Question: Is it safe to use a damaged head in your Printer ?

[The Hat]

Some say definitely not and others say most definitely yes, but there are exceptions to this rule, so it’s imperative that you know where that head came from before you use it first, otherwise it’s a definite no.

If the head came out of a known working printer because it has failed to give a satisfactory nozzle print, then that head is safe to use for test purposes.

When your printer suffers an error and it won’t budge and just sits there with flashing lights for instance, and you can’t figure out what the hell is wrong with it, the best way to trouble shot the problem is to use a spare print head to see if the printer will function again.

If for any reason your printer suffers a power failure and wont power on again, then NEVER use any parts out of that machine again and that goes double for the print head, also never be tempted to put a brand new head in either.

Most Canon errors are very mischievous and don’t relate to one single specific problem but once that error is lodged in the EPROM it’s very hard to dislodge it, but guess what 99% of the time a new print head seems to always work, and so those a different print head, I wonder why ?

So if your print head has a poor nozzle check and you decide to replace it, always keep that damaged head safe because you never know the day you might need it again..

 

[martin0reg]

I basically agree with your findings, The Hat.

As this question is one of the most important for canon users, I try to add:
- what sort of damage or failure of the printhead tells me: don't use this head anymore because it could affect the printer?

- what sort of damage or failure of the printer tells me: don't use this anymore because it could affect a new printhead?

I had an old printer (s9000) that won't turn on, opened the body and took out the head, and it's working again... on the other hand I have printheads which I wouldn't use in a working printer...

Perhaps other canon users can tell their story of damaging, what failed first and if there was a happy or unhappy ending. So we could confirm or specify some of the rules you tried to frame

 

[martin0reg]

My story of today, a problem which was easier to solve than I expected.

Out of the blue my ip3000 with a new printhead did not print text black anymore, the test pattern for this channel, the grid on top of the nozzle check, just wasn't there.
I expected the worst, some electrical damage of the head which would block the whole channel, as this is a well known unhappy end of canon heads. This printhead would probably not be considered as a risk to put in another printer, but sadly without canon's sharp text printing

But after changing the carts I and looking at my stock of different pigment black ink, I realized my fault: I had refilled the bigger text black cart with some matte black for epson. Which black pigments would suit the canon - but not the ink base..!?
I remembered the discussion about inks for bubble jet and piezo... and I'm now sure that it was the ink base of epson matte black, which did not work in canon's pigment channel for "text black".

I took out all carts and the head, turned the printer off, hoping that the blockage would be temporary. And after flushing the head (whichh indeed showed NO big black row, only the small color rows if stamped on a paper towel) and filling another E3bk with dedicated canon text black - the text black was there!
So this was a failure of my own, but it made the printer block a complete channel - and fortunately it was temporary...

 

[The Hat]

That’s the happy ending that I love to hear..

 

[websnail]

I'd probably agree with the above... The thing that makes me wary is the experience we discussed some time back where a printhead failed, took the printer with it but nobody realised until the printhead was moved and blew the next printer carcass it was installed in.

Ultimately the thing that would influence me is if I knew or suspected I knew what the issue was that had borked the printheads original printer.

If ever there was a hint of electrical failure that printhead would be hitting the recycle bin with speed.. Clogging, paper feed errors, etc... those would probably fit my "safe" category.

Impressed by your save though @martin0reg .. Proves the point about "universal inks" rather aptly to boot

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

'universal ink' - I guess that's something like a universal tire for all cars....

 

[websnail]

'universal ink' - I guess that's something like a universal tire for all cars....

It's those "refill kits" you get in supermarkets where they promise they'll work in everything from Brother to Canon, Epson and probably pens too.

One of the key reasons people give up on refilling pretty darned quick too.

 

[martin0reg]

...
Impressed by your save though @martin0reg .. Proves the point about "universal inks" rather aptly to boot

The ink that blocked the text black nozzles, or to be precise: that made the printer block this channel (and luckily unblocked it again) was epson ultrachrome MK (original out of a cart).
I would really like to know what ingredients make a bubble jet ink and what make a piezo ink.. I think it must be the ink base, which has to be suited for either heating (bubble jet) or pressure (piezo). A chemist might find it out by comparing some mds files..

... The thing that makes me wary is the experience we discussed some time back where a printhead failed, took the printer with it but nobody realised until the printhead was moved and blew the next printer carcass it was installed in.
...

There is also the other possibility, which in fact happened to me:
Where a printhead failed, damaged the printer board, perhaps by some electrical short, but you can't really proove this - until a new printhead was put in and got burnt at once. This was my last original qy6-0075, now available only refurbished or overpriced. Unhappy ending that was.