MutohVJ-1624 Nocturnal Ink Consumption

Two times within the last week and half, I've left the shop with no flashing "low ink" warning, only to return the following morning to "no ink" messages (magenta in both cases).

Has anyone ever run across malfunctioning cleaning cycles? I suspect that cleaning operation may be chugging ink. We haven't had a major uptick in production, and these cartridges generally last a month (maybe less in crunch time, this isn't crunch time).

Any ideas would be most appreciated.

 

I've run a couple manual cleanings with a fresh magenta cartridge (440ml). After 2 Normal cleans, and 1 Long clean, I'm down to 99% according to the mutoh ink status. I know that gauge may not be perfectly accurate, but the Mutoh would only run two cleaning cycles overnight. So maybe my cleaning theory is in the tank.

 

I replaced it in May.

I just ran a cleaning and kept an eye on things. The only problem I saw was a clog in one of the twin tubes that carry the waste ink out of the machine. Any possibility of replacing those tubes without the whole maintenance station? And would a clogged tube create any kind of excessive ink dump?