Refrigerated Film Storage

[timberline12k]

I am receiving my first 100 sheets of 4X5 film later this week and get the impression it is better to store film at cooler temperatures.

Rather than take up room in our family refrigerator risking food being spilled on the film, opened by mistake, etc, can I just store film in a wine cellar? It is humidity controlled, dark and maintains a constant 55 degree temperature.

What temperature range is best for extending film life.

How long can you keep film at different temperatures?

[Ron Marshall]

As long as b/w film stays below about 75 degrees and is sealed to keep humidity out it will be fine until its expiry date.

I always refrigerate color because I often go weeks between color shoots and don't always use all of the sheets by the expiry date.

[Gem Singer]

A wine cellar is the ideal storage place for film. 55 degrees is good. Just be sure to keep the film boxes in sealed plastic bags in order to keep them dry and clean while they are in storage.

Remember: cool , dry, and dark.

[Nathan Potter]

Wine cellar would be pretty good at 55 degrees C. I store some of my film there although it detracts from the visual elegance of all those bottles. OTOH if I find later that the film has degraded I can drink away my sorrows.

As a rough guesstimate I'd say the B&W film at 55 C is unchanged for 5 yrs. Color chrome maybe 3 yrs. ; but I've not done precise tests of fog and density changes.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Jerry Bodine]

Wine cellar would be pretty good at 55 degrees C. I store some of my film there although it detracts from the visual elegance of all those bottles. OTOH if I find later that the film has degraded I can drink away my sorrows.

As a rough guesstimate I'd say the B&W film at 55 C is unchanged for 5 yrs. Color chrome maybe 3 yrs. ; but I've not done precise tests of fog and density changes.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Nate, I'm certain you mean 55F not 55C (131F).

[eric black]

I place any long term storage items (unopened) in large zip lock bags and in the freezer taking care to allow them to get to room temp prior to opening or use. Any film holders that have been loaded or boxes of film that has been opened and thus will be used soon goes in suitably sized ziplocks in the fridge- even if food gets spilled it will only get spilled on the zip-lock bag.

[Nathan Potter]

Nate, I'm certain you mean 55F not 55C (131F).

Jerry, yes! I mean 55 degrees F. Not C or K! Damm every discipline has its' different temperature scale! Maybe 55 K would really slow down the aging - like for human eggs and sperm. :( ;) :)

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[CG]

Cool os good for optimal short storage, and cold - freezing is good for long term storage.

[Aender Brepsom]

I keep my Velvias (sealed) in the freezer at -18 C since purchase and would not care at all if they were expired by 3 or 4 years. I have never had any issue with this method. As Eric said, you just have to take them out several hours before using them.

[Dave_B]

The deterioration of film is a chemical reaction. Chemical reactions are speeded up at higher temperatures and slowed at lower temperatures. In general, the lower the temperature, the slower the chemical reaction. Generally speaking, you can't get the stuff too cold. While a wine cellar is better than storing at room temperature, a refrigerator is better yet and a freezer still better. At some point you might get film so cold that the plastic base cracks but this does not seem to ever happen at temperatures you find in a normal home. As discussed above, you need to let it warm up in a way that does not let water vapor condense on it.

[emo supremo]

Thermodynamics refresher: many (not all, but normally usually generally) reaction rates have for every 10 degrees C. So if you go from room temp to a fridge (2-4 deg C) one could expect to slow the average CHEMICAL degradation to 25% of what it would have been in the camera bag.
(i.e., it will last 75% longer).
If you put film in the fridge won't non visible radiation fog film eventually?

[emo supremo]

Whoops, "Halve" not "Have"

[Dave_B]

Thermodynamics refresher: many (not all, but normally usually generally) reaction rates have for every 10 degrees C. So if you go from room temp to a fridge (2-4 deg C) one could expect to slow the average CHEMICAL degradation to 25% of what it would have been in the camera bag.
(i.e., it will last 75% longer).
If you put film in the fridge won't non visible radiation fog film eventually?

Won't it last four times longer?