Warning! Gosh! Store Your Chemicals Properly!

[tetrisattack]

Apparently I played a trick on myself the other month when I put dead fix in an empty jar of spaghetti sauce. Sure, that worked well enough at the time, but I forgot about this one for a few months and the fixer managed to corrode and eat the metal lid. Pretty funny joke, huh? Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny.

For awhile, I wasn't even sure if it was fixer. I mean, it's eggplant purple, I thought somehow it was stop bath that had undergone some sort of freakish pH-raising mutation. With nitrile gloves and in a deep sink I prised off the lid of the jar and, lo, it was fix after all -- hypo check doesn't lie.

May I be an example for the rest of you. Label and store your chemicals in non-reactive vessels, lest you yourself are faced with a dubious jar leaking a mysterious toxic waste.

Please find attached horrifying pictures for further effect.

 

[Bryce]

My brother bought a house. In the garage was a nice gallon jug of DDT...

 

[jlw]

I had a somewhat similar experience, but with chemicals in the original bottles! I had them stored in a cupboard over the oven, and one day I noticed a brown residue on the oven.

It turned out that some T-Max liquid developer (several years old) had eaten through the bottom of its original plastic bottle and leaked out. Good thing I don't do much cooking on the stove top!!

Eventually I found other old chemical bottles developed leaks as well. I had to throw them all away, and clean up quite a mess in the cupboard.

The moral of this story is: Don't trust the original plastic bottles to last beyond the normal shelf life of the chemistry -- I'd say that 6 months to a year is probably the limit. If you're going to take a chance and store chemicals longer than that, I'd suggest at least setting the bottles in a developing tray or something, just in case they do develop leaks.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

My Diafine did this, which is actually why I'm in the market for more. 😉 It was in milk jugs, though, and I don't doubt that's the reason. I think I'm going to find some glass gallon jugs with rubber stoppers for my next batch of it...perhaps that will last me longer.

 

[kully]

Shag - this has made me paranoid.

I have two petrol containers (tough plastic, 1 imperial gallon each) which I filled with Diafine A and B earlier this week. I'm off to Prague this weekend and won't be back home until Sunday night - should I be worried?

 

[tetrisattack]

Shag - this has made me paranoid.

I have two petrol containers (tough plastic, 1 imperial gallon each) which I filled with Diafine A and B earlier this week. I'm off to Prague this weekend and won't be back home until Sunday night - should I be worried?

I started writing, "You'll probably be just fine!" but then I realized I'm not qualified to comment on this subject. 😉

 

[Krasnaya_Zvezda]

My Diafine did this, which is actually why I'm in the market for more. 😉 It was in milk jugs, though, and I don't doubt that's the reason. I think I'm going to find some glass gallon jugs with rubber stoppers for my next batch of it...perhaps that will last me longer.

I've had Diafine stored in plastic photo chemical jugs for over a year, no meltdown so far.... perhaps you have a breach in your warp containment field...

 

[captainslack]

Oh dear!!! I've got a gallon of used fixer stored in an old orange juice container. Guess I'd better figure out a way to dispose of it!!

 

[Solinar]

Fixer is more acidic than you would think. I keep my fixer working solution in brown plastic peroxide bottles filled to the top. It costs more, but making working solutions in small batches, keeps them fresh.

Many developers are alkaline and will safely keep in glass bottles with metal caps.

I prefer using 500ml narrow neck brown glass bottles for my developer stock solutions. I've had X-TOL in one of these bottles for one year with no problems. The caps are plastic coated on the inside to give a good seal. Again, fill them to the top.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I've had Diafine stored in plastic photo chemical jugs for over a year, no meltdown so far.... perhaps you have a breach in your warp containment field...

Aye. Not'n to report 'ere eithr; stor'd for ov'r yeer and 'alf in dark amber photo chemical conteinrs and d'Diafine is holding, Capt'n.

 

[Kin Lau]

Warp fields still holding here too... I've got a few gallons of Diafine in the laundry room for over a year now. The containers are a hard plastic meant for candy (wide mouth, makes pouring back in easier).