NOVA processor owners / users

Asha

Asha

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Asha
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Before I contact the manufacturer, can anyone advise as to how often the water in the Novas ‘water jacket ‘ is supposed to be changed.?

I do the recommendation of adding a small amount of bleach to avoid mouldy / fungal growths and occasionally check levels, topping up if necessary.
I suspect however that a complete empty and refill is necessary ...... but how regularly?
 
Not a great deal of help to you Asha, but I empty mine after maybe 3 or 4 winter months and I've never had any signs of growth in the water. I guess that'll depend on how much your "small amount" of bleach is, but it'll be too much if the water bath smells more than the fixer slot! :whistle:
 
Lol no it’s only a spoonful of bleach !
In any case, being well behaved in the darkroom, I wouldn’t know anything about sniffing fixer :whistle:
 
It was D163 I liked the smell of....
 
Asha said:
Lol no it’s only a spoonful of bleach !
In any case, being well behaved in the darkroom, I wouldn’t know anything about sniffing fixer :whistle:
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Regular 'shock dosing' of the water bath with a spoonful of bleach every month will knock back algal and bacterial growth but over time the organic remains build up and the bleach gets less effective as the organics deactivate it. So empty out and rinse the bath once a quarter and refill and add a dose of bleach, Just be glad it is a small tank, had occasion to close down a town's swimming baths a few years back when they had not been dosing and cleaning the system, full of Legionella, it never reopened!!.
 
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I had an in-depth conversation with Steve at the Imaging Warehouse (They make them) 2 weeks ago about these processors and the topic came up concerning the water jacket. There is no set time for changing the water baths as they are to all intents and purpose sealed apart from the filling holes in the top. It is recommended that when a bath is filled with water about 50cc of household bleach is used at the same time. The reason for this is because water that is warmed up and cooled at regular intervals and not changed, can be a breeding ground for the Legionella bacteria and give off spores which that can be fatal.. The bleach will kill the legionella. However bleach will not last effective indefinitely so it must be replaced about once a month. The water just need to be topped up every now and again, no need for a complete change.

That can last until the next time you have to clean out the whole tank. Moving a full 12x 16 Trimate is actually quite heavy.
 
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If you put copper sulphate in (enough to go bright blue) then it won't grow stuff and you won't have to change it.
 
ancient_mariner said:
If you put copper sulphate in (enough to go bright blue) then it won't grow stuff and you won't have to change it.
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The problem is Legionella, That can be a dangerous bacterium to come into contact with. Is it worth the risk? It is nowhere as dangerous as Covid 19 and is treatable with antibiotics but it doesn't always work. When I am at work I am responsible for Legionella biosecurity and I have to check the water systems both hot and cold monthly and know what it can do. Bleach sorts this out in the NOVA tank very cheaply and is easier to obtain than Copper Sulphate.
 
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darkroom12 said:
The problem is Legionella, That can be a dangerous bacterium to come into contact with. Is it worth the risk? It is nowhere as dangerous as Covid 19 and is treatable with antibiotics but it doesn't always work. When I am at work I am responsible for Legionella biosecurity and I have to check the water systems both hot and cold monthly and know what it can do. Bleach sorts this out in the NOVA tank very cheaply and is easier to obtain than Copper Sulphate.
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It's a laboratory standard treatment for waterbaths & water jackets that prevents pretty much all microbial growth, however it's less effective at high pH. Copper or silver ions are used to prevent legionella growth in hospital water systems. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC123931/

But your point about availability is a very good one, and bleach is available everywhere at minimal cost.
 
Evaporation due to the heating of the water bath and environmental conditions dictate that the water level has to be topped up occasionally so adding a tad of bleach at the same time is a straightforward procedure.

Thanks to all who responded with advice.
 
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