Respirators for the darkroom

[Kirk Keyes]

Toning can be done in full light.

 

[fotch]

It would be nice to design a ventilation system with a variable speed exhaust fan. Then, when you having something that needs more ventilation than regular process chemicals, like in toning, increase the ventilation air flow.

 

[tkamiya]

Just as an idea, Panasonic makes a series of REALLY QUIET bathroom ventilation fans. They are whisper quiet. Maybe you can install something like that over your wet area and vent all that junk outside?

 

[jp80874]

Just as an idea, Panasonic makes a series of REALLY QUIET bathroom ventilation fans. They are whisper quiet. Maybe you can install something like that over your wet area and vent all that junk outside?

I have two of these in the rafters as exhaust, another running through a furnace filter for input. They are branded as "Whisper" fans. All I hear is the whistle of air through the PVC vent pipes. They have been running great and quietly for five years.

John Powers

 

[George Collier]

I have mild allergies, and my doctor always reminds me that often, what sets off a reaction (like your throat tickle) is the "camel principle" - the one straw that pushed the aggravation factors of normal life over the top to create a reaction, however mild. I use an exhaust fan, bought from Calumet 20 years ago, sized to the room as suggested above. I also run a simple Hepa air cleaner (sized to the room) for an hour or so before I go in, and sometimes leave it on while working, depending on the humidity, etc. My darkroom is in the basement, so what I do in the summer is usually more than the winter, and I just monitor my comfort level. Also, the basement has a dehumidifier running all the time.
When selenium toning - which I do occasionally, saving up all prints for a big run, I run the fan and the air cleaner, plus a small fan which blows across in front of me to move the tray vapors toward the exhaust fan. The darkroom door can be open for this too, and a window if the darkroom has one.