Success Unclogging Epson 4900

[sjgh]

Decided to share my experiences in this forum since I found the best advice in the Epson 7900 monster thread (Eric's). Well here's the background of my Epson and printing habits. Have a 4900 that is about 2 years old, am an enthusiast (a binge print user) - do not sell prints, print very infrequently - may print 10-15 pages after photo vacations - otherwise printer goes unused for months in between. Don't do test prints, no periodic nozzle checks, printer was accidently turned off for months because never noticed that power supply cord had fallen out. In addition to all these bad habits started switching over from Epson inks to Cone color inks and carts.

When I started this saga to unclog the printer 5 carts were Epson and 6 were Cone. Environmentally The printer is in a sub-optimum spot - a relatively dry area on table next to heat / a/c vent - guess with low humidity level thats conducive to quick drying aka clogging. Back in March 2013 had checked nozzle check print had most nozzles either completely clogged them and the ones that showed thru had more than 50% missing. Shrugged it off, left printer as is, just made sure it as turned on, since I didn't have the time to deal with it then till last week of Nov.

Well had the week of Thanksgiving off - decided to see if I could revive the printer. From what I read the printer was grossly misused and was destined to be a paperweight - lots of similar tales of 100% clogged OR/GR and other nozzles. Did the usual steps everyone does a) run cleaning cycles b) run some power cleaning cycles c) place paper towel with Windex under head overnight (several times) d) run paired cleaning cycles (regular and power) e) run purge print  of individual colors and/or all 10 colors e) uncapping head and adding/cleaning capping station.

Well after 5-6 days of many hours of effort my nozzle check showed little improvement. OR/GR/LK/PK/MK were 100% clogged. The rest showed thru probably 25% of nozzles. Filled up waste ink tank had to buy a new one. Also bought Cone cleaner, used Simple Green, Windex, Isopropyl alcohol, other concoctions including Shout, Scrubbing bubbles other stain removers and mixes to see what dissolves the ink best. Well turned out straight original Windex was the magic elixir - nothing else came close.

Was ready to take apart head and flush it (inspired by Eric's post) - but then figured I should try to just run Windex thru the ink tanks first as cleaner before I resorted to taking apart the head. Syringed out the ink out of the Cone reusable carts and saved the ink in plastic bottles. Bought 4 large bottles of Windex and filled all the carts (about 200ml in each) leaving room for the printer to suck back in ink that may be in the tubes leading to head. Primed the carts to make sure that Windex was flowing out. Also bought a) service manual b) service program c)resettable chip and stuff for waste ink tank d) an additional set of Cone tanks (didn't need them since I was too impatient and reused the ones I already had).

Anyway with all 11 carts filled with Windex I was determined to clean till Kingdom come. Connected the printer using USB port to pc and ran Service program. Went to section that allows you to do cleanings - CL1, CL2 CL3 - CL 3 being the strongest. Selected the OR/GR pair and started with CL1 -> CL 2 -> CL3 - running nozzle checks in between.
Important Note - loaded Matte roll paper and ran nozzle checks on Matte roll paper. The OR/GR started showing up straight away on nozzle checks  but were not showing up on plain 8.5x11 paper - which was interesting - platen gap was normal.

All nozzles were showing after CL3 for OR/GR. Repeated the process with the nozzles that were 100% clogged - skipped CL1/CL2 cleanings and went straight to CL3 - ran nozzle check and lo behold - some nozzles started showing up. Kept with the CL3 cleanings for the other pairs and surprising quickly all nozzles were clear (not sure if all the 7 days of previous cleaning efforts had anything to do with it) but in a couple of hours had them all clean - ran some purge prints/test prints and everything looked terrific - mind you this is with 100% Windex still in tanks. Could smell Windex on paper. Took tanks out sucked the Windex out with the syringes they came with and then filled with warm water and sucked the water out, once the tanks looked clean - filled back with ink and reinserted in printer. Printed a bunch of pictures - printer was printing like the first day I got it.

BTW the replacement waste tank is just about full as well - hoping to try out resettable chip and reusing same tank once that gets here.

Minimum that one would need are a) set of reusable carts/syringes/funnels b) service program (service manual is really not needed) available at 2manuals c) won't hurt to have replacement waste tank d) and of course a few bottles of Windex - don't scrimp on this - if you don't fill the cart till where the level is above the exit hole (almost to top) not enough Windex gets sucked out and I think it may actually introduce air into system - because the Windex does not have the same viscosity as ink.

If anyone has any questions on trying to revive paperweight 4900's for hobbyist or  infrequent users let me know. I am sure this is not going to work for people who are using 4900 as production printers and may have other issues possibly print head related that this will not address.

[Rand47]

I'm glad for your success.  But, I must say that stories like this are what keep my 4880 on its stand.  Had I your original problem, I'm afraid I would have rectified it with my Glock 23C.   

Thank you for sharing.  You deserve some kind of award for perseverance, patience and perverse optimism!

