Yellow ink turning solid in ink tank

[Tom Hock]

An original Canon BCI-3eY used in my iP6000D printer had about 1/4 of the ink in the reservoir turn solid, or to a gel. The ink in the sponge seems normal and will wick into a tissue if touched. This tank had never been refilled, and was all original Canon ink. I don't know the history of this tank. It may have been given to me by my brother, or I could have bought it in a thrift shop or yard sale, or it may have been removed from an old printer with the top vent open for some time. I seldom use new ink tanks because I refill, but if I come across originals for a low price I buy them just to get the Canon tanks. If this had been a refilled tank I would have suspected the ink, but this is original Canon, and my understanding is there is no expiration date on original Canon tanks. All my tanks are stored at room temperature.

The strange thing is the printer was working fine last night when the yellow low ink indicator came on. This morning I put another tank in and noticed the problem. I don't know how the low ink indicator even worked since the prism was covered with ink (or a solid or gel). Also, the print head nozzels didn't plug-up. The printer is still printing well with the replacement tank.

Just thought this was interesting and wondered if any one else ever noticed this or may know the reason.

 

[stratman]

Canon tech support has indicated a 2 year life to retain optimal performance of OEM ink, at least for CLI/PGI ink that my printer uses.

How long has the cartridge been open? Did you open it or someone else?

A contamination of some sort is my guess for the alteration of the ink since there are no reports of widespread similar stories that would occur due to a manufacturing snafu.

 

[Big_Al]

An original Canon BCI-3eY used in my iP6000D printer had about 1/4 of the ink in the reservoir turn solid, or to a gel. The ink in the sponge seems normal and will wick into a tissue if touched. This tank had never been refilled, and was all original Canon ink. I don't know the history of this tank. It may have been given to me by my brother, or I could have bought it in a thrift shop or yard sale, or it may have been removed from an old printer with the top vent open for some time. I seldom use new ink tanks because I refill, but if I come across originals for a low price I buy them just to get the Canon tanks. If this had been a refilled tank I would have suspected the ink, but this is original Canon, and my understanding is there is no expiration date on original Canon tanks. All my tanks are stored at room temperature.

The strange thing is the printer was working fine last night when the yellow low ink indicator came on. This morning I put another tank in and noticed the problem. I don't know how the low ink indicator even worked since the prism was covered with ink (or a solid or gel). Also, the print head nozzels didn't plug-up. The printer is still printing well with the replacement tank.

Just thought this was interesting and wondered if any one else ever noticed this or may know the reason.

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/uploads/1300_img_3323_medium.jpg

I bought three unopened boxes of BCI-3e (Y,M,C) at a thrift store this week, and I am glad to hear that they will work in a iP6000 printer. Because the iP6000 has no chips, is the location and shape of the prism on the BCI-3e cartridge the same as on the BCI-6 cartridge? I know the location and shape of the prism on the CLI-8 and BCI-6 are different, so what is the chance that the printer would not know when these cartridges were low or empty?
Al

 

[Tom Hock]

The #3 and #6 tanks can be used interchangably ... at least I do that. There may be some slight ink change between the two original #3 and #6 tanks, but most after market ink suppliers refill with the same ink, and the tanks are the same. Also, if you have a #8 tank with a defective chip you can use that tank in a #3 or #6 tank printer and I have found that the printer's low ink sensor will still function.

I use my printers a lot and change ink tanks frequently. I'm sure the yellow tank (from post #1 above) was not in my printer for more than a month, and probably only two weeks. If the ink was starting to gel I may not have noticed as long as there was still a lot of liquid ink. I'm sure I have used old ink tanks in the past and never noticed this problem.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I don't know how the low ink indicator even worked since the prism was covered with ink (or a solid or gel).

I'm going to guess that the gel pulled away from the prism as it dried. Shine a flashlight into the prism and see if it reflects light. That would be an indication that the printer detected the reservoir as empty. You can practice this on a normal cartridge with ink in the reservoir by tilting it a different angles to see what happens to the reflection when there is ink touching the inside of the prism.

 

[Frankman]

Hi Tom,
I had the same problem. I normally use bulk ink bought from a german seller. The yellow ink became gel for three time in three different refilled original cartridges. This problem was for yellow ink only and happened in different periods of the three last years. Other original yellow cartridges refilled with same ink from the same bottle did not become gel. I had to unclog the print head applying a vacuum on ink inlet with a syringe. As you know there is a very thin metal filter on the ink inlet end this filter clogs with gel ink.
I refill cartridges with my own method posted on YouTube. Look for: Refill CLI 8 CLI8 CLI-8 Canon Pixma inkjet cartridge. Part 1 (from Chieio).
I cannot figure what may be the cause of this gelation.
Keep in contact.
Franco.

 

[benryanau]

Hey guys...
Hate to say it but I reckon I've got a pretty good idea what's denaturing your ink..

Belive it or not, it's actually quite likely to bacterial/fungal action!

Haven't time to go into it now but I've had a similar issue in the past and isolated microbiological action as the likely cause.
It is likely to be most prominent during warm and humid periods.

So to start with, try some isopropylene and maybe a tiny speck of an iodine compound.. also keep your equipment free of proteins, fats, sugars that can be used as growth substrate. Cleanliness is important obviously

Cheers
ben

 

[mikling]

I'll add to this that if you look at the output filter at the bottom. That is an area that is also prone to contamination and possible degradation over time. I have noted dried ink around the circle that the printer contacts over a long period on some printers. I would imagine for seldom used printer, these be inspected as part of a routine. My rule follows Canon's recommendation....use up the cartridge within six months because, degradation does occur. The problems do not always surface but it is a guideline. Similarly, do not refill and put away cartridges for an extended amt of time. Consider refilled cartridges as open cartridges and cut the guideline by half because if it sits out of the printer three months, it likely won't be used up in the printer for another three months.