Re: [APML] Chemical waste ??

["Joseph O'Neil" <joneil@multiboard.com>]

At 15:36 28/03/02 -0500, you wrote:
>Quick question, I just set up a home darkroom. How do you get rid of the
>chemical waste, we have a septic tank and even if we didnt I dont think I
>would even consider putting it down the drain.

-snip-


Hi Brian;
         Not a huge concern.  Speaking from first hand expereince, septic 
systme and all.

         first off,  B&W chemistry is pretty tame.  If you ever get into 
C-41, it's a different animal, but B&W is pretty tame stuff, and you can 
make it tamer.

         Secondly, the average amount of household chemicals are far more 
dangerous to both the enviroment and your water system than your B&W 
darkroom chemistry.  Most people who kill off a septic system do so from 
over using too many household cleaning chemicals.    Wash a lot of whites 
using bleach can do it for example.

         So, hwo to handle the stuff?
         1) developer - devlopers are mostly alkaline, so mix  your used 
developer with an ounce of plain old vinegar before doumping downt he 
drain, and you will pretty much neutralize it.
         2) Stop - well stop is acedic acid - basically vinegar in a 
stronger from.  don;t knwo aobut the rest of you, but up here in Canada, we 
eat our french fries (aka Chips) with lots of vinegar on them.  Mind you 
grocery store vinegar is a lot weaker than the concentrated stop bath you 
use, nd is edible grade to boot, but your mixed up stop bath is not much 
stronger that what I use on my fries to eat, so if I can eat it, should not 
be a problem dumping it, eh?
         3) fix - silver in exhausted fix is an anti-biotic.  This is what 
can kill off a septic system.  You can remove silver in yrou fix by dopping 
in a steel wool bad and letting electrolysis do it's thing.  Save your 
exhausted fix in a large pail, and when yo are done, drop a steel woll pad 
in it for a few days,a nd watch to see it work.

         You can buy a little, electrical powered unit to remove your 
silver from fix.  I bought one years ago.  After  life time of use, I might 
collect enough silver to buy myself a can of pop, but not much 
more.  However, I feel good about removing the silver before I dump it.

         A few other random points:
         - if you ever do kill off your septic system, my great uncle used 
to collect road kill (just one, preferably summer time, after a day or so), 
and dump it into the tank.  That will re-activate it pretty fast.  Small 
road kill too, like a coon, not a moose,
         - while nto suitblefor tech pan, developers like Neutol form Agfa 
and Xtol form Kodak use Vitiman C as a developing agent.  Yep, the exact 
same vitiman C you buy in a pharmacy.   Now there is more to it than that, 
and i would not take Xtol for the common cold, but again, I would rather 
dump a package of Xtol into my septic system than a bottle of most 
household cleaners.

         Just use common sense, and you will do fine
joe


http://www.oneilphoto.on.ca
http://www.multiboard.com/~joneil
"Una salus victus nullam sperare salutem"


--  APML Archives at <http://astro.umsystem.edu/apml/>  ---
             Unsubscribe at <majordomo@seds.org>