distilled water for mixing developer?

[2F/2F]

Who knows...but re: film chemicals, I use it for everything except hypo clear, Photo Flo, and rinse water. I don't use it for any of my paper chemicals, as the volumes are larger.

 

[tkamiya]

It probably greatly depend on your local municipal water quality. (or do you have a well?)

I personally use tap water (municipal) filtered through Brita faucet filter for all of my chemicals. I use tap water without filtration for final wash. I don't know if filtration is necessary but I already have it, so I use it.

 

[Necator]

I use tap water for mixing chemicals, without any problems. As we have hard water, I give my film a final rinse in destilled water from a de-humidfier. No problems encounterd there. If my recollection of inorganic chemistry does not fail me, the content of free Fe-ions is higher in soft water (low pH), which could explain why I have no problems.

 

[RobertV]

The mentioned Brita filter is very efficient to get an- and cations out of the tap water. Everything is depending on the quality of your tap water when using no filter or no distilled water. But especially Xtol is very sensitive for metal ions in the tap water. The lifetime is dropping dramatically when using tap water with high content of metal ions. Document developers are also further sensitive for building up an iron complex which means black dots in your negative, irriversable.
When having high content of calcium salts the pH traject of the developer is also changed which means another density of the negative. Apart from drying marks after the development. But in a lot of situations the tap water quality is sufficient on quality to have no defects.

Best regards,

Robert

 

[DanielStone]

somewhat off-topic, does anyone know as to why Brita recommends a 5-min run time when installing a new filter on the faucet-mounted system?

to me(I'm in LA, WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD WATER SHORTAGE right now), this seems extremely wasteful. I could understand a minute, to clear out the nasty black stuff that comes out when you first install it, but 5 min? I've been running HOT water through it for 1min so far, and to my tastebuds, doesn't seem to hurt it at all.

help?

-Dan

 

[wclark5179]

I used distilled water to mix stock(s). Tap water for working solution(s).

 

[_Craig_]

Distilled water: yes

do i need to use distilled water for mixing developer and dilution? i'm thinking about xtol developer.

Be sure to buy "steam process" --real distilled water. Use it to mix your developer and to dilute stock solution. Altho the surficant in Kodak Photo-Flo has done fine by me for the final, if your water is hard, consider mixing the final with distilled as well.

Distilled water costs so little --and you'd be amazed at what goes through municipal water mains, especially when hydrants and mains get flushed. (By the way: while you don't want to drink distilled water, using a consistently pure spring sourced bottled water for making coffee (like "EartH2O" from Oregon) yields consistently excellent results.)

Craig (who is learning so _much_ from reading through the APUG forum, as I return to using film (Neopan-1600?) for astrophotography. Thanks, everyone!)

 

[Anon Ymous]

Steam distilled water is an overkill IMHO, even for Xtol, plus it isn't necessarily easily available, nor cheap allover the world. I used deionised for Xtol and I had absolutely no problems. I wouldn't use deionised for any other mainstream developer.

 

[fotch]

(By the way: while you don't want to drink distilled water, using a consistently pure spring sourced bottled water for making coffee (like "EartH2O" from Oregon) yields consistently excellent results.)

Craig (who is learning so _much_ from reading through the APUG forum, as I return to using film (Neopan-1600?) for astrophotography. Thanks, everyone!)

May I ask why not? I don't drink it but know someone who does.

 

[Ian Grant]

May I ask why not? I don't drink it but know someone who does.

You're teeth will rot & fall out due to lack of fluoride

More seriously you get some minerals from drinking water, there's none in distilled water. There's evidence that hard water is better for you.

Ian

 

[Gerald C Koch]

May I ask why not? I don't drink it but know someone who does.

De-ionized or distilled water tastes flat due to the lack of mnerals and oxygen in it. There is some research which indicates that people who live in areas with soft water have a higher incidence of heart disease.

 

[Valerie]

I have well water and have always used distilled to mix stock solutions of chem, then use distilled to dilute developers and photo-flo. I recently decided I could just use tap water to mix my paper dev (LPD) and ended up with badly stained prints. Back to distilled!

