Refrigerator Light Flickers

[NoVa_Jim]

The LED light-panel on my 5-year-old Whirlpool fridge recently started flickering rapidly when the door is opened. I checked the power, unplugged/re-plugged the fridge, and checked for loose connections in the light assembly. The two French door switches that activate the light both seem to be operating properly. Anything else I should check before I spend $70+ on a replacement?

[retiredguy123]

You can buy a new light panel from Amazon, for $40 or $60, depending on what type you need. The panel is easy to replace.

Note that my Whirlpool side-by-side has 3 led light panels, 2 in the fridge and one in the freezer. They are not independently connected, but are wired together. Even though one is flickering, it may not be the defective panel. Two of my panels are identical, but the other one is different. Very confusing.

[splashes]

order a new blub from amazon and replace it yourself easy to do

[justjim]

order a new blub from amazon and replace it yourself easy to do

That’s an idea. Or you could just ignore it as long as the Frig continues to work properly. Sort of like a little rattle in your car. You can ignore it, worry about it or spend time trying to fix it. You get it fixed and another little one shows up next week. Oh, the tough choices we have to make. Fore.

[retiredguy123]

That’s an idea. Or you could just ignore it as long as the Frig continues to work properly. Sort of like a little rattle in your car. You can ignore it, worry about it or spend time trying to fix it. You get it fixed and another little one shows up next week. Oh, the tough choices we have to make. Fore.
Unfortunately, there is no way that I could ignore a flickering light or a little rattle in my car.

[justjim]

Unfortunately, there is no way that I could ignore a flickering light or a little rattle in my car.

And I 100% believe that because my Dad was the very same way. I loved that guy.

[BobnBev]

Just live with it, no big deal.:wave:

[NoVa_Jim]

That’s an idea. Or you could just ignore it as long as the Frig continues to work properly. Sort of like a little rattle in your car. You can ignore it, worry about it or spend time trying to fix it. You get it fixed and another little one shows up next week. Oh, the tough choices we have to make. Fore.

"Flicker" may have been the wrong word to use. This flashing is like a strobe light! Impossible to ignore. If I'm going in the fridge to get something that I know approximately where it is located, I close my eyes and feel around. Yeah, it's getting fixed for sure! :laugh:

[PaPaLarry]

The LED light-panel on my 5-year-old Whirlpool fridge recently started flickering rapidly when the door is opened. I checked the power, unplugged/re-plugged the fridge, and checked for loose connections in the light assembly. The two French door switches that activate the light both seem to be operating properly. Anything else I should check before I spend $70+ on a replacement? LOL Sounds like loose connection, but before having repair company look at it, take another bulb and put in to see. You might have more then one light to borrow bulb from. Loose connection within fridge is another

[retiredguy123]

LOL Sounds like loose connection, but before having repair company look at it, take another bulb and put in to see. You might have more then one light to borrow bulb from. Loose connection within fridge is another
These are LED panels with several wires attached to a plastic plug that attaches to the refrigerator.

[ThirdOfFive]

Had the same thing happen. I took out the bulb, got the number and ordered another one from Amazon. I forget the price (about 3 years ago now) but I had to order a two-pack. Not the easiest thing to get out: as I recall there was sort of a plastic shroud around it with the screw holding it in place almost impossible to get at.

But I did manage to install a new bulb and it hasn't flickered since.

[retiredguy123]

Had the same thing happen. I took out the bulb, got the number and ordered another one from Amazon. I forget the price (about 3 years ago now) but I had to order a two-pack. Not the easiest thing to get out: as I recall there was sort of a plastic shroud around it with the screw holding it in place almost impossible to get at.

But I did manage to install a new bulb and it hasn't flickered since.
It sounds like yours was an incandescent bulb. The OP has LED panels where you need to replace the entire plastic panel.

[tophcfa]

I would troubleshoot it like you did and if I couldn’t find and fix the problem then just take out the bulb and get by without the light. Whenever the refrigerator is used it is either daytime or there is typically a light on in the kitchen.

[Mrmean58]

The LED light-panel on my 5-year-old Whirlpool fridge recently started flickering rapidly when the door is opened. I checked the power, unplugged/re-plugged the fridge, and checked for loose connections in the light assembly. The two French door switches that activate the light both seem to be operating properly. Anything else I should check before I spend $70+ on a replacement?

Had a similar issue about a year ago. After a couple of unsuccessful expensive repair attempts, ended up getting a new fridge.

[egmcaninch]

The LED light-panel on my 5-year-old Whirlpool fridge recently started flickering rapidly when the door is opened. I checked the power, unplugged/re-plugged the fridge, and checked for loose connections in the light assembly. The two French door switches that activate the light both seem to be operating properly. Anything else I should check before I spend $70+ on a replacement?

