# epson 4800 air in lines



## snevamfg (Jan 12, 2011)

my printer always has air in the lines, at 1st we thought the head was clogging but now not sure 75 percent of our artainium uv ink has been used for tests and cleanings please help


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

Are you using bulk or sealed cartridges?
The air must be getting in somewhere - is it the head end or the cartridge end?


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## snevamfg (Jan 12, 2011)

bulk, but i have two sealed cartridges that are working perfectly.


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

So, only bulk carts acting up.


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## snevamfg (Jan 12, 2011)

yes, the sealed carts are working fine.


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Verify the vent holes are clear.
Verify the carts are not leaking internally.


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

So the air is getting into the cartridge end and heading up the tubes?


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Very likely.


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## SublimatorToo (Jan 15, 2009)

snevamfg said:


> 75 percent of our artainium uv ink has been used for tests and cleanings


I run an Epson 4800 as well. Sounds typical of the ink usage. Most of it goes down the drain. 

Running cleaning cycles just uses more ink. 

When I experienced a similar snag I drew a fresh supply of ink through the lines and that ended the problem.

It was real easy. Here's the sneaky clue. When you raise the ink levers, it closes off the lines to the cartridges on that particular bank. So here's what you do. 

1. remove the plastic cover over the print head - held on by three screws. You can probably through it away since it's always coming off for frequent maintenance anyway.

2. with a 9mm wrench, undo the ink line at the damper - that white nylon thing it's connected to - for the problem color. *Don't lose the small rubber O-ring on the hose.* It seals everything up.

3. connect a hose or syringe or smething similar to the hose and draw ink through the line, being certain that you are not leaving any air.

4. *IMPORTANT STEP:* with the line now filled with ink, raise ink lever on the bank that the ink is coming from while still applying suction. This prevents the ink from running back into the cartridge or whatever you are using for your supply.

5. reconnect the line to the damper.

6. try a nozzle check. After one or two you should see the nozzles firing. assuming that your print head is not by no fried or clogged beyond repair (ask me how I know about this and the cost of repair$$) and have noticed that there is no air in the line. The odd small bubble or two is not an issue. 

There are all sorts of things you can easily do for your Epson 4800 that will keep it running smoothly for a long time with veritually no cost and a massive reduction in wasted time and expensive ink - if only either Epson or the supplier would tell you but never will. As a result, my printer now virtually never clogs, runs reliably and my ink costs have polumeted to about 20% of what they were. Live. Experiment. And learn.


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## replicantgraphic (Jul 1, 2010)

Thanks sublimator for that tip. 

I've been having issues switching over to all refillable cartridges. I got them from inkjetcarts online. I had an incurable non printing head. So i switched out the head with another 4800 i have that had a maintenance tank issue.

Anyways even before i did that i notice the ink seems to be 'retreating' back down the tube. Is there something i'm not doing right. Is there a minimum fill line for the carts? I had them about halfway. 

Also what do you think is better all black or just one black and the rest cleaner? 

thanks for any help.


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## Archiebee (Sep 1, 2014)

Hi guys,

Can running white ink lines dry on 4880 (with air) affect other colours being printed?

Cheers


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Yes. The pump pulls a vacuum on all lines at the same time. Air is easier to pull than ink.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Archiebee (Sep 1, 2014)

Ah! We're not getting ANY colours coming through but the white pipes are full of air.

Do you think pulling cleaning solution through the lines and clearing the air would sort it in your opinion?

Cheers!


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