact your supplier if they stop working.

Secondly, A number of garage door opener manufacturers market their own light bulbs. Within this list I cover bulbs from Chamberlain, Genie and LiftMaster. All three manufacturers says that the bulbs are universal. So, they should work with any garage door opener. However if you own an opener from one of these companies it makes sense to buy the bulb from them. Because they will definitely have checked it works in their door openers.

Finally, some people have reported that putting LED bulbs in there opener messes with their remote…

Interference Between LEDs and Garage Door Remotes

While the light from LED bulbs look constant, it is not. In fact LED bulbs are actually flashing at a frequency between 30 and 300 megahertz. This is a very high frequency and our eyes don’t notice. However, this pulsing also gives off a very small amount of radio frequency signal. Owing to the remote controls for garage doors working in a similar frequency range the two can interfere. This can lead to the remote not working, or only working at very close range.

Good quality LED bulbs will have radio frequency shielding built in. Therefore, they should cause less problem with your remote.

Tip: Try putting a normal, quality, LED bulb in your garage door opener. And then use your remote. If it works fine then you don’t need to spend $10 on a specialist garage door bulbs. Just buy a fairly rugged normal LED and use that instead.

Our selections for best garage door light bulbs are based on a number of criteria:

  • Online reviews from a number of light bulb retailers
  • Price, we are always looking for the best value
  • Energy Star qualified, whether the bulbs has met strict energy efficiency criteria set by the EPA
  • Lifetime and length of warranty, as these provide a measure of quality
  • Dimmable, having a bulb that can be used with a dimmer switch makes it more versatile

Genie Universal LED 60 Watt Equivalent

Genie Universal Garage Door Opener Light Bulb

As I have said, three manufactures of automatic garage door also make universal bulbs. This first one is from Genie.

In short, these bulbs are designed specifically to work with garage door openers. To that end they have extra shielding to block radio frequencies.

Also, they work in cold and damp conditions. In fact they should operate down to -22F (-30C). Finally they are vibration and shatter resistant. All this for $12.

Fact sheet

  • Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
  • Price: Around $12 a bulb if bought individually
  • Wattage: 60 watt equivalent / 10 watts actual
  • Lumens: 800
  • Light Range: Bright White (4000k)
  • Lifetime: Rated to last 25,000 hour (22 years based on 3 hours per day use)
  • Warranty: 3 years
  • Dimmable: Yes/No
  • Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor and damp location rated

LiftMaster Universal LED 60 Watt Equivalent

LiftMaster 60W LED Garage Door Light Bulb

Next on our list is a universal bulb from LiftMaster. In similar fashion to the bulb from Genie it minimizes radio frequency interference.

Also they work at cold temperatures. In this case down to -30F (-34C). Furthermore they provide bright daylight which is good for garage use.

Finally they are shatter resistant and come in at $11.50 a bulb. Though you might find cheaper if you hunt about on the internet. I saw these for $7 on Gate House Supplies.

Fact sheet

  • Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
  • Price: Around $11.50 a bulb if bought in a 2-pack.
  • Wattage: 60 watt equivalent / 9 watts actual
  • Lumens: 800
  • Light Range: Daylight (5000k)
  • Lifetime: Rated to last 22,000 hour (22 years based on 3 hours per day use)
  • Warranty: 1 year
  • Dimmable: No
  • Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor and damp location rated

Chamberlain Universal LED 60 Watt Equivalent

Chamberlain Universal

Finally, from our opener manufacturers, we have this universal bulb from Chamberlain. Again they are designed to minimize interference. Also they are weather tested down to -30F (-34 C).

So a few points to note. Firstly these bulbs are rated to last 25,000 hours. Though, the manufacturer only gives a one year warranty. Analogous to the lifetime of the other two manufacturers. Overall this is the cheapest bulb of the three. However Genie gives a longer warranty.

Fact sheet

  • Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
  • Price: Around $10 a bulb if bought individually
  • Wattage: 60 watt equivalent / 9 watts actual
  • Lumens: 800
  • Light Range: Daylight (5000k)
  • Lifetime: Rated to last 25,000 hour (22 years based on 3 hours per day use)
  • Warranty: 1 years
  • Dimmable: No
  • Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor and damp location rated

Feit LED 60 Watt Equivalent

Feit 60W Garage LED Bulb

Feit are a family owned and operated company based in Los Angeles, California. According to their website they keep a stock of over 100,000,000 bulbs. So as to reduce order waiting time.

