Safelab - was Ventilate or Scrub

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Dan Quinn - 17 Feb 2004 01:28 GMT

Thread thiefs got away with my thread. It is obvious to me that they
did not read any of the information at www.safelab.com.

From the little reading I've done it looks to me as though a single in
room scrubber will handle ALL of a darkroom's air quality control; and
that includes humidity. www.safelab.com appears to me to be a good
place to start for information.

If DIY is your thing I've no sites to recommened. Personaly I don't
need ventilation but could use a scrubber. Dust and humidity control
would be nice to have.

Scrubbers being of such simple construction should appeal to the
DIY set. Perhaps someone out there knows where there are ready made
plans and sources for materials. Dan

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jjs - 17 Feb 2004 04:05 GMT

> [...]
> If DIY is your thing I've no sites to recommened. Personaly I don't
> need ventilation but could use a scrubber. Dust and humidity control
> would be nice to have.

What humidity level would you aim for, Dan?

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Dan Quinn - 17 Feb 2004 10:35 GMT

Dan Quinn) wrote:

> > If DIY is your thing I've no sites to recommened. Personaly I don't
> > need ventilation but could use a scrubber. Dust and humidity control
> > would be nice to have.

> What humidity level would you aim for, Dan?

I'd have to play with that; 40 to 50% rings a bell as being normal.
Off hand I'd say as high as is comfortable.
BTW, I'm quite sure low humidity contributes to high heating costs.
I never hear it mentioned when the news is about keeping the heat
bill down in winter.
I'm going to take myself seriously and check out those scrubbers
more thourghly. I've wood working equipment, etc, and some DIY
know-how. Dan

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Sherman - 17 Feb 2004 14:43 GMT

> > [...]
> > If DIY is your thing I've no sites to recommened. Personaly I don't
> > need ventilation but could use a scrubber. Dust and humidity control
> > would be nice to have.
>
> What humidity level would you aim for, Dan?

That's an interesting question. I'd like to hear other people's responses
as well. I personally like my darkroom to have pretty high humidity. Last
time I checked it was about 65%. I usually have a tempering tray running at
75 F so that naturally contributes to the humidity level.

Higher than normal humidity seems to keep the dust down to a minimum without
resorting to extra ordinary measures. I take my film (usually 4x5,
sometimes 120) out of the tank and hang it up on a "clothesline" in my
darkroom, no film dryer involved. In a couple of hours it is dry and dust
free.

Sherman
http://www.dunnamphoto.com

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PSsquare - 17 Feb 2004 15:00 GMT

> Thread thiefs got away with my thread. It is obvious to me that they
> did not read any of the information at www.safelab.com.

Dan,

It would appear that you are directing this comment to me. Sorry if I have
offended you with bad news.

Yes, I have seen the Safelab site. Their clientele are not the hobbyist,
nor even photo minilabs. They serve industrial laboratories. It would
appear that all of their work is on custom installations. That is not cheap.

FYI I have 37 years of industrial experience as a licensed professional
engineer and have some understanding of the reasons for using a scrubber.
You use a scrubber when the EPA or state environmental quality people object
to a situation such as 1/2 ton of hydrochloric acid fumes being exhausted
each day. You go to Safelab when you stand to lose millions of dollars if
you are shut down or fined. You usually need skilled trades to maintain
scrubbers and technicians to test their operation. Only a hugh commercial
darkroom like Qualex would ever need a scrubber.

If you are still unconvinced, then check out the photo minilabs around you.
They would surely scrub the exhaust if photo quality or regularions called
for it. Ask if they are even required to scrub the exhaust air. They may
not even know what you are talking about. I just spoke with the minilab
operator at my camera store. They are a professional quality lab, and the
operator used to sell minilabs. They have no scrubber on their equipment
and know of no EPA regulation requiring it.

I sincerely think that you are off on a wild goose chase here.

PSsquare

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Dan Quinn - 18 Feb 2004 04:51 GMT

> Yes, I have seen the Safelab site. They serve industrial laboratories.
> You use a scrubber when the EPA or state environmental quality...
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> PSsquare

I'm reminded of the Japanese animated series "The Adventures of
Robotech" A race of giant humanoids called the the Centrani were part
of the mix of characters. They were of huge proportions. I think
you have spent too much time in their world. Dan

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