Can You Perform a Nipple Conversion on a New Epson ET-8550 Printer? Understanding White CISS Tanks and Waste Ink Management

Question:
I'm preparing to order everything needed for a nipple conversion on my Epson ET-8550, including the drag chain and new tubing. My printer is brand new and has not yet been set up. Is it okay to do the nipple conversion at this stage? Also, I have a CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) that includes two white tanks—can I use one of them as a maintenance or waste tank?

Answer:
Thank you for reaching out to us, and please accept my apologies for not being able to respond to your inquiry sooner. I understand that printer-related issues are often urgent, and I truly appreciate your patience. I want to take the time to respond with as much care and technical detail as possible. At BCH Technologies, we are grateful for your continued engagement and support—especially with our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). Your questions and feedback help us refine our technical content and expand our expertise.

Now, to your questions:

1. Performing a Nipple Conversion on a Brand New Epson ET-8550

Yes, it is entirely possible—and often preferable—to perform a nipple conversion on a brand new printer, including the Epson ET-8550. Since the printer has not yet been initialized or filled with ink, you’re starting with a clean system, which reduces the chance of contamination or residual ink interfering with the modification. This also allows for a smoother installation process for components such as drag chains, upgraded tubing, and your ink supply system.

When doing a nipple conversion, you'll typically replace the existing ink line connections with threaded barbs (or “nipples”) to allow for more durable and flexible tubing setups. This is especially useful in DTF (Direct-to-Film) or other continuous ink applications where original ink cartridges are bypassed.

However, make sure to:

• Keep the OEM firmware from initializing any ink charging cycle until your tubing and tanks are ready.

• Use clean, debris-free tubing and ensure all connections are airtight to prevent ink flow interruptions or air bubbles.

2. Understanding and Repurposing White Tanks in Your CISS

You're absolutely right in noting that both tanks in a CISS can be white in color—this is fairly common. But functionally, they’re typically designed for different roles:

• One is intended for waste ink collection (i.e., the maintenance tank replacement).

• The other might be a cleaning or flushing tank, or simply a spare tank in the system.

If your CISS setup includes a white tank labeled or intended for waste, then yes—you can use it as your maintenance tank. This is what we often do in our own video demonstrations: we redirect waste ink tubing into an external bottle (such as a repurposed tank), while sometimes reusing the original "waste" tank from the CISS setup to hold cleaning water.

Be cautious, though:

• Make sure the tank used for waste ink has sufficient capacity and is well-sealed.

• Check that it’s clearly labeled to avoid any confusion with clean ink or flush solutions.

• If using the original CISS tank for waste, confirm it has a ventilation hole with a filter to prevent pressure buildup.

Also, remember that Epson printers like the ET-8550 track waste ink levels via an internal counter. If you bypass the OEM maintenance box, you’ll want to reset the waste ink counter periodically using a reset utility or chip resetter to avoid triggering error messages like:

• Error Code: 000041 – “Ink pad is at the end of its service life.”

• Error Code: 000043 – “A printer's part is at the end of its service life.”

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. So, we're not able to provide remote troubleshooting, suggestions, or support for printer repairs. We offer an in-person evaluation and repair service via our local diagnostic facility (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Given the high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis. So, it might take a few weeks before we can get your printer to drop it off. Our services are structured to repair either a whole printer or specific parts, with clear instructions on how to proceed. However, we acknowledge that our rates aren't the most economical. Thus, we highly recommend that you resort to self-help via online research. You can start by checking out YouTube or visiting our YouTube channel's homepage (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). Look for specific videos using the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar. I receive dozens of queries every day asking about videos for specific topics. Having created videos over the past nine years, it's challenging to remember every single one. Therefore, using YouTube's search function would be most efficient. Plus, YouTube might suggest relevant videos from other channels that could assist you.

Thank you again for your thoughtful question and for being a part of the BCH community. We look forward to supporting your printer modification journey!