Should I drain the print washer?

David Brown · Aug 6, 2006

How often, if ever, do you actually drain your print washers?

I have a Versalab print washer. It's easy enough to drain, since the syphon action will empty all but about 3/4 of an inch in the bottom. I normally just leave the water in it between sessions and cover the top. However, if I haven't printed in a while, or if 2 or 3 months have passed, I'll drain the thing and fill with fresh water "just because". I know water doesn't get stale, but it can get dirty.

So, I was just wondering how often other folks may (or may not) drain and refill their washers.

(I know this isn't Earth shattering - it's been a slow day.)

Robert Hall · Aug 6, 2006

If I dont, I get stuff growing in it from the jello and such

raucousimages · Aug 7, 2006

Algae makes a good toner if you like light green.

Troy · Aug 7, 2006

Yeah, I get stuff growing in short order if I don't drain it. So I drain every time.

JBrunner · Aug 7, 2006

Mine sits empty unless there are prints in it.

lee · Aug 7, 2006

I dont get stuff growing in it but I drain about twice a year.

lee\c

Sean · Aug 7, 2006

I leave mine sitting in a full state and if not used for a while run it a few minutes so the chlorine from the city water actually clears out any bacteria growing.

Lee Shively · Aug 7, 2006

If I want to bathe, I have to drain it. My print washer is used in the shower.

Robert Hall · Aug 7, 2006

Chlorine, now that's a thought.

Jim Noel · Aug 7, 2006

I drain mine except when in use because of algae growth. It is always covered except when adding or removing prints.

I have tried leaving it full and allowing the new ater to clean it out when I begin using it. This does not do an adequate job of slaring the algae and any dust which may have settled in the corners.

David Brown · Aug 7, 2006

Wow! Algae has never been a problem (for me). So, I guess that sort of skews the answers with all you guys and plant growth in your washers. :rolleyes:

Sean, Lee and I must have the same germ-killing water.

Mike Wilde · Aug 23, 2006

Print washer claening thoughts

I recently upgraded print washers, from an auto tray syphon that took up too much room, and liked to overflow on low flow rates. A camera show visit brought a paterson 11x14 vertical washer into the house for $20, but it was in need of TLC, with good evidence of past algae growth.

A past work experience showed me that grungy theatre lights lenses with baked on dust and other crud come clean after a short soak in a solution of warm water and automatic dish washer detergent when nothing else seemed to work.

So I gave the Paterson washer some good warmish water (afraid hot might warp the trays and swished a cap full of automatic powder in and left it for half an hour. Oh boy, that did it. All algae marks removed.

I do dump it at the end of the night. it sits in one end of the sink, so it does a good job of rinsing the sink out on dump. This also gives good dilution to whatever dodgy brown developers that I have poured out etc, and hopefully keeps the pipes from being oxidized away by developer laying in the P trap for however long until I can get printing again

blansky · Aug 23, 2006

I drain mine because I can't think of a reason not to. If people don't drain it but water through it before using it, they obviously haven't saved any water. So then what would be the point of leaving it full.

Bacteria generally grows in standing water. Besides you could become a mosquite breeding swamp in your down time.

Michael

TheFlyingCamera · Aug 23, 2006

Mine has developed gunk in the inaccessible reaches of the washer if I leave it full for too long. I don't drain between sessions if I'm printing on a daily or even several times a week, but if it is going to be more than two weeks between printing sessions, I'll dump it out.

Lopaka · Aug 23, 2006

If I'm not going to be using it the next day, I drain it.

Bob

Paul Howell · Aug 23, 2006

I use my archival washer outdoors on my patio as it too large for my small darkroom, I don't even know the make or model, but it has a chamber on the bottom that bubbles up though the floor of the washing slots. Several years ago I did not empty the washer completely and left water in the bottom chamber that I need to drain by tipping the washer on its side; as I was in a hurry to go out town for few days. I did not think I would have any issue as it in the summer with tempts in the 110s, I though that the remaining water would evaporate. When I returned the bottom chamber was filled with algey. Almost ruined the washer, took a week of treatment with bleach to clear it out, some green stain is still there but doesn't seem have any affect on the prints.

jeroldharter · Aug 23, 2006

I am erratic in the darkroom. Sometimes I am in there every day and other times I skip 3 months. I drain it if I am not using it frequently. Even if I left the water standing for long periods and covered the washer, I would not want to put a fresh print in without having changed the water first. Therefore, I see no advantage to leaving the water in for long periods.

David Brown · Aug 20, 2007

David Brown said:
Wow! Algae has never been a problem (for me). So, I guess that sort of skews the answers with all you guys and plant growth in your washers. :rolleyes:

Sean, Lee and I must have the same germ-killing water.

Wouldn't you know it! Here it is a year later. I hadn't printed in a while (not a year, mind you), so I went out to the darkroom over the weekend and there was solid "stuff" both floating and sunk to the bottom of the washer! It wasn't green, but a nice dirt brown! Hmmm ...

Anyway, completely drained, and cleaned, and flushed a few times and all is well. I guess I was just lucky before. :confused:

wilsonneal · Aug 20, 2007

I made the mistake of leaving a couple sheets of processed 8x10 sheet film in my washer a couple months ago. They were just test sheets, so I forgot them after they were washed. The emulsion dissolved off them and into the wash water. This created a fabulous school science project with mold growing throughout the washer. After several bleach treatments it's fine again, but I now always drain the washer.

alecj · Aug 23, 2007

I was always told not to drain the washer because the plastic dividers would tend to warp. So, for the last 30 years, I've just cleaned mine once a year. In between, I throw a couple of denture cleaning tablets in every once and awhile. Nothing lives in there afterward. Doesn't affect the prints.

fschifano · Aug 24, 2007

Hmm. Denture cleaning tablets, that's peroxide. Automatic dishwasher detergent has quite a bit of chlorine in it. Either will kill any sort of algae or bacteria, so it's no surprise that they work.

Should I drain the print washer?

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