You may have gone throughout your house in recent years switching out your traditional bulbs for LED ones in an effort to become more energy efficient. This is great – they do make a difference in normal applications with things like lamps, overhead lights, etc. However, when it comes to your garage door opener, they’re not the best choice.

That’s because LED (light emitting diode) bulbs can block the frequency of your remote, which can interfere with opening and closing. Regular bulbs, mainly incandescent, give you better antennae range. You can stick with the LED bulbs for other areas of your home, as they can last between 20,000 and 50,000 hours, or up to five times longer than other bulbs. They’re more expensive, though, which will save you a little bit of cash when it comes to your garage door opener.

LED Light Interference

LED bulbs are increasingly becoming more popular due to their energy efficiency, thanks to something called pulse-width modulation. Consequently, LED lights actually flash at a rate of 15 times per second but you can’t tell with your own eye. They operate on frequencies between 30 and 300 MHZ, where is where the dicey part comes into play. Garage door openers operate on frequencies between 288 and 360 MHZ, which means the two can negatively interact and cause operational problems.

In the same vein, you may also experience problems switching out incandescent bulbs for CFLs, or compact fluorescent lights.

When it comes to products that rely on signals, from remote control cars to garage door openers, there is very little industry regulation in existence to standardize their frequency emissions. As a result, many of these signals can cross each other and cause problems.

Tips

So, what do you do if you’re having trouble with your opener signal? There are a few things you can troubleshoot on your own first:

  • Determine the source of LED light interference, such as a large Christmas light display.
  • Switch bulb brands. You may have wanted to save money with those cheap foreign-made lightbulbs but they are often the source of signal issues.
  • Change out your light fixtures entirely; even if you go with less energy-efficient models, at least your signal will work seamlessly again.
  • Contact M&M Garage Doors if none of the above works. We can troubleshoot, repair and replace bulbs as needed.

Call M&M Garage Doors now at 586-610-5434.