The good news is that the outlets in the upstairs darkroom are already on a separate breaker from the downstairs shop. The lights are not, but they are going to be redone anyway. At least I can shut off the breaker to the outlets and still have light to work for now. In any event, the darkroom will untimately be on its own circuits.
The bad news is that I am going to make changes and tracing the wiring is going to be a bit of a challenge. But, I’m up to it. I have enough experience at this sort of thing and know where to find out what I don’t know. I won’t be starting any electrical fires. After the mess with the floor, working on the electrical will be almost a break.
Right now, the outlets are at the usual 16-18” off the floor, and spaced out about 12’ apart – all to code. In addition to moving half of the existing outlets, I’ll add a few more. (Almost can’t have too many.) I’ll put the new and relocated outlets about 4’ off the floor, so that they will be above countertops and sinks, much as in a kitchen.
Lighting - safe and otherwise - is still in the design stage. And speaking of the design, here’s the current working drawing:
EDIT: (3/18/10) The door will open to the outside.
EDIT: (3/29/10) Or, maybe not.
Congratulations! I'm building another in a long line of darkrooms, each better than the last. I've tried to carry forward all the lessons I've learned from previous darkrooms. My "current" darkroom is tiny, about 5' x 6', with a 2' x 2' square taken out for a chimney. Still, I managed to squeeze in a 5' x 2-1/2' SS sink, a 4x5 enlarger, and a whole lot of other equipment and materials. It's a very tight space, but there's a silver lining to every cloud. The space was used very efficiently- it had to be, and everything was within arm's reach of my office chair, which swivels and rolls. My new DR space is significantly larger, which presents challenges in maintaining the efficiency of the small space. Contrary to the conventional wet side/ dry side layout, I've opted to divide my space into film processing and printing areas, divided by my SS sink. Essentially, I'll have two small, dedicated dark rooms, almost like mirror images of one another. I like working from a chair better than standing, and I like being able to reach everything easily without getting up. This layout will also allow Julia to work on one side, while I work on the other, without interference. I just thought I'd give you some friendly encouragement, and another layout option to consider. Good luck, and enjoy!
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