Re: Keeping Things Hot (It's a Crock)

William Laven (wmlaven@platinotype.com)
Tue, 06 May 1997 16:26:40 -0700 (PDT)

>Ground Fault Interrupters are easy to install. They will replace any
>current THREE wire plug in your wall. Turn your power off at your breaker
>box, and replace the plugs wire for wire. They can be purchased at any
>good hardware store. In California they are now required by buiding code
>for anywhere water and electricity get close to each other (bathrooms,
>kitchens). They are the plugs with the small buttons on them (for reset if
>you do have an accident).
>
>You only need one GFI for each breaker. If your entire darkroom is on one
>breaker, one GFI on any plug in the darkroom will protect the entire
>darkroom.

I'm pretty certain that you need to have your GFI at the front of the line,
that is the first plug in a series for the entire series to be
protected.Also, a darkroom with only one breaker has a greater risk of
tripping the breaker so several circutis makes more sense. Especially an
alt-photo darkroom. As an example, I am usually exposing a Pt/Pd print
(with a florescent UV printer) while drying another piece of paper with
ahairdryer while my Jobo is humming along processing yet another print. If
those three appliances were running simultaneously on a 15amp breaker...
well, they just wouldn't; its probably too much amperage to carry that
load.
>
>It is hard (but possible) to kill yourself with 120 volt power. I use to
>build recording studios, so had to play with a lot of electricity. My
>worst accident was being knocked off a stool when I grabbed a "hot" power
>line. Landing "bottom" first onto concrete isn't very good for you, I
>limped for a week. That breaker did not have a GFI.

In many darkrooms one could get zapped while in contact with water (like
the risk Judy faces with a hairdryer over her sink, a situation I have
also) so the risks are higher than when dry. Still, even the circuits on my
"dry side" are GFI protected since, as you mentioned in your post, the shut
off time is very fast, faster than the cut off time for a regular breaker
back at the box.

Bill

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