 

[fotch]

De-ionized or distilled water tastes flat due to the lack of mnerals and oxygen in it. There is some research which indicates that people who live in areas with soft water have a higher incidence of heart disease.

Are you claiming that distilled water is the same as soft water?

 

[ic-racer]

No one on this forum or LF forum has ever posted the results of control strips processed in developer mixed with tap water compared to distilled water that shows any difference. (if they are out there, someone let me know)

I can show the control strip results of film in T-max developer mixed in distilled water and my midwest USA tap water and there is no difference.

If one is worried about solid impurities in the tap water (and did not want to use a filter) then all the chemicals and wash water would need to be distilled.

I guess that if the tap water stained the film or paper I'd not drink it or cook with it either.

Kodak does not recommend mixing developers in distilled water. (Photo-Flo is another story, and it is recommended to be mixed with distilled water if scum is a problem)

 

[fschifano]

...I've been running HOT water through it for 1min so far, and to my tastebuds, doesn't seem to hurt it at all.

-Dan

Hot water is usually loaded with lots more iron than cold water if you are using an old style, hot water tank type heater. Using it will, at least, shorten the life of the filter. It's probably less of a problem if you're using one of those new fangled hot water on demand units.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Are you claiming that distilled water is the same as soft water?

Of course not, soft water just contains less dissolved minerals than hard water.

The heart disease study infered that something in hard water has a protective action on the heart. My post was directed to people who think that drinking distilled water or softened water is safer than drinking tap water.

 

[TareqPhoto]

I am living in a country which all or most tap water are hard and un-drinkable, and difficult to get distilled water or it is costly, good that you told me about XTOL, so before i mix that developer i have to find where i can get distilled water.

 

[RobertV]

Use a Brita (TM) filter which can be installed on-line or via a water can.
It is an anion- kation and carbon filter. One filter takes till max. 100 ltr. and the costs are around Eur. 4,-
Xtol is sensitive for metal ions so are (low) contrast document developers. Problems from black spotts in the negative and stripes and drying marks are the problems of bad tap water till a shorten lifespan of the powder stock developer.

The advantage of using Brita is it's almost direct available as perfect photo water. If you want to minimize the dissolved oxygen you can cook it.

 

[TareqPhoto]

I hope that filter will do the job, is it good enough or still not on par? from the discussion here i still don't know if it is a good option to consider, it will not give pure distilled water, or am i wrong? also the question is, how good [or pure] water to be used for mixing?

 

[RobertV]

No only demi-water.
Pure water they are making with Reversed Osmose, a UV lamp and a fine 10um carbon filter. Then it can be used for chemical analysis. For making it you need a Millipore MQ water system. Pretty expensive too.

I have very good results with the Brita filter system. BTW nice for drinking too which is not a good idea with MQ water.

 

[TareqPhoto]

No only demi-water.
Pure water they are making with Reversed Osmose, a UV lamp and a fine 10um carbon filter. Then it can be used for chemical analysis. For making it you need a Millipore MQ water system. Pretty expensive too.

I have very good results with the Brita filter system. BTW nice for drinking too which is not a good idea with MQ water.

I work in a local government department and we have a lab for health and environment, they have a machine to get distilled water, and they told me i can have a certain amount of the water, maybe free or very low price if they can't give it free, so i may try with them, but the problem is that i may get a distilled water from them but then i can't be sure it will be clean for long time, and mostly when i have to prepare or mix the developer on the box it is written i need to use high temp, so how i can be sure if i will use the water in heating or stored it will remain clean distilled water or free mostly of any particles.?!!! or it doesn't matter much and it will not be a big deal?

 

[bblhed]

I have thought about this and here is the way I look at it. If I use tap water at my house it comes from a well and the Ph changes depending on the time of year, amount of rain and whatever else I can't even imagine. Distiled water is water and water only, and if I buy the same brand all the time it should be the same within reason every time. I'm making photos for for myself so the tweak from tap water probably wouldn't mater to me, it might make a difference, but I probably won't care. Still I use distiled water to mix developer, I have enough trouble in my life, I don't want to worry if it was the water that messed me up on that roll of film.

 

[R gould]

I never use distilled water for anything, straight out of the tap and I have never had a problem,Richard