Rand

[sjgh]

Had visions of using sledgehammer to 4900 and mailing the pieces back to Epson  . Well darned if I was going to pay for sevice call and potentially head replacement. From what I can see on ebay and various forums, I am guessing that there are quite a few low-usage Epson 4900's that are clogged and designated for the landfills. I am convinced that these can be fixed in short order. Someone should start a little business buying these 4900's cleaning them and reselling them.

"You deserve some kind of award for perseverance, patience and perverse optimism!" - well I wholeheartedly agree   - let me know when and where to show up for medal pinning ceremony.

[jrsforums]

You might have tried the initial ink charge (or whatever it is called, can't remember right now), instead of repeated cleanings.  It is also available in the service program.

Moves MUCH more ink and has less chance of noozle damage.

John

[Ernst Dinkla]

When I started this saga to unclog the printer 5 carts were Epson and 6 were Cone.

Maybe half your success depended on that combination. Or in another perspective; a Cone clog could be less severe than an Epson clog. Just an opinion of course. To wave the "I am convinced that these can be fixed in short order" flag already .............

Not meant to dampen your joy about this Epson resurrection, you did a fine job.


--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2013, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

[JRSmit]

Congrats with solving the clog's.   A tip: when not in use, cover the printer with a plastic cover of some kind, I use a plastic tablecloth wrapped over the printer for this purpose. It slows down the clog development. I too have a E4900 and at occasions do not print for a week or so. The " cover-up" helped in reducing the occurrence of clogs (and prevents dust from getting into the printer, but that then  is the bonus ;-))
The best is still to print at least every other day, but when I am off doing something else it stands still.

[Farmer]

Maybe half your success depended on that combination. Or in another perspective; a Cone clog could be less severe than an Epson clog. Just an opinion of course.

Or it could be more severe.

[JeffW]

Congrats as we'll. I am a similar user to you. Print when I want to, maybe couple times a month I will run several prints. I ran into the same problems as you with clogs and ready to deep six the printer. BK and LK were a no show on any jets. I finally went in and did a line charge, wasted lots of ink, but it did the job.

Once I did that I bought e Harvey Head Cleaner and it prints a test pattern every day. Since I started this I have had no more problems. I do not use Humidity control; humidity does drop below 35% regularly. I do not cover the machine, I leave the printer on all of the time.

I saw a presentation by an Epson rep who stated that "If you print an 8-1/2 x11 every day, you will use less ink in a month than doing a cleaning." that sold me

I did not think there was anyway that this printer could be tamed. So far I am sold.

[Mike Guilbault]

I have a stubborn PK, C, VM clog.  The printer still prints - and I can't see any problems with the prints, but there's a few missing on the nozzle check print.  My question is, how do you do the 'line charge'?  I can't seem to find any reference for that.

[JeffW]

Mike,

You need to have the service program. It is under adjustments: Ink eject and initial charge. Under here you can force a line charge.

Jeff

[Ernst Dinkla]

Or it could be more severe.

I have not seen any other story of a successful resurrection with the same drastic cleaning. On all Epson models of that generation. Including the serial and side stories of "Epson 7900 from the inside - out".

Usually nozzles are claimed back with the Epson printer/driver cleaning methods or with a new head implant. Little in between.

This 4900 case is quite an exception.  Makes you wonder why ........


--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2013, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

[sjgh]

To answer some of the questions raised -
a) did not see anything obvious that would indicate one type of ink was clogging more than the next (between Cone and Epson). Went thru trash to find some nozzle checks I printed. Attached three scans - first one is after several rounds of cleaning/power cleaning/windex on paper towel etc., leaving overnight (5-6 days).Second one is the scan after the first set of CL3 cleanings thru Service program and using Windex in all carts. Third is after final cleaning.

Don't have any nozzle checks from before I started the usual cleaning cycles from the regular menu - think it would be fairly close to mostly white paper- .

b)Yes probably would have tried the eject/charge process as well as next step if the CL3 cleaning did not work.

c) Also some additional observations - used he Peizoflush solution in Orange cleaning cart with regular/power cleaning  - did not have a visible effect.

d) did have all kinds of banding when printing purge prints. Had consistently dark bands on top of page almost like the head was damaged. Banding got worse after some of the initial cleaning attempts. Now after cleaning haven't seen banding.

e) plan to keep sponge soaked in water in plastic container with holes in lid inside printer going forward to address the low humidity

[jrsforums]

I have not seen any other story of a successful resurrection with the same drastic cleaning. On all Epson models of that generation. Including the serial and side stories of "Epson 7900 from the inside - out".

Usually nozzles are claimed back with the Epson printer/driver cleaning methods or with a new head implant. Little in between.

This 4900 case is quite an exception.  Makes you wonder why ........


--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
July 2013, 500+ inkjet media white spectral plots.

I believe it is because many "clogs" are really air pockets, which the 4900s cannot clear.  I know from discussions with 7900 users that it has power cleaning modes that the 4900 regular maintenance and service program do not have.

I had a total black dropout plus multiple clogs in other ink.  After trying everything, I was ready to call a friend to take it to the rubbish heap.

As a last result, I tried 'initial charge' much came back.  One more, all came back.  Works like a champ now....but if I go one vacation for a week or two....I need some cleaning, as most do.  Gonna look into the Harvey method.

