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sink temp regulator

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CMoore

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I do not quite understand the "Temperature Regulator".
Maybe it is locale dependent.?
My tap water is probably 68-80 degrees for 80% of the year.
Is it something that mostly people doing Color Film use...or is it a thing for people in colder climates.?
On the rare occasion my water is too cold, i just add some hot to make it 68-ish.
My darkroom is a converted bedroom in a 2 Story house. No way i am running AC to try and keep One Room at 70.....i am lucky to keep it at 80 degrees, so the water gets warmer as it sits in the room anyway. So i am in the ice bag business.
Do you guys use a regulator a lot.?
Thank You
BTW, i am in the measurement challenged usa, so those numbers are Fahrenheit. :smile:
 

M Carter

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There was a thread about this a week or two back. I think if you live where the water is regularly cool or cold, like a northern latitude in the winter, it could be handy.

I'm in Texas, USA - our tap water is like bath water much of the year, though we have cold spells in the winter. I wouldn't have much use for one myself, but I know there are some that are pretty accurate. Maybe if I did color film in the winter? I grew up in Michigan so I could see the benefit up there.

Thing is, for B&W film, I use distilled water. I just keep a jug in the fridge and one on the counter, and it's quick to get a liter to 20°.
 

bsdunek

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Some of us live where the seasons change - 80-90 in the Summer and 20 to -20 in the winter. My water comes out of the well at about 55 deg. I don't have an automatic mixer, just a device on the faucet that indicates temperature. Setting the knobs, I can make it hold 68 deg, or whatever I like. Obviously, your case is different.

Oh, there's nothing wrong with Fahrenheit - we lead the world with it and can work in all temperature systems, including Centigrade (now Celsius), Kelvin, Absolute or whaever. Just depends on what you're doing.
 

ic-racer

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The problem with mixing water form a conventional two-handle faucet is that once you turn the water flow off, you have to re-do the entire mix over again. I used to have a valve between the thermometer and the end of the thermometer housing so I could turn the water off and leave the two faucet handles in the pre-set positions. Now I use a thermostatic valve.
 

btaylor

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A temp regulator is handy, but not necessary for color work at 100f. If the cold water coming out of the tap is 75f I just compensate using the Ilford temperature/time compensating chart.
 
OP
OP

CMoore

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A temp regulator is handy, but not necessary for color work at 100f. If the cold water coming out of the tap is 75f I just compensate using the Ilford temperature/time compensating chart.
Summer Months, my tap is 75-80.
For paper...I Try to ice down the trays to 70-72.
For film...i use distilled water, mix the developer and then put put the whole mess in The Refrigerator.
I am just a Hobbyist/Beginner at this point, but i do not adjust any times for the paper, it seems like it looks fine.:wondering:
 

Bill Burk

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I’ve got cold water running at 68-degrees F this time of year and as winter rolls in it will get colder and require a bit of hot water to reach 68. I’ve got a Leonard mixing valve that is fairly useless but works when I knock the rust out of it and fiddle with the input valves. Basically all I can count on is that for a particular season I can do my fiddling once and just turn the water on and off and be pretty close to 68. Most mixing valves need a certain flow of water to work efficiently and often you will want a slower current than specified.

A mixing valve is supposed to be “set it and forget it”. Fiddling with faucets can be one of the things that keeps you out of the darkroom. If so, and you have the means, you could invest in one.

There are some great electronic ones out there.
 

btaylor

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I do, in fact, have a thermostatic temperature control valve plumbed into my darkroom. To be honest, I use it mainly for two things: maintaining the wash temperature when washing c41 film and filling the bussing tub with exactly 110f water. It's a lot less useful than it would seem-- especially when water conservation is important.
 
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