Ventilation for closet darkroom

[Vaughn]

Where do you vent to? do you simply open a door to let the air go to a different room?

if that is the case then I believe that this would be my best option since I will be using the same chemical setup as you

I am using my bathroom -- I open the light-proof (at night) curtain and run a fan to the outside while the neg washes in the kitchen.

As long as you do not mind the smell, using a fan just to clear the closet out will work for now. I'd run whatever house fans you have and/or open some windows, too. Running a darkroom for a couple decades or so, I hardly can smell regular-strength fixer anymore.

 

[AndreSaulnier]

I am using my bathroom -- I open the light-proof (at night) curtain and run a fan to the outside while the neg washes in the kitchen.

As long as you do not mind the smell, using a fan just to clear the closet out will work for now. I'd run whatever house fans you have and/or open some windows, too. Running a darkroom for a couple decades or so, I hardly can smell regular-strength fixer anymore.

i will probably end up doing something similar. thank you for your input!

 

[logan2z]

I recently made several improvements to my bathroom/darkroom in order to improve the ventilation. Firstly, I decided to split the wet/dry spaces into two separate rooms - the wet space is still in a bathroom but my dry space is now set up in my home office. My office is much larger than the bathroom and that has given me enough space for two enlargers and more work surface area. Since I tend to spend the bulk of my printing time in the dry space, that time is now spent completely away from any chemical odors. Also, the doors to the rooms are opened fairly frequently (as I move from one to the other) which allows the rooms to get a regular influx of fresh air. I also purchased a Nova Monochrome (mentioned elsewhere in this thread) in order to save space/setup time and limit the surface area of the chemistry exposed to the air, thereby reducing chemical odors in the wet space. Couple that with a decent ceiling-mounted fan and the chemical odors are insignificant. The Nova is pretty expensive to ship to North America, but I figure it'll eventually pay for itself in saved time and chemistry costs.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Get a small Panasonic ceiling mount bathroom fan. They're quiet.

 

[Maris]

It has been said that you build your first darkroom for an enemy, your second for a friend, and the third for yourself.
When I built my third darkroom I specifically eliminated ventilation and installed reverse cycle air conditioning instead. Now I have a comfortable work place at all times and in all seasons. What about the fumes? I use odourless developer, odourless stop bath, and odourless fixer so the only volatile in there is water vapour; no problem with that. And the darkroom door gets opened every few minutes so colleagues can wander in and offer advice about what wonders or disasters float in the fixer tray.
A good stereo system makes the ambience nice too.

 

[Vaughn]

If I lived in Qld, I'd install reverse cycle air conditioning (with its humidity control) as a matter of survival!

 

[John Koehrer]

when you did that did you also have a fan to flow fresh air in?

I didn't and had no problems but I don't seem to be all that sensitive to odors in the darkroom. Were I to do it again
I'd likely not bother to worry about it but an air purifier certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

[DREW WILEY]

"Odorless" doesn't equate to safe to breathe. All depends. I think it would be insane to do color development without serious ventilation.

 

[mgb74]

Who are these "others say that they can cause nervous system damage" and what are their qualifications? And what chemicals are they talking about?

I ventilate my 7x8 darkroom into the larger (14x16) room it's located within. Usually - sometimes I don't bother with the fan. And while I may print for 2-3 hours, I end up opening the door to the darkroom at least every hour for one reason or another. I don't do any alternative processes - just plain old develop, stop, fix, and wash. I use dektol, indicator stop bath, whatever fixer I have, and water.

So here's my unqualified opinion if just doing typical b/w development. Unless you're printing for hours every couple of days, or seem have some effect, don't worry about adding ventilation. Just open the door every so often. If you want to be more careful, add the fan that Vaughn suggested.

