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Author Topic: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle  (Read 3087 times)

Dave Gurtcheff

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firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« on: March 21, 2013, 11:26:58 am »

We evacuated our home on Oct 28, 2012. WE are still not back home because of no power. We think we may get back in around the first of April. My Epson 3800 and 7890 have been idle all this time. Any hints, precautions, or advise? I know the nozzles will likely be clogged.
Thanks in advance, all help appreciated.
Dave
Beach Haven, NJ
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davidh202

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2013, 12:04:08 pm »

 About all you can do is fire up the printers, do nozzle checks, and hope for the best!!
 If you had no heat,frozen inks could have done internal damage to the heads but the only way is to try.
If they were stored somewhere warm you may just have to do some cleanings to get ink flowing again .Might want to take the carts out and agitate the a little. Don't do power cleans, and run some prints between cleanings.   
Good luck and welcome home!

David
« Last Edit: March 21, 2013, 12:08:03 pm by davidh202 »
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Dave Gurtcheff

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2013, 02:52:57 pm »

Thanks David. We had no heat, still do not, so frozen inks is a very real possibility. I will take them out of the printer and shake them lightly, then try nozzle cleans.
regards
Dave
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davidh202

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2013, 07:33:22 pm »

 Dave,
As I understand it even though the inks are aqueous(water based), they contain glycols which may have acted as an antifreeze, lets hope that's the case. ;) Ordinarily I usually discourage cart removal but in your case you want to inspect them and definitely get them lightly agitated to stir them up.You want to be extra carefull when sliding the carts in so there is no damage to the seals, which would allow air into the lines.
The main thing is not to do  multiple  back to back cleans, especially power cleans! Do nozzle checks and pairs cleans if necessary. It may be a gradual process but if there was no freezing you may indeed luck out. Lets hope so! Just use regular office paper to test and run garbage prints till the ink flows. Please let us know how this turns out for you. It would be really nice to hear a success story around here for a change to counter all the gloom and doom threads ;)
Again good luck,
David
« Last Edit: March 21, 2013, 07:39:06 pm by davidh202 »
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Dave Gurtcheff

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2013, 10:48:33 am »

Hi all.
On wednesday, May 1 we got electric power back, and Friday May 3 we got water. We are not permantly moved back yet because of other issues, but I could access my PC and 3800, and 7890. I shook the inks before attempting  try nozzle cleaning. The 3800 would NOT allow nozzle cleaning, because it said "out of LL Black ink". I removed it and shook it, and it was not empty, but I replaced it anyway. It still said out of ink and would not allow nozzle cleaning. Strangely it DID allow printing a nozzle check pattern. I thought that this action would force ink through the nozzles, and might help clean them. I did a bunch of nozzle check prints. Also, I noticed when you turn the printer on, it seems to go through some kind of self clean cycle. I turned the printer "ON" and "OFF" a bunch of times. Finally it recognized the LL Black was not empty, but then indicated another color was empty. I replaced that ink. Finally it allowed me to run more nozzle checks and cleaning cycles. I just made two perfect prints, 13"x19"!

The 7890 was a different story. It allowed cleaning cycles but at the end of each cycle it said cleaning failed...try again? I repeated them with no luck. I then tried a power clean, which failed. I tried again, and this time it did not fail. I printed a nozzle check pattern which looked perfect. Just made a perfect 24"x32" print!
Back in business after 6 months of being homeless,compliments of Sandy
Regards to all, and thanks for the suggestions and good will.
Dave Gurtcheff, Beach Haven, NJ
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Rand47

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2013, 04:06:31 pm »

Dave,

Congrats on your success getting both printers up & running.  I'll bet "some" good news is nice right about now.  Best wishes to you as you work toward "full normal."

Rand
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Rand Scott Adams

Dave Gurtcheff

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2013, 04:51:50 pm »



Thank you Rand.
Dave

Dave,

Congrats on your success getting both printers up & running.  I'll bet "some" good news is nice right about now.  Best wishes to you as you work toward "full normal."

Rand
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davidh202

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2013, 09:43:12 pm »

I've been thinking about you Dave, and I'm thrilled (as I bet you are), that your home, and up and running again!!

As I said in my previous post, it is really great to hear an x900 series printer success story for a change.

Even Sandy couldn't keep a good printer down!

Congrats, and  happy printing,
David
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Dave Gurtcheff

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2013, 10:12:10 am »

Thank you David. No place like home, after 6 months of being a nomad (we have stayed in 6 locations).
Dave

I've been thinking about you Dave, and I'm thrilled (as I bet you are), that your home, and up and running again!!

As I said in my previous post, it is really great to hear an x900 series printer success story for a change.

Even Sandy couldn't keep a good printer down!

Congrats, and  happy printing,
David

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Peter Le

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #9 on: May 08, 2013, 12:26:54 am »

     This is excellent news...Congratulations !! It does not surprise me that the 3800 was alright....they are good at sitting for long periods and working fine. But the 7890....wow consider yourself very very lucky ! They are known for becoming very large paper weights if they even sit for a month ! Mine acts up if I don't print for a few days.......I guess for all the trouble you have been through the cosmos if cutting you a brake.
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greygrad

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Re: firing Up Printers after 5 months idle
« Reply #10 on: May 08, 2013, 10:19:11 am »

A couple of months back I took an Espon 2100 out of it's box - where it had been for the last 5 years - and two head cleans later it was working like a champ. Very impressed.
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