Roofing dilema

[Rick Levine]

For any of you roofers out there. I'm in the middle of construction of a new woodshop/photo darkroom and the plumbers forgot to install ducting for an air exhaust for the darkroom. The roof is mop down and it is completed. I want to add the vent duct and flashing but I'm not sure of the best way.

Do I cut the roofing material and slide the flashing under it or just cut a hole, put the flashing over the duct and add additional roofing material on top?

Is there a better way?

Help!

[Rick Cabot]

Hi Rick,
Is the darkroom located next to an outside wall?? If so, why not run your ducting along the ceiling and vent your exhaust out through the outside wall? A better choice than having to disrupt the completed roof.

Rick Cabot

[Rick Levine]

I thought of that but the wiring is already located for a roof installation. I could relocate the outlet but there is also an esthetic reason I don't want to put the vent on the side. I would be able to see it from my house, or should I say my wife would be able to see it from the house.

[Jay Knoll]

Rick

In our house in Florida, the exhaust vents are in the soffit, and there is just a little square grate that is visible. Would that work in your application?

Good luck

Jay

[Per Swenson]

Rick,

I find that with all afterthoughts on a flat or close to no pitch roof,

curb mounting anything is the way to go.

Laymans terms, build a waterproof 4 inch tall 5 sided box. Install your vent to that then install the box to the roof.

By raising the installation you will greatly reduce any chanche of leaks or low
spots.

Per

[Rick Levine]

Jay,

I have a New Mexico, adobe style house. There are no soffits, just parapets.

I think I'm going to change the location of the vent and install it in the side wall. The vent will be hidden by the bump out created by my office so it won't be seen from the house. I just have to relocate the electrical outlet from the ceiling joist to one of the studs. That won't be a big problem since the walls are still open.

[Rick Levine]

Per,

That is a great idea. I wish I had thought of that before. As a matter of fact, now that I think of it, that is the way the vent was built for the stove in the house. Anyway as you can see from the previous post I decided to go another route.

[Mike Sheppard]

Rick
As said you need a curb (that is above the snow line if you get any) screwed to the roof on top of existing roof, clean the stones back if it has any and flash it in, then a rain collar around the duct and over the curb, then a goose neck or some kind of rain cap. You mite want to think about getting the roofer to install it, then it would be covered in his warranty.
Mike

[Brad Townsend]

For any of you roofers out there. I'm in the middle of construction of a new woodshop/photo darkroom
No help here, but it's refreshing to hear of someone actually installing a real darkroom. In the craze for digital photography, the craft of making a really fine print with light and chemistry has become rare indeed. Used to do a lot of darkroom work myself. Got distracted by other interests (including woodworking) and went on a 20 year hiatus from darkroom work. Recently, when I looked into setting up again, I found that buying darkroom materials and equipment off the shelf locally was now impossible. IMHO there is still no digital process that can match the quality of a fine print produced in a darkroom. Best of luck to you.

[Rick Levine]

Brad Townsend,

Amen to that!

I've been a photographer for nearly 40 years and while I do use digital for some things, like if I need to do some wiring I'll photograph the circuit and show the photo to an electrician or a clerk at the supply house (the same way I used to use Polaroids) or for the web but that's it.

I have had my darkroom equipment for most of my career so when I moved to New Mexico it was an easy decision to add the darkroom to the plans for the woodworking shop.

Here is a link to the type of work I do now:
http://www.compupal.com

[Brad Townsend]

Brad Townsend,

Here is a link to the type of work I do now:
http://www.compupal.com
That's some very impressive work, Rick. It even looks good on my computer screen. I can imagine how good an actual print would look. What format did you shoot those in?

[Rennie Heuer]

Am I seeing a very strong Ansel Adams influence here?

[Rick Levine]

Brad, Rennie,

Thank you both for the compliments.

I use a 4x5 field view camera and work almost exclusively in black & white. I have been influenced by Ansel Adams and had trained under some of his assistants.

I try to bring my own vision and style to my images but I am proud to admit his influence does come through.

[John Lucas]

Rick,
What a great post this has been to read. I started my own darkroom in 1948 so I may have you beat. My 4 x 5 is right behind me but only have a Speed Graphic; the views got sold when I went into slide production in the 70's.
As to the roof vent, I suggest a different route all together...no roof vent. In my last real darkroom, I built a maze door (no door) into the room and that gave me all the venting I needed. To keep the dust out, I installed a double blower in the corner furtherest away from the maze and that brought outside air in and kept a pos pressure on the room. It also blew over the sink/trough which I made of wood and covered with fibreglas. I used this setup for 8 years before I switched too video. I did black and white; kodalith; E6, Cibachrome (16 X 20) with this setup. After so many years of drueling over catalogs of Type 319 stainless and all, it was amaazing how w ell this etup worked.
Mr clients included Beseler, Agfa, Ilford, Bogen, Mamiya so paper/film/chemicals were frree...I would hate to think what those costs would be today.

[Rick Levine]

John,

The room is almost finished so the maze door is out of the question. I was considering a revolving door, I had even put a deposit on one, but I abandoned the idea because I'll be the only one using the room and I can easily put any paper away if I need to leave the room. Besides that type of door takes up too much space, but not as much as the maze would, although I had considered it in the early planning stage.

I have a wall air conditioner mounted above the sink, which by the way is an 8 foot stainless steel job that I salvaged from the darkroom of the newspaper I used to work for when they went digital, which will force air away from me towards the vent. There will also be a passive light-tight vent in the door to help the air flow.

I too had a Speed Graphic early in my career but sold it when I entered the Army.