What’s more they produce quality light bulbs. And frequently appear on our best of lists.

In brief this is an A19 bulb that the manufacturer markets specifically for garage door openers. That said, some online reviewers have had problems with their controllers.

By far they are the cheapest LED bulb on the list. So if you are looking for a cheaper solution maybe buy one and try it.

Fact sheet

  • Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5
  • Price: Around $6 a bulb if bought individually
  • Wattage: 60 watt equivalent / 10.6 watts actual
  • Lumens: 800
  • Light Range: Warm White (3000k)
  • Lifetime: Rated to last 11,000 hour (10 years based on 3 hours per day use)
  • Warranty: 3 years
  • Dimmable: No
  • Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only

GE 100W LED

GE 100W LED 2-pack Packaging

Not only have GE been in business since 1892 they are also the most popular brand here in the United States.

Firstly these bulbs are not from one of GEs premium ranges. As can be seen in there 10,000 hour lifetime. Which is more consistent with their basic range. Rather than something like a Relax or Refresh bulb. Then again they do have a 5 year warranty. The best for any bulb on this list.

Additionally they provide a lot of light at 1490 lumens. With a 220 degree beam. Also they are shatter resistant and Energy Star certified.

Finally, I checked the online reviews and there were no reports of issues with door remotes.

Fact sheet

  • Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5
  • Price: Around $10 a bulb if bought in a 2-pack
  • Wattage: 100 watt equivalent / 14 watts actual
  • Lumens: 1490
  • Light Range: Daylight (5000k)
  • Lifetime: Rated to last 10,000 hour (9 years based on 3 hours per day use)
  • Warranty: 5 years
  • Dimmable: No
  • Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only

TORCHSTAR 100W

Torchmaster 100W Garage Door Light Bulb

Generally, when I compile these best of reviews, there will be one manufacturer that I have never heard of. For the most part one from Amazon with good reviewers and low prices.

So this one comes from TORCHSTAR. I wasn’t able to find much about them as their website caused by browser to issue a warning. Probably they need to update their website security certificate. Though I did find out that they sell their bulbs on Amazon, Walmart and Wayfair.

So a few points about the bulbs themselves. Firstly they are comply with FFC standards, which mean they block RF signals. So they should not interfere with your controller. However, the company itself doesn’t recommend using the bulb in Chamberlain or Liftmaster door openers.

Finally they are vibration and shatter resistant and work from 104F (40C) down to -4F (-20C)

Fact sheet

  • Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
  • Price: Around $10 a bulb if bought in a 2-pack
  • Wattage: 100 watt equivalent / 15 watts actual
  • Lumens: 1500
  • Light Range: Warm White (3000k) and Daylight (5000k)
  • Lifetime: Rated to last 10,000 hour (9 years based on 3 hours per day use)
  • Warranty: 2 years
  • Dimmable: No
  • Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor and damp locations rated

Philips Incandescent 60W

Philips Incandescent 60W Garage Door light Bulb

Finally on out best garage door light bulbs list is this incandescent bulb from Philips.

I had read that Philips made a bulb specifically for garage door openers. So I was hunting for it on the internet and came this one on sale at Pep Boy. For 50 cents a pack!

While it may not last as long as an LED bulb incandescents do not produce RF. So no interference with remotes. Additionally these bulbs should last 3,500 hours and are vibration resistant.

I could only find one review online. The reviewer awarded one star as the bulb burnt out after a year. Still, for 50 cents…

Fact sheet

  • Rating: 1 stars out of 5
  • Price: Around $0.50 a bulb if bought in a 2-pack on Pep Boys
  • Wattage: 60 watt actual
  • Lumens: 630
  • Light Range: Soft White (2700k)
  • Lifetime: Rated to last 3,500 hour (3.2 years based on 3 hours per day use)
  • Warranty: 1 year
  • Dimmable: No
  • Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only