Head Washing Issues

[PMG]

i was having issues with head washings,it would say the carts were empty. I got new carts today so i figured i would go ahead and do a washing to get a few nozzles unclogged. It dumped the ink and started pumping the cleaning fluid in when all of a sudden i see the waste box over flowing with fluid,its like it keep pumping the cleaning fluid and would not stop or it did not regester a full waste box,,but i dont see it dumping that much fluid to over fill the waste box....So i had to shut the printer down,what could this issue be??? I still have it under warranty and will be calling for help first thing in the am.

 

[Valentino]

headwashing is a no no.

shutting the printer down during a headwash is a no no.

doing any printer work on a friday is a no no.

first off....the waste box doesn't really have a sensor, it just runs off a number history value of how many cleanings, ink usage and such. Also the pads might need to be replaced. when you pull out the waste box it will say did you replace YES or NO. no just resets the value to zero. the waste box is a stupid idea, which is why I think mutoh upgraded the 1304 to have a bottle.

my personal advice would be to I would pull out the cleaning cartridges... turn the printer on and let it continue finishing the cleaning and to allow it to refill with ink. more in likely....it is going to beep at you because you didn't let the printer finish. The printer should say insert cartridges, and insert the CMYK cartridges and let the printer prime/refill with ink.

 

[Valentino]

next time when you have a clogged nozzle, do a print head soaking...take lint free cloths and cut them to the size of the capping station. burn the edges to make sure you do not have any frayed edges. Place the cloth into the capping station (i usually put about 3 or 4 down), using a syringe add cleaning fluid.

Put the print head at the high position, move it over to the capping station and push it into place, now lower the height and let it sit for a 2 to 3 hours, rewetting the cloth every 15 minutes.

running a headwash isn't a sure fire way to clean nozzles. because if the nozzle is clogged it will not allow cleaning solution to pass. (unless the cleaning solution sits in the lines and head to dissolve the particles of dry ink).

 

[PMG]

I had to shut her down ink was going every where and it was pumping for a wile. ive done one head washing with this 1 time before with no issues,but this last time has been a bitch. when i fired her back up it did ask for the inks and filled back up. i am thinking once my warranty is up,im going to tap the bottom of that waste tray and put in a fitting to attach a tube for a bottle..................could it be a pump issue because it keep pumping ? it seem like a lot of fluid for such a small waste box.

 

[Valentino]

so what's happening right now?

are you able to print?

 

[PMG]

yes its printing,,just having issues with the head washing..like it didnt want to stop pumping the cleaning fluid into the heads and into the waste tray. Are you thinking it was just a waste tray error reading?

 

[PMG]

How much ink does it take to fill the heads back up does 25 percent sound correct?

 

[Valentino]

head washing isn't something you need to do alot. I've done only one, and I did it by accident because I didn't realize what it was. $150.00+ error on my part. I've never had one of the tech give the headwash as a solution so I wouldn't worry about it. If the head truly is that bad, like clumps of nozzles missing, you will have to replace the head

 

[Valentino]

I'm not sure about the amount, 25% sounds right if you think about tubing.

what you can do is weight a cartridge, a empty cartridge with the bladder totally empty is 5.9oz.

 

[PMG]

Thanks for the information Valentino,i had 4 spots that were clogged on the nozzle check and small cleanings didn't take care of it so i tried the head washing and this happen ,,but after it fill back up and i did another check i just have one spot not printing on the nozzle check.

 

[Valentino]

run normal cleanings instead of economy.

try the head soaking method, you will have to cut open one of your cleaning cartridges to get the cleaning fluid. after you've soaked for 2 hours, run a strong cleaning, then a normal cleaning. Then let the print head crystals (what the printhead is made out of) rest for about an hour before printing.

 

[PMG]

I will try this,,i have one extra cart that i use and suck it out with a syringe . I wont be doing any head washing any time soon,LOL

 

[randya]

Valentino is on the mark here.

Head washing is usually reserved if the printer is going to be left idle for long periods of time, like 7-10 days.

Depends on the age and condition of the machine. (really the cap station and how well it seals.)