Printer head cleaning cartridges

[duncan22]

I would like some advice for cleaning the printer heads on a canon 610. Some firms advertise printer cleaning cartridges but no one seems to supply CLM-8 cleaning cartridges (in the UK).
I am not sure if the printer carriage comes out so the whole thing could be soaked in some solution but thought it wise to seek advice on this topic before attempting to dismantle anything.
I Have tried deep cleaning using the software supplied but this makes no difference, colours are faded and lines appear in all the colours. Black works fine.
The cartridges have just been replaced with original canon cartridges but this has not solved the problem so I can rule out problem cartridges.
The printer is out of warranty (just over a year old) but has not been used that much.
Any advice would be welcome
Thanks

 

[Smile]

I would like some advice for cleaning the printer heads on a canon 610. Some firms advertise printer cleaning cartridges but no one seems to supply CLM-8 cleaning cartridges (in the UK).
I am not sure if the printer carriage comes out so the whole thing could be soaked in some solution but thought it wise to seek advice on this topic before attempting to dismantle anything.
I Have tried deep cleaning using the software supplied but this makes no difference, colours are faded and lines appear in all the colours. Black works fine.
The cartridges have just been replaced with original canon cartridges but this has not solved the problem so I can rule out problem cartridges.
The printer is out of warranty (just over a year old) but has not been used that much.
Any advice would be welcome
Thanks

My recipe for print head cleaning:

1. Soak the print head in distilled water until it is very clear. Use a small plastic container that did not contain any chemicals in it before procedure. Single use containers should be used.
2. Leave the head in distilled water solution for 24hrs. Make sure water level covers ink inlet ports too.
3. Change distilled water in the container and heat it to degrees 40-50C. Too hot can damage the dead so make sure to not overheat the water. When the water is ready submerge the head into the container for 15mins or so. Make at least 4 cleaning cycles this way.
4. Put a coffee filter on the table, underneath the coffee filter put 3 - 4 sheets of paper towel to absorb the cleaning solution.
5. Put the print head on the coffee filter and get some soda straws (they are ideal for ink ports on pixma printers) remove rubber padding around ink ports on the print head by using some instrument as tweezers. Recommended way is to submerge the head into distilled water because rubber padding can be removed easily without friction in water. Now when you are ready connect each soda straw to every ink port.
6. Make a cleaning solution by using few drops of ammonia solution and distilled water. For example 2ml of ammonia and 19ml of water in a 20ml syringe. Mix the solution by shaking the syringe.
7. Fill the soda straws with cleaning solution. If you get air pockets in the straws use another 20ml syringe to connect and force air trough the straws until there are no more air pockets and solution level is decreasing in the straws. Take some patience the method is slow but well worth it. The solution should decrease faster as more nozzles are cleared. Don’t hesitate to use the empty syringe to force some air trough the nozzles if you get air stuck when filling the straws.
8. Finish the cleaning by injecting pure distilled water and by submerging the print head into distilled water for 15mins. Then blow the ports with air using a syringe with a soda straw.
9. Clean the gold contacts on the head with some isopropyl alcohol and then immediately install into printer and perform 2 to 5 cleaning cycles or some deep cleaning to prime the head, and then print some purge pages. Now you can print nozzle check to see how well the cleaning unclogged the nozzles.

 

[duncan22]

Smile,
Many thanks for your detailed reply. Can you clarify one point for me, you mentioned using distilled water but a search of the internet seems to indicate this is expensive stuff and not easy to get, however deionised water can be purchased from garages, DIY shops etc so for our purposes can deionised water be regarded as distilled water ?
Could you also produce distilled water by boiling a pan of water and keep emptying the water that forms on the lid from the steam or am I on the wrong track? Chemistry was never my best subject.

Thanks

 

[Smile]

Smile,
Many thanks for your detailed reply. Can you clarify one point for me, you mentioned using distilled water but a search of the internet seems to indicate this is expensive stuff and not easy to get, however deionised water can be purchased from garages, DIY shops etc so for our purposes can deionised water be regarded as distilled water ?

Well distilled water has all minerals removed if your "deionized" is very pure you can use it.

Make a test: Take a small glass plate or a pocket mirror. Clean is very good. Then put some drops of your "deionized" water and distilled water on it. Keep the plate somewhere clean without dust and allow it to dry. Then you can examine what contaminants are present in the water. Look at the plate at good light at various angles. You should barely see anything or nothing at all, if you water good.

Could you also produce distilled water by boiling a pan of water and keep emptying the water that forms on the lid from the steam or am I on the wrong track? Chemistry was never my best subject.
Thanks

You could, but that would take very long, is gas free where you live?

 

[ghwellsjr]

I do NOT recommend trying to clean the print head by removing it from the printer. You run the risk of getting the electronics wet. The printer is designed to clean its own print head and I have clean many that initially just wouldn't work at all. Here is one link that describes a process you can use:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=17971#p17971

 

[duncan22]

Ghwellsjr,
Thanks for that link... The cartridges for the Canon MP610 are chipped but I guess this will have no bearing on the method described in the link. I will have to check out what windex is, as this is a name that does not mean anything to me in the UK but I guess there must be an equivalent here.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Windex is window cleaner with a slight amount of ammonia added. I don't believe there is an equivalent in the UK as I believe ammonia is outlawed there. You can use any window cleaner without ammonia or just water.

 

[pebe]

Windex is window cleaner with a slight amount of ammonia added. I don't believe there is an equivalent in the UK as I believe ammonia is outlawed there. You can use any window cleaner without ammonia or just water.

No - ammonia is not owtlawed here. You can make your own cleaner by diluting ammonia , or you could use Windolene - the clear liquid, not the pink stuff.

I believe Mr Muscle has a similar windowcleaner in its range.

 

[duncan22]

Hi,
Managed to get some Household Ammonia today from Homebase. The label shows it containing Ammonia solution 9.5% so will dilute it to that recommended shown in a previous post and see how I get on.