Fridge light skunk beer ?

[dx4100]

Hi Guys

Just been cold crashing some beer for the first time. Just noticed a potential issue with my setup though. Opened the fridge door and the light was on. Immediately realised it should really be dark in there so quickly unscrewed the bulb.

I reckon the light might have been on for as long as five hours... Its just your typical fridge light. Has it just destroyed my beer do you think ?

 

[desmosteve]

You sure it doesn't go out when the door is shut

Even then it's not gonna do much harm, too weak and short a time............beer ain't that fragile!

 

[dx4100]

OH.... MY.... GOD....

I will leave this thread here to prove what a total prat I am... Of course the light will go out when I close the door...


:nono:

 

[Wezzel]

Thank you. That post has just made my day ;-)

You're not blonde by any chance ;-)

 

[chrig]

But is it? You should fit a camera to check

 

[desmosteve]

Hey mate, can you do a check that my indicators are working?

Yes, no, yes, no............the old ones are the old ones :whistle:

 

[stuey]

:clap: :rofl:

That really has brightened my day....

Anyway..... tungsten isn't known for skunking as it emits only low levels of UV light.

It is thought that it is the UV component of light that does the naughty business
Fluorescent lighting can skunk beer if exposed for long enough as it emits far higher levels of UV.

So just be careful of those FV's and poly kegs sat in fluorescent lights for long periods. :thumb:

 

[Antony]

You're not blonde by any chance ;-)

Maybe the beer was?

 

[Gethin79]

Just to add to this...it is not as dumb as you think! I bought a Beko fridge from eBay a few weeks ago. Since then it had been working fine. However this weekend I opened the door and could smell burning. The top right of the fridge (inside) was very hot. Thinking it was an electrical fault I unplugged it and had a look. Turns out that due to poor door alignment the bulb hadn't gone out. The glue on the heat shield supposed to be protecting the plastic had dried due to the heat of the bulb, and the shield fell off. Behind the bulb was a big burnt hole in the light fitting, which in turn had scorched the lining of the fridge. Just as well I checked it when I did!!

:electric:

 

[dx4100]

Think I might print this one out :)

Can't believe it. What a moment!!! Its been a rough day from all prospectives and this just put the cherry on the cake!!!

Glad everyone got a giggle out of it :) :

 

[winelight]

If making a fermentation fridge I would automatically disconnect the light and thermostat anyway. All you want is the compressor.

 

[Jeltz]

Keep it simple the more tinkering the more chance of making a mistake. Just turn the thermostat down and be aware that the fridge light won't come on unless the cooling light is on on the STC-1000. When it is it also confirms that power is running to the fridge which is nice to see.

 

[danb]

I use a 40watt light bulb in the bottom of my fridges as the heat sources and the beer has been fine. Even with clear bottles I havent had a problem.

 

[morethanworts]

:rofl: Fantastic. A forum classic. :hat:

Maybe those cheeky lights just come back on when we can't see them... :hmm:

 

[winelight]

Keep it simple

To me, keeping it simple means disconnecting as much of the original fridge circuitry as possible. So literally all you have left is the electricity supply coming in, the STC1000 and the compressor (plus the heater if you add one). No strange wires disappearing into the fridge internals that connect lights and thermostats in mysterious ways. Cheaper, simpler, more reliable.

 

[dx4100]

:rofl: Fantastic. A forum classic. :hat:

Maybe those cheeky lights just come back on when we can't see them... :hmm:

lol

I am blaming the stress of that Rochefort 10.... and the amount of sampling I did that day....

 

[morethanworts]

Hope it's going Ok, fridge light worries aside!

 

[Jeltz]

Keep it simple

To me, keeping it simple means disconnecting as much of the original fridge circuitry as possible. So literally all you have left is the electricity supply coming in, the STC1000 and the compressor (plus the heater if you add one). No strange wires disappearing into the fridge internals that connect lights and thermostats in mysterious ways. Cheaper, simpler, more reliable.

We are all entitled to our opinions but I can't agree that that is good advice to people building a fermentation fridge. How is it simpler? Its not complex as it stands but spending more time identifying which wire to snip and which to leave is just over complicating the build.

I can't see how DIY alteration of the standard wiring inside a fridge makes anything more reliable surely it just increases the chance of making it less reliable. If the thermostat fails then yes bypass if but as the old saying goes if it ain't broke......

As for cheaper the light only goes on when the door opens and the STC-1000 is in cooling mode so its hardly going to register on the electric meter and I said previously it shows that power is going to the fridge so can act as a problem solving indicator.

This level of modification is simply not necessary and introduces more points where people can do something wrong. JMHO

 

[winelight]

No - cheaper in that you don't have to buy two mains sockets.

 

[Jeltz]

No - cheaper in that you don't have to buy two mains sockets.

What's the 2nd one for?