Printer Potty: Is it working?

Symptoms:

After fitting an external waste ink kit (eg: Printer Potty):

• All prints are now printing black or very dark
• Blobs of ink appearing on paper
• Very little or no waste ink is reaching the tank
• The capping station (printhead parking area) remains flooded with “black” ink after a head clean

 

All of these symptoms point to a restriction/clog/blockage at some point between the capping station (where the printhead will rest/clean) and the vent outlet on the waste tank.

Standard Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Use a pin/needle (or similar) to check the waste tank vent hole is not blocked.
   1. If blocked use a tool to poke the blockage through
   2. If the vent hole is missing contact support
2. Check the waste tube clamps are not closed/clamped shut
   1. Release clamps if shut
3. Check the waste tube installation for any kinks/folds/bends that are restricting or blocking ink flow
   1. Reroute/Reinstall tubing part to remove any sharp bends that encourage folds/kinks

Further Troubleshooting Steps

If the standard steps don’t solve the problem, there are some additional steps to check and resolve things:

• Check valve opens properly:
  1. Remove coloured connector from tube end and wash out
  2. Screw connector fully on to valve
  3. Blow gently into connector to check if valve is opening and allowing air through (if not contact support).
• Check tubing is not blocked
  1. Uninstall the waste kit tubing part from the printer
  2. Wash tubing through to remove any waste ink/dirt
  3. Blow gently down tube from the valve/coloured connector end
  4. For duo kit tube (with 2 extensions) plug one of the inlet connectors to check air flow through the other then swap.
  5. If air is not passing through, check for crimps, clamps and then disassemble tubing part in stages to isolate the blockage and/or contact support

 

Printer Waste Ink System Clogged?

If the printer hasn’t been used in some time or was showing the symptoms BEFORE the waste kit was installed it’s likely the issue is with the original waste ink system. Check this troubleshooting guide instead (pending)