How to Unclog Epson ET-8550 Printhead: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you have the Epson ET-8550 and suffer from printhead clogs, this guide is for you. If you own an inkjet printer, you are familiar with clogged printheads. This guide teaches you how to unclog the printhead without damaging the printer and get the ink flowing once again. You follow some steps, maintain low pressure, safely clean the printhead, and know the four principles of inkjet printing systems.

What Is Printhead Clogging?

Several reasons could cause a printhead in the Epson ET-8550 printer to clog, like dried printer ink, air bubbles in the ink tubes, or leaving a printer idle for an extended time. If you've ever noticed missing lines or faded colors on your prints, this strongly indicates that your printhead requires some maintenance. Epson's ET-8550, like all of the company's printers, combines piezoelectric printhead technology, which uses no heat, with dye transfer, so the printhead's nozzles need sensitive handling, or they'll get damaged. Exerting too much effort or too much pressure can completely ruin it and make it unusable, so it’s essential to understand the correct force and how to clean the printhead correctly.

Why It’s So Important to Manage the Pressure

The most critical consideration during printhead cleaning is pressure maintenance. The ink in the printhead of your printer is forced through tiny nozzles so that high pressure could damage these sensitive parts, too. It is important to apply only gentle, steady pressure while attempting to clear the clog to avoid damaging the printhead.

High pressure can also lead to “delamination,” where the inks from various chambers intermingle. This happens when the membrane dividing the ink wells breaks. If you see different hues mixing in your printhead, the membranes are compromised, and high-pressure cleaning only causes irreparable damage.

Unclogging the Printhead by Sucking It

The other method, which is the best one, is to draw ink out from under the printhead with very little suction instead of pushing it from the top down. This method is safer, as it applies pressure to the areas where the printhead takes up ink without damaging the delicate membranes.

This method requires a syringe and some simple tools. Power the printer on and ensure the printhead is above the cabin station. This arrangement gives you direct access to the printhead’s ink system. Insert the tubing into the waste tank and gently attach a syringe to pull the ink from the bottom of the printhead. This causes the ink to flow through the nozzles, clearing any clogging.

But beware of the speed of suction. If you pull too hard, you might damage the printhead, so go slowly and steadily. A smaller 5ml syringe should be used to minimize pressure, though pulling too hard should not be required even with this smaller device.

Pressure Gauge Kit: The Safe Way to Measure Pressure

A pressure gauge kit is advantageous for always keeping the suction pressure in the safe zone. This allows you to monitor the pressure when cleaning the printhead, which can prevent damage from over suction.

Here at BCH Technologies, we have a purpose-built pressure gauge kit to suit this. The kit contains everything needed to ensure your cleaning process does not apply too much pressure. It also includes simple instructions for installation and use. The pressure gauge prevents you from exceeding the ideal pressure level — generally below 10 kilopascals (kPa) for safe cleaning.

The pressure gauge is connected by removing the bypass connector and placing it between the two tubes leading to the printhead. After configuring the options, press the start button to begin the cleaning and view the pressure information in real-time. As you’ll see, Epson printers generally operate at a pressure under 10 kPa during those automated cleaning cycles, which is what you want for printhead longevity.

Management of the Cabin Station and Disassembly

Before cleaning, you must remove the cabin station from the printer to access the printhead’s ink system. It requires a few screws to be loosened and the cabin station to be moved slightly to the right. After you get it out, you can look at the tubes and connectors that connect the waste ink system to the printhead. If you are unsure how to disassemble the printer correctly, it would be helpful for you to check the tutorial video on our YouTube channel, where we explain the steps.

Once you have effectively removed the cabin station, you can set up the pressure gauges by connecting the extension tubes to each connector. This is essential in determining the pressure to apply and protecting against damage while unclogging. Remember: meticulous disassembly is only part of the kit; you’ll need to keep track of how to piece it together so you can reattach everything as it should work.

Power Cleaning: A Last Resort

Some clogs cannot be removed with standard cleaning methods. This is where the power cleaning cycle comes in. However, power cleaning is aggressive and should be a last resort. It’s usually only advised if you’ve tried all other cleaning methods and are willing to risk damaging the printhead.

Power cleaning is a high-suction force-printed head touch, so you must be careful. Epson printers will warn you multiple times before they let you run a power cleaning, and we strongly recommend avoiding this feature unless necessary. Even then, develop a distance of at least 12 hours between your power cleans to prevent irreversible damage.

Cleaning Your Epson ET-8550 Printhead | My Takeaways

Cleaning your Epson ET-8550 printhead is vital to your printer maintenance as it ensures that the prints coming out are of high quality. If you follow the steps in this guide, you can safely clean your printhead and restore your printer's performance with the right tools.

Yet cleaning a printhead is not something to take lightly. Patience, precision, and handling of your PC parts to avoid damaging installed components are essential. If you still have a question or are unable to follow the steps, BCH Technologies provides expert repair facilities to assist you. You have been training from October 2023 data.

Watch our video tutorial below for a detailed, step-by-step breakdown of how to do that using an Epson ET-8550 or another printer. As always, contact BCH Technologies for further assistance and consultation.