Problems Flushing Magenta Cartridges

[andy_48]

How can one tell if microbial growth is the problem? More importantly, how is it avoided? Ink storage conditions?

Having not had a reply, I'm wondering if "nobody knows"!

I have 2 more magenta carts that I couldn't fully clean however hard I tried, so I've dissected another one. I don't have a dedicated macro lens so apologies for the poor quality.

The first 2 images appear to show the groves/ridges blocked in the aperture between the ink and sponge compartments.



The sponge end shows signs of clogging along the groves.



And something alien left behind...



...that appears to be the crux of the matter!



It's solid and fibrous so I doubt it's microbial growth (alone, anyway). It could be paper fibres or dust particles that have collected together. Anyway, it's even clearer to me that any cart where the grooves can't be cleaned should be binned as the air and ink flows are compromised.

It's still odd that I've only had this issue with magenta carts.

 

[pearlhouse]

As you guys may recall I had Mag. problems a while back and found it was the printhead plugged up.... Well sorry to say I ve got them again. I havnt had time to play with this problem again so Im paying attention to this thread with much interest. Once again I left for a two week vacation and when I came back this ugly problem popped up again.

 

[stratman]

Once again I left for a two week vacation and when I came back this ugly problem popped up again.

I wonder if we approach this issue of long term non-use of the printer like a denture when out of the mouth. Take the cartridges out, remove the print head, place the print head in a container that can be sealed that has enough liquid to cover the ink inlets. The liquid can be pharmacist's solution or a constituent(s) of that solution. The idea is to recreate similar conditions and fluid Canon uses when they pack and ship a new sealed print head.

While this may waste ink when you reassemble the print head and cartridges back in the printer, at least your print head may remain viable.

 

[turbguy]

Perhaps you might try purging with bleach (sodium hypoclorite), then purge out the bleach with distilled water? Could the residue be from drilling the cart?

 

[andy_48]

Perhaps you might try purging with bleach (sodium hypoclorite), then purge out the bleach with distilled water? Could the residue be from drilling the cart?

I don't drill, but always remove the ball-seal. I suppose the downside of this is a slightly larger aperture for the ingress of detritus. I tried purging with undiluted household ammonia, even "injecting" it with a needle aimed right into the aperture between the chambers. No change after soaking overnight.

 

[jtoolman]

If it really bothers you that much, just buy a new one!

 

[andy_48]

If it really bothers you that much, just buy a new one!

I already did.

However, I'm interested in avoiding future expensive head failures by understanding any potential causes associated with refilling used ones.

 

[CakeHole]

How old was that magenta cart? And how often did you flush it? If it was several years old and/or been refilled many times but not often flushed then i would not be shocked if the alien goo in your picture here... http://www.printerknowledge.com/data/attachments/2/2044-25e3a05a1ebf9029b0c2ad6c34160ad3.jpg
Is just the result off congealed ink, did the alien matter kinda dissolve/flake when rubbed between your fingers? If so thats just the result of very old ink, that over time has dried, been resaturated with new ink, dried again... and so on.

It can be avoided by flushing your carts every few refills (i plan on doing my carts every 3-5 refills). Use to have the issue with an old Epson ink would just turn to a flakey/congealed mess after a while.

 

[jtoolman]

Folks, just remember that CANON did not plan for us to EVER refill or flush their carts. So as in my case I tend to top them off as they reach the low point, and print, print, print!
Let anything having to do with the printer sit around without using it as intended and trouble is sure to show it's ugly head.

Why do we flush our CANON carts? Sticklers will often do that when switching from OEM and 3rd party inks.

PC inks for Canon's ( Except the PRO-100 yellow ) are pretty closely matched and can in almost 100% of cases be mixed with remaining OEM inks without a single problem.

I know that there are folks here who have been able to refill their CANON carts dozens of times without a single problem.

However if a cart has sat for a long time it might not flush as cleanly as one would wish or expect.
If the remaining residue has basically become insoluble even to high concentrations of Ammonia I don't see that it would pose any danger by possible migrating to the exit port and entering the print head.
Of course anything is possible.

There is obviously something going on with the magentas! I can attest to that with three consecutive dead print heads with permanently clogged LM or M channels.

The best thing to do, is to simply replace the offending cart after it has provided many refills and it now refuses to flush completely clear.

I am as much interested in solving a mystery as the rest of you but in my case I simply don't have the time to spend trying to do so. Using and taking care of 16 printers takes enough time already.

I am sure after a dozen full refills with say IS inks you have saved a ton of money and the smart thing at this point is to either switch to a professionally flushed carts as sold by PC or simply buy a new one and begin the cycle again.

Joe

 

[mikem65d]

that is solid advice Joe.........

thx
-mike