How much water do you use in your darkroom?

[Corran]

Just got my annual water bill, first one since owning our house. We are on a community well and are allotted a certain amount of water that is roughly the usage of two adults (according to the USGS), so I was expecting an overage, and we did get that - but we also had a break in our main line earlier this year so that was also a huge issue.

Anyway, it got me thinking about how much water the darkroom uses. I am wondering if any of you know roughly how much your darkroom water usage is. Please of course include relevant info about usage - such as, just film processing, or light/moderate/heavy printing, etc.

I can't be sure how much water we lost from our main line break so I can't really answer this question myself (assuming my wife and I used the "typical" amount), but am now thinking about options for a water usage meter on the input line to my darkroom, just to keep tabs on it. Our overage past "normal" usage levels was about 30,000 gallons, but I've been printing a lot in the last year.

[Sfroza]

The "average" American used 82 gal. per day in their household.

[Vaughn]

The "average" American used 82 gal. per day in their household.
Which is 30,000 gallons per year.

Limited darkroom work right now -- film developing and some platinum printing at home. I typically use standing water baths.

I average 250 cubic feet per month...so that would be 22,500 to 25,000 gallons a year. Just me in the house, and occasional guest(s). Other factors -- no clothes or dish washer. Some watering in the yard from mid to start of Fall.

[Corran]

Correct. Accounting 30k gallons for my wife and I, that is the 60k we are allotted.

As I mentioned, our overage was about 30,000 gallons. I was basically wondering if 30,000 gallons in a year with heavy darkroom usage was bad, or good, or whatever. Just curious. Again, I had a main line break that leaked a LOT of water into the yard before getting fixed, so hard to draw real conclusions in my case. I could start to monitor the water meter in the yard if I wanted to see how much usage happened per month.

[Vaughn]

My info will not help you much, then.

[Tin Can]

This is a great question.

There are many variables, actual usage, water source, location, quality and cost.

My Chicago condo darkroom had water and sewage usage and cost rolled into our assessments. No real way to know my usage. And Chicago for a long time did not meter most users. Just dreamed up a bill, which many protested.

I have been in this small town for 1 year. The town has a very good water supply and it rains often here.

My darkroom is almost ready. By December it will be.

Each user here is metered. The sewage and garbage removal are tied to water usage. Currently I use 60 gallons a day. 1 user. Most is going down the old toilet. I can lower that usage with a new toilet. I don't water plants or lawn. I have installed low flow faucet heads and use water saver on the new washing machine.

I will be closely watching my water usage and I plan to report back here when the darkroom becomes active.

I don't drink my tap water. I buy distilled for under $1 a gallon. Use it for coffee, drinking, cooking. I also use distilled for mixing film/paper chemistry, but wash with tap.

I need to find out if collecting rainwater is legal here. Many places it is illegal to collect water!

[Corran]

A couple of years ago I saw a huge water tank for sale at an estate auction, designed for water storage in a collection system (out west). It got me thinking about collection here and usage in the darkroom, or even in the house in an emergency situation - when we lose power in the neighborhood, our well also therefore does not pump water to homes.

This filter is good for 1 million gallons and is what I use for hiking. (https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-squeeze-filter/) It can be used in slow gravity-fed systems, so I've thought about using it in a dual water storage system to provide drinkable water. Or just service the darkroom with water - all provided by our generally healthy rainfall. Another project.

Looking forward to what your darkroom looks like Randy!

[DrTang]

those water collection systems (out west) are mostly used to water the lawns and wash their cars and maybe for laundry and not for drinking water

[EdSawyer]

They are also used for fire suppression issues, some places require you to have a standing storage tank of X number of gallons to be used by the fire department if necessary.

[Graham Patterson]

My processing is done from stock water containers, and my drainage is to a limited size sump. So I probably use < 10 litres in a heavy processing cycle for film or prints. A bit more if I am filling the Jobo bath or doing 20x16 prints. The print washer flow is measurable, and I don't run it if I am not using it. Say 2-3 litres per minute for an hour = 180 litres.

With my current usage, that is maybe 200 litres a month 8-(

A litre is approximately 0.26 US gallons.

My print washer drainage goes to the yard.

[Luis-F-S]

I use more during the summer because my chiller is water cooled. During the winter, no need to use the chiller. I can also switch over to well water, but don't usually do so because the water quality is not as good. It's an irrigation well so sort of shallow. L

[Bernard_L]

Probably the biggest water consumption is in print washing. This comes from having the water flow large enough for agitation, which results larger than needed for water renewal. Recirculating pump for agitation (to promote diffusion) and slower water intake to carry away the fixer.
My setup, inspired by the "Ilford" method of negative washing uses an aquarium pump for recirculation, and three discrete (empty, refill) water changes. After the second water change, a white print rebate tests near-perfect.

[scheinfluger_77]

Bernard_L, are you referring to this procedure?
https://www.ilfordphoto.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Reducing-Wash-Water.pdf

I also read somewhere that Ilford advised film strength fixer for prints. 1 minute in the fix for FB followed by a wash aid followed by the three standing tray method. 30 seconds in the fix for RC. I remember reading Ilford documentation to this effect but do not remember where.

[Tin Can]

Probably the biggest water consumption is in print washing. This comes from having the water flow large enough for agitation, which results larger than needed for water renewal. Recirculating pump for agitation (to promote diffusion) and slower water intake to carry away the fixer.
My setup, inspired by the "Ilford" method of negative washing uses an aquarium pump for recirculation, and three discrete (empty, refill) water changes. After the second water change, a white print rebate tests near-perfect.

I like this idea. As I weaken form old age, big trays are hard to empty.

A small pump can help on trays and agitate the wash. I have been researching them.

Good idea!

