From: bjs@RUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Barry Sherman)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Re: Darkroom Ventilation
Date: 17 Nov 92 20:25:10 GMT
Reply-To: bjs@RUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Barry Sherman)
Followup-To: rec.photo
Distribution: rec
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

Marc Sarrel writes:

>
>I'm in the process, finally, of making my bathroom light tight.
>However, I fear that making it so will cut off all ventillation.
>Here's a rough floor plan:
>
>                                     small room for toilet
>            living room                     |
>                door                        |
>                 |                          v
>                 | +---------------------+----+
>                 v |  counter with sink  |    |
>              +----+---------------------+    |<- bathroom window
>closet door ->|             toilet door->|    |
>              +--------------------------+----+
>
>
>The bathroom window is one of those louvered types.  In order to seal
>the doors, I was planning to use a combination of weatherstripping,
>towels on the bottom and maybe some dark fabric hanging down if the
>weather stripping isn't sufficient.
>
>However, this room would then have no ventillation.  There are no HVAC
>ducts in there at all (love those building codes).
>
>There is a transom window above the toilet door, but it is not hinged
>in any way.  The high-tech method would be to replace it with a fan,
>but that seems expensive.

Don't forget that just putting in a fan would be insufficient as it's also
necessary to have an air *inlet*.  In my darkroom, converted from an extra
bedroom, I placed two "louvered vents" in the door.  These are just openings
which are made light-tight.  Then in the opposite door, opening to the back
yard, I placed a darkroom ventilation fan and a window air conditioner.  
I rarely use the ventilation fan, except when using the more noxious 
stuff and sometimes during the winter.  (Needless to say, both doors will have
to be replaced before I can sell the house.)  During the summer I run the air 
conditioner, but that's for comfort more than ventilation.  Besides, it'd
be difficult to keep the solutions in the trays at 68 F with the room 
temperature's up around 95 F.

Anyway, I personally don't find the aromas from standard b/w chemistry
annoying enough to bother with ventilation, and find that I don't need much,
if any, when doing Ilfochrome in the Jobo as the chemistry is enclosed all
the time.

So is all that ventilation needed?  Good question.  I do like having it 
available when mixing P-3 chemistry with its strong sulfuric acid.  And
like having it when I'm doing selenium toning as I think that's a most
obnoxious smell.  Or mucking about with pyro or catechol.  But I'm not aware 
that he odors of acetic acid, fixers and standard paper developers are 
dangerous.  Anyone know for a fact?

Barry
--


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