How light-sensitive is fermenting wort?

[Joerg]

For a beer fridge conversion I'd like to add a not too powerful LED
light, just enough so I can see air lock activities for the two primary
fermenter buckets and also a thermometer strapped to a fermenter. The
fridge has a dual-pane glass door and it resides in an otherwise dark room.

Technically easy, I'll just use an old bicycle front light I've got and
mount a white LED in there. Question: Can that little light be run all
the time, the whole 10-15 days the beer spends in primary?

The fermenters are the usual deal, white plastic food grade buckets from
Midwest.

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid

The two secondary fermenters are blue 5-gallon water cooler bottles but
they will reside in the bottom of this former wine fridge and a center
barrier blocks the light.

[Ecnerwal]

Post by Joerg
For a beer fridge conversion I'd like to add a not too powerful LED
light, just enough so I can see air lock activities for the two primary
fermenter buckets and also a thermometer strapped to a fermenter. The
fridge has a dual-pane glass door and it resides in an otherwise dark room.
Technically easy, I'll just use an old bicycle front light I've got and
mount a white LED in there. Question: Can that little light be run all
the time, the whole 10-15 days the beer spends in primary?
The fermenters are the usual deal, white plastic food grade buckets from
Midwest.
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid
The two secondary fermenters are blue 5-gallon water cooler bottles but
they will reside in the bottom of this former wine fridge and a center
barrier blocks the light.

Use a red or at most orange LED, not white.

[Joerg]

Post by Ecnerwal

Post by Joerg
For a beer fridge conversion I'd like to add a not too powerful LED
light, just enough so I can see air lock activities for the two primary
fermenter buckets and also a thermometer strapped to a fermenter. The
fridge has a dual-pane glass door and it resides in an otherwise dark room.
Technically easy, I'll just use an old bicycle front light I've got and
mount a white LED in there. Question: Can that little light be run all
the time, the whole 10-15 days the beer spends in primary?
The fermenters are the usual deal, white plastic food grade buckets from
Midwest.
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid
The two secondary fermenters are blue 5-gallon water cooler bottles but
they will reside in the bottom of this former wine fridge and a center
barrier blocks the light.

Use a red or at most orange LED, not white.

Ok, thanks, I got some red 3W LED for building bicycle lights. I'll run
it well under a watt though, probably 200-300mW will be enough to see
the air locks and those notoriously low-contrast LED thermometers.

The whole project is in slow motion now because I'll have to dig the
fluorescent ballast out of the fridge's base to be able to integrate a
heater, and my lower back just started acting up again :-(

[baloonon]

Post by Joerg
For a beer fridge conversion I'd like to add a not too powerful LED
light, just enough so I can see air lock activities for the two
primary fermenter buckets and also a thermometer strapped to a
fermenter. The fridge has a dual-pane glass door and it resides in an
otherwise dark room.
Technically easy, I'll just use an old bicycle front light I've got
and mount a white LED in there. Question: Can that little light be run
all the time, the whole 10-15 days the beer spends in primary?
The fermenters are the usual deal, white plastic food grade buckets
from Midwest.
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid
The two secondary fermenters are blue 5-gallon water cooler bottles
but they will reside in the bottom of this former wine fridge and a
center barrier blocks the light.

The buckets should be fine, and if the bottles are shielded they'll be
fine.

It seems, though, like it would be a waste of energy/batteries to have
it on all the time instead of turning on as needed, and using a switch
would avoid whatever minimal risk of skunking there might be. If the
switch on the existing light is hard to use for some reason, you'd be
more economical in a short period just using a cheap flashlight as
needed.

[Joerg]

Post by baloonon

Post by Joerg
For a beer fridge conversion I'd like to add a not too powerful LED
light, just enough so I can see air lock activities for the two
primary fermenter buckets and also a thermometer strapped to a
fermenter. The fridge has a dual-pane glass door and it resides in an
otherwise dark room.
Technically easy, I'll just use an old bicycle front light I've got
and mount a white LED in there. Question: Can that little light be run
all the time, the whole 10-15 days the beer spends in primary?
The fermenters are the usual deal, white plastic food grade buckets
from Midwest.
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid
The two secondary fermenters are blue 5-gallon water cooler bottles
but they will reside in the bottom of this former wine fridge and a
center barrier blocks the light.

The buckets should be fine, and if the bottles are shielded they'll be
fine.
It seems, though, like it would be a waste of energy/batteries to have
it on all the time instead of turning on as needed, and using a switch
would avoid whatever minimal risk of skunking there might be. If the
switch on the existing light is hard to use for some reason, you'd be
more economical in a short period just using a cheap flashlight as
needed.

I like to keep it simple. A switch would need to be on the outside which
is a problem. The LED will use less than half a watt which comes to less
than $1 worth of electricity per year. Those things are so efficient
that it might just be a few nickels. I want to set it so I can just see
the air locks and thermometer but no more. Lawrence recommended a red
light which might even look cool.

