Will beer hurt a flashlight-Olight SR 90?

Perhaps a stupid question but still a bit concerned
I own an Olight SR 90, and have had a can of beer accidentally fall on it near the front of the light where the reflector is; it fell right on the protrusion of the metal ring that the shoulder strap hooks on to, and thus perforated the side of the unopened can. About a shot glass worth of beer gushed out and got all over the lens, inside the grove where the metal ring and the thin o ring for the front strap attachment sit ( as well as on that o ring itself) and inside some of the cooling fin grooves.

I've cleaned the front lens and between the cooling fins gently with water and a soft cotton cloth, but couldn't reach inside the groove to clean the metal ring and rubber seal w/out unscrewing the lens cap (which I don't want to). Could that beer, when whet though dry by now, have damaged the o-ring by any chance, because when looking at it a couple of minutes later, the rubber seal along parts of its circumference wasn't black anymore, but had a barely perceptible gray color now, but it was there. I honestly haven't looked at the seal this carefully before and can't tell whether it was like this all along, or has happened due to the incident, but I do feel as if the rubber might have reacted due to the spill. So, can beer hurt a flashlight or even the anodizing if not fully wiped off certain hard to reach surfaces?

Also, if possible, could anyone who owns this series take a look by any chance to see if that front seal of your light is black all around, or has a slight gray color in certain places. Want to see if a similarity exists indicating a factory condition or something as a result of my doing.

Appreciate your feedback and advice on this
Regards

I'm guessing you've washed the lube off the O ring, try re lubeing and see how it looks.

Norm

Haha that is a classic beer on your flashlight but to be honest I really don't think beer would hurt your flashlight.

I quite often use alcohol to clean various flashlight components so really I can not see a problem?

^^^
That alcohol is probably a bit more pure than your average pint of beer! :naughty:

That aside though, if the o-ring stopped the beer actually entering the light, I doubt that it would be an issue.

It depends, was the BAL (Battery Alcohol Level) above 0.08 ?

i dont think that there would be any damage at all to the light, only a little bit more bacteria growth, but if you want to make sure and that light is water resistant, why not run water over it? it will dissolve what is left of beer in there.

Water is the best solvent we have.

If it can light a straight line you're golden.

I enjoy drinking a few beers while using my flashlights. Does that make me a Flashaholic?

Forget the flashlight, it'll be fine. What about the beer?! What kind did you spill? How much? Did you some extra in reserve? Spilling beer is alcohol abuse!

bob4apple said:

If it can light a straight line you're golden.

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:thumbsup:

AlPal said:

I enjoy drinking a few beers while using my flashlights. Does that make me a Flashaholic?

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Ditto.....

If it was cheap beer your flashlight may not like that as much, if it was good beer you're in the clear. I'm happy to find out I'm not the only person who starts playing with flashlights after having a few... HAHA

If you don't use in moderation it will turn AA cells into D cells!

What kind of beer was it?

The anodizing on your flashlight was made to withstand a variety of chemical and physical abuses. Beer has no destructive properties with the exception your waistline and your liver. Oh wait, you forgot to mention if it was a LIGHT beer. Seriously, your light is rated at IPX 68. You could probably pressure wash it.

You could be in serious trouble if it was a DARK beer... (sorry, couldn't resist)

The light should be fine, but the cells, depending on their size, may need to be taken to an AA meeting.

1) The beer was Heineken

2)If it was a light beer that spilled, I never would posted the topic due to self incrimination (no offense to light beer drinkers)

3) The light does see in a straight line, but cannot do a morse close strobe flash of the alphabet backwards (I think it came like that from the factory though, so wheh-it's not due to the spill)

All in all, i think it's fine, works the same and nothing got inside the lens head. I cleaned the beer off, relubed the o ring again, and cracked open a beer in celebration of another successful pampering session for my light.

Thanks for the advice gents. And since beer is still in hand, cheers to all!

kelmo said:

If you don't use in moderation it will turn AA cells into D cells!

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Since it was a problem with the light not being able to hold the beer, it'd probably send those D cells into A.A. instead.

Or would it be a drunken assault and battery? Ouch.

Almost any light should be OK as long as the reflector or the circuitry board if there is one doesn't get wet. Most lights can take a slight amount of dampness. Just clean it up and dry it off (or let it dry out and sober up!). Read up on the threads about cleaning and lubricating lights to get an idea of what to do or not to do. Also read about what happens most often when folks try cleaning reflectors (generally not a recommended practice).