[Thomas Oostveen Participant Posts: 1]

Epson Printers

on: July 20, 2020 at 10:39 am

Help, I’m a bad boy. I let my Epson 7900 set idle for too long and have serious head clogs. I tried windex and piezoflush. I’m now wondering if I should spend $500 on the piezoflush carts or just cut my loss and dig a hole in the backyard. The closest Epson service center is a 4 hour drive. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Mark D Segal]

Re: Head Clog

Reply #1 on: July 20, 2020 at 10:52 am

You’re a doubly bad boy for using Windex on that printhead. How long did you let the printer sit unused? What humidity is it sitting in? What kind and frequency of cleaning cycles did you try before going to Windex etc.? Answers to these questions will help indicate whether the print head may be gone. If that were the case it would be best to replace the printer. If not, it can probably be rescued with some time and patience using a sequence of standard routines and no external products. Oh – and can you provide a scan of the latest nozzle check pattern? Let’s see how bad it is.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by Mark D Segal.

[Mike Broomfield Silver Member Posts: 84]

Re: Head Clog

Reply #2 on: July 21, 2020 at 7:06 am

I don’t know if it’s worth it to you but you could try this if all else fails.  I’m not sure I’d spend $500 and still have an old head if you can get a new one for $1k.

https://epson.com/Accessories/Printer-Accessories/One-Time-Service-Plan—EPWPSP1R24/p/EPWPSP1R24

I just had a visit from a service tech for my 44″ Surecolour P8000 to fix an unremitting clog.  I’m not sure about your model but for mine the tech told me the heads sell for $1500 new (to a customer) so  good deal.

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 951]

Re: Head Clog

Reply #3 on: July 21, 2020 at 8:05 am

It’s necessary to understand the context of the problem to get some insight into cause and prognosis. After the OP answers the questions I asked, we may have some better idea of what course of action to recommend. It could be a lot simpler and cheaper than immediately assuming the print head needs to be replaced either alone or in an upgraded printer model.

[Mike Broomfield Silver Member Posts: 84]

Re: Head Clog

Reply #4 on: July 21, 2020 at 8:35 am

Quite right Mark, that’s why I mentioned … if all else fails.  I just wanted the OP to know of this option as it avoids the hourly service call rate (if he is in the US).  As you know I went through a lot on my P8000 to get to that point.   Perhaps a simpler diagnosis on mine as I only had 1 colour clogged.

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 951]

Re: Head Clog

Reply #5 on: July 21, 2020 at 8:46 am

Yes you did mention that. For the benefit of the OP I just wanted to reinforce the point that he should opt for a systematic and detailed process of resolution working from the small stuff onward, as you did.

[Michael Spear Participant Posts: 13]

Re: Head Clog

Reply #6 on: November 10, 2020 at 1:08 pm

Replacing 7900 vs new print head??

I had a decision to make about my 9900 Epson. From the get go, the cyan nozzle would almost always have gaps. I was always able to clean and get a good nozzle check, but it was a constant issue. I have been using Epson printers a long time and everyone was always complaining about a clogged nozzles. So I just took it in stride. I also used InkjetMalls solution to clean the head and docking station. It would generally get the job done. At some point no matter what I did I had more bad nozzle checks.

At that time the newer 44 inch Epson’s were selling for over $4000.00, I got a price quote to replace the head labor and all for 1800.00. I bit the bullet and said OK. I have not regretted it one bit. At the time the tech told me that even with a new ink set the newer models were not that much better. When he pulled the old head, you could see there were many scratches. So I felt good that a new head should make a difference. It did and it has. The printer sits idle especially now for a few weeks at a time and if it needs a cleaning, it has never been more than one, for any given pair. My printer has always been a house cat and kept covered, so it looks like new. The tech said that if the new head holds up, which it has, there is nothing that could break/wear out that would cost over a few hundred dollars to replace. So for half the price I got a new 44 inch printer. YMMV, but I am very happy with my decision. In fact looking back, I should have been a little more forceful with Epson on the original head, I believe that it may have been defective from the start.

I have one other experience with Epson printers. I also have a 7880. An older model that dates back to the days of changing cartridges when going from Matte Black to Photo Black. (Although I purchased a solution from ImagePrint. You use whats called Phatte Black. No ink changes, just profile selections.)  That printer has set, turned off for up to six months at a time with no use, several times. I just turned it on the other day and expected the worse. The nozzle check was not good. Many came back, but a few were stubborn. This model printer has the handles that need to go up and down to do a heavy cleaning, but you have to have  fairly full cartridges to perform that ritual. Well I ordered new inks and waited for them to arrive. I installed the needed cartridges and before doing the intense clean cycle printed another nozzle check. I was amazed to see that I only had a few gaps in one head. So just sitting there for a few days after doing several cleanings seemed to clear some nozzles.

And for next time you know that your printer will set idle for a long period of time, you may want to try Harvey Head Cleaner SW (PCs-Only). Not sure if Mac has a similar SW. But you can put in a cheap roll of media, and program the time for the printer to print a nozzle check, once a day, three times a week. I have the SW, but must confess I do not use it as often as I should.

One area that I do try to maintain and I believe that the 7900 is the same, is clean or replace the wiper. Also clean the capping station with the piezo fluid you have.

Good luck with your decision.

Regards

Michael

 

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