[Bernard_L]

Bernard_L, are you referring to this procedure?
https://www.ilfordphoto.com/wp/wp-co...Wash-Water.pdf

Yes. Film section. Plreceded by water hold tray and 5min in hypo clear. Followed by high dilution phot flo.

[Tin Can]

I need to also consider how my darkroom sink drains. I plan to Tee into the washing machine drain. Glad I waited a bit and learned more.

When my washing machine drains it makes my bathtub gurgle and sewer gas becomes apparent 2 rooms away.

Seems the unvented washer drain is pulling a vacuum and emptying the p-traps.

As I twigged to this, a home inspection blog I subscribe to, explained my problem. Synchronicity.

This youtube shows one solution. (https://youtu.be/9-rxogXPLKk?t=4)

[tonyowen]

For information only, the average adult in the UK uses 150 litres [liters] of water per day - about 40 (US liquid) gallons.
For two adults, over a year, this equates to about 29,000 (US liquid) gallons. or 24,000 Imperial gallons
However, most properties in the UK are supplied by 'mains' water and it is compulsory to have a water meter fitted.
Most water suppliers add various chemicals to their water - such as fluoride to help prevent tooth decay - and to ensure a given level of water quality.
The use of wells, springs, lakes, rivers and/or private underground water occurs in very rural areas and is highly regulated.

regards

Tony

[Jim Noel]

Probably the biggest water consumption is in print washing. This comes from having the water flow large enough for agitation, which results larger than needed for water renewal. Recirculating pump for agitation (to promote diffusion) and slower water intake to carry away the fixer.
My setup, inspired by the "Ilford" method of negative washing uses an aquarium pump for recirculation, and three discrete (empty, refill) water changes. After the second water change, a white print rebate tests near-perfect.

I use a similar method which reduced my water consumption in the DR by between 80 and 90%.

[Maris Rusis]

An easy day in the darkroom sees me make 24 enlargements on fibre based paper that finishes with a full archival wash. I budget 200 litres of water for the entire session. The local water company charges me about 13 cents for this volume. Everything is more expensive than the water. Even the electricity for the safelights, enlarger bulbs, heaters, air conditioner comes to more at the end of the day. I don't know how I'd manage if I had to use expensive water.

[Corran]

Maris, out of curiosity I tabulated that out. At the "overage" rate I incurred, that amount of water would be 16 cents (23 cents in AUD I think). Still not a whole lot.

I am more curious about water conservation than costs, though of course that is important as well.

[Peter De Smidt]

Even better, if you're going to tone FB prints, HE-1, an easy to make Hypo Eliminator, is easy to use. It was discouraged in the 1990s when it was discovered that a small amount of fixer left in the paper helped longevity, but proper toning does that even better. So, I print, single fix, quick rinse with running water, and into the washer with no water running. When I'm done printer, I mix up my toning baths, place the prints in the 2nd fixer, dump and refill the water from the washer, tone, brief hose rinse, he-1, and a short time in the print washer.

[Tin Can]

That's worth repeating!

I will try this!


Even better, if you're going to tone FB prints, HE-1, an easy to make Hypo Eliminator, is easy to use. It was discouraged in the 1990s when it was discovered that a small amount of fixer left in the paper helped longevity, but proper toning does that even better. So, I print, single fix, quick rinse with running water, and into the washer with no water running. When I'm done printer, I mix up my toning baths, place the prints in the 2nd fixer, dump and refill the water from the washer, tone, brief hose rinse, he-1, and a short time in the print washer.

[jp]

I am more curious about water conservation than costs, though of course that is important as well.

If you're in an area that has no risk of running out of water, conservation isn't really a concern. I'm on a well, and when I waste water, it goes back in the ground 150' from where it came from. What I wasted was electricity pumping it and keeping it pressurized. If you pay for sewer, you're paying for electricity and plumbing to get it somewhere to evaporate or get sprayed back on the ground.

[Tin Can]

Water on Earth is finite, but not rare everywhere.

However only 3% is potable.

Ever read 'Dune (https://www.dunenovels.com/)'?

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/earths-total-water-finite

[Corran]

We are on a community well system. If I had the money, and it was possible, I would dig my own well. I assume I could tap into the same source as the community well. Could be wrong, I don't know anything about ground water or water tables.

It certainly does no harm to conserve when possible.

[jim10219]

I don’t conserve water in my darkroom. But I do conserve it everywhere else. Getting a new energy efficient dishwasher and washing machine helped. I also rarely water my lawn. I haven’t watered it in 3 years, and it’s typically greener than my neighbors. The trick is that by not over watering my lawn, the grass has grown deeper roots to find the water it needs. So I spent one year with brown grass while the plants adapted to the change, but now I have a healthier lawn with far less maintenance. I still have to water the potted plants, but they’ll consume less water if you water them after the sun goes down, so they can soak up the water all night long without losing most of it to evaporation.

Most of my neighbors have the automatic sprinkler systems and many of them run them in the heat of the day. Most of that water gets evaporated into the air, so their grass is still dying in the summer and their water bills are sky high. I’ve even had conversations with a few of them about that, but they just can’t wrap their heads around the idea that you can actually have a greener lawn by not watering it. Since the results take a year or two to notice, they give up before they have the chance to see the benefits and claim their lawn is different.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Water on Earth is finite, but not rare everywhere.

However only 3% is potable.

Ever read 'Dune (https://www.dunenovels.com/)'?

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/earths-total-water-finite

Saw the movie. It was confusing! Spice, hmmm

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I think in AZ, especially Phoenix area all water is collected and recycled into drinking water or used on crops or both. We are a big butt desert so water for us is not an option. I rinse as slowly as possible so long as I have running water over the negatives so I don't use that much and I don't develop everyday, maybe every couple of weeks.