darkroom chemicals in the loft/attic?

[littlebman]

I'm in the process of building a home darkroom (yippee!). Fortunately, I have the space to have one, though unfortunately, the only space is up in the loft/attic. My suspicion is the loft is going to present some challenges for me - specifically when it comes to temperature variations throughout a) the day and b) the seasons. I'm planning on further insulating the loft to help, but it will vary quite a bit. i'll be developing B&W film and printing (so will have the standard chems for both processes)
My question - will keeping darkroom chemicals in an environment with varying temperatures affect their 'life expectancy' and/or performance? I thought I may be able to stick my stock solutions in a downstairs cupboard where the temps are much more stable, but would mean hauling chemicals up flights of stairs each time I want to develop/print.
Any other things I should consider?
Thanks in advance!

 

[bhop]

I dated a girl when I was much younger who's dad built her a darkroom in the attic.. (fun times ) It seemed to work ok for her. Not as easy as a ground level, but the stairs weren't that bad.

 

[Light Guru]

My question - will keeping darkroom chemicals in an environment with varying temperatures affect their 'life expectancy' and/or performance?

As long as the temperature is right when developing I think you should be fine.

You could alway insulate a cabinet with foam insulation they sell at hardware stores to store. And then keep the chemicals in that cabinet.

I just hope you have rung water in your attic, that would be a bigger concern for me.

 

[KenC]

It it's exceptionally hot or cold you could keep your developing tank in a bucket of water at your developing temperature. That should prevent any significant temperature change during development. You can even do this with developing trays by putting them in larger trays with some water in them.

 

[Rick58]

Sorry for the bad news but...In an entire house, the attic is the worse choice for a darkroom. Mostly for the reasons given by LG. It's hot in the summer, cold in the winter and seldom is there running water which would require carrying tubs up and down stairs for washing prints and negs.. Not to mention cleanup would be a real pain without water.

NOTE: Ken's quicker of the SEND button.
He's right and he's trying to remain positive. It can be done. Maybe I've just become spoiled by having a full time DR. I really have to say though, I've done the carrying water thing and it sucks to the point that many times it's easier to just watch TV

 

[terri]

I've never had running water in a home DR, and just got used to it. I had an unused upstairs bedroom, and I only carried the water bath tray downstairs for the final wash at the kitchen sink (where I always developed film, anyway, so that part was a non-issue). I had a lineup of trays that ended with an oversized cool water bath, so I could leave completed/fixed prints there until I was done printing. From that water bath, the prints went into the hypo clear for a few minutes, then into a final clean tray that I carried down to the wash. While the prints were washing I dumped the trays and rinsed them in the upstairs bathroom.

My new DR (new house, new state) is more amenable to having a sink installed (one story house, shares a wall with a bath on the other side), but since I don't expect to live here but a couple years I can't be bothered with the expense. (I know what I'll be doing with my next house, though, wherever I end up.)

I think you'll be fine in your situation, and the insulated cupboard will work great. You'll find your own workflow that reduces the number of stair climbs, like I did. And the final prints generally make you forget all about it. Home printing is still so cool.

 

[Rick58]

The problem with anything isulated is, it will keep things cool or warm for hours, not forever. Once it does get hot or cold, it will hold those extreme temps.
If the attic is unheated it makes a completely opposite set of problems.

Just my

 

[littlebman]

thanks for the replies.
luckily, there's a water supply up in the attic to be able to install a sink, so thats in the plans. and I like Ken's idea of effectively using a water bath to keep the temperatures more stable when processing; think i'll have to do that when the temps are more extreme.
in your experience have you found that having colder liquid temps affects the results? I'm using Ilford b&w film (FP4 HP5,35mm and 120) and also Ilford chems (ID11, Ilfostop, Ilford Rapid Fixer) to start with and will probably try out other chems once I get comfortable with using these. I understand the dev times will be longer with colder temps but wasn't sure if colder temps would affect sharpnes, grain, etc.
where there's a will...!

 

[vintagesnaps]

What popped into my mind was film and chemistry might be OK in a cool basement but not in a hot attic. You'd need ventilation too. Maybe a small window AC unit would work for summer?? but I don't know in winter w/no heat and no ventilation what would be a safe and workable option.

Storing the chemistry in more stable temps downstairs would probably be a good idea; you could get the brown light-safe containers like the Delta datatainers that you could fill with the amount needed for one time use. You might consider a changing bag too. I don't know that you necessarily have to have all of your darkroom workspace in one room (I'd been using shared studio space but am now working on setting up a darkroom partly in my utility room and partly in the adjoining kitchen) but this sounds like it might take some creative thinking and considering various possibilities.

 

[Light Guru]

Using a water bath is a great way to bring developing chemicals to the right temp. For my water bath I got a aquarium heater to keep the water at the appropriate temp. Please note this only works if you are in a cooler environment then what your developing temp requires, if your attic is warmer then your dev temp then the heater will do nothing.

Its important to not get a cheep aquarium heater will want one that has a temp sensor that is not built into the heat unit and has a digital read out. somthing like this
JBJ True Temp Digital Controller w/ Heater

 

[terri]

The problem with anything isulated is, it will keep things cool or warm for hours, not forever. Once it does get hot or cold, it will hold those extreme temps.
If the attic is unheated it makes a completely opposite set of problems.

Just my

...your what? Don't leave us in suspense!

 

[Rick58]

The problem with anything isulated is, it will keep things cool or warm for hours, not forever. Once it does get hot or cold, it will hold those extreme temps.
If the attic is unheated it makes a completely opposite set of problems.

Just my

...your what? Don't leave us in suspense!

Ready.....Opinion

 

[terri]

The problem with anything isulated is, it will keep things cool or warm for hours, not forever. Once it does get hot or cold, it will hold those extreme temps.
If the attic is unheated it makes a completely opposite set of problems.

Just my

...your what? Don't leave us in suspense!

Ready.....Opinion

...oh, thank god you answered! :hail: Now I can sleep tonight!

 

[Rick58]