Film Washing During a Boil Water Adv

[Spleenrippa]

This may be silly, since everyone is still bathing- but my lovely Comox is under a boil water advisory due to e.coli having been found in the lake/reservoir.
I don't think there's much 'external use' risk- I'm not exactly putting the negatives in my mouth... But at the same time, I'm not sure how I like the idea of potentially contaminated negatives.


What does RFF think? Say F-it and wash my film in bacteria laden water?
I'm really too lazy to boil up a couple gallons of water in one go just to wash film, and the stores are all devoid of bottled stuff at this point.
Yes, I'm bored 🙄

 

[jpberger]

Boiling wont do anything for film washing, unless you are worried about getting sick from water on you hands etc. any issue with film washing would be because is full of crud that would stick to the negs. Ideally the develop/fix should always be made with distilled water , and if you are really anal then you can use distilled water to wash. If you use the ilford wash method (fill and invert, 5 times begining with 5 inversions and doubling each time) it would only take a gallon or so.

 

[Spleenrippa]

Boiling wont do anything for film washing, unless you are worried about getting sick from water on you hands etc. any issue with film washing would be because is full of crud that would stick to the negs. Ideally the develop/fix should always be made with distilled water , and if you are really anal then you can use distilled water to wash. If you use the ilford wash method (fill and invert, 5 times begining with 5 inversions and doubling each time) it would only take a gallon or so.

Yeah, I reckon it (the bacteria on film) is a rather silly thing to worry about. Like I said, bored on a slow Friday...

 

[Chris101]

Silver is a bactericide. So washing the silvery fix out of the film would likely disinfect the water. I still wouldn't recommend drinking it though.

 

[sevo]

FWIW, they issue these advisories whenever e.coli are found, as they are a marker that the water is at a potential risk of pathogenic germs entering the wells - it does not mean that it contains any.

My home village still has a supply from local surface springs rather than being hooked up to the grid, and like every similar place has been under a "boil water" advisory ever since they standardized to European regulations. It presumably would have been since its founding in the thirteenth century if the EU had existed back then - with more reasons than today, as we're on a central sewage system, and nobody keeps cattle or pigs any more. The few sheep and horses kept for a hobby account for much less pollution than in the past - it is just that the standards have been raised. Most locals don't obey it even when it comes to drinking water - the place is not and never has been plagued by any kind of epidemic diarrhoea.

For film it is entirely irrelevant. There, you have to be concerned about hard water and suspended grit rather than germs.

 

[Spleenrippa]

FWIW, they issue these advisories whenever e.coli are found, as they are a marker that the water is at a potential risk of pathogenic germs entering the wells - it does not mean that it contains any.

My home village still has a supply from local surface springs rather than being hooked up to the grid, and like every similar place has been under a "boil water" advisory ever since they standardized to European regulations. It presumably would have been since its founding in the thirteenth century if the EU had existed back then - with more reasons than today, as we're on a central sewage system, and nobody keeps cattle or pigs any more. The few sheep and horses kept for a hobby account for much less pollution than in the past - it is just that the standards have been raised. Most locals don't obey it even when it comes to drinking water - the place is not and never has been plagued by any kind of epidemic diarrhoea.

For film it is entirely irrelevant. There, you have to be concerned about hard water and suspended grit rather than germs.

Oh, I know... Chances are, my water is quite fine. It was only a single recent sample from the lake that prompted the advisory. Memories of the Walkerton affair keep Canucks cautious, though.

As for the silver, I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier. If it's good enough to disinfect my friends disgusting maternity-ward scrubs, it's good enough for my Neopan 😀