Do you have a Paterson System 4 that leaks occasionally ... easy fix!

[Keith]

I like the Paterson 4 ... it's quick to fill and very quick to drain. However ... mine leaked occasionally and I could never figure out why or where. The push on lid seemed to be sealing properly but none the less there was this constant weep at the top of the tank when doing inversions.

There is a red plastic molding at the top that is not part of the tank and this was where the problem was ... I pulled at it and it came away slightly on one side because it hadn't been glued properly all the way around leaving enough of a gap to allow some leakage! :bang:

Two minutes with a tube of superglue and the problem that has haunted me ever since I got it is finally gone! Someone else mentioned in a thread recently that they also had an occasional 'mystery leaker' so I thought I'd pass this on. 🙂

 

[KenD]

Thanks for sharing this information - I do indeed have a leaky Paterson. Will check it for this possible source!

 

[Dylan Hope]

I always felt that it was the red ring at fault - considered using sealing silicon but superglue should work too!

 

[Keith]

I always felt that it was the red ring at fault - considered using sealing silicon but superglue should work too!

If you turn the tank upside down there is a gap at the edge of that red ring ... you can just flow the superglue into it and by its nature that stuff has a strong capiliary action and finds all the crevices that haven't been filled with glue already. You could probably do it with silicon but it would be pretty messy IMO.

 

[rodt16s]

Same problem here... did the silicone trick, used a clear type messy but invisible

 

[Teuthida]

Have the same problem. Never could figure out where the leak was. Thanks,

 

[Keith]

Same problem here... did the silicone trick, used a clear type messy but invisible

I can't believe the miserable sods didn't put enough glue in there in the first place!

Silicon may actually be a little better once its forced into the gap because it's more flexible. I tend to bang my tank down fairly hard to dislodge bubbles which may have contributed to my problem somewhat. 😛

 

[johannielscom]

The Paterson IV tank is my fav. I had the older tanks but they insisted on threading the lid on skewed every time I used them, and backing the lid up does hardly help either due to the spacing in the thread.

I do buy the older tanks though, and use the spools for when I want to soak more rolls than go onto one System IV tank. While the spools from the first batch dry, I can already use the extra spools to roll film into, and re-use the tank.

Long story again I know, but it was all Keith's fault, he started sharing nice tips here 😛

 

[defconfunk]

Thanks! My red ring isn't attached at all. I didn't know it was supposed to be.

 

[kdemas]

I get the slightest "weeping" from my 2 roll tank, this is great to know!

Thanks.

 

[Ronald_H]

Is it that easy? I have used a lot of those tanks and they all leak... Thanks for the tip Keith!

But I have another problem with the lids. The inner and outer part tend to separate (usually after I drop them with my clumsy and indeed wet, fingers), leaving you with an unusable tank. I tend to buy a new one at the 'Fotografica' fair every six months or so.

 

[Sparrow]

... nothing worse than a lose red ring ... this is why I've always been a twiddler

 

[KenR]

I never had a problem from the red ring, but from the lid if it's not fully closed. I have to "burp" the lid - gently lift up one edge while pushing down in the center - to ensure that it really is sealed. No leakage once burped!

 

[Murchu]

Great tip, must try that too.

 

[stompyq]

Finally the mystery is solved!! Thanks!!

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I never had a problem from the red ring, but from the lid if it's not fully closed. I have to "burp" the lid - gently lift up one edge while pushing down in the center - to ensure that it really is sealed. No leakage once burped!

I've never had a problem with leakage from the red ring, and I have two Paterson tanks, but I use the "burp" technology every time - and I don't bang the tank down hard at all to dislodge bubbles. A pre-fill with water for about 30 seconds, empty and fill with developer, just a bit of a tap on a bench top covered by an old towel and some serious back and forth twiddling of the rod for the first 30 seconds the developer is in the tank.
Just recently I've been playing with a couple of Rondinax daylight tanks - one labelled Agfa and the other one a Leitz. Same apart from the lid moulding. Seem to work quite well on 35mm.

 

[Sean Moran]

Fixer rolling down your wrist and up your sleeve.

Fixer rolling down your wrist and up your sleeve.

Don't you just hate it when fixer leaks from the tank as you invert it, rolls along your wrist and up your shirtsleeve? ... and the reactions when you return to the house from your darkroom, smelling of hypo?

Thanks for the cure for this olfactory disruption of a harmonious household!

Sean in Tipperary.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Nice one - but I prefer my solution of round-filing the damned thing and picking up a steel tank and a set of Hewes reels. 😀

 

[Keith]

I'm pretty vigorous with my banging down to dislodge bubbles and so far the moded tank hasn't leaked a drop since I ran the glue into the join.

My old paterson with the screw on lid was doing fine then one day I banged it down so hard the bottom broke out of it! 😱

 

[Bingley]

Keith, thanks for this thread. I also have a Patterson 4 tank that leaks a bit. I'll try your fix.