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My Paterson tank lid popped off in the dark and I lost 2 rolls figuring out why
Last Saturday I was developing 3 rolls of Tri-X in my kitchen and halfway through the fixer the lid on my Paterson tank just popped loose and light got in. I thought I had a bad tank so I ordered a new one, but the same thing happened again on the next batch, which cost me 2 more rolls before I caught it. Turns out the little rubber gasket had dried out and shrunk, and I just needed to soak it in warm water for 10 minutes to get it sealing right again. That was 4 rolls and almost 3 weeks of head scratching over a part that costs like 8 bucks to replace. Has anyone else had a gasket go bad on them, or am I the last person to figure this one out?
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dakota_rivera3d ago
I had a similar thing happen with a chest freezer in my garage about six years ago, the door seal got hard and cracked and I didn't notice until everything inside had thawed and refroze into one solid block. I spent a whole weekend testing the thermostat and the compressor because I was sure it was something major, and it turned out to be a 20 dollar strip of rubber. The part that got me was how slow it failed, it sealed fine for weeks and then just quit one day with no warning. Soaking the gasket in warm water is a good trick, I'll have to remember that next time mine acts up. Those little parts always seem to be the ones that cause the most grief.
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