How to clean atomizer

[callousparade]

easy way to clean attys.

buy a 510
never clean it
just blow it out every couple of days


currently on week 7

[Epicwang]

Hey, I don't know if anybody's covered cleaning of the Volcano cig atomizer and I didn't feel like reading through 11 pages. I just wanted to know if I would ever have to resort to the whole coca cola or vinegar bath. I don't drip. I like the taste of my carts. Do I only just need to blow the atomizers out once in a while?

[hxj]

Hey, I don't know if anybody's covered cleaning of the Volcano cig atomizer and I didn't feel like reading through 11 pages. I just wanted to know if I would ever have to resort to the whole coca cola or vinegar bath. I don't drip. I like the taste of my carts. Do I only just need to blow the atomizers out once in a while?

Depends on your habits and liquids, really. But yeah, start by blowing them out every few days, and try to blow them out and then rinse under hot running water and draining maybe once a week. That will probably keep them in great condition.

If they get too much caked-on gunk on their coils and you notice that vapour production has dropped way off and/or the draw has gotten really tight, I've found it effective to put the atomizer in one chamber of a contact lens case, pour in enough 91% isopropyl alcohol or Diet Coke to cover it, screw on the lid, and occasionally shake gently. (If you use alcohol, you should see black flecks of burnt crud flaking off and settling in the bottom; the Coke's a bit too dark to see much.) It can take a while. It goes faster, in my experience, if you occasionally submerge the case in a cup of hot water to warm the alcohol/Coke before shaking.

I had three L88b (blu/Volcano) atomizers that were so caked-up they barely put out any vapour at all, and this method cleaned the coils very well. Now they feel like new again. Of course, they probably wouldn't have gotten so bad in the first place if I'd been blowing them out every few days and flushing with hot water once a week...

[Epicwang]

Cool, thanks for that. as far as drying goes, do I just use a hair dryer on it?

[hxj]

Cool, thanks for that. as far as drying goes, do I just use a hair dryer on it?

Some people do, I just blow out the water as hard as I can and then leave the atomizers propped up mesh-side-down in a folded-up paper towel so the water can wick out of the mesh into the paper. After at least a few hours (I typically let them drain/dry overnight), I re-prime with a couple of drops of liquid, attach a cart, and wait a couple of minutes for the liquid to wick. After that, it can take a half-dozen or so draws for the vapour production to come all the way back.

[Epicwang]

Ok so I had 2 atomizers (Still talking about the L88B model here). One of them wasn't working so well, so I tried the soda bath followed by rinsing in hot water and blow drying. I killed the atty. It won't vape at all. It's not the battery. Is there anything else I can do to try to save this atomizer?

[Scottbee]

Ok so I had 2 atomizers (Still talking about the L88B model here). One of them wasn't working so well, so I tried the soda bath followed by rinsing in hot water and blow drying. I killed the atty. It won't vape at all. It's not the battery. Is there anything else I can do to try to save this atomizer?

Have you checked it with a meter to see if the coil is "open"? If it is, then it's dead, dead, dead.

[hxj]

Have you checked it with a meter to see if the coil is "open"? If it is, then it's dead, dead, dead.

Yeah, I agree-- sounds like an open circuit and there's nothing more to be done.

If you don't have a meter available, if you just draw on the e-cig for a long time and the atomizer stays completely cold, that should indicate a broken wire and a totally dead atomizer.

Another thing that's happened to me with that model atomizer is that I noticed the vapour getting worse and worse, and eventually it just stopped completely-- when I opened it up, I found that the white fibrous wick connecting the mesh to the coil had burned all the way through, so I guess no liquid was actually making it to the coil anymore? I'm still unclear on the workings of that little white wick.

[Epicwang]

Ok. I poked and prodded around the inside of the "non working" atomizer. Now if I draw enough I get SOME vapor but if I inhale nothing comes out. I only get a tiny bit of vapor when I draw on it with just my mouth. Any suggestions?

[hxj]

Ok. I poked and prodded around the inside of the "non working" atomizer. Now if I draw enough I get SOME vapor but if I inhale nothing comes out. I only get a tiny bit of vapor when I draw on it with just my mouth. Any suggestions?

Actually, that sounds like it might just still have water inside. I'd try blowing it out really hard and draining it for at least a few more hours (upright, mesh-down in a folded-up paper towel to wick out the water), then re-prime with a couple drops of liquid and try again. It's not uncommon to have to drag 7 or 8 times before the vapour starts to come back.