• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up

"Demineralized" water killed my 510-Pyro - a word to the wise

Old-N-Feeble

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
6,805
Location
South Texas
Format
Multi Format
Boiling also reduces absorbed oxygen.
 

RobC

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
3,880
Location
UK
Format
Multi Format
reverting to the water which worked will probably resolve your problem. If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it.
 

DREW WILEY

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Jul 14, 2011
Messages
14,875
Format
8x10 Format
Tap water can vary seasonally even where it's relatively very good. Many places it is not. For instance, after major rainstorms my own water
can pick up a bit of color or mineral content. Most of the time it's piped in as snowmelt from mtn reservoirs, but sometimes in winter, that
can get offset by runoff into local coastal secondary storage reservoirs. When in doubt, I mix developers with distilled water. I also have
line filters in place going to the print washers, to catch any little bits of sediment. I also use distilled water when doing very nitpicky development, like making matched color separation negatives.
 

Rudeofus

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
5,119
Location
EU
Format
Medium Format
Drew, Trask's issues appeared when demineralized water was used, but not in tap water. That's why this issue is non-trivial.
 

Old-N-Feeble

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
6,805
Location
South Texas
Format
Multi Format
Yes, but I don't think it's logical that distilled water would change development that drastically. I agree with others that there must be a mistake in the preparation and change the of water is mostly coincidental to the extreme difference in development.