Print Head Cleaning

[LPeters]

I am trying to find the "How to" article on cleaning Epson 9 & 24 pin print heads. It was several years ago and posted by a retired Epson Service Tech. Any information or links to the article or a current step-by-step description would be appreciated.

 

[Guest]

I have a epson stylus 600, and several people told me that to clean the head you remove it and simmer some water in a pot on an oven, then put the head so that the water level is just below the level of the head, dont get the electrics wet or the head is cactus, I tried it and the amount of ink that came out was amazing, I had to change the water about 8 or 9 times before ink stopped coming out, just simmer the water, dont let it get too hot,Im not saying this will work for everyone, but it worked well on my stylus 600, It was better than buying another head at $185-00, and Ill never use cheap replacement ink again

 

[Guest]

Just read your post again, and realised that you are talking about a dot matrix printer, I should have read it properley, sorry

 

[LPeters]

Thanks for the info. I remembered using a very light oil, but not sure. If I don't get any other info I'll try the water method.

 

[Guest]

I don't think the replacement ink is to blame. I've been using replacement ink for my deskjet 500 for years ane have never had any problems with my print heads. Here are a couple of tips on how to prolong the life of your print head:

1) Never let your ink tank run out of ink. Always replace the ink tank, or refill it while there is still a bit of ink left. This helps in 2 ways:
a. your print head is just looking for the right moment to block up. When there is ink left in the ink tank the ink that is left on the print head stays wet and does not dry out. When you run out of ink, th ink on the print head dries up and will clog the print head.
b. as the ink flows through the print head it actually acts as a coolant. When you run out of ink and still try to print, the print head could heat up above acceptable levels and suffer something called "burn out". Like a car engine it can overheat without any noticable effects. If it happens too often then your asking for trouble.

2) If you don't use your printer often, even though you have ink in the tank, the ink left on the print head will dry out and can block the print head. make it a habbit to occasionally print something, eventhough you don't need to. This will remove the ink that is in the process of drying and replace it with fresh wet ink.

3) Finally don't wait untill the printhead is blocked to clean it like you described. Once the ink has dried and hardened the warm water will not remove it. Also if you are not planning to use the printer for a long time, give the print head a cleaning before putting the printer away.

I hope I wasn't too long-winded, and I hope that this helps you save a couple of bucks.

Ron