Chemistry effecting metal bathroom fixtures

[stooth]

I have(had) an APARTMENT bathroom wet darkroom. After about 6 mos. of use I noticed most of the "chrome" plated fixtures, towel rack, light fixture, sink trim, vent grill, were corroding. The damaged had been done so I continued as did the corrosion. Has any one else had this problem. I developed film as well as paper in the ventilated room. I've used Dectol, D76, Ilford chemicals, Kodac fixer, PMK developer and a few other chemicals I don't remember. I always run the ventilation fan but I wonder what damage might have happened to my lungs? I have since stopped using the room as a wet darkroom but still develop film. Any thoughts from the forum?

Stooth

 

[jovo]

I live in a new house (3 years old) and the 'chrome' pipe fittings in the master bathroom are also corroding. It is used only as a bathroom and we have never...I repeat, NEVER!!... even had a waterballoon or water pistol fight therein. The taps and faucets are not corroding, because they are made to resist that sort of thing. I doubt your wet darkroom activities have anything to do with it. More likely, the closed door with inadequate ventilation is allowing a great deal of humidity to accumulate on cheapo fixtures...think about it....a hot shower on a cold day will make steam aplenty... well made fixtures should not be affected.

As to your lungs, unless you're inhaling powdered chems that's extremely unlikely as well. When I mix ID11 I wear a mask. I have no other concerns at all.

 

[Dave Krueger]

I have 30+ years bathroom darkroom experience and I have never had any problems with corosion from chemicals.

Do you live near any nuclear power plants or toxic waste dumps? If you turn the lights out, does the tap water glow?

-Dave

 

[BradS]

never had a problem either.

 

[Monophoto]

Stooth -

I tend to agree with jovo - the problem is most likely that the quality of plumbing fixtures just ain't what it used to be, and corrosion happens.

Years ago, plumbing fixtures were made of chrome-plated polished brass. You can still see some of those in older homes and in a few of the grand old hotels that haven't been yuppified. Much of the chrome has rubbed off exposing the brass underneath, but there is no corrosion.

Today, all but the top-of-the-line (most expensive) fixtures today consist of a chrome-plated steel shroud that hides a fairly rough cast brass fixture, and I suspect that the chrome plating isn't as thick as in the past. Some faucets I installed in our former home in the late 1970's were starting to corrode when we sold the house in 2002.

It's become a disposable society.

 

[stooth]

Thanks to the forum I feel a little less guilty for the metal oxidation. Maybe the landlord will let me slide?

Stooth

 

[Gerald Koch]

A plumber once told me that Moen fixtures are so named because this is the sound that people who own them eventually make.

 

[wilsonneal]

I bought some fixtures about 18 months ago. American Standard. Got them to upgrade our Master Bath sink and toilet. I have never done any darkroom work in there. The chrome is starting to corrode. I think that the lower priced fixtures are just not as well made as we'd hope. I am sure it has nothing to do with your darkroom work.
N

 

[eddym]

I bought some fixtures about 18 months ago. American Standard. Got them to upgrade our Master Bath sink and toilet. I have never done any darkroom work in there. The chrome is starting to corrode. I think that the lower priced fixtures are just not as well made as we'd hope. I am sure it has nothing to do with your darkroom work.
N

I learned about American Standard the hard way, too. We built our house in 1993 using all AS fixtures, except for one small "bar sink" in our kitchen which has a faucet made by Grohe. Grohe is good German stuff (Think Leica, Rollei, Zeiss!!), and the sink has never, in 13 years, needed as much as a washer.
The American Standard faucet in the main sink lasted less than 5 years, and I replaced it with a Grohe. End of maintenance on sink.
The AS faucets in our bathroom have gone through endless replacements of special, AS-only washers (at about $15 or more each!), as well as the removeable seats that they seal against ($10 per pack of 2). Handles have broken ($20 each). Everything else is basically falling apart. The worst part is that the local dealer rarely has the parts in stock, and they have to "special order" the parts, which take several weeks to arrive, and then they don't bother to call when they do.
If I could afford the labor, I would replace every fixture in this house with Grohe. American Standard sets a pretty damn low "standard," in my opinion.