Filtering used water

Falkenberg · Aug 22, 2008

I was thinking about how to make my darkroom more environmentally friendly and save me some money. I want to recycle the water I use for rinsing.

What kind of filters are awailable.

Does it matter what kind of processes You rinse after ?

Do any of You do this ?

bdial · Aug 22, 2008

I don't think there are any standard filters that could separate fixer, or the silver it contains from the wash water.
In another thread, someone, Ian I think, mentioned running wash water through a silver recovery cartridge in commercial labs. You could do that, or rig up you're own set up with steel wool perhaps. That only gets the silver out of the liquid though, it wouldn't remove the fixer. And I doubt that it would save money.

For washing film there is the Ilford method that a lot of people use to minimize water use. For roll film, I use a variation which is dump and fill every 5 minutes for 20 or 30 minutes. Using that method I go through about 4 liters of water.
Prints would be somewhat more difficult, but fiber washes almost as well just sitting in a static large volume of water as they do in running water.

Mike Wilde · Aug 22, 2008

for other uses -

In a past 'darkroom' the sink was the laundry sink, and the bench was the washer and dryer adjacent to the sink. For film washing, I would do a couple of dump and fills and then hook the wash hose up to the tank. The tank would be set on top of the washer, and whatever overfowed out of the tank from washing would run down and gradually start filling the wash tub of the washing machine. Later on in the week, the dirty clothing got dumped in, and the wash water was already partially there.

srs5694 · Aug 22, 2008

If you were willing to do some plumbing work, you could conceivably do something like Mike describes, but feed the used photographic wash water into your toilet. (If you've got dogs, though, this might be bad -- dogs like to drink out of toilets, in my experience.)

Bob-D659 · Aug 22, 2008

Methinks you fret too much about the environmental side of the equation, the average small plant making 15,000 liters per day of reverse osmosis and then triple distilled water dumps approx 35,000 liters of "clean" water down the drain. You also dump more way more harmful stuff into the sewer washing your car at the local car wash.

If you want to recycle gray water at home, the easiest is to catch the rinse water from the washing machine and use that for the wash water for the next load.

Photo Engineer · Aug 22, 2008

Many years ago, we developed a suitable filter for photographic wash water and overflow that produced nearly drinkable water from the effluent of a process. It consisted of a mixed bed resin (anionic and cationic) and a resin that absorbed all organic subtances. The final stage was essentially a reverse osmosis unit with both carbon and spiral wound filters. It did the job but cost more than the fresh water would have. And, there was the problem of disposal of the cubitainers of expended resins and cartridges.

It works, but is too expensive. Dilution and mass treatment at a water treatment plant is more efficient and cost effective as is collection by a special collector.

PE

Falkenberg · Aug 23, 2008

With the price of water here in Denmark, it is easy to save a bundle this way. I was thinking about recycling my water through one of these: http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw-f-intro.htm. As a note, all car wash here in Denmark have to recycle the water they use. The only add what evaporates or stick to the cars.

Photo Engineer · Aug 23, 2008

Then there are units similar to desalinization units based on reverse osmosis. That is what you refer to in the URL apparently.

Tropical fish stores often sell small units that have a throughput useful in your application.

PE

domaz · Aug 25, 2008

Why not go the other way and use a natural source of gray water- rain. Get a rain barrel to collect the rain and use it for washing.

Kirk Keyes · Aug 25, 2008

Hey Culligan Man!!!!

It can be done, and he can set you up for it. Mention the deionizing resins that PE talks about above. But it may be expensive.

Maybe save the rinse water and pour it on your garden flowers.

Ralph Javins · Sep 3, 2008

Good morning;

What happens to a septic tank and drain field if you put photographic chemical solutions into it from developing film and prints?

I am not on a city sewage treatment system, although they do charge us for it through our water bill.

bobwysiwyg · Sep 3, 2008

It's a no-no in Mass. and I suspect elsewhere.

http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/hazardous/photo.htm

Alatapug · Sep 4, 2008

A colleague some ten years ago set up a darkroom facility out in the countryside in Spain and with no connection to mains sewerage had to prove to the local planners that the outflow from the necessary soak-away was environmentally safe. His subsequent research, which was accepted, showed that once the silver was removed, BW photographic chemicals quickly break down into what are essentially fertiliser compounds. I didn't see the research myself but I water my plants with print rinse water and they're doing just fine.

dancqu · Sep 5, 2008

Falkenberg said:
I was thinking about how to make my darkroom more
environmentally friendly and save me some money.
I want to recycle the water I use for rinsing.

A Counter Current method may work for you.
Last rinse becomes second to last, second
becomes third to last, etc. Last rinse is
always fresh water. Dan

Filtering used water

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