HP Photosmart 5510/5520 Won't Print Black • Purge Unit Repair & Printer Refurbish

Hi
In this video, I'll perform a repair on an HP Photosmart 5520 sent to me by one of my subscribers!
This printer was not printing black, and he already replaced the printhead so it was something different. These printers have a widespread issue with the purge pump, part of the purge unit (cleaning unit/service station), in a few words black ink clogs inside of the pump and it gets stuck. As the purge pump doesn't work anymore, the printhead cannot be cleaned nor prepared for printing. Replacement parts cannot be found anywhere, so the only (messy) way is to unclog it manually.
I would like to thank once again my subscriber who sent me this printer, without his support I couldn't be able to make this video, and it's one of my most requested videos since I made the video of the printhead replacement on the HP Photosmart 5520.
I hope this will be helpful, and hopefully less printers will end up in landfills.

How to contact me:
If you need help fixing your printer, leave a comment under the video you're watching. I always reply to the comments whenever I have some time.
For commercial requests, send me an email to the address you can find in the "about" section of my YouTube Channel. Please consider that any email received for any reason other than commercial requests will probably be ignored. I don't have a service center and I don't do repairs for other people, I just make YouTube videos on how to fix printers :)

[ivandavidcarmona]

Got to say, you are really a genius. I have a Photosmart 5510 that wasn´t printing in black. I tried to clean the heads myself, but it didn't solve the problem. I took the printer to a technical service, and they told me to buy another printer because they thought it was a problem with the heads. But I didn't give up and found your amazing video. I was able to figure out that the problem was the ink was stuck in the hoses of the pump. It was so stuck that I actually had to use a rigid wire to unclog the ink and use alcohol until all the ink was removed. I just wanted to share my anecdote and say thank you very much. I'm a new subscriber of your channel

[garethwilliams]

Thank you for such a detailed video on how to clean the HP5520 series printer. My neighbours HP5524 was leaking black ink out of the bottom of the case onto the desk! I followed your dis-assembly instructions and found that the bottom of the case at the right hand end was simply swimming in ink. On checking the Purge pads and pump, all was working OK. Further investigation showed that the reservoirs, at the very right hand end of the printer, were over flowing. Managed to remove sponges, washed them (now white instead of black!) and soaked up residue in the bottom of the reservoirs, and the bottom of the case, with kitchen towel. Re-assembled the printer, prayed, then switched on the power. All seemed to work OK so printed test sheets. First was a bit messy, but after that it was perfect. Happy neighbour. Thanks again for such a detailed video.

[richardwallinger]

this is the very best tutorial video on you tube .. great tutorial and clear instructions . 78 year old english guy retired to Portugal . I already flushed the dirty ink zone using warm water and a small paintbrush .Flushed the cartridge tray using a sheep syringe filled with nice clean hot ish water . great explanation on the function of the purge unit .I didn, t understand the function / how it pumps in both directions . well done you deserve a medal . I bought a HP envy 6430e printer to replace my HP 5520 and was not able to configure it to function with my HP tower computer running windows 7.. the two techies in Staples also failed to connect the new printer to my Windows 7 computer .. they returned my payment and then I discovered your brilliant tutorial video which restored my 5520 to as new printing performance .I am refilling my original HP cartridges .. the cost of four new cartridges was massive .

[patrickchoquet]

Je tiens à vous remercier car vous êtes le seule à avoir su expliquer pourquoi que l’ encre noir ne faisait pas d’ impression, maintenant je vais pratiquer le débouchage et remettre en service cette imprimante. Je souhaite une bonne journée.❤

[Mrbobinge]

One of the very best descriptions of a fix, any fix, I've watched.
Easy language explanations attention to detail cautions warnings. Pleasant relaxed demeanour.
Thanks Paolo Marcelli.
Thanks Leanne Neal for pointing us to him (3-months ago).

[catchingstars]

SOLVED. Thank you for saving my printer! Fixed! My HP 5524 printer wouldn't print black. Now it prints black! These are experience-informed tips for future me (or other viewers). I spent two hours writing these tips, spread out over multiple comments below my own:


- If the video of by Marcin Błaczkowski doesn't work, this above video is for you.
- Use gloves! My fingers are still black a week later. Washing my hands with bars of soap helped, as did showering.
- Going through the troubleshooting process for the first time as beginner without experience, and doing testruns, took me around 3 days or 24h before printing black worked. In my inexperience, I was very careful. But it was a hobby for me and gave me a sense of accomplishment. I would do it again.

PREP
- I recommend wearing gloves and doing it in a room with tiles or in a sink.
- Spilled ink? Pat on it, don't smear.
- Have paper towels on hand, ones that don't fall apart when you look at them.
- before disassembly, watch the entire above video and read my entire list
- Read the top comment by an ex-HP employee, on the video "Printer Ink, It's a SCAM" by Fstoppers to understand why printing in black also drains your colour cartidge.
- 70% alcohol did nothing to clean the print ink. Hot water helped, don't burn yourself though. If you use so much heat it burns, the sillicon tubes get soft and I worry about making them to big.
- I think I used torx screwdriver bit size 10 for the screws.
- You probably want to use WD-40 grease.

