Refrigerator eats bulbs

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
there are other benefits. a new fridge tends to be much quieter than the old fridge and more consistent in temp.
there are also all those other whizbang features that you may not know you wanted until you havee it.

it will also play nicer when it cycles on or off. A 30 yearols fridges implies your wiring is likely also ar least 30 years old. the older fridge causes a big disturbance to your electrical when it goes on. while you may not notice these thousands of mini brownouts and surges can affect electronics as well as lightbulb lifespans.


And as a bonus: you get to throw it away and buy ANOTHER fridge in ten years or so!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
https://www.energystar.gov/products/appliances/nows_time_flip_your_fridge_and_save

https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=refrig.calculator

the energy efficiency for fridges i recall they say by rule of thumb doubles per each decade both from improvements and wear on the fridge. its disingenuous to use a 1990 stat as a substitute for a pre1984.

if you are in exponential territory where numbers double the calculations start changing dramatically.

plus you might as well get a new frisge so you can enjoy it for the next 30years.


New fridge lasting 30 years? Wow, that's a good one! If it goes HALF that long without major repair, buy a lottery ticket.

 

[Duffyjr]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
I hope your electric is cheap where your at. There might be a problem making them burn out so squick? Try a LED bulb. Expensive but who knows.
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Lighting-83645-350-Lumen-Refrigerator/dp/B00TH3LGE0


I wanted to come back and update this but I kept forgettng. I ordered this bulb off Amazon and installed it shortly after this post. It's been what a year and a half since and still using the same bulb. Not sure why it kept blowing the GE appliance bulbs.

Oh and the 35 year old fridge is still keeping my beer cold!

 

[ffhdriver]

Two of my ceiling fans use the appliance type bulb. I had an extra LED bulb when I changed the fan bulbs so it is now in the refrigerator. The 60 Watt equivalent bulb really lights up the inside.

 

[RayCJ]

Two common things cause incandescent bulbs to die quickly.

Vibration. The filament is white hot and it's fairly soft when lit. Vibration is it's enemy.

Extremely rapid on/off cycling due to a bad connection. A light bulb filament is about 4500 degrees Fahrenheit (just shy of an arc welding rod). When you turn it on, it goes from room temperature to 4500F in a split second. If there's an electrical short, it could be temperature cycling at a very rapid rate -anywhere from a few times a second to hundreds of times per second. Your eyes might not notice it at all because of the afterglow. Even though the filament does not completely cool down, it's temperature swing could be jumping +/- 2000 F. That kills filaments.

Check the terminal inside the socket. Check the wiring and make sure the center tab is making good contact. -Don't forget to unplug the frig first! -And for goodness sake, you must have a good wife if she's not all over you to upgrade the frig after 30 years.

Ray

 

[JustinH]

I was looking at a new frigidare fridge for our house.

They have two models that look identical, one is energy star rated the other is not. Sure enough one comes with LED bulb and one comes with incandescent.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by Duffyjr
We've had our refrigerator for close to 30 years so it's been a very good purchase for us, but ever since I can remember I've had to replace the bulb at least twice a year. I always bought the GE appliance replacement bulbs that say they are used in refrigerators, ovens, microwaves etc....

Is there any other bulb that I could try? I know it's not a big deal buying and replacing them but thought I would be nice to have one last a bit longer.



Condensation
Ya' need to figure out how it's getting in there.

 

[Andrew1972]

Maybe try an LED bulb.

The killer of filament bulbs is vibration. I had soooooo many issues but realized my kids room above along with washer was killing my kitchen ceiling lights. Thankfully LED bulb costs have dropped.

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted by Duffyjr
We've had our refrigerator for close to 30 years so it's been a very good purchase for us, but ever since I can remember I've had to replace the bulb at least twice a year. I always bought the GE appliance replacement bulbs that say they are used in refrigerators, ovens, microwaves etc....

Is there any other bulb that I could try? I know it's not a big deal buying and replacing them but thought I would be nice to have one last a bit longer.



I put Dollar Tree 60watt LED bulbs in my old fridge. They pull 9 watts and cost $1 each.