Why Does My Refrigerator Light Bulb Won't Turn on when the Door Opens?

Having light bulbs in the refrigerator brings great convenience to our lives. Whenever you open the doors, the refrigerator light bulbs come on immediately to help you find what you want quickly. But what to do if your light bulb for refrigerator doesn't come on when you open the door? Just read on to get more information about refrigerator light bulbs and find out what cause your refrigerator light bulb fail to work.

CONTENTS:
What Kind of Light Bulb Goes in a Refrigerator?
How a Refrigerator Light Bulb Works?
How to Fix a Refrigerator Light Bulb That Won't Come On?

What Kind of Light Bulb Goes in a Refrigerator?

In general, the typical light bulbs for refrigerators are usually the 25-40 Watts incandescent, fluorescent or LED a15 bulbs. And for those who want the one that can run longer and more stable in low-temperature appliances, the LED refrigerator light bulbs featuring in low consumption is always the best choice.

With 80Ra CRI and 5000K brightness they value, LOHAS LED refrigerator light bulbs generate a vivid and natural lighting for the foods in your refrigerator while casting off your feeling of fatigue. Then, they are a15 bulbs with an e26 base, making them pretty practical and popular with most family. Moreover, this LED refrigerator light bulb has a long lifespan of 30,000 hours, which means once being installed, it won't require you to replace frequently. Plus, made of high-quality aluminum and solid plastic, it’s not easy to be fragile like glass and could dissipates heat better.

How a Refrigerator Light Bulb Works?

The refrigerator light is a kind of automatic on/off device that is operated by a small lever or push-button switch installed on the refrigerator door. The light bulb turns off when you close the door as the door switch is pressed down to interrupt the circuit, and it turns on to emit light when the door opened to connect the switch to the circuit. And the power supply to the light is provided by the wires inside the refrigerator.

How to Fix a Refrigerator Light Bulb That Won't Come On?

When you find the light bulb in your refrigerator is not on, you may usually think that the light bulb is broken. In fact, aside of the broken light bulb, there are other issues that may cause the light bulb won't come on when you open the refrigerator. Read on to check out the most common situations and get solutions.

The Power Connection is Broken

Check whether the power cord of the refrigerator is loose to make sure that the refrigerator plug is firmly inserted into the socket. Besides, an electrical overload or short circuit may cause the circuit breaker that control the refrigerator to trip and automatically cut off the power. At this time, you should check the main circuit breaker panel, if it is tripped, reset the circuit breaker. Not only that, the broken electrical outlet that fails in delivering electricity to the refrigerator may also cause your refrigerator stop working. In this case, you can use a non-contact circuit tester to check whether there is electricity flowing to the outlet. If not, it’s time to replace it with a new one.

The Refrigerator Light Bulb is Burnt out

Your refrigerator light bulb won't come on when it's burnt out or reach the end of its life, and at this point, you can remove the light bulb to check if the filament is broken like shaking the bulb to hear whether there is a rattling noise or not. If you did hear, the filament inside your bulb is damaged, and you might just need to switch a new bulb.

Switching light bulb is quite easy. Make sure the replacement light bulb base is right, then screw the bulb into the socket. Most importantly, be sure to cut off the power before installation, i.e. unplug the refrigerator.

The Door Switch is Broken

Your fridge knows to turn on the light because the door switch is released when you open the door, therefore; a broken door switch could be a factor that causing your bulb won't come on. To solve this, try to press the door switch several times to see if it can release the action. Also, the door switch is likely to get stuck due to the accumulation of dust or dirt, so remember to clean it regularly. You can also run a continuity test with a multimeter to see if the door switch is broken. If so, it needs to be replaced. Replacing the door switch is not difficult, but for safety, always unplug the refrigerator firstly, and then pry the switch out with a putty knife or screwdriver, replace it with a new one, reconnect the wires, and press it back into the socket.

Above are the common problems that may cause the refrigerator bulb not to work, and you can easily solve them by following the corresponding steps. By the way, if replacement is required, be sure to use a light bulb with the same size and type that is supplied with the refrigerator. If your refrigerator light is still not coming on, consult a qualified electrician.