Headache from Fixer Fumes?

[Duolab123]

Technically, you'd need a variety of respirator cartridges. Ordinary activated charcoal ones will capture long organic molecule films for awhile, but not short acid or ammonia vapors. Serious sensitivities require a supplied air hood, hose, and external air pump. But respirator elements get expensive, and I had a direct 3M industrial dealer account! But since I got away from messing with industrial coatings, my sensitivity level has somewhat normalized. At one time the sales head of Benjamin Moore's true industrial coatings division wanted to go into private business with me as his partner; and I'd probably be dead long before now if I had taken that offer up. Gosh, things sure had some nasty solvents back then. I know someone who worked at the epoxy brewing factory across town and now can't even touch a baked enamel desk forty years old without bloating up with anaphylactic shock. But those good ole moisture-cure formaldehyde floor and boat finishes... they could sure be tough if they were mixed and cured correctly; but when they weren't, I've seen entire buildings condemned and leveled because they were too noxious to safely remove. Moisture-cure urethanes were analogous; they've been illegal for a long time now, but one of the local varnish factory owners would sometimes batch that up for his personal yacht use. Nobody involved with that stuff lived to a ripe old age.

I finally decided that my wimpy Doran ventilator wasn't enough. It worked well but it still lacked the oomph. Yesterday I bought a blower for a central shop dust collection system. It's got a capacitor start 1 HP motor, rated at 660 cfm. I temporarily hooked to my existing duct. I need to fabricate a outlet. I'm mainly interested in solving fixer and especially toning fumes. I Jobo color films. I'm not sure what the final configuration will look like but this thing really moves air. The darkroom is where water heater and furnace reside. There's two passive air returns separate from the furnace cold air return. So I have PLENTY of make up air. I'm going to talk to my neighbor as you can hear it from outside and the grasses and flowers are blowing around. I don't want him to think I'm up to no good.
Mike

[Two23]

190969[/ATTACH]

Just tell him the guys you're cooking meth for can get pretty nasty with nosy neighbors.


Kent in SD

[Peter De Smidt]

Make sure not to suck combustion products, mainly carbon monoxide, from the furnace or the water heater into spaces were you'll be.

[Duolab123]

Make sure not to suck combustion products, mainly carbon monoxide, from the furnace or the water heater into spaces were you'll be.

I've got a furnace with powered exhaust system. I think it will be fine. I won't be using this that much. Mainly for toning. I will open darkroom door when toning. You are absolutely correct about the water heater, it's a passive gravity convection vent to the roof. The heat from the water heater flame has enough oomph to get the convection going. Growing up in a house with a 1901 gravity furnace, coal converted to natural gas. I remember my Dad going up to my sister's bedroom with the old Kirby vacuum, getting the warm air to start rising. It would stall.
Your points are well taken. I will be careful. I have a central CO monitor /smoke alarm system, one of the alarms is located in my darkroom so, I should know if something goes wrong.

[Duolab123]

Just tell him the guys you're cooking meth for can get pretty nasty with nosy neighbors.


Kent in SD

I've got the beard, need to shave my head and get a Heisenberg hat!

[Duolab123]

One other thing, the furnace has a negative pressure switch, I tripped this where we used to reside. We had floors refinished in March, I opened some windows and turned on a whole house fan. It tripped the pressure switch on the furnace, which quit, I didn't have enough windows open. Paid 100 bucks to learn that lesson.

[Duolab123]

Here's what I ended up with. I tried out pouring 28% acetic acid into a conical graduate. No odor detected by my nose. The grating reduces the volume of air (and noise) as well so I won't create back draft down the water heater vent. I will make a bracket to support. I'm not going to permanently attach to blower, so I can fit this attachment to the blower when needed, stow the rest of the time. No more choking on Selenium toner fumes. Heck I may even go back and try sulfide toners.
Best Regards Mike

[Duolab123]

Here's what I ended up with. I tried out pouring 28% acetic acid into a conical graduate. No odor detected by my nose. The grating reduces the volume of air (and noise) as well so I won't create back draft down the water heater vent. I will make a bracket to support. I'm not going to permanently attach to blower, so I can fit this attachment to the blower when needed, stow the rest of the time. No more choking on Selenium toner fumes. Heck I may even go back and try sulfide toners.
Best Regards Mike

With the photo

[Drew Wiley]

Darkroom in an old motorhome in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico?

[Tin Can]

Dust free