Turns out grow-tents make great darkrooms (home darkroom)

Jesse K · Oct 15, 2021

As I've started branching out into multiple film formats and processes, the basement bathroom has been growing increasingly limiting. For a while I considered blocking out a bedroom to convert into my new darkroom. However, I recently came across this grow tent on Amazon and decided to give it a shot. The tent is completely light-proof, waterproof, and features multiple vents. I couldn't be happier with it!

Donald Qualls · Oct 15, 2021

Nice! Obviously not plumbing and wiring friendly (though if it's for growing "plants" it might well have wiring pass-throughs) but also looks semi-portable. Wet plate photographers take note...

AgX · Oct 15, 2021

In Germany the last there have been discussions if not already the order of such tent can lead to a search warrant....

Donald Qualls · Oct 15, 2021

In the US, that probably depends strongly on where you live. Federal and state laws conflict in places like Colorado and California, but the Feds are generally too busy dealing with bigger fish, so if you're in a state that lets you "grow your own" to some quantity, it's likely you won't be hassled.

Andrew O'Neill · Oct 15, 2021

Not crazy about that reflective surface, though.

wiltw · Oct 15, 2021

OK, color me stupid and naive. If you are growing plants, why do you need 'lightproof' or 'waterproof'?!

Donald Qualls · Oct 15, 2021

Andrew O'Neill said:
Not crazy about that reflective surface, though.

Sure makes a safelight go further, though. One little red LED is all you'd need.

Donald Qualls · Oct 15, 2021

wiltw said:
If you are growing plants, why do you need 'lightproof' or 'waterproof'?!

So that, for instance, 24/7 grow lights won't keep you awake or advertise to your neighbors, and so humidity from inside won't make your house miserable on the outside -- I presume.

wiltw · Oct 15, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
So that, for instance, 24/7 grow lights won't keep you awake or advertise to your neighbors, and so humidity from inside won't make your house miserable on the outside -- I presume.

Ah...thx

Donald Qualls said:
... but the Feds are generally too busy dealing with bigger fish, so if you're in a state that lets you "grow your own" to some quantity, it's likely you won't be hassled.

A long time friend has a son-in-law who was US Attorney at the time, and I asked him, "If I wanted to grow a cash crop back in your father-in-law's vegetable garden area, how much can I grow before you guys come and bother me?" He told me. So I knew my limits with the Feds, but in that rural county in CA, it was still illegal to have any grow. So I abandoned my idea for how to tide me over. after being laid off from work. by using my friend's property...too bad, it would have been a very considerable increase in income with a green business!

Paul Howell · Oct 15, 2021

Here is Az a single grow tent will not trigger the feds or state troopers raiding your backyard. From stories in the past in our local papers they do look for higher that average electrically and water bills as the trigger. As few homes have basements, maybe a garage or even in the backyard, likely will not last long due to our very high UV light, and they rather small. I live in townhome community, very small backyards with restrictions on what can visible over the fence. In the summer you would an AC unit.
When we lived in our last stand alone house without HOA I had plans to used 20 foot shipping container and retro fit, need a pad, legal waste line, use garden house for water, basic electrical outlet for enlarger, and small AC unit. likely need to put a couple of inches of installation, and a air vent. Past 27 years have used the master bath, my wife calls it my toxic waste dump.

gone · Oct 15, 2021

Unless you're in one of the red states, nobody really cares anymore if someone has some plants or not, other than the dispensaries, who lose business. The genie is pretty much out of the bottle on this now, but it's still totally on a state by state basis (or on a 'who you know' basis, or on a 'what color you might happen to be' basis). Pretty amazing, considering that at the Federal level in the U.S., herb is still illegal. But not at the state level. Go figure. It's completely backwards from how it "legally" and "constitutionally" is actually worded.

That looks like a great tent you bought. Well made, and properly designed. A couple of cans of flat black spray paint might tame down those reflective walls. Good for plants, not so good for a darkroom.

Dwayne Martin · Oct 15, 2021

I had to add a second floor to my house to have a darkroom, I could have saved a hundred twenty grand and bought a tent……

NB23 · Oct 15, 2021

I don’t understand why the reflections would be a problem. Reflecting red light cannot be harmful, it’s not amplifying anything but only reflecting it.
In other words, if the main source is 4 feet away from the paper, and of sufficient wattage, any reflection of that light source cannot be harmful.

Also, printing while the red light is on will not be harmful.

juan · Oct 16, 2021

Some are turning their tents inside out so that the black side is on the inside.

Don_ih · Oct 16, 2021

NB23 said:
I don’t understand why the reflections would be a problem. Reflecting red light cannot be harmful, it’s not amplifying anything but only reflecting it.
In other words, if the main source is 4 feet away from the paper, and of sufficient wattage, any reflection of that light source cannot be harmful.

Also, printing while the red light is on will not be harmful.

The only reason to be concerned is the excess light from the enlarger. All my enlargers emit a bit of white light through their vents and/or around the negative holder. Reflecting that light could fog the paper a bit.

AgX · Oct 16, 2021

Painting or covering walls near the enlarger black is considered standard.

TonyB65 · Dec 17, 2021

I have a grow tent just like this, only smaller, and use it as a darkroom, I have had no fogging due to the silver reflective walls, it's not a problem.

DREW WILEY · Dec 17, 2021

If you live in the wrong kind of area, I wouldn't worry about the Feds getting suspicious over a grow tent as much as those who might mistakenly view you as competition! Illegal growers can be dangerous enough. They killed a friend of mine in one of our narco counties due to unwarranted suspicion. The Sheriff's Dept refused to investigate - they're known to be in cahoots. And tents are also sometimes used by meth producers, who can be a lot more dangerous, especially if they see beakers and a sink area in your digs instead of plants.

Outside narco counties, grow tents are more likely to be used for tomatoes and zucchini, organic veggie farms, flowers, etc. They're common in backyards, so no big deal. I have a partially enclosed "event tent" outside my lab for sake of using my big drum processor outdoors in mild weather. The problem with it is that cats like to nap atop it, and have prematurely shredded the top. Time to replace it.

Turns out grow-tents make great darkrooms (home darkroom)

Jesse K

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Turns out grow-tents make great darkrooms (home darkroom)

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