With 4 gallons of distilled water in the basement, I'm not in panic mode - yet. But my better half reports that in the last week or two, the crazies have wiped the distilled water shelves clean. Are you guys seeing the same thing? I've used this for making most of my chems... so now I'm thinking it's Brita Time. Not sure about this. What are you folks doing?
The Legionella organism is a bacterium not a virus.The reservoir tank in a de-humidifier will be as good as distilled water and free of impurities. It should still be boiled because it can harbour the legionella virus if left for any length of time.
You are quite welcome!Very helpful! Thank you for that mini lesson!
I don't know your location but in the US the FDA governs the labeling of bottled water. "Purified water" can be labeled as such and achieved by various means (RO, distilled, etc) because the term purified water describes the result rather than the process. But if the bottle says "distilled" it must be distilled. Process vs result.
The bottle I have is labeled "distilled", and in addition to identifying the source of the water also adds how it was processed: Steam distillation, micron filtration, ultraviolet light, and ozonation. And it costs less than a buck a gallon, about the same as RO water.
Retired chemist speaking here... wants to clear up some misconceptions about water.
...I hope that this is helpful,
--- Frank
Somehow, this information makes it a bit more plausible. This could be the ridiculously diluted developer, combined with well water, not even tap water. There might be some truth to it, who knows.My only basis for that concern is statements (on Photo.net, I think, and some years ago) that seasonal variations in water content had caused seasonal variations in negative density/contrast for a PC-TEA user who lived far from cities and had a well.
I’m running short of distilled water to make emulsion and it’s been cleared off the store shelves, so I’ve been looking at a deionizer / RO kit to install and eliminate that dependancy.
Iron has a significant impact on emulsion speed, which my well water has quite a bit of, along with fluorine. So yeah.
-Jason
I forgot to say welcome to the forum!Thank for that information. I live in New England, but I haven't paid any attention to commercial bottled water since I have never seen a need for it at home.
When I was working in the lab, we had glass stills and then, more recently, RO based water polishing systems that gave really, really, really pure water.
Wow - $10 A LITRE!?!?!?!I often wonder is distilled water in the US what we call de-ionised water in Europe. I know that in Ireland where I live distilled water is around the equivalent of $10 a litre. I only use distiller water for wet plate chemistry mixing, tap water for everything else
A deioniser is a lot cheaper to buy than a still, and for the purposes of emulsion making probably just as good. I think running costs are lower as is water usage. At work I use a still which requires a constant water supply and produces up to 4 litres of 99.9% pure water per hour...using a 3kW heater and of course a lot of "waste" water. Either system is quite easy to install especially if you have laboratory taps already installed which accept neoprene tubing. The deionisers should work for 10 years with minimal maintenance. So it takes a working day to fill my 25 litre aspirator, with all the associated electricity and water usage. Personally I would strongly consider a deioniser in your situation as you need a supply of "pure" water that you can rely on....be more self sufficient.
BTW I am taking the opportunity of being away from work to get more acquainted with the quarter plates I bought from you a couple of years ago. Great to see Analogue Wonderland over here now stocks them...probably going to try the "speed plates" at some point.
t
I know the slower plates were giving you problems. They are tricky to work with, as were the historical plates from the early 1880s. The 25 speed plates are a bit more, ah, forgiving.
I think you may have overlooked the essence of the message you responded to. His point was that there's a difference between distilled and de-ionized or demineralized water. I think everywhere in Europe it's fairly simple to find de-ionized or demineralized water for about €0.50/ltr in a local supermarket, DIY store etc. Confusingly, some of these stores sell de-ionized water as distilled water, while it's rather unlikely that it's actually distilled given the price point. I just did a quick search and the only place I could find that sells distilled water in my country asks around €4/ltr for it.Wow - $10 A LITRE!?!?!?!
I get mine from my local Asda for about £4 - £5 for a 5 litre container, which is a lot, lot cheaper. It's worth shopping around if you don't have a bigger supermarket close by, although some of the smaller shops and garages sell it as ironing water, or car battery top up water, at a much cheaper price than you are currently paying.
A couple of years ago my wife and I visited the UK. She uses a CPAP machine that requires distilled water. We searched all over trying to find it, even going to a hospital in London. We finally found some by chance at a druggist in Bath at what seemed to us as a ridiculously high price. As for our local supplies, no issues with distilled water though "drinking" water is in short supply.I often wonder is distilled water in the US what we call de-ionised water in Europe. I know that in Ireland where I live distilled water is around the equivalent of $10 a litre. I only use distiller water for wet plate chemistry mixing, tap water for everything else
Not to hijack the thread...how much distilled water do you generally go through in a month? I'm wondering about cost effectiveness of installing your own deionising system vs relying on buying supplies of distilled or deionised water.
Before my de-humidifier died i wondered if this wasn’t the case. I didn’t think about the boiling though, good idea.The reservoir tank in a de-humidifier will be as good as distilled water and free of impurities. It should still be boiled because it can harbour the legionella virus if left for any length of time.
Lastly, a word about hard water (high calcium and/or magnesium)... this should not be a problem with photographic chemistry as neither metal is redox active. However, hard water, including hard water softened by adding salt, can cause problems with spotting on negatives. The water evaporates leaving the salts behind. In this case, a final rinse with purified water is certainly warranted.
I hope that this is helpful,
--- Frank
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