Jobo: How Often Do You Dump the Bath Water?

[RedSun]

For the small CPE2 and the large CPA/CPP, how often do you dump the bath water? A week?

The water could have some spilled chemicals and may start to smell bad....

 

[Bob Carnie]

I dump after each use.

For the small CPE2 and the large CPA/CPP, how often do you dump the bath water? A week?

The water could have some spilled chemicals and may start to smell bad....

 

[Dave Swinnard]

I dump when I know I'm not going to be using it for more than about two days - though this often works out to after each time I use it. I usually have batches of sheet film to process at a time so I fill my CPA2 a few hours ahead (or the previous evening), process my film and empty the unit until the next time. Only occasionally does a processing "run" take me into a second day - usually laziness on my part or sudden external demands that take me out of the darkroom.

I don't want "things" growing in my Jobo, it's hard to clean into the nooks and crannies around the pump and heater.

 

[Pioneer]

I have left water in mine for a couple days when I am using it steady but dump it when I know it won't be used the next day.

BTW, I found that when my tank starts leaking solution into the water it is time to change out the o-ring on the lid. CatLabs has them and they cost very little. You could probably even find them at your local hardware store.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I got a bottle of bacteriostat for household room humidifiers that I periodically pour a capful into the bath water immediately prior to running a batch of film. That keeps the stink and the scum from forming in the water bath.

 

[Roger Cole]

I dump after each use.

This. I use it every few months and do film for a couple of days in batches. I may leave it in overnight if I'm going to process film again the next day (very common) or if I'm too tired to fully clean up that night (fairly common) but I don't let it sit with water in it for more than overnight.

 

[ic-racer]

I empty it as soon as I am done processing for the day. I usually don't start the processor up until I have a lot of film do do. Most of the time the processor sits empty between runs.

 

[AgX]

Re-filling when temperated water is available from the tap also means saving the time for heating up the bath water.

 

[adelorenzo]

I filled mine when I bought it about four months ago. Seems to be fine, I just top it off when I need to run some film which is every couple of weeks at most. My darkroom is a cool, dry environment and I have good tap water. So far nothing is growing in there, YMMV of course. A bit of dust on the top from sitting there, I keep meaning to make a lid out of plexiglass to keep the dust out and the water from evaporating.

Mine in the opposite corner of the room from the sink or I might be inclined to drain it once in a while.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

every time Iuse it.

 

[eclarke]

When it stinks..Not being facetious..

 

[CatLABS]

The water bath should be emptied at the end of the day, regardless of when you will be using it next.

 

[SMBooth]

Each time I find a baby in it.

 

[Roger Cole]

I filled mine when I bought it about four months ago. Seems to be fine, I just top it off when I need to run some film which is every couple of weeks at most. My darkroom is a cool, dry environment and I have good tap water. So far nothing is growing in there, YMMV of course. A bit of dust on the top from sitting there, I keep meaning to make a lid out of plexiglass to keep the dust out and the water from evaporating.

Mine in the opposite corner of the room from the sink or I might be inclined to drain it once in a while.

Luxury! I don't even HAVE a sink in my darkroom. I fill mine from a 7 gallon cubitainer and, when emptied, every night, I pour it into a 5 gallon bucket and take it outside or upstairs to the sink.

(In spite of the reference to the Four Yorkshiremen, this is actually true.)

 

[Zathras]

I dump mine every time and dry it too. I don't want algae or some other crud building up on the heating element.

 

[polyglot]

After a weekend of use - not enough time for it to grow anything. I once left mine for a week; bad idea.

A bit of listerine in the bath will slow the scum down, but not by much.

 

[Dr Croubie]

I just had to empty mine an hour after using it, coz the missus wanted to have a bath and the jobo was in it...
(at least it wasn't hot water, I used it to process an 11x14 in a 2840 tank and only filled it with water to protect the element)

 

[Muihlinn]

Per instructions: at the end of the day or if you see some chemical contamination in it. Below that, it only could be safer.

 

[Sirius Glass]

After the batch of color film developer has been used up. Often I dump after each use.

 

[jp80874]

End of the day cpp-2. End of the day usually means one development of two 7x17 sheets in a 2500 series tank. It has meant as many as four tanks in a day. I own two tanks, so that means a drying the tanks and lids between morning and evening. You can also fill the tanks with water and load, but I have not tried that. At $9 a sheet it feels a bit risky.

John Powers

 

[AgX]

You can also fill the tanks with water and load

Why would one do that?

 

[Roger Cole]

Why would one do that?

Because it's much quicker than thoroughly drying one so the next film doesn't stick.

 

[Tom Taylor]

I dump when I'm finished processing for the day and then sponge dry and leave it exposed to the air over night so that it becomes "bone dry" and then cover with plastic laundry bags to keep dust from settling.

Thomas