Epson P5000 Perform Power Cleaning Warning

[bleggett]

Hi,

After a auto-nozzle clean the LCD on the printer showed this message: Perform Powerful Cleaning (All Nozzles) from the Administrator Menu

Not wanting to do a power clean, and not having any clog issues since I got the printer, I decided to run a manual nozzle clean. Even after a few nozzle cleanings, the power cleaning message kept appearing. So I finally did the power cleaning to try and solve the problem, but after the cleaning the message was still there. I then ran power cleans on the each individual nozzles, the message still remained.

The strange thing is the printed nozzle pattern is perfect, and I also ran the Qimage nozzle cleaning patterns, and they were perfect.

Yet the printer continues to request I do a power cleaning, and I can't get rid of the warning message.

Any ideas on what I can do to clear this message?

Thanks,

Bob

[funfoto]

Have you tried powering off the machine and turning it back on?
Sometimes that will clear any pesky problems like that.
Otherwise, a phone call to Epson might be in order.
Let us know what happens.

[Mark D Segal]

I have this message on my SC-P5000 as well. I checked with Epson and they told me it will stay there until I follow the instructions on the LCD - which are: go to the Admin menu and do the power clean of all channels from there. I have not done it yet because I'm waiting to empty a few very low cartridges before I try. But the nozzle checks and more importantly the prints are all fine. If you have followed the exact instructions and still have that nuisance message, do call Epson and ask them how to get it cleared - then do let us know!  :-)

[bleggett]

Mark, and funfoto,

I called Epson, and they decided I would need a service call, and planned to deliver the parts overnight, with a service rep installing them in the morning. A few hours late I received a call back, asking that I run (another) a power clean from the admin menu. Which I did, it took 37 minutes, and when was finished it reported I had a clogged nozzle. I then ran a test print which was perfect, and the message disappeared. I turned off the printer, and restarted with no messages or issues appearing.

I called back Epson to report the results, and they suggested the problem may be resolved in a future firmware update.

Bob

[Mark D Segal]

Good to know, thanks.

[Mark D Segal]

Perhaps we should take from this that unless owners are having trouble with nozzle clogs or poor prints they should just ignore this warning altogether until after the next firmware update; I suspected from the start it's a bug, because it happened far too early in the usage life of the printer I'm using.

[Wayne Fox]

Perhaps we should take from this that unless owners are having trouble with nozzle clogs or poor prints they should just ignore this warning altogether until after the next firmware update; I suspected from the start it's a bug, because it happened far too early in the usage life of the printer I'm using.

Agreed.  I’ve already had this warning twice. When it showed up a couple of days ago, I printed nozzle checks and cleaned manually relatively easily, and the printer seems to work just fine despite the warning.

I’ve never seen this warning p9000 printer (or any other epson printer for that matter).

[Mark D Segal]

I’ve never seen this warning p9000 printer (or any other epson printer for that matter).

That adds to my suspicion this is a firmware bug in the SC-P5000. Now if Epson would confirm or advise otherwise..................

[Majohnson]

I had the same issue. I was able to print nozzle test without errors but the message wouldn't go away.

Did the power clean which re-solved. I do hope it gets resolved with a firmware update.

Regards
Mark

[Rand47]

Mark, and funfoto,

I called Epson, and they decided I would need a service call, and planned to deliver the parts overnight, with a service rep installing them in the morning. A few hours late I received a call back, asking that I run (another) a power clean from the admin menu. Which I did, it took 37 minutes, and when was finished it reported I had a clogged nozzle. I then ran a test print which was perfect, and the message disappeared. I turned off the printer, and restarted with no messages or issues appearing.

I called back Epson to report the results, and they suggested the problem may be resolved in a future firmware update.

Bob

A few months ago, I had the same thing happen.  It took me a while (entirely my own fault) to figure out that the “powerful” cleaning from the admin menu is different than just a clean all channels command from the driver or “regular menu.”  Once I ran the “powerful” cleaning the message went away and has never come back since.  (Knock wood.)

Rand

[Rand47]

That adds to my suspicion this is a firmware bug in the SC-P5000. Now if Epson would confirm or advise otherwise..................

     I’m bitin’ my lip . . .

Rand

[Mark D Segal]

   I’m bitin’ my lip . . .

