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Building a Darkroom: Electrical

Contents

Tools
Materials
Design
Construction
Caution! Even though it is written here, it might not be safe or legal.

This page describes how I ran the electricity into my darkrooms. I would suggest that you get a book on house electricity from the local library rather than just rely on what is written here. I am not an electrician, nor am I qualified to tell you what is legal where you are building. You might want to obtain a copy of your local building codes before continuing.

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Tools

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Materials

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Design

In addition to the darkroom layout, you need to mark on a floor plan (it can be rough) where you want to put the following:

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Construction

  1. Locate the boxes where you want them. Attach by nailing to the stud. I prefer to put the boxes up high, so they are
    • easy to reach
    • out of the way of cabinets
    • far away from water
    I also put mine all on one wall, so there would be less wiring involved.
  2. Drill holes in the studs where the Romex, phone line and TV cable will need to run, and run the wiring. Allow 2 feet extra at each junction.
  3. Connect the outlets, fan, and fan switch. Be sure the first outlet in the circuit, or the outlet you connect into the house on, is a GFI receptacle, and that it is wired correctly. If I have to describe this to you, get an electrician to do it.
  4. The wiring of the lights will have to wait until the drywall is installed.

IMPORTANT: before you use this darkroom, check that when the GFI is tripped there is no power at any of the outlets, switches, or fixtures within the room. If there is then the GFI is not connected correctly and it will not protect you from a short!

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Visitor Comments

The comments stated below are not necessarily the opinions of Andy Hughes or DarkroomSource

I find that when wiring a dark room you should put all the outlets on the wall near the enlarger, not near the sink. That way you have less chance of get the outlets wet.
Contributed by   on 2002-07-02 00:00:00

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