Storage temperature of film and developers

mal0r · Jul 1, 2010

Hello,

Over the recent decent warm weather in the U.K. most of my house rooms have been above 25 degrees celcius for over 12 hours. I don't know how much of a detremental effect this might have on my unused Kodak and Ilford films as well as my Ilfosol developer (not to mention Ilfostop etc).

Does anyone have any experience of heat damage from summer temperatures? Other than trying to find a dark cool cupboard, I don't know what else to do, as the ambient temperature in the cupboards will probably reach above 25 degrees also.

Many thanks for any help!

Fourtoes · Jul 1, 2010

Thats why I'm trying to find a small fridge. All the ones on fleabay go for silly money, people buying them to keep beer in for the World Cup?
My homebrew has popped a couple of bottles as well cos of the heat.

mal0r · Jul 1, 2010

But I wondered if a cooler temperature, like a fridge would be detremental to the film (not the chemicals)

richard ide · Jul 1, 2010

The colder you store film, the longer it will last. Make sure it is well sealed.

Fourtoes · Jul 1, 2010

Yep. Got polaroid stuff etc in airtight containers in our food fridge. Mrs isnt too happy with all the room its taking up.

TareqPhoto · Jul 1, 2010

I store all my film in the fridge, but i don't store the chemicals in the fridge, so is there any problem on that?
I store then in a cupboard in my room, dark, the temp could be somewhere between 22-30C, i just try to keep my room cold enough with AC most of the time as i can't handle the heat if no AC for long time, so i keep the temp somewhere between 20-30, at evening when i go out i leave the room with AC turned off and the temp could be around 26-34C, but the cupboard keep the temp almost constant between 24-28C, so do you think the chemicals are fine in those temp above 20C and lower than 34C? I used them in my developing and no issue yet, so not sure after long time.

steven_e007 · Jul 1, 2010

I bought a small fridge, too.

Make sure that if you use it to store films, they are very well sealed in waterproof plastic bags or boxes.

I was foolish enough to rely on the plastic wrap around a 'brick' of films - and popped a few in there in cardboard boxes and packets.

DUH! OK. I confess to be an idiot so others may be spared...

After a few months I opened the door to be confronted by a horrific mutant monster - ugly, contorted and stinking abominably :-o

Yep... the whole contents of the fridge had deteriorated into a disgusting solid mass of mould growth. I salvaged most of the films - but every bit of packaging had grown into something monstrous.

The fridges used in photographic shops (anyone remember those?) must have been special low humidity ones, or something. A cheap mini-fridge is like a de-humidifier without a bucket - all the water ends up in your film. Be warned.

perkeleellinen · Jul 1, 2010

I'm not too far down the road from you and I suppose it's also been around 25 degrees in our house. I store my films at room temperature and have no worries about doing this. I never noticed any damage and I've been doing it for over ten years. But then I tend to buy films in packs of five and use them up within a month or so. I suppose if I was buying bulk and storing for years I may invest in a freezer, but for normal day-to-day use I think a fridge is overkill.

mal0r · Jul 2, 2010

Thanks to everyone who replied. I'm a small-time enthusiast, so I suspect room temperature will remain fine as I won't be doing large bulk buying, I will aim to use up my rolls of film shortly after purchasing them and keep the chemicals young.

alexmacphee · Jul 2, 2010

mal0r said:
But I wondered if a cooler temperature, like a fridge would be detremental to the film (not the chemicals)

I store my film at -20C. For chemicals, I mostly use D76, which is powder form, or in liquid, Rodinal, which has a half-life longer than uranium.

Simon R Galley · Jul 2, 2010

Dear MalOr,

25c will not damage your films, exposed or unexposed, nor will 30c for the whole of the British summer (Sic ). The important thing is not to leave them in direct sunlight, either in camara or out, as always advised keep in a cool, dry place. They do not NEED to be refridgerated, although that preserves the film in prime condition for longer and extends the total life of the film.

The only time we really ever see heat affected films is the famous "I left my film in the glovebox of the car" now thats one place that does get mega hot....not in England, usually...although it has been rather 'close' recently...

Simon. ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

alexmacphee · Jul 2, 2010

Simon R Galley said:
25c will not damage your films, exposed or unexposed, nor will 30c for the whole of the British summer (Sic ).

Interesting and useful information. Is there any effect noticeable of temperature on film sensitivity?

Gerald C Koch · Jul 20, 2010

Forgive me if I find some humor when our english cousins speak of the summertime heat. I live in Florida and the temperature here is above 34 degrees for at least half the year. Here refrigeration is mandatory for film and papers. For long term storage I keep all my film frozen which effectly stops aging. I believe that Kodak recommends -5 degrees as a practical compromise betwwen electricity cost and film cost. Everything is put in ziplock bags for protection against moisture.

Now if I could only eliminate those pesky cosmic rays.

tkamiya · Jul 20, 2010

I store all of my films in sealed plastic bag that goes into a refrigerator. I do not freeze them as I don't intend to keep them for that long. Chemicals (mixed and bags) as well as papers are kept at air-conditioned room temperature that remains in low to mid 80sF. (27C to 30C)

I have been told, putting chemicals in refrigerator is not a good idea. I hear dissolved chemical components can solidify/participate and cause chemical composition to change. Storing at room temp allowed me to keep them for at least for the advertised storage period.