 

[Jim Jones]

I've often worked in small darkrooms with poor ventilation, but that is me. Others have to determine their own tolerance for breathing and touching photo chemicals. Some chemicals are far more obnoxious than others. If in doubt, read the safety precautions available online. Consider that a person's tolerance may decrease with time. It is nice to filter incoming air under pressure, direct that to your face, and let the old air exit wherever it can. This reduces dust, sometimes a big problem with small formats.

 

[Vaughn]

That's one of the issues, Jim...people can be very toleratant to the chemicals -- then tbecome sensitive to them over time.

And most fixers stink and the odor clings to you and your clothes.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Even though my bathroom-wet darkroom have an exhaust fan, when I go to the dry darkroom to make a print, I leave the wet darkroom door open to allow more fresh air in and the exhaust fan on.

 

[Kino]

Acetic Acid sensitization can be particularly bad. I had a co-worker who developed this and suddenly could not get near a salad bar; the slightest whif of vinegar or acetic acid would send him into a terrible coughing fit.

Myself, I have developed metol/elon sensitivity and break out in painful hives if it touches my skin.

Best to err on the safe side...

 

[DREW WILEY]

I've commented on safety concern many times on past threads. Known more than my fair share of macho "artistes" who gambled with their health and lost in the long run. Known quite a few research chemists too, who got casual with their chemicals and outright died prematurely. I even worked alongside the phD who essentially invented Round Up and poo-pooed all its alleged hazards. Well, he ended up with all kinds of weird cancers; and look at what's happening now, legally. Seen that scenario over and over. Of course, not everything is fatal. But when someone ends up having a "cold" or "sinus infection" that they can't seem to get rid of month after month, and then you find out it's craft related .... or when they suddenly get sensitized to something that never affected them year after year, and now puff up like a balloon at the slightest exposure to it, and have to be rushed to a hospital in an ambulance, it makes you think twice. Not worth the risk. So please don't think you're impressing anyone by stating it's never happened to you. It still might. And it's amazing how much darkroom risk can be minimized just using common-sense ventilation and nitrile gloves.

 

[Amador]

Personally, I would not work in an space without good ventilation. Why risk your health when there are so many options? I am just putting the finishing touches on my darkroom now. I put an in-line fan in my attic space and pull air out of my darkroom through a 4” PVC system. It may be overkill, but I value my brain cells

 

[traveler_101]

I recently made several improvements to my bathroom/darkroom in order to improve the ventilation. Firstly, I decided to split the wet/dry spaces into two separate rooms - the wet space is still in a bathroom but my dry space is now set up in my home office. My office is much larger than the bathroom and that has given me enough space for two enlargers and more work surface area. Since I tend to spend the bulk of my printing time in the dry space, that time is now spent completely away from any chemical odors. Also, the doors to the rooms are opened fairly frequently (as I move from one to the other) which allows the rooms to get a regular influx of fresh air. I also purchased a Nova Monochrome (mentioned elsewhere in this thread) in order to save space/setup time and limit the surface area of the chemistry exposed to the air, thereby reducing chemical odors in the wet space. Couple that with a decent ceiling-mounted fan and the chemical odors are insignificant. The Nova is pretty expensive to ship to North America, but I figure it'll eventually pay for itself in saved time and chemistry costs.

Reviving an old thread:

I am trying to set up a darkroom in a small house without a dedicated space. In addition to the space problem I have no experience doing wet printing. I have access to a bathroom that doubles as a laundry room. The bathroom has an exhaust fan and a small window which might be opened behind a curtain - so should be decently ventilated, but it lacks a (dry) work area. I also have a small "office" - formerly a walk-in closet - which has good seating and work space, but it lacks ventilation. I wondering whether the solution that Logan2z adopted might work for me: "I decided to split the wet/dry spaces into two separate rooms - the wet space is still in a bathroom but my dry space is now set up in my home office." Does this work? After exposing the paper you place it in a dark bag and carry it into the wet room?

 

[pentaxuser]

It might have been nice if we had heard how the OP got on with his walk-in closet as over 2 years have elapsed since he raised the matter and his experience might have helped traveler_101 but we haven't seen the OP since Sept 2019.

