Air Conditioner for Darkroom

cbphoto · May 12, 2015

PDH said:
By using 2 sets of boxes made into a u shape you can create a light trap. I worked in darkrooms that used a light trap door system rather than revolving door, same idea on a smaller scale.

Sounds huge! I'll try to work something out.

cbphoto · May 12, 2015

David Brown said:
I feel your pain.

Here in Norte Tejas, not having an AC unit means not working in the darkroom 9-10 months a year! My first permanent space was in a rent house in the 1970s. My landlord had been a keen amateur and had built the room, but it had no heat or cooling. He graciously let me install a window unit at my own expense. I do not recall it leaking light. I did a similar thing in another house in the 80s and do not recall it leaking light either.

Then I had a nice darkroom (finally) with central heat and AC from the building. Oddly enough, I had to put a baffle over the register vent to keep light out from the ducts, but that was successful.

My current darkroom, built out in 2010, has a window unit in the wall. It was there when I bought the house and it leaked some light. I replaced it a couple of years ago, and the new unit glows, too. So, either I did not see the light leaks 30-40 years ago (entirely possible), or the older units were built differently than current ones.

But, to answer your first question: probably not. The second question: yes, you can pretty much light proof one.

Without blocking air flow, you will need to get foam weather stripping all around the case on the inside. If you can take the front off - often necessary to replace or clean the filter - it should be obvious where you can (and cannot) do this. It will also be obvious where it is needed, if you let your eyes adjust (several minutes, as has already been suggested) and get a good look at the unit in the dark.

It may also be possible to put some dark filter material in front of the air output grid, which will cut down the light considerably. Just be careful not to cut down the air flow considerably, or it could create problems and damage the unit. If you can, it may also be possible to add some filter material over the outside grill work. In my case, this made the biggest difference after simply weather stripping the perimeter of the case. I used window screen frame material cut to size and stretched it with a dark piece of fabric.

There's always working after dark, which a lot of folks resort too for other reasons. That would be a last resort, but keep it in mind.

When I win the lottery, I will replace the window unit with a mini-split ...

Thanks. Yeah, I don't remember light coming into my old ACs growing up, and they were probably made in the 70s out of what looked like station wagon wood panels . I'll take a look at the unit when I pull it out of the closet, but I don't think I can get inside easily.

John Koehrer · May 12, 2015

A baffle's the easy way, either a three sided box or U shape work. Foamcore or corrugated box(es)
with either one aim the cold air upwards. Since cold air is heavier than warm air it'll tend to circulate the air better.

Paul Howell · May 12, 2015

dpn said:
If you're in an arid area, you might try a swamp cooler. This is what I'm planning on later this summer, when it hits 105F+ in my garage. Bonus: it increases humidity, which should, in theory, cut down on dust.

I lived in Sacramento in the 70s, I thought it was way to humid for a swamp cooler, as a matter of fact Sac is where I last had a window AC for my darkroom. It would never work in NYC.

gone · May 12, 2015

"a half-open mobile home window next to an Elvis rug thumbtacked to the wall".

Sadly, my tastes run to just that. I've been searching high and low for a Jesus or Elvis painting on black velvet w/ a clock in it (saw one years ago in New Mexico) to no avail. I could paint my own, but it wouldn't be the same as one painted by a true artisan :}

Just buy a small window A/C, set it on a table, and vent it outside, assuming that you have a window in the darkroom. A little bit of plastic tubing (or a piece of water hose) will take care of the condensation drip. The back of the unit needs some access to outside air to work properly though, which is why all these portable A/Cs on wheels that you're supposed to trundle from room to room don't work worth a flip. Neat idea, but ignores the basic physics of the A/C. You could easily set the unit as close to a window as possible, make a duct (the bigger the better) out of anything handy, and vent it to the half open window. You're on your own on the thumb tacked Elvis painting though. If you DO have a window, just put the A/C unit it there properly and avoid all this.

ParkerSmithPhoto · May 13, 2015

cbphoto said:
I was thinking long these lines, but was concerned about blocking the vent. Do you have a photo of what you made?

It was just a black foam core box made to fit over the front of the unit, with one side open on the bottom for the air. I only needed to use it during the day; night was not a problem.