I just purchased a light panel for our Whirpool Fridge (2018) for $20.32 (Amazon). Replaced it myself - very easy:
W11043011 Refrigerator Light Assembly LED Module For Whirlpool Models WRX735SDHW00, WRX735SDHZ00, WRX735SDHZ01, WRX735SDHZ01

[Wondering]

The LED light-panel on my 5-year-old Whirlpool fridge recently started flickering rapidly when the door is opened. I checked the power, unplugged/re-plugged the fridge, and checked for loose connections in the light assembly. The two French door switches that activate the light both seem to be operating properly. Anything else I should check before I spend $70+ on a replacement?
Do a search on You Tube. I am sure someone else has had that problem and there may be a simple solution. Whirlpool makes poor appliances!

[MSGirl]

"Flicker" may have been the wrong word to use. This flashing is like a strobe light! Impossible to ignore. If I'm going in the fridge to get something that I know approximately where it is located, I close my eyes and feel around. Yeah, it's getting fixed for sure! :laugh:
Happened to us. In the old days, you just replaced a bulb when the old one burned out. Today it’s a flashing strobe light panel that flashes when you need to change the panel. We bought a panel on Amazon and replaced the flashing one.

[retiredguy123]

Happened to us. In the old days, you just replaced a bulb when the old one burned out. Today it’s a flashing strobe light panel that flashes when you need to change the panel. We bought a panel on Amazon and replaced the flashing one.
I would suggest removing the flickering light panel and order the same model number from Amazon. If you have several light panels in the fridge, don't be surprised if you need to replace another panel and it may have a different model number.

[roadrnnr]

Had the same problem with a Samsung Refridge

The bulbs go bad.
If you search the model number you should be able to find the bulb you need.

They are easy to change once you have the right bulb

[CybrSage]

& pizza should be made following a strict recipe

And be Chicago style deep dish. Pizza is a pie, as spoken by the great sage Dean Martin, "the moon in the sky like a big pizza pie".
Ever see a flat pie with a crispy crust? Nope, they are deep and filled with goodness. New York style pizzas are merely flatbreads.
I would not challenge the wisdom of such a sage ..

[Rodneysblue]

That’s an idea. Or you could just ignore it as long as the Frig continues to work properly. Sort of like a little rattle in your car. You can ignore it, worry about it or spend time trying to fix it. You get it fixed and another little one shows up next week. Oh, the tough choices we have to make. Fore.
Or, did you check to see if it stays on when the door is closed. It may be worn out from over use. 🙄😉

[BrianL]

The LED light-panel on my 5-year-old Whirlpool fridge recently started flickering rapidly when the door is opened. I checked the power, unplugged/re-plugged the fridge, and checked for loose connections in the light assembly. The two French door switches that activate the light both seem to be operating properly. Anything else I should check before I spend $70+ on a replacement?

The Whirlpool fridge lights are horrible. There are a set of 4 of them, the one that is located at the top of the refrigerator portion of the fridge/freezer contains a power module that provides low voltage power to the other lights. Unfortunately, this can sometimes cause flickering of any or all of the lights or any or all of the lights to simply go off. You can't actually tell which module or modules is bad by the lights that are off.

What I've done is to purchase a set of 4 lights from amazon you can get them with covers:
https://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-Compatible-KitchenAid-WPW10515058-WPW10515057/dp/B0C3MSJYQ4. You can also get them without covers. The process that I use is to replace the one that is having the problem. If that doesn't solve the problem, I put the old one back in and replace the one with the power module. If that doesn't solve the problem, I then start replacing the other modules one at a time until the lights come back on. It should be simple; however, the inept Whirlpool engineering has made the process more difficult. Note that a set of 4 lights from Amazon is ~$40. I keep the other good lights for the next time I have a light go bad. The "Whirlpool original" lights are dramatically more expensive. It's a good idea to turn off the power to the fridge when replacing the lights.
Good luck.

[retiredguy123]

The Whirlpool fridge lights are horrible. There are a set of 4 of them, the one that is located at the top of the refrigerator portion of the fridge/freezer contains a power module that provides low voltage power to the other lights. Unfortunately, this can sometimes cause flickering of any or all of the lights or any or all of the lights to simply go off. You can't actually tell which module or modules is bad by the lights that are off.

What I've done is to purchase a set of 4 lights from amazon you can get them with covers:
Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-Compatible-KitchenAid-WPW10515058-WPW10515057/dp/B0C3MSJYQ4). You can also get them without covers. The process that I use is to replace the one that is having the problem. If that doesn't solve the problem, I put the old one back in and replace the one with the power module. If that doesn't solve the problem, I then start replacing the other modules one at a time until the lights come back on. It should be simple; however, the inept Whirlpool engineering has made the process more difficult. Note that a set of 4 lights from Amazon is ~$40. I keep the other good lights for the next time I have a light go bad. The "Whirlpool original" lights are dramatically more expensive. It's a good idea to turn off the power to the fridge when replacing the lights.
Good luck.
I agree, a very poor design. I would remove the flickering light panel and read the model number directly from the panel. Mine has 3 light panels, and the one on top of the refrigerator section is different from the other two. If the top one is flickering, you probably only need to replace that panel.