[baloonon]

Post by Joerg
I like to keep it simple. A switch would need to be on the outside which
is a problem. The LED will use less than half a watt which comes to less
than $1 worth of electricity per year. Those things are so efficient
that it might just be a few nickels. I want to set it so I can just see
the air locks and thermometer but no more. Lawrence recommended a red
light which might even look cool.

I think the best solution is to get a webcam that works in super-low light
and broadcast to your phone so you can watch your setup obsessively no
matter where you are. You can post videos to Youtube and make a mint in ad
revenue.

Something tells me that even though I'm joking, there are people who do
exactly that.

[Joerg]

Post by baloonon

Post by Joerg
I like to keep it simple. A switch would need to be on the outside which
is a problem. The LED will use less than half a watt which comes to less
than $1 worth of electricity per year. Those things are so efficient
that it might just be a few nickels. I want to set it so I can just see
the air locks and thermometer but no more. Lawrence recommended a red
light which might even look cool.

I think the best solution is to get a webcam that works in super-low light
and broadcast to your phone so you can watch your setup obsessively no
matter where you are. You can post videos to Youtube and make a mint in ad
revenue.

I thought about a web cam but not easy. It would have to live inside the
fridge and I'd have to run its antenna and wiring outside. Right now I
am soldering the electronics for the mod. Afterwards the fridge will be
able to cool and heat. Gets the fermenters out of the room and into a
more controlled environment. Also, then I don't have to run the pellet
stove just for the beer.

Post by baloonon
Something tells me that even though I'm joking, there are people who do
exactly that.

:-)

[Bob F]

Post by Joerg

Post by baloonon

Post by Joerg
For a beer fridge conversion I'd like to add a not too powerful LED
light, just enough so I can see air lock activities for the two
primary fermenter buckets and also a thermometer strapped to a
fermenter. The fridge has a dual-pane glass door and it resides in an
otherwise dark room.
Technically easy, I'll just use an old bicycle front light I've got
and mount a white LED in there. Question: Can that little light be run
all the time, the whole 10-15 days the beer spends in primary?
The fermenters are the usual deal, white plastic food grade buckets
from Midwest.
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid
The two secondary fermenters are blue 5-gallon water cooler bottles
but they will reside in the bottom of this former wine fridge and a
center barrier blocks the light.

The buckets should be fine, and if the bottles are shielded they'll be
fine.
It seems, though, like it would be a waste of energy/batteries to have
it on all the time instead of turning on as needed, and using a switch
would avoid whatever minimal risk of skunking there might be. If the
switch on the existing light is hard to use for some reason, you'd be
more economical in a short period just using a cheap flashlight as
needed.

I like to keep it simple. A switch would need to be on the outside which
is a problem. The LED will use less than half a watt which comes to less
than $1 worth of electricity per year. Those things are so efficient
that it might just be a few nickels. I want to set it so I can just see
the air locks and thermometer but no more. Lawrence recommended a red
light which might even look cool.

You could use a magnetic reed switch (burglar alarm switch) inside and a
magnet outside to switch it.

[Joerg]

Post by Bob F

Post by Joerg

Post by baloonon

Post by Joerg
For a beer fridge conversion I'd like to add a not too powerful LED
light, just enough so I can see air lock activities for the two
primary fermenter buckets and also a thermometer strapped to a
fermenter. The fridge has a dual-pane glass door and it resides in an
otherwise dark room.
Technically easy, I'll just use an old bicycle front light I've got
and mount a white LED in there. Question: Can that little light be run
all the time, the whole 10-15 days the beer spends in primary?
The fermenters are the usual deal, white plastic food grade buckets
from Midwest.
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid
The two secondary fermenters are blue 5-gallon water cooler bottles
but they will reside in the bottom of this former wine fridge and a
center barrier blocks the light.

The buckets should be fine, and if the bottles are shielded they'll be
fine.
It seems, though, like it would be a waste of energy/batteries to have
it on all the time instead of turning on as needed, and using a switch
would avoid whatever minimal risk of skunking there might be. If the
switch on the existing light is hard to use for some reason, you'd be
more economical in a short period just using a cheap flashlight as
needed.

I like to keep it simple. A switch would need to be on the outside which
is a problem. The LED will use less than half a watt which comes to less
than $1 worth of electricity per year. Those things are so efficient
that it might just be a few nickels. I want to set it so I can just see
the air locks and thermometer but no more. Lawrence recommended a red
light which might even look cool.

You could use a magnetic reed switch (burglar alarm switch) inside and a
magnet outside to switch it.

Yes, but only through the dual pane glass front door. It is very thick
so that ain't going to be trivial. An old TV remote would also work.
I'll just mod a bicycle front light and leave it on. Even 100mW into a
red LED should do. I built the electronics for that and the temp control
yesterday.