Basement darkroom?

mehguy · Aug 27, 2016

I have a freezer in the basement of where I might put my darkroom. Would it be ok to put an enlarger ontop of the freezer?

Old_Dick · Aug 27, 2016

If the compressor kicks in, no.

MattKing · Aug 27, 2016

mehguy said:
I have a freezer in the basement of where I might put my darkroom. Would it be ok to put an enlarger ontop of the freezer?

Old_Dick said:
If the compressor kicks in, no.

As long as you can unplug the freezer while you are printing, it should work fine.

Just be absolutely sure you plug the freezer back in !

Old_Dick · Aug 28, 2016

MattKing said:
As long as you can unplug the freezer while you are printing, it should work fine.

Just be absolutely sure you plug the freezer back in !

Also, try and remember to remove any paper from the freezer, (if you store it there) that you will use before you set everything up

Luis-F-S · Aug 28, 2016

Old_Dick said:
Also, try and remember to remove any paper from the freezer, (if you store it there) that you will use before you set everything up

Works better if the paper is at room temperature before you try to print...........

mehguy · Sep 3, 2016

I also have been thinking about a basement cellar... It would be the perfect candidate. But, it gets seriously cold down there in the winter and there are 2 small vents leading to the outside. Its basically being outside but without the snow. Could I remedy this by using a small heater?

chip j · Sep 3, 2016

I use an common oil heater that doesn,t give off light.

Jim Jones · Sep 3, 2016

Electric heaters are convenient. Some emit no light except for a pilot light which can be covered. In my last darkroom, the electric baseboard heater was under the sink where the tiny amount of visible light didn't reach paper or film. Be careful of an oil or gas heater that may exhaust the oxygen.

semi-ambivalent · Sep 3, 2016

mehguy said:
I also have been thinking about a basement cellar... It would be the perfect candidate. But, it gets seriously cold down there in the winter and there are 2 small vents leading to the outside. Its basically being outside but without the snow. Could I remedy this by using a small heater?

I use a small electric heater in a 10'x12' basement space in Colorado and it's fine. I've been able to set it such that the air temperature varies when it's on/off and I'm there/not but the jugs of developer and tempered water are within 1/4 degree of 68. Very convenient, that. If you were to stop up those vents you should have no problem keeping it comfortable in there although it might have to run almost full time. Cheap through that huge online retailer. A glass of port can fine tune things.

s-a

MattKing · Sep 3, 2016

mehguy said:
I also have been thinking about a basement cellar... It would be the perfect candidate. But, it gets seriously cold down there in the winter and there are 2 small vents leading to the outside. Its basically being outside but without the snow. Could I remedy this by using a small heater?

Perfect for storing film and paper (in the winter) .
But don't store your liquid chemicals there, unless you are willing to keep the heater on all winter.
It would be worthwhile to seek advice about how to keep the cellar from losing too much heat while you are working in it - just don't impede the ventilation.

Papa Tango · Sep 3, 2016

Back in the day when my darkroom's primary purpose was as bathroom/laundry area, I made fitted panels out of Masonite. Cut to the size of the interior trim boards--I used that self-adhesive foam seal one puts around doors on the outside edges of the board. At several spots just inside the foam trim line, small 2" strips of velcro were stuck--with matching sides on the trim boards.

This way, the boards could be stuck over the windows--firmly sealed against light leakage--and then removed when done. It worked well enough for daylight use!

mehguy · Sep 3, 2016

So I have 2 options here, use a cellar that has no insulation and gets seriously cold but has weather stripping around the door and is more light tight or use a room with moderate temperatures year round but is less light tight and has a furnace that I have to deal with. Which one should I use?

Sirius Glass · Sep 4, 2016

Be sure that the basement does not get damp or have water seepage after a rain storm, because mold and mildew can really mess up film, paper and darkroom equipment.

mehguy · Sep 4, 2016

Sirius Glass said:
Be sure that the basement does not get damp or have water seepage after a rain storm, because mold and mildew can really mess up film, paper and darkroom equipment.

It has the sump pump down there. Will that be a problem? How do I tell if basement gets damp or not?

Greg Heath · Sep 4, 2016

For my little 1x2 foot window I jammed a piece of encapsulated insulation into it. Totally blocks the light during the day. It's like 10 inches thick.

frank · Sep 5, 2016

I've used a cut to fit corrugated cardboard sheet from a large cardboard box to block a window.

Sirius Glass · Sep 5, 2016

Sirius Glass said:
Be sure that the basement does not get damp or have water seepage after a rain storm, because mold and mildew can really mess up film, paper and darkroom equipment.

mehguy said:
It has the sump pump down there. Will that be a problem? How do I tell if basement gets damp or not?

You should be able to sense the dampness. Solutions in order from easiest and cheapest to more expensive: bank six inches of dirt up around the house to make water flow away from the house during rain or snow melts, get a dehumidifier, use water sealer on the walls.

mehguy · Sep 5, 2016

Sirius Glass said:
You should be able to sense the dampness. Solutions in order from easiest and cheapest to more expensive: bank six inches of dirt up around the house to make water flow away from the house during rain or snow melts, get a dehumidifier, use water sealer on the walls.

Well I have a dehumidifier so I'll use that. But I doubt I will need it... There's other stuff in that room and no signs of mold anywhere.

MattKing · Sep 5, 2016

With respect to the basement room that may be cold in the winter, what is it like in the summer?

If it is usable for most of the year without adding heat, it may make sense to just add some insulation.

mehguy · Sep 5, 2016

MattKing said:
With respect to the basement room that may be cold in the winter, what is it like in the summer?

If it is usable for most of the year without adding heat, it may make sense to just add some insulation.

Its about room temperature during the summer. How would I add insulation? Also, the furnace room as a freezer, so that can be my dry station right there whereas with the cellar, I would need to make some sort of table and the nearest outlet is on the other side of the room whereas with the furnace room, the outlets are right next to the freezer.

MattKing · Sep 5, 2016

What type of furnace - oil, gas or electric?

And with the furnace and the freezer, can you cover over any pesky power lights.

mehguy · Sep 5, 2016

MattKing said:
What type of furnace - oil, gas or electric?

And with the furnace and the freezer, can you cover over any pesky power lights.

Its a gas furnace. I see the little blue flame that was mentioned about in this thread before.

MattKing · Sep 5, 2016

mehguy said:
Its a gas furnace. I see the little blue flame that was mentioned about in this thread before.

Be careful to ensure ventilation.

mehguy · Sep 5, 2016

MattKing said:
Be careful to ensure ventilation.

For the safety of the furnace or myself?

MattKing · Sep 5, 2016

mehguy said:
For the safety of the furnace or myself?

You.
And for the efficiency of the furnace as well.

Basement darkroom?

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