Paterson Tank Warranty?

RattyMouse · Oct 7, 2014

Does anyone know if Paterson tanks have a warranty? Their web site does not mention this, nor does the box that it came in. I don't have the included product literature so that might be where to find this info. My 3 reel tank has sprung a leak, about 8 months into ownership. Of course, with no representation from them here in China, getting a replacement tank is going to be difficult to say the least. Hard to believe that they have no presence in China. They have an office in Iran for god's sake but not China, one of THE largest markets in the world.

TIA

AgX · Oct 7, 2014

There may be a legal warranty and a voluntary warranty.
It depends on in which country you bought it.

RattyMouse · Oct 7, 2014

AgX said:
There may be a legal warranty and a voluntary warranty.
It depends on in which country you bought it.

I bought this tank in the US.

snapguy · Oct 7, 2014

Not sure

Not sure how you get China is a big market for Patterson tanks. They leak, you know.

RattyMouse · Oct 7, 2014

snapguy said:
Not sure how you get China is a big market for Patterson tanks. They leak, you know.

China is a big market. Period.

Xmas · Oct 7, 2014

RattyMouse said:
Does anyone know if Paterson tanks have a warranty? Their web site does not mention this, nor does the box that it came in. I don't have the included product literature so that might be where to find this info. My 3 reel tank has sprung a leak, about 8 months into ownership. Of course, with no representation from them here in China, getting a replacement tank is going to be difficult to say the least. Hard to believe that they have no presence in China. They have an office in Iran for god's sake but not China, one of THE largest markets in the world.

TIA

Hi

It is normal for some egress of developer etc. (when inverting) from the lid, only invert over shower tray or sink...
THe red top to dark plastic seal can also leak but should not, google for normal fixes, for this, if you are stuck for warrenty.
It is ok to use the stirrer rather then inverting, in some ways better.
If you bang them you can knock chips of the base which can cause leaks...
I never bang my multi tanks...

Noel

Simon R Galley · Oct 7, 2014

Dear Rattymouse,

Paterson products do indeed have a 12 month warranty. ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited act as distributor for Paterson in many markets around the world including the USA.

Please pm me the details, tank type when / where purchased etc and I will arrange to have it sorted out.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

pdeeh · Oct 7, 2014

Oh boy Simon, that's a slippery slope you've just stepped onto ...

ALL my Paterson tanks leak at some time or another ... can I have them all replaced please? I've got 5 in various sizes up to roll so it would be nice to have brand new versions.

Plus I've got an Ilford paper tank that leaks now and again. Oh and a Paterson colour paper tank too.

This is going to get expensive for you if everyone wants a replacement

JW PHOTO · Oct 7, 2014

The Britt's are very good about warranties and Companies don't get to pull some of the same pranks to get out of honoring them that they do in the States and other places. JohnW

Simon R Galley · Oct 7, 2014

Dear PDeeh,

In the UK Paterson distribute themselves ! so you will need to contact them direct.

Tank leakage and a warranty claim for 'sprung a leak' needs investigating, which I will do.

Simon. ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited

MartinP · Oct 7, 2014

I can't help thinking that the "bang it hard on the bench" crowd have damaged more tanks (and benches) than anyone else. Presumably that advice dates from the days of steel tanks.

The banging of the Paterson tank can indeed cause the join between the tank body and the red ring to fail eventually (presumably mainly in the ones with an originally imperfect glue seal) but most random drips seem to be down to not "burping" the plastic lid before inversions -- this is based only on observation of the use of tanks by friends and colleagues, so the sample size is small and may not be statistically valid.

pdeeh · Oct 7, 2014

Simon R Galley said:
Dear PDeeh,

In the UK Paterson distribute themselves ! so you will need to contact them direct.

Tank leakage and a warranty claim for 'sprung a leak' needs investigating, which I will do.

Simon. ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited

Just teasing, Simon

Hatchetman · Oct 7, 2014

I thought they were "supposed" to leak. A washrag or two is part of your development setup. LOL.

gone · Oct 7, 2014

I've been banging mine on the counter top for years. Nary a problem. It does of course leak when inverted, but not terribly. You get used to it. It's more of a dribble. I bang mine on a piece of soft pine wood that is set on the counter top. Yep, a washrag is part of the developing protocol. I use two washrags myself, and the tank rests on one the rags, which is placed on the wood. The other rag is for wiping up.

There are probably dozens, if not hundreds, of good patching materials available to fix your problem. Simon is certainly being very nice and professional about this though. If it were my tank, I'd go up to the hardware store w/ the tank and see what sort of glue/caulk they suggest to patch it, and be using the tank tomorrow. There's epoxy, and silicone caulk, at my home, and I'd feel confident using either. This stuff below works on just about anything. I've used it frequently to repair motorcycle fuel tank leaks. If it's impervious to gasoline, oil, and diesel, it will be fine w/ developing chemicals, especially during the brief time they're in there. Devcon is great stuff too, and that would probably be my first choice, although I think it's a little bit overkill for a plastic tank leak.