Gunfleet · May 13, 2015

Two u shaped boxes would work, to be serious for a second. I too worked in a darkroom (many years ago) with no doors but a kind of labyrinth entrance. You paint the interior of the labyrinth black. You could make one out of a fairly thin sheet of mdf. God knows what Americans call that though. Hard fibre board.

Paul Howell · May 13, 2015

cbphoto said:
Sounds huge! I'll try to work something out.

The more I thought about it the more i think it will be tricky to make, not only do and outlet, but a room AC cools the inside air not the outside air, so you need keep the return register free as well, which means the light trap needs to mount over the AT towards the celling rather than the floor. But with 2 rather thin boxes just a couple of inches thick it could be done.

drkhalsa · May 14, 2015

Gunfleet said:
Two u shaped boxes would work, to be serious for a second. I too worked in a darkroom (many years ago) with no doors but a kind of labyrinth entrance. You paint the interior of the labyrinth black. You could make one out of a fairly thin sheet of mdf. God knows what Americans call that though. Hard fibre board.

It's the same. Medium density fiberboard.

Arklatexian · May 15, 2015

Re: No. 24

Down here some of us call swamp coolers: "mud pumps" and they are known to "spit" water. As you said they really only work well where the humidity is low, like maybe "0". Do be aware of the "water spitting"......Regards!

cbphoto · May 15, 2015

Thanks, everyone! I'll try to make some kind of simple baffle, unless I stumble across an inexpensive AC that is already light proof. There is a $300 Frigidaire with an angled vent that people say does the trick, but I was hoping for cheaper.

Gunfleet · May 15, 2015

drkhalsa said:
It's the same. Medium density fiberboard.

Thanks. You just never know where the transatlantic lines will get crossed!

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RoseParr · Dec 18, 2020

I wet the sheets in cold water and cover myself with it at night, when it is very hot, because it is impossible to be in this stuffiness.

weasel · Dec 26, 2020

I recently got my drkroom up and running, and I used the smallest window unit I coud find, my room being very well insulated 10x12. Firts thing I did was take the cover off the unit, spray paint the inside fo everything flat black. That resulted in probably a 40% drop in light leakage. Then on the inside, I made a ballfle out of black foam board and black duct tape, the outlet side pointing up, and the inlet now being on the bottom. I moved the units filter to the inlet on the bottom. Light leaks gone. Looks crude, works well, was cheap. One thing I did do was was wire both it and my heater into a seperate thermostat to control the temp. I would have loved to put in a mini split, but it would cost near as much as the building..........

StewartKerr · Jan 15, 2021

this summer, when the temperature in the apartment regularly reached 32 degrees, i thought about installing an air conditioner. My husband is against it categorically (it is harmful, expensive, the air does not clean anyway, the repair will be spoiled, you need maintenance, etc.). I am pregnant, I want the child and I to not suffer so much next summer, suddenly the summer will be as hot, because it is not always possible to go to the dacha, and there are no conditions in the dacha, as in the apartment. After searching for information, we found professionals in https://www.socool.sg/why-is-your-aircon-not-cold/ who were able to correctly install the air conditioner.

Sirius Glass · Jan 15, 2021

StewartKerr said:
this summer, when the temperature in the apartment regularly reached 32 degrees, i thought about installing an air conditioner. My husband is against it categorically (it is harmful, expensive, the air does not clean anyway, the repair will be spoiled, you need maintenance, etc.). I am pregnant, I want the child and I to not suffer so much next summer, suddenly the summer will be as hot, because it is not always possible to go to the dacha, and there are no conditions in the dacha, as in the apartment. After searching for information, we found professionals in https://www.socool.sg/why-is-your-aircon-not-cold/ who were able to correctly install the air conditioner.

Your husband is unrealistic. If he were the one who was pregnant, his mind would change in a hurry. I, as a male, would say more about him but the norms of Photrio prevents me.

glbeas · Jan 15, 2021

If your AC is too big it will not run long enough during a cooling cycle to effectively dry the air resulting in very high humidity also resulting in corroded metal in the darkroom. Dont ask how I know this.

beemermark · Jan 16, 2021

drkhalsa said:
It's the same. Medium density fiberboard.

Insulation comes in 4x5 sheets of various thicknesses. 1/2" would work well. You can glue the pieces together and the box would be very light if you want to remove it at certain times.

Air Conditioner for Darkroom

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