home darkroom as hazardous area ????????

[mikewillnot]

I have a photographer customer who's putting a darkroom in a newly renovated garage, with a radiant heat floor, and a small water heater for that purpose. Her boyfriend / "consultant" suggested there might be a concern placing the heater inside the darkroom, because there might be hazardous or flammable fumes in the darkroom, and when the thermostat throws the contactor for the water heater, the possible spark might set off the vapor and cause an explosion.

I don't know what kind of chemicals there might be in such a location, but me, I think that there must be many thousands of darkrooms in basements and homes around the world, with all kinds of crappy wiring, and I've never once heard of one of them exploding.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[rbalex]

I have a photographer customer who's putting a darkroom in a newly renovated garage, with a radiant heat floor, and a small water heater for that purpose. Her boyfriend / "consultant" suggested there might be a concern placing the heater inside the darkroom, because there might be hazardous or flammable fumes in the darkroom, and when the thermostat throws the contactor for the water heater, the possible spark might set off the vapor and cause an explosion.

I don't know what kind of chemicals there might be in such a location, but me, I think that there must be many thousands of darkrooms in basements and homes around the world, with all kinds of crappy wiring, and I've never once heard of one of them exploding.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Any idea on the volume of flammables? It would need a huge amount to be concerned. Not likely in the installation you described.

 

[gadfly56]

Any idea on the volume of flammables? It would need a huge amount to be concerned. Not likely in the installation you described.

Aside from the photographic paper, nothing used in processing film is flammable.

 

[rbalex]

Aside from the photographic paper, nothing used in processing film is flammable.

So we have a potential Group G flash fire. (Just kidding) Thanks for the info. Developing/printing photos has never been in my realm of expertise.

 

[gadfly56]

So we have a potential Group G flash fire. (Just kidding) Thanks for the info. Developing/printing photos has never been in my realm of expertise.

I had a keen interest in photography during high school and was able to avail myself of their darkroom. I haven't looked lately but I don't even know how easy it is to get black and white film anymore. OK, a quick Google says that my favorite seems to be still available, Kodak Tri-X 400 ASA. I also shot some 120 film on my grandmother's old camera.

 

[Fulthrotl]

I have a photographer customer who's putting a darkroom in a newly renovated garage, with a radiant heat floor, and a small water heater for that purpose. Her boyfriend / "consultant" suggested there might be a concern placing the heater inside the darkroom, because there might be hazardous or flammable fumes in the darkroom, and when the thermostat throws the contactor for the water heater, the possible spark might set off the vapor and cause an explosion.

I don't know what kind of chemicals there might be in such a location, but me, I think that there must be many thousands of darkrooms in basements and homes around the world, with all kinds of crappy wiring, and I've never once heard of one of them exploding.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

a wet lab, in this day and age.... i love old school stubbornness.
there isn't anything used in B&W or color wet processing that is flammable.
my lab in high school sat right in the garage next to the water heater for
four years, with prolific use, and i was doing b&w wet, B&W stabilization,
and some color. color printing in those days was pretty pricy. high school
kids didn't run with dogs that big very much.

the only real fire hazard was acetate negatives from the 20's. long gone
in the 70's.

a tip for the photographer. taking a deep breath, holding it, and exhaling
into the chemical storage bottles allowed the carbon dioxide in the breath
to settle over the chemicals, and prevent oxidation. when chemicals in
photo labs get rank, it makes rotten eggs smell pretty good.

that, and for B&W film without bothering to maintain time and temperature
monitoring, Diafine is the magic word. stuff was awesome, back when.

 

[Sierrasparky]

Fulthrotl
You itching to dabble in that stuff again?
I have it all up to 4x5 enlarger's , tray's to 16x20, Temp control , timers 6' SS sink........ Can't give the stuff away.

 

[Fulthrotl]

Fulthrotl
You itching to dabble in that stuff again?
I have it all up to 4x5 enlarger's , tray's to 16x20, Temp control , timers 6' SS sink........ Can't give the stuff away.

i have this D size plotter that does insanely good photos....
but thanks anyway..... there may be a reason you can't get rid of that stuff.....

 

[masterinbama]

Fulthrotl
You itching to dabble in that stuff again?
I have it all up to 4x5 enlarger's , tray's to 16x20, Temp control , timers 6' SS sink........ Can't give the stuff away.

. I have almost exactly the same stuff. It is extremely difficult to find a buyer.

 

[mikewillnot]

Aside from the photographic paper, nothing used in processing film is flammable.

Wrong century. She uses 19th C do-it-yourself technology on glass or metal plates

 

[gadfly56]

Wrong century. She uses 19th C do-it-yourself technology on glass or metal plates

IIRC, the chemistry is the same, just a different substrate. I vaguely recall an article in Scientific American that surveyed a number of obscure photographic methods. I remember being amazed at the inventiveness of 19th century practitioners.

 

[charlie b]

Boy does this thread take me back! I had a darkroom in my high school days. I still have the negatives from my senior year, when I took photos for the yearbook. I only dabbled in color processing once. There was formaldehyde in one of the processing steps, and I could not handle the smell.