How vital is a dark room extractor fan?

[andysig]

I'm in the long, slow process of setting up a darkroom and read in a book that a light-tight extractor fan is a good idea in a darkroom because of potential danger from chemicals etc. How true is that for B & W dev and printing and E6 slide and subsequent ilfochromes?

I looked around on the net and found one for sale on the Nova website but they wanted silly money for it. If they are necessary, can anybody recommend a decent model (ideally available in UK/Europe)?

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Your health depends on it. Don't save the money . You might be able to convert an ordinary bath fan to a darkroom fan without much money.

[Greg Davis]

There are books on darkroom design that have directions for making your own light tight baffle for a fan.

[jeffreyg]

When choosing a darkroom exhaust fan be sure to check the volume it handles so that it is compatible with the size of the room. Also there should be a light-proof vent for fresh air to enter the room. The exhaust should be on the opposite side of the sink (chemicals) for you.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

[photoncatcher]

I've spent many, many years working with B&W chemicals, and no health problems. I do wear a resperator when mixing the dry chems, as they have a tendancy to "fluff up" a bit in the air. I think the damp air in my basement dark room may be more of a health hazard than the fumes from my tray of Dektol. I would be more concerned with the color chems. They have alot of pretty toxic stuff in them. Again I have spent many years around E-4, E-6, C-41, and RA4 stuff, and I still feel pretty good at 58. I could tell you horror stories about a commercial lab I worked at for almost 10 years.

[Wayne]

Vital, especially for Ilfochrome bleach fumes. If you have a window in the darkroom you can make a darkroom fan setup for a few bucks. Get a 4-6 inch muffin fan or two from a local surplus store. They will probably cost $5 each-you might need to Google to find their cfm rating to make sure you have enough flow. Mount them in a piece of plyood that fits your window-I take my sliding storm window out and put my board right in its place, your window will probably need a unique setup and a little ingenuity. On the outside (I guess it could be inside too) of this board mount a 5 sided "box" of plywood over the fans (with the long open side against the other board) with a simple exhaust opening or louver offset from the fans, with the inside of the box painted black. You're done. Cover the rest of the window.

[c.d.ewen]

Just a worry-wort's reminder: watch out for carbon monoxide. If your darkroom and furnace/waterheater share a basement, make sure your exhaust fan is not pulling deadly fumes down your chimney.

Charley

[jp498]

I only do B&W and do not have a fan (and mix dusty chemicals outside). I would highly recommend it for color though, and/or if you do toning with B&W.

Panasonic makes some bathroom fans which are very quiet and you could build a lightproof baffle for them.

[andysig]

Thanks for all the replies: I will build a fan into my window blackout. The darkroom will be in the cellar and there is no sink and I will be mixing up jars of solutions more or less as and when I need them i.e. not in massive quantities. I also intend to get a Nova print processor so I imagine or at least hope, that there won't be tons of fumes being created.

[jp80874]

Years ago Kodak published a book on building home darkrooms. They said the air in a darkroom should be changed six times an hour. We all know how healthy Kodak is. I like a strong wind coming through my darkroom and wear a filter mask when working with pyro. As mentioned above Panasonic makes great quiet fans. I have two "inline whisper" fans that hide in the basement rafters, draw through duct pipes from in the eight foot sink, behind the trays and exhaust outside. There is a third higher volume fan, bringing air into the opposite side of the room through a furnace filter to keep out the dust.

A common problem to avoid is to not put the exhaust over head above the trays you will be working in. In that arrangement the fumes rise from the trays, past your nose and out through the fan. The fan in that position is your worst enemy. Have the fan draw from the opposite side of the trays from where you are standing.

John Powers