Maybe he never made his walk-in closet darkroom so having got no further saw no reason to remain Pity

pentaxuser

 

[logan2z]

Does this work? After exposing the paper you place it in a dark bag and carry it into the wet room?

If it didn't work I wouldn't do it

I use a paper safe, but anything light tight should work.

 

[albada]

I have no ventilation where I tray develop 11x14 film. I am using a water stop and I keep the fixer tray covered unless I have film in it (and can even keep it covered while agitating the fix). I can vent the room after every negative to prevent a build-up of fumes.

That's what I'm doing. I water stop, and keep a lid over the fixer to block the smell of ammonia.
When developing paper (not film), you can open the door and turn on the lights after 60 seconds in the fixer. So the darkroom will receive unvented fumes for only 60 seconds.

Mark Overton

 

[traveler_101]

It might have been nice if we had heard how the OP got on with his walk-in closet as over 2 years have elapsed since he raised the matter and his experience might have helped traveler_101 but we haven't seen the OP since Sept 2019.

Maybe he never made his walk-in closet darkroom so having got no further saw no reason to remain Pity

pentaxuser

It is challenging to work in small inadequate spaces - I have thought of throwing in the towel on this project more than once.

 

[traveler_101]

If it didn't work I wouldn't do it

I use a paper safe, but anything light tight should work.

Very good to hear because this seems to be the most likely solution. I didn't mean to doubt you; I was uncertain about tense - I thought perhaps you had just instituted the plan back on 2019. What is a paper safe? If I put the exposed paper in a thick black plastic bag and sealed the open end, would that work? What happens if the bag comes into contact with the exposed surface of the paper? Does it affect the image once developed?

 

[traveler_101]

That's what I'm doing. I water stop, and keep a lid over the fixer to block the smell of ammonia.
When developing paper (not film), you can open the door and turn on the lights after 60 seconds in the fixer. So the darkroom will receive unvented fumes for only 60 seconds.

Mark Overton

Well that is a promising solution. It seems that you have the problem of fumes under control. I could try it, but the problem is that the room in question opens into the hall and is adjacent to the two main bedrooms in the house. There is no window in the room or the hall either. I don't mind, but my wife would almost certainly be very unhappy once the fumes vent into the hallway.

 

[pentaxuser]

. I could try it, but the problem is that the room in question opens into the hall and is adjacent to the two main bedrooms in the house. There is no window in the room or the hall either. I don't mind, but my wife would almost certainly be very unhappy once the fumes vent into the hallway.

See my #19 on page 1 . What you describe above sounds very like my situation and neither I who may be biased towards darkroom smells nor my wife who definitely in not biased towards darkroom smells and has nothing to lose by being honest, notice any fumes in our bedroom which is next to the darkroom on top of the stairs landing which has no windows either.

OK, I do have a Nova slot processor and not open trays which may reduce smells but I prepare and pour film chemicals in and out of beakers in the darkroom as well.

I can't be sure but I don't think either of us is particularly insensitive to smells. The grandkids used to play at the top of the stairs and neither mentioned smells and there is no one more honest than a small kid when it comes to mentioning smells

pentaxuser

 

[MattKing]

Very good to hear because this seems to be the most likely solution. I didn't mean to doubt you; I was uncertain about tense - I thought perhaps you had just instituted the plan back on 2019. What is a paper safe? If I put the exposed paper in a thick black plastic bag and sealed the open end, would that work? What happens if the bag comes into contact with the exposed surface of the paper? Does it affect the image once developed?

Here is an example of a paper safe.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224999396273

And here is a picture of one:

I heartily recommend them if you are moving paper around. I recommend the 12"x16" size.

 

[traveler_101]

Here is an example of a paper safe.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224999396273

And here is a picture of one:
View attachment 313071


I heartily recommend them if you are moving paper around. I recommend the 12"x16" size.

Thanks for the information. This one was made in Milwaukee, WI - I see.