Rand

So was I when I wrote that. Typically, they don't explain much about the changes introduced from one version to the next, but you install the latest and see issues resolved or other things improving. Needless to say, one would prefer greater transparency, but under-the-hood fixes are fine by me - that's the ultimate objective. This particular issue has been live for quite some time and I haven't seen a fix yet, making one wonder whether it's a bug still awaiting a fix or the real intention. I am continuing to print with that nag notice still showing. As long as the prints and the nozzle checks come out fine or until someone in Epson advises otherwise, I shall carry on like this and keep waiting for the next release of updated firmware. Until then, if I see evidence of trouble that's not corrected in the usual ways, I'll do what the LCD is nagging me to do. Meanwhile, this machine continues to produce really fine prints.

[ssgphoto]

My P5000 is displaying the same message, perfect nozzle checks etc. Yup waiting on the firmware update!

[Mark D Segal]

I've since learned from a reliable person that there is no firmware glitch in this regard, so nothing to fix and the requested cleaning should be done. So it's not clear that waiting is the best approach. I went ahead with the cleaning.

[MarkFarber]

I know this topic is old, but I'm now seeing the same warning on a 4-month-old P5000.  Nozzle checks print flawlessly.  The printer gets exercised at least twice a week.  Prints still look terrific.  Any advice?

[Rand47]

I know this topic is old, but I'm now seeing the same warning on a 4-month-old P5000.  Nozzle checks print flawlessly.  The printer gets exercised at least twice a week.  Prints still look terrific.  Any advice?

Any advice?  Yeah, just bite the bullet and do the Admin Powerful Cleaning routine.  I’ve come to the conclusion (completely my own guess / rationalization) that this is Epson’s way of keeping the printer maintained in some way even if the nozzles are all firing when “it’s time” (about 4-6 month intervals).   My machine will often even give me a “clogged nozzles detected” message and recommend cleaning.  I run a nozzle check (which is 100% good) and that message goes away.  I think the P 5000 firmware has been made to be uber sensitive to even the hint of clogs.

At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  The ink “spent/wasted” in the periodic “Admin Powerful Cleanings” (not all that much, by the way - at least “visibly” on the indicators) has just become part of the routine / cost of operation of the otherwise outstanding printer.

Rand

[pflower]

This is an old thread but in case anyone is interested, I had this problem and called Epson Customer Support in the UK.  They were of the view that given that my nozzle checks were all perfect this was not normal and so sent out an engineer (my P5000 is only 4 months old and so under warranty).

In fact two engineers arrived and told me that the phone support had made a mistake - this was indeed a normal response from the printer but since they were there they carried out a service and changed my capping station anyway. 

Apparently this is all down to timing.  The message is triggered when Epson concludes that the printer is not being used sufficiently frequently.  Ink needs to be flowing from the cartridges to the print head regularly and if not the Powerful Cleaning message comes up to avoid the possibility of things drying up in the ink lines or head.

I was told that  If you run the printer regularly you shouldn't get the message at all.  I had a couple of weeks of virtually no printing at all which may have been sufficient to trigger it.  According to the engineers many users of these printers who run them on a regular basis will never see this message.  So their advice was to print something pretty much every day - even just an A4 on plain paper daily should (I was told) be sufficient to avoid a repetition.  I was also advised to do a swap between MK and PK at least once a week and just print out a nozzle check - again I had been printing only MK for about a month and that again might have triggered something - since the PK channel had not been used.

Fantastic printer which makes great prints, but I have now have had confirmed what many had said before - you do need to use it regularly - pretty much daily and swap the MK/PK weekly to avoid a repetition of the Powerful Cleaning message.  According to the engineers it is not triggered by a clog or a blocked nozzle but by inactivity and is designed to make sure nothing dries up.

Any advice?  Yeah, just bite the bullet and do the Admin Powerful Cleaning routine.  I’ve come to the conclusion (completely my own guess / rationalization) that this is Epson’s way of keeping the printer maintained in some way even if the nozzles are all firing when “it’s time” (about 4-6 month intervals).   My machine will often even give me a “clogged nozzles detected” message and recommend cleaning.  I run a nozzle check (which is 100% good) and that message goes away.  I think the P 5000 firmware has been made to be uber sensitive to even the hint of clogs.

At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  The ink “spent/wasted” in the periodic “Admin Powerful Cleanings” (not all that much, by the way - at least “visibly” on the indicators) has just become part of the routine / cost of operation of the otherwise outstanding printer.

Rand