How much ventilation for JOBO CPP3 processing room?

Hello all,

My question is- how critical is ventilation when using a JOBO CPP3 processor?

I'm embarking on a project to start processing 4x5 film with a JOBO CPP3 processor. I've been considering dedicating a small 8'x10' room in my house for this that used to be a washer/dryer room but is no longer used for that. So there's plumbing and water source that makes it convenient. Setting the scene: The room has 3 doorways. Imagine the letter "T" to understand the layout. One doorway (base leg of the "T") leads to a connected 2 car heated garage, that I keep around 58. Standing in the washroom with your back to the garage, left is a door leading to my house front door entry/mudroom area and right, a threshold opening (no actual door) leads into my kitchen.

My question is focused on the importance of proper ventilation and I describe the room environment to help provide context. Since the JOBO will be my only processing method, I'm wondering how critical ventilation is compared to a traditional darkroom. Since I don't need the room to actually be dark, air is free to pass between my kitchen and mudroom/entry spaces through the washroom. And I can certainly bring a fan in to help too if recommended. But I wonder if this is sufficient and/or even an advisable plan for this particular space since the air can bleed out into other parts of my house.

I have a contractor planning on advising on some modifications to the plumbing in the room anyway, so I'm also wondering if I should plan to go to the trouble of having the room renovated slightly to install fans that would help ventilate into the garage space. Or is this overkill for only occasional processing? If devoting this particular space seems questionable with it's proximity to other social areas of the house, I've also considered dedicating space in my basement. Still I assume I'd need to come up with a ventilation solution and in that case would guess that a vent fan space could be installed above the basement foundation in the side of the house. But again, wonder if this is necessary.

Thanks!

If you have a decent hood - vented to the outside - in the kitchen that might be enough. Foam weatherstripping on other doors would aid in the kitchen hood's venting the "darkroom," although you might omit it in the door to the mudroom. Of course, you didn't mention other doors to/from the kitchen.....

Thanks! I was curious about that. The vent hood in the kitchen is about 30' away from where I would be operating the JOBO. The kitchen itself is very large and airy and is adjacent my living room. So there is a lot of open air between my proposed darkroom space and the kitchen vent. On the one hand, I'm watching this video with a fella all covered head to toe with protective gear: which has me questioning my plan.

GRHazelton said:

If you have a decent hood - vented to the outside - in the kitchen that might be enough. Foam weatherstripping on other doors would aid in the kitchen hood's venting the "darkroom," although you might omit it in the door to the mudroom. Of course, you didn't mention other doors to/from the kitchen.....

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+1, however I do not think that you are dealing with any chemicals which would require a hood. I think that your setup is good the way it is.

Not saying this is the proper way to run a Jobo, but I've used my CPP-2 in a small(ish) darkroom, the kitchen, and even the foyer of my home for 25 years and I've never worried about ventilation. That said, though, I process only B&W.

ICdeadpixels said:

On the one hand, I'm watching this video with a fella all covered head to toe with protective gear which has me questioning my plan.

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He might have chemical sensitivities or be overly cautious, but at a minimum I'd have a sheet of plastic under the Jobo to avoid staining the counter top and be wearing gloves of some sort.

Fumes are bearable/unbearable according to personal sensibilities, but I would rather not huff too many fumes, so plan accordingly...

Alan9940 said:

Not saying this is the proper way to run a Jobo, but I've used my CPP-2 in a small(ish) darkroom, the kitchen, and even the foyer of my home for 25 years and I've never worried about ventilation. That said, though, I process only B&W.

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Same here, in my darkroom, I have no issues with odors. I have used used C41, E6 etc. Having said this if you are sensitive to odors ventilation is good. If you are moving air out of the room you need equal amount of make up air.
In the old days workers were exposed to formaldehyde, especially the older color printing processes. 3M makes inexpensive respirators that will catch just about everything from today's processes.
The worse smells I experience is in black and white acetic acid stop baths and with old school Kodak F-5 powdered fixer. I switched to citric acid stop and lowe odor fixer.
Film processing with my CPP3 equipped with a lift, I don't smell much of anything. I have a mixing valve so I fill the processor with tempered water for color. Highly recommend installing above a sink if available (not a requirement by any means). Mine is on a plywood platform above a SS sink.

Kino said:

He might have chemical sensitivities or be overly cautious, but at a minimum I'd have a sheet of plastic under the Jobo to avoid staining the counter top and be wearing gloves of some sort.

Fumes are bearable/unbearable according to personal sensibilities, but I would rather not huff too many fumes, so plan accordingly...

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Absolutely agree. If I followed the good lab practices I did as a chemist/engineer, I would start with a 3M double respirator for acid fumes and organic vapors, gloves and safety glasses.
AFAIK the only process that still uses Formalin in the process is the Fuji Hunt E6 bulk chemistry sold in the USA. This is not readily available to the public. Everything that Freestyle sells from Fuji is the EU versions that have no formaldehyde.
People who are most likely to be sensitized are those with long term exposure. Which makes a good argument to where protective gear when in doubt.

ICdeadpixels said:

Thanks! I was curious about that. The vent hood in the kitchen is about 30' away from where I would be operating the JOBO. The kitchen itself is very large and airy and is adjacent my living room. So there is a lot of open air between my proposed darkroom space and the kitchen vent. On the one hand, I'm watching this video with a fella all covered head to toe with protective gear: which has me questioning my plan.

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This is the USA version as shown it uses "conditioner " and the US version of the final rinse
If you buy the Fuji 5L Pro6 kit from Freestyle you will get chemistry made in Belgium. This complies with the EU regulations. There's a "Pre-bleach 2" instead of conditioner and the final rinse uses Miconazole as the biocide to provide long term protection from critters that like to eat gelatin emulsions. Tony Santos (video) specifically mentions using a respirator that protects you from formaldehyde. No formaldehyde in anything you can buy in small quantities.

mshchem said:

The worse smells I experience is in black and white acetic acid stop baths and with old school Kodak F-5 powdered fixer. I switched to citric acid stop and lowe odor fixer.

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Same here. I use a water stop for many processes and low odor rapid fix or Kodak F-24 fixer that I mix myself. I, also, use a Jobo Lift which IMO minimizes exposure to any smells.

Most rooms set up for a washer and dryer have a vent for the dryer.
If yours does, see if you can convert that into the type of vent that bathrooms often have, and install a bathroom vent fan.

Interesting thread! I recall processing E-2 or whatever process used a photoflood for reversal. IIRC I did the processing in a kitchen sink, probably turned on the exhaust fan as a precaution. My Father, PhD in chem eng from Michigan, was very interested and supportive - we mixed our own Beutler for BW - and he would have warned me about hazards as they were known at the time and as he had access to the process' constituents. I seem to recall wearing rubber gloves.... Probably goggles, too. Later I did a more recent E process for 100 ft plus shot in England and Paris, again in a kitchen sink with the exhaust fan running.
Since the OP's space in question formerly held a clothes dryer, could the exhaust duct for that be connected to a hood at the processing counter? This assumes that the dryer exhaust is to the outside, as is proper. The hood needn't be overhead, but could be on the wall near the counter. One could cobble up sort of a lab hood, the kitchen hood at the back, a top and two sides of plywood, and the front just a flexible transparent plastic curtain. Crude but effective.