the logic of zone VI print washer:(

dpurdy · May 24, 2007

I just inherited a nice zone VI 16x20 archival washer from a photog gone digital. I washed a bunch of prints with it last night and found that there is no way to drain the thing!! What do they expect you to do? Lift a 16x20 washer full of water and dump it? I couldn't lift it so I had to tip it side ways and my shelf over my sink prevented me from tipping it enough to dump much out. Just enough so that I was able to lift one end and dump it and such a rush of water came out that I nearly flooded my darkroom!! It is about the stupidest thing ever. Am missing something? Is there some method of draining the washer that is not obvious to me? The washer empty is almost too heavy to lift in and out of my sink.

I guess I am going to have to drill a hole in the bottom and get a cork to fit it. I can't believe they expect everyone to do that.

Dennis

Paul Howell · May 24, 2007

dpurdy said:
I just inherited a nice zone VI 16x20 archival washer from a photog gone digital. I washed a bunch of prints with it last night and found that there is no way to drain the thing!! What do they expect you to do? Lift a 16x20 washer full of water and dump it? I couldn't lift it so I had to tip it side ways and my shelf over my sink prevented me from tipping it enough to dump much out. Just enough so that I was able to lift one end and dump it and such a rush of water came out that I nearly flooded my darkroom!! It is about the stupidest thing ever. Am missing something? Is there some method of draining the washer that is not obvious to me? The washer empty is almost too heavy to lift in and out of my sink.

I guess I am going to have to drill a hole in the bottom and get a cork to fit it. I can't believe they expect everyone to do that.

I dont have a Zone VI, I have a no name band, I disconnect it from the tap and drain it from input hose until the water in mostly gone then I can do what you did, tip on it's side.

dpurdy · May 24, 2007

Yes that would work except that the input hose as well as the drain hose are on the top of the zone 6 washer.

Ben 4 · May 24, 2007

Siphon Hose?

Hi Dennis,

Could you try a siphon hose?

Good to see Rollei list folks here.

--Ben

pgomena · May 24, 2007

I own an 11x14 Zone VI washer and have always just unhooked the inlet hose and used it to siphon the washer out. Yes, it's an inconvenient design, but mine is still working just fine 20+ years into its life.

Peter Gomena

jstraw · May 24, 2007

My 11x14 has a drain plug. It came that way from the manufacturer. It's directly below the outlet hose on the opposite end from the inlet hose.

Paul Howell · May 24, 2007

dpurdy said:
Yes that would work except that the input hose as well as the drain hose are on the top of the zone 6 washer.

I guess that I just assumed that all of the intakes hoses are at the bottom. For a 16X20 I would drill a hole and add a valve to empty it.

Troy · May 24, 2007

I have the ZoneVI as well. It IS a dumb design, but like you, I got it for nothing. I use a siphon hose. It's not really that hard. What I always wonder is: if they didn't remember to put a drain hose in, how well does it actually wash my prints?

jp80874 · May 24, 2007

I have a 20x24 inch Calumet print washer which I thought was Zone V!. http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/GW4024/
I bought mine on eBay and if the seller was correct it should be 3-4 years old. On mine the input is at the opposite end from the outputs. On this picture there are two output hoses. On my unit the top output is the overflow for running rinse water and comes from the end verticle overflow chamber. The bottom output hose has a friction clamp on the hose. It stops most of the water. It acts as a drain of the main tank when you are done washing and have turned off the input. I don't know if these can be added to yours, but that is how they have worked it out recently.

If these can't be added I would think a siphon would be a quick and easy fix, certainly better than Calumet's price for a new unit.

John Powers

jstraw · May 24, 2007

I think it's a great design. The outlet hose can't start to drain until the washer is filled and a leak at the inlet hose is almost irrelevant since there's no significant back pressure against a bad seal.

What's weird here is the lack of a drain hole. It seems like someone forgot to drill some of these during manufacture.

jstraw · May 24, 2007

jp80874 said:
I have a 20x24 inch Calumet print washer which I thought was Zone V!. http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/GW4024/
I bought mine on eBay and if the seller was correct it should be 3-4 years old. On mine the input is at the opposite end from the outputs. On this picture there are two output hoses. On my unit the top output is the overflow for running rinse water and comes from the end verticle overflow chamber. The bottom output hose has a friction clamp on the hose. It stops most of the water. It acts as a drain of the main tank when you are done washing and have turned off the input. I don't know if these can be added to yours, but that is how they have worked it out recently.

If these can't be added I would think a siphon would be a quick and easy fix, certainly better than Calumet's price for a new unit.

John Powers

Calumet owns Zone VI but Zone VI washers are distinct from Calument Washers.

chrisofwlp · May 24, 2007

Put the cap on and leave it full. Yes it takes up counter space,but if you leave the cap on and pump water through it shortly before washing prints you shoouldn't have any problems. Being from Arizona I tend to conserve water.

Sincerely;

fotch · May 24, 2007

Not a problem. Just get a length of clear plastic hose, almost any size, say, 1/2 inch by 4 or 5 foot long. Holding from the ends in each hand so the middle sags into a U shape, put the hose, U shape first into the water. Then, when both ends are under water and the hose is full, put your thumb on one end while holding the other end under water, and remove the thumb covered end and put it in the sink.

Then release the thumb and the water will start flowing. If it doesn't, you let air into the hose so do it again, right.

The water will drain as long as the end in the tank is under water and the sink end (thumb end) is a bit lower.

Only a few ounces will be left.

Its easy, I have to drain tanks, tubs, that have no drain hole all the time.

