Ink Clog, Bad Cartridge, or Something Else? Opinions Needed

[Ink stained Fingers]

Dish washer tablets etc have to take care of various substances - oily/fatty - starch/carbonhydrates - proteins eggs/meat etc and all that in various states from raw to cooked/boiled/fried/burnt, and enzymes take care of some of that - phosphates/phosphonates and tensids do other jobs to get all that into a water soluble condition.
I would assume that Windex contains a small amount of tensides - that surface active stuff - and as well some amount of ammonia which is the cleaning agent people expect to do the miracle job. But ammonia has a side affect and may react with metal, e.g. the nozzle plate so that's the reason to be cautious with extended exposure times.
Hand wash/dish wash liquids are more concentrated tensids, you may soak a piece of kitchen paper with it, place it into the print bed , slide the printhead over it and keep it there overnight whatever. Hopefully it helps , it did for other people already, that's one of the tests to try.
Ho much do Epson and Canon printheads differ ? On which level of technical detail ? There are common parts - the ink supply, the nozzle plate , definitely different are the physical methods to get the ink through the channels - with tiny heating elements generating the bubbles - or an array of piezo actuators moving the ink. I don't know whether one or the other is more sensitive to
cleaning liquids creating chemical reactions.

 

[stratman]

I don't know whether one or the other is more sensitive to cleaning liquids creating chemical reactions.

This was my query.

I do not recall posts about destruction of Canon print heads in Windex for a day nor for those soaked in liquid dish washing soap, hence my query about Epson print heads.

* Dishwasher liquids, powders and tablets are never recommended. Only dish washing liquid soaps you would use in the sink (not machines) like Dawn and Fairy.
* It is not recommended to immerse the print head in solution that is much above the ink inlet ports as the print head stands in the solution.

Procedure for soaking Canon print head:
- Flush print head with water till all or nearly all ink no longer seen at the nozzles or or ink inlet ports.
- Mix solution of water and liquid dish washing soap similar to how you would use in a sink. Use non-reactive bowel such as glass.
- Fill with solution so that the ink inlet ports of print head are covered.
- Place crumpled paper towel on bottom. The print head orientation with ink outlet ports /nozzles facing downward onto the paper towel.
- Occasionally pump print head, nozzle side down, up and down onto the paper towel to facilitate movement of solution into the print head.
- Change the solution with fresh solution if discolored or whenever you feel like it. I did it at the 12 hour mark. Use a fresh crumbled paper towel as well.
- Let soak for at least 12 hours. I go 24 hours minimum. Why rush.
- Flush the print head with water thoroughly after soaking.
- Let the print head dry thoroughly to not risk en electrical short circuit when you try to use in the printer.
- After reinstalling in the printer, print only nozzle checks until they are within normal or acceptable limits.
- Repeat soaking if the nozzle check is not perfect but improved.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I do not recall posts about destruction of Canon print heads in Windex for a day nor for those soaked in liquid dish washing soap, hence my query about Epson print heads.

You would use Windex on a printhead which is not working anyway so you don't really know if Windex would harm your printhead any further, you rather may apply Windex for an extended test to a working printhead and check after 12/24 hours whether it is still printing fine.

* It is not recommended to immerse the print head in solution that is much above the ink inlet ports as the print head stands in the solution.

Soaking from underneath but not immersing at all - you are completely right.
There is one difference between Canon and Epson printheads - Canon printheads can be removed for that treatment but Epson printheads cannot, so you have to do it in place in the printer, which makes the handling less convenient, access may be blocked by a scanner above, plastic covers may impede the access to the printhead etc.

 

[stratman]

Canon printheads can be removed for that treatment but Epson printheads cannot, so you have to do it in place in the printer,

Ahhh! Very important difference. Thanks for this tidbit. It changes much in the approach to clogs.

 

[ninj]

- Flush print head with water

Can you elaborate a little on the best way(s) of flushing? Is it sufficient to hold the head under a running tap? In a hard water, presumably a final soak in deionised water be a good idea?

 

[stratman]

Can you elaborate a little on the best way(s) of flushing? Is it sufficient to hold the head under a running tap? In a hard water, presumably a final soak in deionised water be a good idea?

Yes. Flush a Canon print head under tap water in the sink or use a hose outside if you wish. A final rinsing before drying out the print head may be done with deionized water if you have hard water.

 

[ninj]

Yes. Flush a Canon print head under tap water in the sink or use a hose outside if you wish. A final rinsing before drying out the print head may be done with deionized water if you have hard water.

Thanks!

 

[Josh Roberge]

Okay, so I did the whole "overnight windex paper towel underneath" and an 'overnight windex flush".


I put a windex soaked paper towel under the print head, sit for 3 hours so the ammonia vapors does its magic. Used a fresh towel to wipe the head, pulling back and forth.

I then put a tube over the nozzle, put windex into it. Let it sit for 6 hours, the windex level did not change in the tube. (Probably because the compartment was already filled with windex, my 1st attempt I used to much pressure).

6 hours later...sucked it outwards with syringe, it pulled out the windex and a lot of black ink, dumped that. Sucked outwards again, dumped it.
Then flushed fresh windex through (2ML). Very light pressure, no resistance.

I ran a Print Head Cleaning on the black only. Then did a nozzle check and few test prints. The text is no longer cut off (yay!), but still very faded and has lines. (I think the colors just need a print head cleaning, will do that later.)

What should I do next?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I'm a kind or irritated about the nozzle checks , there is not the breakthrough progress after all those efforts, and the CMY patterns look worse after all. I regret to say it but I don't see a good chance anymore for complete recovery. There is one last thing I would do - running WicReset, there is a button not just for cleaning cycles but as well for 'Ink Charge' which is an extended cleaning cycle, it uses some ink, and do a nozzle check before and after.

 

[Josh Roberge]

Trying the hot distilled water method this time, and for a full 24 hours.
Afterwards will use WIC Reset to do a more thorough Print Head Cleaning function.
If no luck, it's going in the trash!

(The bottom half of tubing is a more narrow tube, just hard to see in pic.)