4880 K7 Clog

My 4880 with K7 inks has been sitting, without use, for two years. I turned it on, ran a nozzle check and it was not as horrible as I anticipated. After some cleaning cycles which only made it worse, I have done two power cleanings and it is much improved though still showing numerous clogged nozzles. Room temp is 68˚F with 50-52% humidity. My thought is to empty the K7 inks, fill all the carts with Flush and run power cleans until I get nothing but pink. Does this seem like a good approach or is there something else I need to address? Or, due to its extended lack of use, is it beyond hope? Your thoughts are greatly welcomed.

Yikes!! We recommend flushing ink and charging a printer with PiezoFlush if a printer won’t be used for a month or longer for safe long term storage, as pigment settles in the lines and dampers, and ink dries, causing clogging.
At this point, I wouldn’t call it a total loss yet, and my suggestions to try cleaning and getting your printer working again are:

  1. Get a set of replacement dampers (you will need to replace the dampers after flushing ink from the lines- if you replace dampers before flushing the lines, then settled pigment from the lines will get sucked into your new dampers). To replace your dampers, you will need to get the repair manual and follow the damper replacement procedure. You can get the repair manual from 2manuals.com
  2. Fill a set of cartridges with PiezoFlush, and do an initial fill cycle to purge ink (depending on how clogged the dampers and/or head are, there may be little to no flow in one or more channels- which will prevent PiezoFlush from reaching the dampers/head with the init fill). Initial Fill procedures can be found here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?151-Initial-Fill-Procedures-for-Epson-Pro-Model-Printers
  3. With the dampers disconnected from the print head, and folded paper towel positioned under the print head, use our print head cleaning kit and PiezoFlush solution to manually flush the print head channels- which is best when dealing with stubborn clogs and dried pigment.
  4. After flushing the lines with PiezoFlush, replacing the dampers, and flushing the print head- I suggest you also clean the capping station and wiper blade, following our instructions here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?133-Printer-Cleaning-and-Preventative-Maintenance

I hope this helps and you can get your printer in good working condition again!
Best regards~ Dana :slight_smile:

Thanks Dana,
Once I get this printer cleaned, I will be switching from the K7 ink set to the color ink set. I would prefer not to buy a set of carts just for the flush. At the moment, the ink level in all carts is very low. Is there a safe procedure to drain the K7 ink, clean the cart (if necessary) and then fill with flush?
kind regards,
Joseph

Yes, it’s ok to empty your current set of carts and refill them with PiezoFlush to use as flush carts.
I do not recommend re-using cartridges to use with ink though, as they can not be completely cleaned and dried, therefore some mixing/contamination could occur.

Keep me posted, thanks- Dana :slight_smile: