PrintHead cleaning

[PaulFXH]

Hi Folks
Blocked print head (black only, color OK) on Canon S200 that has
persistently refused to clear itself for more than a week.
I have tried warm water, window cleaner, warm alcohol (ethyl) .....all
to no avail. The print head is currently sitting in a 10% solution of
ammonia overnight so I'll know how this went tomorrow.
When I checked with the local computer store today, the guy told me to
use a solution of chlorine (the same stuff you put in swimming pools)
in hot (yes, he did say hot) water for five hours.
I can find no mention of chlorine for this purpose in posts to this
group (except for one obscure reference from 1998 that Canon use Javex
to refurbish printheads).
Anybody know anything about the use of chlorine in this context?
(Alternatively, what is the most reliable printhead cleaner?).
TIA
Paul

 

[Tony]

Hi Folks
Blocked print head (black only, color OK) on Canon S200 that has
persistently refused to clear itself for more than a week.
I have tried warm water, window cleaner, warm alcohol (ethyl) .....all
to no avail. The print head is currently sitting in a 10% solution of
ammonia overnight so I'll know how this went tomorrow.
When I checked with the local computer store today, the guy told me to
use a solution of chlorine (the same stuff you put in swimming pools)
in hot (yes, he did say hot) water for five hours.
I can find no mention of chlorine for this purpose in posts to this
group (except for one obscure reference from 1998 that Canon use Javex
to refurbish printheads).
Anybody know anything about the use of chlorine in this context?
(Alternatively, what is the most reliable printhead cleaner?).
TIA
Paul

Paul I have had some success with an ultrasonic cleaner with a mixture of water
and 10% (approx) Windex or similar. It needs at least 10 minutes.
There is of course always the possibility that the head has actually burned out
but that usually but not always posts an error.
Tony

 

[measekite]

Hi Folks
Blocked print head (black only, color OK) on Canon S200 that has
persistently refused to clear itself for more than a week.

are you using andhave you always used canon oem ink

 

[ray]

Hi Folks
Blocked print head (black only, color OK) on Canon S200 that has
persistently refused to clear itself for more than a week.
I have tried warm water, window cleaner, warm alcohol (ethyl) .....all
to no avail. The print head is currently sitting in a 10% solution of
ammonia overnight so I'll know how this went tomorrow.
When I checked with the local computer store today, the guy told me to
use a solution of chlorine (the same stuff you put in swimming pools)
in hot (yes, he did say hot) water for five hours.
I can find no mention of chlorine for this purpose in posts to this
group (except for one obscure reference from 1998 that Canon use Javex
to refurbish printheads).
Anybody know anything about the use of chlorine in this context?
(Alternatively, what is the most reliable printhead cleaner?).
TIA
Paul

I have a IP5000. The cyan print head completely clogged. Cleaning
cycles did nothing. I put Windex on some tissues in a bowl. Pushing
up and down on the print head caused a pumping action. I could
see the fluid coming out of the screens. Less on the cyan. I tried
printing and the cyan was partly blocked. I pumped again until all
the heads were clear. It has printed fine since then. I think it
clogged from a couple weeks of nonuse. From my past experience
cyan is the most viscous color, yellow the least.

 

[TJ]

Hi Folks
Blocked print head (black only, color OK) on Canon S200 that has
persistently refused to clear itself for more than a week.
I have tried warm water, window cleaner, warm alcohol (ethyl) .....all
to no avail. The print head is currently sitting in a 10% solution of
ammonia overnight so I'll know how this went tomorrow.
When I checked with the local computer store today, the guy told me to
use a solution of chlorine (the same stuff you put in swimming pools)
in hot (yes, he did say hot) water for five hours.
I can find no mention of chlorine for this purpose in posts to this
group (except for one obscure reference from 1998 that Canon use Javex
to refurbish printheads).
Anybody know anything about the use of chlorine in this context?
(Alternatively, what is the most reliable printhead cleaner?).
TIA
Paul

I wish I could help, but I don't know anything about Canon print heads.
I do, however, know about measekite. If you've monitored this group for
any time at all you should know about our resident troll, but just in
case you don't...

It is his belief that the only reason printers clog is the use of
non-OEM ink. More than that, it appears to be an obsession. Before you
enter into a discussion with him, read a few of his numerous posts and
draw your own conclusions about his ability to help you.

TJ

 

[PaulFXH]

Tony escreveu:

Paul I have had some success with an ultrasonic cleaner with a mixture of water
and 10% (approx) Windex or similar. It needs at least 10 minutes.
There is of course always the possibility that the head has actually burned out
but that usually but not always posts an error.

Thanks for the reply, Tony.
You seem to be suggesting that the Windex needs a little persuasion.
I'm going to see if anybody here has an ultasonic cleaner I can borrow
for a while.
I'd be interested to know how badly blocked was the print head with
which you had the ultrasonic success. Then again, I know it's difficult
to quantify the degree of blockage.
Best wishes
Paul

 

[PaulFXH]

measekite escreveu:

are you using andhave you always used canon oem ink

I don't believe Canon ink has ever been used on this printer other than
from the carts that came with the printer.
However, I believe it would be misleading to assign these problems to
this cause as the printer is very lightly used and can go for up to a
month without any use at al (which of course will encourage printhead
bliockage)l. Nevertheless, it has performed very reasonably in its 30
month history and only very recently has started to give problems.
Paul

 

[PaulFXH]

TJ escreveu:

I wish I could help, but I don't know anything about Canon print heads.

Thanks for the reply, TJ but have you (or anybody else) ever heard of
the use of chlorine for printhead cleaning as I was advised yesterday?

I do, however, know about measekite. If you've monitored this group for
any time at all you should know about our resident troll, but just in
case you don't...

It is his belief that the only reason printers clog is the use of
non-OEM ink. More than that, it appears to be an obsession. Before you
enter into a discussion with him, read a few of his numerous posts and
draw your own conclusions about his ability to help you.

Thanks for the advice
Paul

 

[PaulFXH]

ray escreveu:

I have a IP5000. The cyan print head completely clogged. Cleaning
cycles did nothing. I put Windex on some tissues in a bowl.

Thanks for this information, Ray. Presumably the print head was
actually immersed within the Windex rather than just touching off of
some wet tissues as I can't see this latter resulting in any pumping
action.

Pushing
up and down on the print head caused a pumping action. I could
see the fluid coming out of the screens. Less on the cyan. I tried
printing and the cyan was partly blocked. I pumped again until all
the heads were clear. It has printed fine since then. I think it
clogged from a couple weeks of nonuse. From my past experience
cyan is the most viscous color, yellow the least.

This is interesting and ties in with what Tony said earlier which
implied that just standing the prinhead in the Windex was insufficient
to get a thorough clean and something to promote movement of the liquid
was also necessary.
Thanks a lot for this
Paul

 

[overload]

After soaking (your choice of fluids), blow some (clean) compressed
air through from the cartridge side (in the little hole where the
cartridge sits) using a can of dust remover stuff. You will see some
color coming through. Repeat until the little sponges in the hole show
white or you don't get any more ink.

I got this off some web site for canon printers, and it works! Sorry I
can't remember or I would give credit to the originator of the idea.

Jim

 

[TJ]

TJ escreveu:


Thanks for the reply, TJ but have you (or anybody else) ever heard of
the use of chlorine for printhead cleaning as I was advised yesterday?

No experience here with chlorine. Just alcohol and window cleaner.

Thanks for the advice
Paul

You're welcome.

 

[PaulFXH]

TJ escreveu:

No experience here with chlorine. Just alcohol and window cleaner.