I'd go with Simon's recommendation though.... all of the above probably isn't necessary.

Ian Grant · Jul 20, 2010

Simon's right.

Living in Turkey the temperature here is well over 30°C for over 6 months of the year, more like 38°C and up to 43°C in the next weeks. There's no culture of deep freezers here, no frozen foods except ice cream, so the freezer compartments are smaller than people in the UK and particularly US are used to. Separate freezers are rare. We need all our space for food, water etc, despite having a large Westinghouse fridge, have to have room for the water melons .

So I store my film in a bottom drawer in a bed room, my Ilford DT30 is in there as well - the current temperature there is 28.2°C, it may go up to 30°C. After 3 years my HP5 5x4 is no different to the HP5 from the same batch that I use when in the UK which is stored in a cool place, it's also now 2 years out of date & still fine, although there's not much left

I worried about it when I first moved here now I just forget about it and keep shooting. When I eventually move and set up a darkroom then a dedicated fridge is an option.

Ian

Simon R Galley said:
Dear MalOr,

25c will not damage your films, exposed or unexposed, nor will 30c for the whole of the British summer (Sic ). The important thing is not to leave them in direct sunlight, either in camara or out, as always advised keep in a cool, dry place. They do not NEED to be refridgerated, although that preserves the film in prime condition for longer and extends the total life of the film.

The only time we really ever see heat affected films is the famous "I left my film in the glovebox of the car" now thats one place that does get mega hot....not in England, usually...although it has been rather 'close' recently...

Simon. ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

lightwisps · Jul 20, 2010

I keep my film in the freezer and my chemicals in a cool cupboard in an air conditioned room.

For what it's worth, chemicals in powder form last a long time until you you mix them.

Steve Smith · Jul 20, 2010

My film is kept at whatever temperature it is in my cupboard. I don't keep it long enough to worry about refrigeration.

Steve.

BradS · Jul 20, 2010

Mine too. Same with chemistry. They are all stored at whatever the ambient temperature is in the house (which occasionally exceeds 30C / 86F for days at a time)

The trend toward keeping film in the freezer seems just ridiculous to me. Like so many things we see the general trend moving toward extremism. Why is that?

Brandon D. · Jul 20, 2010

BradS said:
Mine too. Same with chemistry. They are all stored at whatever the ambient temperature is in the house (which occasionally exceeds 30C / 86F for days at a time)

The trend toward keeping film in the freezer seems just ridiculous to me. Like so many things we see the general trend moving toward extremism. Why is that?

Society's increased vulnerability to alarmism. And, on top of that, the mainstream media seems to champion alarmism, which seems to increase ratings and entertainment value. I could go on and on and on...

alexmacphee · Jul 21, 2010

Brandon D. said:
Society's increased vulnerability to alarmism.

Or maybe we're just following the manufacturer's data sheet recommendations.

Fuji recommend freezing for long term storage of unexposed film, and refrigeration for short term storage.

Storing exposed or unexposed film under high
temperature and humidity conditions will cause adverse
speed, color balance and physical property
changes. Store film under the following conditions.
- Short-to-medium term Storage:
Below 15°C (59°F) ........ (Refrigerator)
- Long-term Storage:
Below 0°C (32°F) .......... (Freezer)

Ian Grant · Jul 21, 2010

This is the case with colour films but the OP was talking about B&W films.

There;s a subtle difference

Ian

alexmacphee said:
Or maybe we're just following the manufacturer's data sheet recommendations.

Fuji recommend freezing for long term storage of unexposed film, and refrigeration for short term storage.

Storing exposed or unexposed film under high
temperature and humidity conditions will cause adverse
speed, color balance and physical property
changes. Store film under the following conditions.
- Short-to-medium term Storage:
Below 15°C (59°F) ........ (Refrigerator)
- Long-term Storage:
Below 0°C (32°F) .......... (Freezer)

alexmacphee · Jul 21, 2010

Ian Grant said:
This is the case with colour films but the OP was talking about B&W films.

There;s a subtle difference

OP didn't actually say that. He said Kodak and Ilford films, and developer. Subtle difference...

Ian Grant · Jul 21, 2010

It's posted in the B&W: Film, Paper, and Chemistry section

There's no way I'd store professional colour films here in Turkey without a fridge, but then my current colour work is for publication and there's no lab capable of processing 120 or sheet film for miles, post is unreliable, so it's not an option anyway

Ian

alexmacphee · Jul 21, 2010

Ian Grant said:
It's posted in the B&W: Film, Paper, and Chemistry section

Colour film is just three or four layers of B&W...

OK, true! A slap-forehead moment for me.

All the same, I see nothing to substantiate the suggestion that it's media-driven "alarmism" which causes people to store film in the freezer. It works. There are a few films, it's true, designed for cool but not sub-zero storage, and it's as well to check out the data sheet on trying an unfamiliar emulsion.

headache792 · Aug 5, 2010

i throw all my films. colour or bnw into the fridge. haha

Storage temperature of film and developers

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