Refrigerating plates

[smeylan]

Is it okay to refrigerate or freeze loaded sheet film plates? I am not getting out to shoot as consistently as I'd hoped -- film is in the plates for a month or two in the worst case -- and I'm wondering if I can just keep the whole plates cold.

[interneg]

Short answer: don't waste your time. If your material is fresh (within expiry date) and you aren't experiencing extremely high temperatures, don't refrigerate or freeze the material whether in the original box/ packaging or in the double dark slides. I've seen more problems from people incompetently freezing or refrigerating film than from it being left alone somewhere that's reasonably cool and of moderate humidity. The temp/ humidity range is printed on the box.

[Jim Noel]

I agree. If the room where you keep your loaded film has a relatively constant temperature the film should e OK.

[smeylan]

I am a little worried because the temperature is quite high -- mid 80s F some of the time, down to high 60s F when I turn on AC (it's a house in the Northeast with "ad hoc" / room-specific air conditioning). Is that still "reasonably cool?" FWIW the Delta 100 Tech Sheet says 50-68F (10-20C)

@Interneg do you have a reference for a guide on how to competently freeze or refrigerate film? I always thought this was best practice (and have done it for film in the original box or canisters), but that 1) film should be stored in sealed ziplocks to minimize moisture 2) film should always be allowed to warm to room temperature and any condensation evaporate before doing anything with it. Is that sufficient or are there other things I should be doing?