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Thread: Well water for film & print

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    Well water for film & print

    I live on an acreage where our well provides extremely hard water. It leaves a white residue when it evaporates. We have a test from the hospital and it's high in bicarbonates (pH of about 8.4).

    Can very hard water be used for film processing and wet photo printing? When we wash dishes we just have to make sure we towel dry them so that a residue isn't left behind. I'm pretty sure I could ensure I do the same when using a Jobo but I don't know what it will do, chemically, with the photography chemicals.

    I'm looking into jumping into 4x5 photography but if I can't process the film at home it's out of the question.

  2. #2

    Re: Well water for film & print

    I've moved to a house with well water and I'm facing similar problems. The simplest solution is to buy distilled water and use that for the critical parts of your development process. I mix all chemicals with distilled and also use it for final rinse with Photoflo. I paid $.89 per gallon recently so buying water is not a deal breaker.

    At my last house with city water I used a reverse osmosis filter for water for mixing and final rinse. The city water was fine for everything else. I will eventually install filters here but not right away as there are too many other things in line before that project.

    The big inconvenience is that for film and print washing its a little troublesome to use bottled water. You'll do more hands on work agitating and changing water as compared to running water from the tap. If your water is really full of dissolved solids you might have to put in a filter to be able to use it for processing. Or use bottled for everything. Either way its doable.

    Or if you're a real smooth talker now is the time to tell your wife about a whole house water filter and conditioner and how much she needs one.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Mar 2004
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    650

    Re: Well water for film & print

    I have similar water quality (except: the pH is only about 8.2, I have enough salt to form cubic crystals if very much water evaporates, and there is also a good bit of hydrogen sulfide).

    At first, I tried using distilled water for developer and final rinse, and then experimented with straight well water. To my surprise, the difference was undetectable, except that mineral spots formed from water droplets on negatives or glossy prints.

    I now use Photo-Flo in the last tank of wash water, and if the film does not "sheet off" I spritz it with Photo-Flo in distilled water from a squeeze bottle. This is usually a problem only with 35mm film.

    The foregoing holds for PMK, HC-110 and Dektol; there may well be other chemistry that is much less tolerant. Acid stop baths and fixers are, of course, pretty much immune, but I haven't seen any problems with (non-acid) TF-4 fixer.

    Archival stability is another question entirely, but I have only about ten years of data, so it will be up to my heirs to make that call!

  4. #4
    ic-racer's Avatar
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    Feb 2007
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    Re: Well water for film & print

    I believe the forum member "John Powers" is a well water user. If he does not chime in here, you could PM. I think he just filters the water and gets good results.

  5. #5

  6. #6
    Drew Wiley
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    Sep 2008
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    SF Bay area, CA
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    Re: Well water for film & print

    pH is going to most affect the developer and final rinse. I'd use distilled for these.
    You can simply run your water through a filter for your film or print washer, but afterward dip your work in a tray of distilled with Photoflo for final rinse before drying.
    Hard water can also affect equipment like tempering valves.

  7. #7

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    Olympia, Washington
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    Re: Well water for film & print

    Sean, I am about to move to 14 acres with a well that has pretty good water, but I am more concerned about what black and white film processing might do to my septic system. You may want to look into that also. If the photo chemicals shut down the bio-functions in the septic system it could be an expensive fix. Any septic system experts here who could distinguish between the risks of developers, stop-bath, fixer and hypoclear on septic systems?

  8. #8

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    southwest PA, USA
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    Re: Well water for film & print

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Sims View Post
    Sean, I am about to move to 14 acres with a well that has pretty good water, but I am more concerned about what black and white film processing might do to my septic system. You may want to look into that also. If the photo chemicals shut down the bio-functions in the septic system it could be an expensive fix. Any septic system experts here who could distinguish between the risks of developers, stop-bath, fixer and hypoclear on septic systems?
    If you aren't doing much processing, it really isn't going to have an effect (much of the chemicals as used are water and would be a very small amount compared to what's in the system). The bacteria actually like developer, though silver in used fixer isn't good. But it's possible to have drums for waste that get picked up when full (I use Safety Kleen). I have both septic and a well, so I have drums and use distilled for some parts of the process. For prints I use the well water for washing, but not for film.

  9. #9

    Re: Well water for film & print

    I'm not an expert but I've had darkrooms on septic systems and its not been a problem. Hobby type level output is pretty well handled by dilution in the system. You are introducing significantly less chemicals than doing your laundry which for most folks occurs more frequently and in greater volume than darkroom work ever will.

    PH, if constant, can likely be reckoned with. Dissolved solids and particulate is a little tougher. I have a good bit of particulate - grit and sand. A big goober of grit on a negative is a problem that basic filtering will cure. Using distilled water will cure it too.

    What I want is consistency from the water supply. That's what you need to do consistent work.

  10. #10
    Nicholas O. Lindan
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    May 2006
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    Cleveland, Ohio
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    Re: Well water for film & print

    A little bit of bicarb isn't going to be a problem with photo chemicals. Most developers have a good dollop of S. Carbonate in them that will completely overwhelm any pH contribution from the bicarb. All of them (with very, very few exceptions) are quite alkaline. Though you might want to use distilled water for homeopathic dilutions of Rodinal.

    As mentioned, use distilled water to make up Photoflo.

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