If you can clearly see the crack, and before you patch it, use a drill or a sharp knife to make a shallow impression (not all the way through!) on either end of the crack in order to keep the crack from spreading.

http://www.itwconsumer.com/versachem-products/product.cfm?id=Heavy-Duty Fuel Tank Repair Kit-150

R.Gould · Oct 7, 2014

Patterson tanks can sometimes leak when you first put on the lid, the trick is to use the twizzle stick for the first agitation, then if you want inversion agitation then put the plastic lid on, and lift a small section to let any trapped air out and voila, the tank then is watertight, you will find that this is, or was mentioned in the instructions that come with the tank

snapguy · Oct 7, 2014

China

Yes there are a lot of consumers in China but the country has not been open to foreign goods that long. It's impossible to buy small manufactured goods in the US that are not made in China so I wonder how it is over there. I doubt Patterson has been selling, stocking and backing their goods in China for that many years. I suspect locals buy local there. You don't move to Podunk Kansas and expect the sushi to be fantastic. It's different.

cmacd123 · Oct 7, 2014

I do know I have many Paterson tanks from e-bay with chips out of the bottom ring, presumably from being dropped, or being banged too hard. fortunately most of them are not broken all the way and still work.

I do wish that the older series was still available, or at least the round gaskets and replacement cores. The cores for the new series are a touch shorter and if they get mixed up you get some fog. I find it is a scamble to get the lid on the new series in time to invert it - while also lunging for the timer to start the development time.

mwdake · Oct 7, 2014

I do wish that the older series was still available

Me too.
I have System 4 and the newer Super System tanks, I use the older ones though while the new ones sit idle.

MartinP · Oct 7, 2014

Cmac, just decide how long it takes to pour the developer into the tank then add that to your timer. Start the timer, pour the developer, apply the lid and start the agitation at the appropriate moment. On the other hand, if your tank-filling is consistent enough for adjusting the timer to start early, then you can just as well start it ten seconds late every time and aim off in the other direction with what you set on the timer!

All this sort of thing is, stating the obvious, one of the reasons why short dev times are likely to be less consistent than longer ones ie. any irregularity in the desired time will be a greater proportion of the total when the time is shorter.

RattyMouse · Oct 8, 2014

Simon R Galley said:
Dear Rattymouse,

Paterson products do indeed have a 12 month warranty. ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited act as distributor for Paterson in many markets around the world including the USA.

Please pm me the details, tank type when / where purchased etc and I will arrange to have it sorted out.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

Thanks Simon, I'll PM you.

cmacd123 · Oct 8, 2014

MartinP said:
Cmac, just decide how long it takes to pour the developer into the tank then add that to your timer. ie. any irregularity in the desired time will be a greater proportion of the total when the time is shorter.

That is unfortunately why my Super system 4 tanks are on my emergency use only cupboard. Wile the old patersons and the Jobo 1500 series allow the cap to be placed and Burped with one hand in a couple of seconds - reliably, the New Style take two hands and the amount of time to get the lid securely in place can vary from about 10 to 30 seconds. I like to invert right away to be sure I dislodge any air-bells. My digital timer really only likes to be set in whole minutes, and I tend to use HC-110 Dil B at either 5 or 6 minutes depending on the film. - most are 5 minutes.

AgX · Oct 9, 2014

cmacd123 said:
Wile the old patersons and the Jobo 1500 series allow the cap to be placed and Burped with one hand in a couple of seconds...

The same for the old Jobo 1000 tank.

MartinP · Oct 9, 2014

I completely don't understand the lid problem then. The Supersystem 4 tanks are the ones with the full width lid aren't they? Like a sandwich box? I have a couple of these of different sizes and the lid is on and 'burped' in under five seconds (I just timed it) and that is about the same amount of time it takes for all the liquid to drain from the funnel to the tank. Also, the filling and draining of the tank is far quicker with this style tank than with the style having a small lid and funnel, such as the old Patersons or the Jobo.

A useful tip to replace an inaccurate and inconsistent clockwork timer is to use one of the free darkroom-timer applications for ones phone or tablet. They even have extra bleeps to act as agitation reminders. Alternatively, the cheapest possible electronic kitchen-timer (two euros, so probably a dollar or so) would do the job precisely and conveniently - though without the agitation reminders of course.

pentaxuser · Oct 9, 2014

We are offering comments/advice to Rattymouse about his leak but it isn't clear to me what kind of a leak it is. Is it a leak from the lid that has only just arisen after 8 months or is it a split in the tank or top that has occurred?

If it's a split then most of the posts will not address this.

It would be interesting to hear which it is and then later find out what has happened since the helpful intervention of Simon Galley

pentaxuser

cmacd123 · Oct 10, 2014

AgX said:
The same for the old Jobo 1000 tank.

Indeed, in fact my one Jobo reporter, and my two Jobo Triumpf II 35/16 tanks also close fast, although those sometimes are a little slower to get the cover off as they don't have a thumb lift. I also have a couple of even older Jobo tanks that have a similar lid. but those I have not used.

The issue with the New paterson tanks is the lid sometimes does not want to go over the complete edge.

Paterson Tank Warranty?

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