John

[Randy Carone]

A sponge in the printer will NOT maintain humidity in the printer. Humidity is diffusive and will almost immediately disperse in the room and reach equilibrium. The only way to maintain proper humidity is with a humidifier in a closed space. I have high-end acoustic guitars in the room with my 3800. I use a Venta humidifier, which is the best I've found. It is an evaporative system (not water droplets) so there is no mineral build-up in the room. The fan on the Venta blows down onto the fins of a drum that slowly revolves and is exposed to the fan for quick evaporation. This system also removes dust and particulate matter from the air in the room so it also cleans the air. Great product. BTW, no affiliation with Venta, just a happy customer.

[Farmer]

A mistake that many people make is to run successive cleans one after the other in the belief it will do more cleaning.  The printers aren't designed for continuous cleaning like that.  It's important to do test prints or nozzle checks after each clean.  Sometimes, the recovery process that I've seen has taken several cleans over the course of many hours, letting the printer sit in between and never run cleans back to back - always do some normal printing/nozzle check in between.

Ernst - also consider that people who successfully run cleans and clear a blockage rarely bother to come to the internet to tell anyone and the highest/heaviest users are far and away not photographers.  They are print-for-pay shops and proofers.

[Eric Gulbransen]

sjgh, excellent post thanks for sharing.  Great tip on the matt paper showing Windex nozzle patters better than gloss.  I've been going blind shining flashlights on glossy paper for too long to remember.

Farmer, while you have a very good point - problems get posted while printers just print - I have a bit of extra feedback from users who contact me off-line looking for help.  Lots of back and forth as users go through their troublesome journeys, and the stories are always capped off with endings.  I can tell you that this is not the first clogged 4900 that I have heard of being cleared.  I know of four actually, over the past year.  This makes the fifth.  Of course I also know where there are piles of 4900s just lying around waiting for the garbage truck (or a solution).  One guy I know of says he has a solution for 4900s - install new dampers.  Says it's worked more than once for him.

Like ernst says, makes you wonder...  but wonder what? 

Fist of all the heads are different, 4900 to their bigger brothers.  But how different are they?  I have never taken one apart but I doubt they are that different.  Most likely just in shape of the housing, not the actual workings of the nozzles or chambers.  Just a guess though.  What I do find interesting is what John points out - some 4900 clogs may not be clogs at all.  This sure would make sense considering the solutions that i have heard which actually worked, as each would have taken charging the system of ink to get the machine back on line again.  Maybe it's not the "solution" that is working, but the getting the machine back on line that is.

John's other point about the big brothers having cleanings options that the 4900 do not, adds to the theory as well. 

To date my score is:

 4900s (5) - 7900s (0)

[Some Guy]

Wonder if one dumps maybe 20ml of Windex into the waste tray if it would act as a solvent to help dissolve any plugs that might form if the unit sits for a while? 

That and maybe a plastic cover both.

SG

[Farmer]

And at best, Eric, you've seen / heard maybe a dozen or two printer's worth of stories on the 4900?  Out of how many thousands that have been sold?

I'm not doubting for a moment that people have issues.  I'm doubting random claims and suggestions, wherever and whenever they're made (which is not to doubt the character of the people making them, it's simple, normal, everyday scientific approach).  Ernst suggested the third party ink may be less prone to clogs - an interesting thought, but not borne out by any substance as the OP confirmed a few posts later.  His thought may or may not be right, but there's no evidence in this case to support it.  It is important that we look at these things whilst considering post hoc ergo propter hoc (just because Y happens after X doesn't mean that X caused Y, basically) so as to not jump to any false conclusions.

Corrobration should be the basis for investigation which can lead to a hypothesis which can be tested, falsified, shared and peer reviewed and then, assuming it is still is the best model for our observations, become a valid theory.  Corrobation should never lead to "facts" directly.

I think your testing shows that you very much understand this :-)  The issue is that some people will just read your headlines and not the details.

[Eric Gulbransen]

agreed - for instance the suggested 4900 solution which was set before me last week.  "Just change the dampers, works every time"  ...nothing works every time.  In fact I'd be shocked if it worked 5% of the time - mostly because like you I doubt Y had anything to do with X in the first place.  Air in the lines makes more sense but it's just a theory as I don't have a 4900.  Maybe I'll visit that pile of 4900s at HAL's place and take a wreck home with me to fiddle with. 

[walter.sk]

Read your thread today.  If you're still there on LuLa, I have questions for you.  I've got a 4900 and ran 3 CL3 cleanings with nozzle checks after each, and waiting 24 hours between the 2nd and 3rd cleaning.  Still complete blockage.  (I had to be away from home for 6 weeks, with no printing done.)

I am about to order empty replacement carts with syringes and funnels for about $250, but they are listed at 250ml by Inkjet Mall while my Epson carts are 200ml.  Will the InkjetMall carts fit?  Also, you used Windex.  InkjetMall says to not use window cleaning products.  Would you still use the Windex?  Also, have you tried resetting the waste tank's chip and re-using it?  I now own 2 full waste tanks.  Would they be safe to reset and reuse?   Also, is there any simple way to empty them and reuse them several times?