[pure-silver] Re: New old home, new lab questions

  • From: Tim Daneliuk <tundra@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 03 May 2010 10:03:50 -0500

>     Any other basement lab experiences or suggestions are certainly welcome.
> 
>     Eric

BTDT about 15 years ago.  Went from a completely unfinished basement to:

   http://www.tundraware.com/Photography/Darkroom/

Recommendations:

- If you're not going to finish the concrete walls, cover them with
  a plastic vapor barrier sheet.  You staple it to the floor joists
  above and then tack it every foot or so to the wall itself using
  construction glue.  This vastly suppresses both dust and moisture
  from unfinished concrete.
  
- While everything is unfinished, go through the entire
  basement with a shop vacuum and clean up everything.  Pay
  particular attention to the floor joists above.  I also
  had a service come in and clean out the heating/AC duct
  work since these are collection points for crud.  Be
  diligent to vacuum/clean the furnace filtration system
  AND the squirrel cage fan that blows the air around - BE
  SURE THE FURNACE IS OFF BEFORE DOING THIS.  The furnace
  is a giant dust collector and needs to be cleaned regularly.
  (I am assuming forced air here.  I've no idea what the issues
  are for a closed loop baseboard heating system.)

  If budget allows, I highly recommend the installation of
  a Honeywell electrostatic air cleaning system in the 
  return air path.  They really work well, though you do
  have to clean the filters every few months.

- It's easy to seal your floor very effectively.  Go to a home
  improvement store and get a mop with replaceable heads.  Get
  two mop heads for it (trust me, you're not going to want them
  when you're done).  They also sell acrylic floor sealer by the
  gallon.  You'll want some of that.

  Use hot soapy water and use the first mop head to get the floor 
  as clean as possible.  Make sure to do a final pass with just 
  water itself to get the last of the soap off the floor.  Let
  the floor dry thoroughly.  Now use the other mop head to apply
  the acrylic sealer.  The stuff I used takes only about 20 min
  or so to dry.  Apply multiple coats.  Bingo, sealed floor.  Depending
  on traffic, you'll have to reapply it periodically.  The whole
  point of this is to suppress dust.

  Epoxy is nice BUT you have to really prep the floor well first.
  This involves regular cleaning plus the application of Muriatic
  Acid in most products I've looked at.  When you're done, the
  floor will be nice, but it can still be scratched and does wear.
  For that reason, I chose ceramic tile, which is much more expensive,
  but far more durable.  Another possibility, if you're not terribly
  concerned with cosmetics with be self-adhesive linoleum tiles.

- Whatever you end up doing, make sure there is adequate ventilation
  and air draw for the furnace.  If you use an exhaust fan in your
  darkroom, it is creating negative pressure.  The furnace needs
  air to work, if it cannot get enough to "breathe" it can
  pull air down from the flue (so I am told) and can cause CO
  to be developed in the area - VERY bad.  For this reason, no matter
  what you do, I recommend a CO detector in a couple places in the home.

- If you have any wiring done for outlets and such, do you yourself a big
  safety favor:  Make sure the outlets are up off the floor 3 or 4 feet
  (code varies here by area) AND start each circuit with a ground fault
  interruptor, either in the electrical panel or at the first outlet
  on a circuit.  You want outlet power to go OFF in the event of a basement
  flood or water splashing up from a sink.  I also am a big believer in
  using hard pipe conduit for all wiring, even if code does not require it.
  Conduit contains fires and keeps pests from chewing on the wires.

- If you end up doing some plumbing by tapping into the hot/cold mains
  another highly recommended things is to sweat in one-way valves
  when you do this.  That way, if you have a hose sitting in water
  in the darkroom and some backpressure is created in the mains, by, say,
  a toilet being flushed and refilled, the house won't pull your
  chemistry sodden water back up into the mains.  These valves are inexpensive,
  but do have to be installed in a particular direction.  I learned this
  the hard way when the "expert" at the plumbing store gave me the exact
  wrong directions.   Also, if you plumb in a basement, remember to install
  air columns at each faucet point to prevent pipe banging.

If you're unsure about electrical/plumbing hire a pro...
  
     
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Daneliuk     tundra@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PGP Key:         http://www.tundraware.com/PGP/

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