Good Luck.

dpurdy · May 24, 2007

I have an archival washer from Oriental I (I think) 11x14 that I have used for 15 years and it is actually wide enough to put a 16x20 print in sideways and then roll it over the top of another slot and back down again. I can plug up the drain hole and the washer overflows so it washes the whole print including the exposed part on top. that drain hole on the bottom came with a pinch clamp.

I remember when Fred Picker was still in business he stated that the ZVI washer was the best because the water wasn't turbulent in the tank and he said fix would leach out easier in standing water that was continually refreshed. But dude you gotta put in a drain plug! I did try unhooking the input hose to see if the washer would siphon out naturally but no go. And I don't want to be sucking a hose everynight so I think I will drill in the drain hole. If I actually washed 16x20 prints everyday I would just leave the tank full and maybe put in a little bleach now and then. but it takes up too much room in my sink and I generally only need the 11x14.

Monophoto · May 24, 2007

There are two questions here.

The first is how does one drain the washer? And the answer is - as all have noted - use a syphon.

The second is - is this a dumb design? Perhaps, but my sense is that the market that these washers were targeted for was one in which the darkroom was in daily use. In that scenario, one didn't have to drain the washer. Load it up, wash for 45 minutes to an hour, take the prints out to dry. Let the water remain in the washer ready to accept the next batch of prints.

It's only necessary to drain the washer if you don't anticipate using it for a few days/weeks, and don't want to let the water stagnate for that long.

batesga · May 24, 2007

My 16 x 20 Zone VI has two ports on the side opposite the fill port. A few inches from the top is a .75 or .875 inch fitting and hose to drain off lots of wash waterfrom top of tank. Right at the bottom is a .5 or so fitting and hose that will drain off water from the bottom of washer. The hose here as an adjustable clamp to restrict how fast water can drain from this low drain. The notion was I recall reading back when was that the fixer being leached from the print was supposedly heavier than water therefore was drained at the bottom. The large port up high is a saftey measure to prevent overflow. I recieved this washer as new with instuctions in the late 80s. Seems odd there is no lower drain port as the heaveier than water idea was part of the sales pitch. I really like my washer. It is big but I believe it does a thorough job and with removeable insides gets a good clean out every so often.

Sean · May 24, 2007

I have a Calumet washer and a dedicated space for it so I just leave it full. It's been full now for about 4yrs. It doesn't seem to get dirty (the chlorine in the tap water helps with that).

reggie · May 26, 2007

I have a Zone VI washer. To empty it, I do what Fred Picker said. I remove some of the dividers, use a 1 gallon plastic beaker with handle to scoop out about half the water, then tip it to dump the rest. It's fast and painless. You sould NEVER tip the washer when it's full, especially with a 16x20. I don't know how many gallons it holds, but at 6-7 lbs per gallon, it would be pretty heavy.

I have owned mine for 25 years or so and it's still solid as a tank. I love these washers.

I own a Calumet 20x24 and I think it's a lot more flimsy than the older Zone VI washers. The first time my Calumet was delivered, there was a fist-size hold punched thru the body wall by UPS. I don't think they use material that is thick enough for the Calumet models. The Zone VI has thicker walls and it looks more securely glued together.

-R

jstraw · May 27, 2007

reggie said:
I have a Zone VI washer. To empty it, I do what Fred Picker said. I remove some of the dividers, use a 1 gallon plastic beaker with handle to scoop out about half the water, then tip it to dump the rest. It's fast and painless. You sould NEVER tip the washer when it's full, especially with a 16x20. I don't know how many gallons it holds, but at 6-7 lbs per gallon, it would be pretty heavy.

I have owned mine for 25 years or so and it's still solid as a tank. I love these washers.

I own a Calumet 20x24 and I think it's a lot more flimsy than the older Zone VI washers. The first time my Calumet was delivered, there was a fist-size hold punched thru the body wall by UPS. I don't think they use material that is thick enough for the Calumet models. The Zone VI has thicker walls and it looks more securely glued together.

-R

I guess a Zone VI isn't immune!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190117185116&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

Philip257 · Jan 20, 2017

It's not meant to be drained, water stays in the washer. Just flush it prior to next run. No need. To drill anything.
Would u like to sell it?

darkroommike · Jan 20, 2017

You could plumb a T barbed hose fitting into one of the lower inlet lines , add a bit of hose and either a pinchcock or a valve. Or get one of the siphon pumps made for aquariums, usually a straight rigid tube to the bottom of the tank or washer and a small bellows pump on top to get things started, we used these to drain our 3.5 gallon tanks on our sink line.

removed account4 · Jan 20, 2017

i have an oriental print washer which i guess is similar but different than the zone ...
it has 2 hoses, one is the "run-off" the other is a large hose with a crimp on it
that drains the whole thing/// kind of weird the zone doesn't drain seeing it was
what i was told the oriental is based on ...

eddie · Jan 20, 2017

I had a Zone VI. It had a drain. Maybe it's something that was added to later models.

Sirius Glass · Jan 20, 2017

One of the input hoses is actually a drain. You have at least one too many input hoses.

Arklatexian · Jan 20, 2017

jstraw said:
My 11x14 has a drain plug. It came that way from the manufacturer. It's directly below the outlet hose on the opposite end from the inlet hose.

While I don't know why the earlier Zone VI washers lacked one, my 11 x 14 washer came with a drain plug. If you have a plastic fabricator near you, they probably could drill you a drain hole and might even have plugs to fit that hole in their inventory. Yes, you can drill your own hole but be careful and go slow and lightly sand the opening........Regards!

the logic of zone VI print washer:(

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