GETTING TO THE PRINTHEAD
- INJURY DANGER when pressing the top lever to pry off the screen. Left and right of it are extremely sharp edges and I hurt my fingers. I have permanent holes in two fingertips because I used so much force and when it shot loose, I impaled my fingertips on the sharp edges. I got revenge on the screen. I used a hobby knife to cut off the top hook, an the right hook. The screen is now MUCH easier to take off, but still clicks firmly into place. In the process of testing, I must've removed the screen and top plate at least fifteen times. I'm extremely glad I cut off two of those three nasty hooks immediately at the start.
- Put screws in cups.
- Don't let screw 08:01 fall into the printer.
- At the flat cables, pull on the thin plastic cables, not on the white sockets.
- The clear copper-coloured plastic is fragile. Memorize which side is top and which side is left, so you can put it back correctly.
- I followed a 'how to clean your printhead' video that takes out the printhead carrier for a guide on how to disessemble the first part. The other video's presenter used crocodile pliers and a paperclip to hook into the springs of the printhead. This was a safer and more controlled removal of all springs, since there is a lot of tension on it.
- I never fully removed the metal bar with the red wires on the left side. I didn't want to accidentally break them, so I put the bar down at an angle. It was partially loose, and the right part leaned on the location where the screen attaches to the frame.

Comment 1 of 3 with my tips.
For more tips, see my own comments under this post.

[StewartB]

Solved my problem, there was masses of black ink around the pump which had solidified on the pads along the side blocking the pump hose outlet. With hindsight I would try cleaning those first (21:20) in case it solved the problem before disassembling the whole pump assembly.

Big thanks for posting this!

[michaelbegg]

brilliant video, just saved some land fill. my printer was nobbled by a hp update that was rectified by removing all updates and returning to original specs by using the "hidden menu" that hp do not share for obvious reasons. my printer is now 10 years old.
thank you.

[owdblenky]

Thank you so much for a brilliant video. This is the one that sorted out my printer problem. I watched others but they all refer to cleaning the printhead and that isn't the problem. On my printer I found that the purge system tubes for the black ink were so badly clogged up, I had to use a piece of wire to unblock them. Like using drain rods on a blocked sewer pipe!! A couple of tips for anyone else doing this. Firstly, wear old clothes as the ink will wash off your hands eventually but not easy to wash out of fabrics. Also, put some clingfilm on tiles at the back of your sink as the ink will stain the white grout. When using the wire keep the tube straight and don't attempt to go round corners as the wire will push through the side of the tube. Every time you pull the wire out give it a wipe then dip in water before going in again. Where the tube goes round a bend, squeeze it with your fingers to break up the ink then finally flush it out using the syringe. It takes time and patience but it got my printer working again.

[Avyre]

Unpacked my 5510 after a couple years of no use post-university, managed to find ink that didn't cost me the price of a new printer, no black ink on any page.
Managed to find how to remove the printheads but no dice on fixing it. Saw this video and since I had the guts out to remove the printheads, figured I should check the purge pump.
Hoo boy.
A day's worth of work, 2 syringes, some plastic line, stained fingers, and part wiggling later, I have black ink again. Nearly every line in the black ink side of the pump was severely clogged and took about an hour to clear out. But lo! I have black ink again! And now I know how to clean it should it get clogged again. Full marks from me, sir, you've extended the life of my printer dramatically and saved me a large headache.

[aviadlakha]

I dont generally leave comments, but this video was good and to the point, explaining everything, I dont think I have seen a better video tutorial ever on YouTube.

For people using Photosmart 5520, there is one screw beneath the name sticker on the outer dock, and one extra inside on top right for the purge pump!

Thank you so much!

[kevinwatts]

Excellent tutorial!
Following this to the letter resolved my Black ink problem, I now have a neat, fully functioning printer again. Would not have been able to do it without you, thanks so much.

[t_craig_rogers]

Awesome video! Your detailed instructions brought my 5520 back from the dead! My black purge circuit was completely clogged... Thank You very much!

[JBF]

This fixed our old printer! It would not print black ink. I followed this all the way to removing and rinsing everything. It works, but is time consuming and messy. Thank you!!!!

[miguelangileri]

Hola exelente tu video, Paolo, me gustaría saber como limpias el cabezal de impresión, saludos

[stephanieferndale]

Thank you for your great video I followed it concisely, found the problem and "job done", blocked black outlet hose, I could not shift the blockage so I separated the pump, removed the pipe, pushed a wire through it followed by the water in a syringe and reassembled. I took loads of photos so I could put it back how it was, so the pump is fixable. Your presentation, content and delivery is excellent, you saved me loads of money and hassle, also it boosted my self confidence. Regards, Stephanie.😃

[leanneneal]

Amazing! With this incredibly detailed video I was able to discover that this printer had dried black ink pretty much everywhere. I really tried not to pull on the purge pump tubes but by holding them near the base of the pump where they are attached, but pulling on them did enable the dried ink to break apart. It took a great deal of efforts that really felt like they might damage the printer, including an intense combination of isopropyl alcohol and a syringe both the pump tubes and on the wire mesh that the black ink cartridge rests on. I also used compressed air to get the dried ink out of the printhead. I am far from an expert, but figured that the printer wasn't working anyway and I couldn't really break it worse. Honestly I am shocked that my printer actually is back to working again now and it is at least as good as new. I wouldn't have ever attempted this fix with out these amazing videos and the comments from others who also tried and succeeded in saving their printer. Thank you all!!

[dejavu-pflanzenversuche]

thank you so much for this detailed video. I've literally never seen a printers insides before and with your tutorial I could still repair it! The purge unit was clogged so much that I even had to use a small wire to clean it on the inside (recommended by another commentator here), and it works now!

[joetter]

This was such a helpful tutorial!!! Thank you so much for posting this. I cleaned and replaced my printer head, but was still not able to print black ink. With the help of this tutorial, I was able to find the issue and fix the purge system plug. Thank you!!

[hectorsesay]

Great tutorial and you are quick in replying to my message when I got stock and your immediate response made the repairs a success. I sent the message while working on the clear and detailed instructions had revived my 7 years old printer - Hp photosmart 5510 back to life....
Since I bought it i used it few times and it has been sitting there to print once in a
Keep the good work