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CFL Bulbs in Beer Cooler-UV Concern

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  • CFL Bulbs in Beer Cooler-UV Concern

    We've got two CFL bulbs in our walk in cooler where our SV's and all keg beer reside. All vinyl tubing from the SV's is exposed to the light pretty much all day and sometimes all night when people forget to turn the lights off. We previously had some pretty low wattage bulbs in there but I just swapped them for stronger ones. Each bulb puts about 2500 lumens.

    These bulbs emit UV spectrum light just like other standard fluorescent bulbs. We never had any light struck beers with the previous bulbs. Do you think that it may be an issue with these stronger bulbs?

  • #2
    Originally posted by d_striker View Post
    We've got two CFL bulbs in our walk in cooler where our SV's and all keg beer reside. All vinyl tubing from the SV's is exposed to the light pretty much all day and sometimes all night when people forget to turn the lights off. We previously had some pretty low wattage bulbs in there but I just swapped them for stronger ones. Each bulb puts about 2500 lumens.

    These bulbs emit UV spectrum light just like other standard fluorescent bulbs. We never had any light struck beers with the previous bulbs. Do you think that it may be an issue with these stronger bulbs?
    I very much doubt a bulb is going to throw off enough UV to skunk beer.

    However, if you are having employees forget to turn off the light, you could just toss a motion sensor switch in. Should save you some pennies off electric.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by dantose View Post
      I very much doubt a bulb is going to throw off enough UV to skunk beer.

      However, if you are having employees forget to turn off the light, you could just toss a motion sensor switch in. Should save you some pennies off electric.
      I wouldn't think so either, but I just read something saying how the cfl's emit more uv than the long tubes. I'm not too worried about it but was just wondering if anyone else has had issues or given the matter consideration.

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      • #4
        The biggest problem we've had with CFLs in the cooler is the poor performance when cold. The bulbs take several (up to 10) minutes to come up to full output, meaning it isn't very practical to turn them on and off frequently. We used them for years, and never had a problem with skunking, even with ~8'/ line of clear beer line in the cooler. But the problem of cold performance caused us to simply leave them on during hours.

        The best solution I've found? LEDs. These puppies are getting very cheap, especially if they live up to their predicted lifespans.

        So far, I've changed out about half of our CFLs and incandescents with Cree brand LEDs, and I'm very happy so far.

        Best part--white light LEDs produce almost no measurable UV, and come up to full output instantly even when cold. Electrical usage is slightly less than CFLs, output/watt (my observation). They are available in numerous spectra, from warm white to "natural sunlight" to brilliant white. I prefer the warmer colors for public areas (render better skintones, something the gals appreciate) and the cooler white for work areas, where they are apparently brighter and better for seeing fine detail.
        Last edited by TGTimm; 10-22-2014, 10:05 AM.
        Timm Turrentine

        Brewerywright,
        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
        Enterprise. Oregon.

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        • #5
          Thanks for the great feedback, Tim.

          I was looking at LED's but I couldn't find any high lumen output bulbs.

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          • #6
            Home Depot is the US distributor for Cree LEDs. These seem to be some of the best on the market, and, I think, are mostly made in the US (if that matters). I purchased the 60W equivalent, which draw 9.5W and seem considerably brighter than the 60W incandescents and 13W CFLs they replaced. The Crees are also available in higher wattages. These are direct screw-in replacements for light bulbs, and look like light bulbs. There are plenty of other options out there. I got some GE floods for our outdoor lighting, also rated as 60W eq., but these are brighter by far than the halogen floods they replaced. We also have several direct-wired LED lights in the pub, which are also great if you're replacing a light fixture.

            When our high-bay warehouse lighting wears out, we intend to replace those with LEDs also. High-bay and warehouse lighting gets into some really high wattages. Our 175W halides can be replaced with 30W LED arrays. Not having to rent a scissors lift to replace light bulbs alone would pay for the switch-over. Having instant light in any weather would be nice, too. And then there's the savings in electricity....

            It seems the average price for these are about $10 ea, currently, down to half or less what they were last year.

            I guess I'm a bit of an LED fanboy, but they really are cool (pun intended).
            Last edited by TGTimm; 10-22-2014, 02:54 PM.
            Timm Turrentine

            Brewerywright,
            Terminal Gravity Brewing,
            Enterprise. Oregon.

            Comment


            • #7
              If you really want to eliminate concern about the skunk factor from light, look for LED replacement bulbs in the 2700K spectrum. The light is not the bright white or sunlight which is nice for vision, but that wavelength puts out very little of the wavelength that will skunk beer.

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              • #8
                When switching to LED be sure to get bulbs suited to the fixture capabilities. Dimmable bulbs if there is a dimmer (non-dimmer bulbs cost less but will have nasty electrical humming). Enclosure-safe bulbs if in fully enclosed fixtures. Each type will have it's own associated cost. For our walk-in, we have enclosure safe, outdoor LED bulbs.

                Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
                Home Depot is the US distributor for Cree LEDs. These seem to be some of the best on the market, and, I think, are mostly made in the US (if that matters). I purchased the 60W equivalent, which draw 9.5W and seem considerably brighter than the 60W incandescents and 13W CFLs they replaced. The Crees are also available in higher wattages. These are direct screw-in replacements for light bulbs, and look like light bulbs. There are plenty of other options out there. I got some GE floods for our outdoor lighting, also rated as 60W eq., but these are brighter by far than the halogen floods they replaced. We also have several direct-wired LED lights in the pub, which are also great if you're replacing a light fixture.

                When our high-bay warehouse lighting wears out, we intend to replace those with LEDs also. High-bay and warehouse lighting gets into some really high wattages. Our 175W halides can be replaced with 30W LED arrays. Not having to rent a scissors lift to replace light bulbs alone would pay for the switch-over. Having instant light in any weather would be nice, too. And then there's the savings in electricity....

                It seems the average price for these are about $10 ea, currently, down to half or less what they were last year.

                I guess I'm a bit of an LED fanboy, but they really are cool (pun intended).

                Comment


                • #9
                  If your beer is bottled in brown glass, then there is not normally a problem - at least everything I have ever heard says there is no UV / skunky problem if using brown glass.

                  However, if using green or clear glass which has not got a UV protective film totally enclosing the glass, AND you don't use stabilised hop products, e.g. you use whole hops or normal hop pellets, then you are likely to suffer from UV related problems
                  dick

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