Hmmm...from the lack of any convincing reference to chlorine as a
cleaning agent for printheads in this NG (over the last 10 years),
essentially nothing on Google and your negative comment, looks like it
would be better to treat the advice I got locally as more of a mental
aberration. Well, it happens..........
Thanks TJ
Paul

 

[Tony]

Tony escreveu:


Thanks for the reply, Tony.
You seem to be suggesting that the Windex needs a little persuasion.
I'm going to see if anybody here has an ultasonic cleaner I can borrow
for a while.
I'd be interested to know how badly blocked was the print head with
which you had the ultrasonic success. Then again, I know it's difficult
to quantify the degree of blockage.
Best wishes
Paul

All I can say is that this has worked for me on a few printheads but not all.
If the problem is head burnout then nothing will work. Very hard to say how
badly clogged a printhead is but it has varied from nothing printing for a
colour to just a couple of nozles.
Tony

 

[Davy]

Chlorine thats bleach isn't it..? I would have thought it woul
damage the nozzles

Dav

 

[PaulFXH]

Davy escreveu:

Chlorine thats bleach isn't it..? I would have thought it would
damage the nozzles.

Hi Davy
Chlorine is certainly a constituent of bleach but I'm no sure whether
it has other ingredients as well.
What this guy recommended to me was to use the same stuff as is used in
swimming pools which is sodium dichloroisocyanurate (you knew that,
right?). However, the concentration he suggested was actually about
25,000 times what's normal in the pool (in addition to the water being
hot).
Anyway, as nobody in this group spoke in its favor (indeed, nobody
seems to have come across it before), I've taken it off my list of
possible printhead cleaning agents.
Nevertheless, I',m still without a functioning printer despite having
tried warm water, window cleaner, alcohol, and lately 10%
ammonia.....none of which have made the slightest impression of my
(apparently) blocked printhead.
Paul

 

[TJ]

Davy escreveu:


Hi Davy
Chlorine is certainly a constituent of bleach but I'm no sure whether
it has other ingredients as well.
What this guy recommended to me was to use the same stuff as is used in
swimming pools which is sodium dichloroisocyanurate (you knew that,
right?). However, the concentration he suggested was actually about
25,000 times what's normal in the pool (in addition to the water being
hot).
Anyway, as nobody in this group spoke in its favor (indeed, nobody
seems to have come across it before), I've taken it off my list of
possible printhead cleaning agents.
Nevertheless, I',m still without a functioning printer despite having
tried warm water, window cleaner, alcohol, and lately 10%
ammonia.....none of which have made the slightest impression of my
(apparently) blocked printhead.
Paul

Just my two cents, and remember that I have no experience with Canons,
but...

If you've tried everything else, and it comes down to trying the pool
stuff or replacing the print head (or printer), what do you have to lose
by trying the pool stuff?

TJ

 

[PaulFXH]

TJ escreveu:

Just my two cents, and remember that I have no experience with Canons,
but...

If you've tried everything else, and it comes down to trying the pool
stuff or replacing the print head (or printer), what do you have to lose
by trying the pool stuff?

Good point, TJ
At least I'll know that the printhead went to its final resting place

 

[George E. Cawthon]

Chlorine thats bleach isn't it..? I would have thought it would
damage the nozzles.

Davy

No it isn't any more bleach than salt is sodium.
Unfortunately many people don't really know what
they are talking about and can't seem to
distinguish between elements and compounds.

The author that said "chlorine" probably meant
"bleach" which is sodium hypochlorite. Chlorine
is a deadly gas. Sodium is a metal. Sodium
chloride is table salt which is totally different
from sodium or chlorine, either of which would
kill you if you ingested it.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I cannot recommend chlorine bleach for print heads. It is highly
corrosive, and it also very oxidating. Bad for ink, bad for most metals
and some plastics.

Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

In this case, George, Davy is more correct that you are. Many chlorine
compounds dissociate to chlorine gas, or elemental chlorine once they
activate with water.

In the case of sodium dichloroisocyanurate being added to water, it is
rapidly hydrolysed to release free available chlorine, establishing a
complex series of equilibria involving six chlorinated and four
non-chlorinated isocyanurates. As free available chlorine is consumed by
reaction with organic material in the water, chloroisocyanurates will
rapidly dissociate and continue to release free chlorine. Conventional
chlorination of drinking-water with elemental chlorine gives rise to a
number of by-products as a result of the reaction of free available
chlorine with natural organic matter. The use of sodium
dichloroisocyanurate as a source of free available chlorine is not
expected to lead to greater production of such by-products than does the
use of elemental chlorine.

Sometimes a little knowledge is more dangerous than none at all ;-)

Art