Cleaning atomizer

[Janet]

Greg,

What supplies do you need elaboration on?

well that didn't work i wonder why it didn't post correctly

see if this works




Hey Janet,



I'm assembling a sort of E-cig toolbox a collection of gadgets and doodads that people use for thier e-cig "hobby" and i was intrigued by your list could you explain how you use some of your items with exception to the obvious ones thanks!



Greg

[raven]

[QUOTE=ApOsTle51;38924]right , well after thinking that steam cleaning might work and Ruby's steam cleaning trial with her

Tried cleaning my 901b atomizer first, Now the atomizer wasn't dead or dying but vapour was diminishing and i wasnt getting much from it.
Gave it a good few blasts cart end and another good few blasts the battery end with the steam gun, blew out any excess water, only let it dry out for an hour or so ( stood it on my pc tower, nice and warm there ) dripped about 6 drops of liquid onto the atomizer, put in a new cart, attached a fresh battery , let her sit for 5 mins to let the juice soak into the atomizer a little and hey presto , The Little guy smokes good as new, great draw again , vapour a plenty...SUCCESS

like it.

Only thing is now i'm constantly looking around for things to steam clean

[raven]

That is a great tip. I have a larger model and you are right - see to be always looking for something to steam!

[surbitonPete]

I don't know what to think.....steam cleaning hasn't worked for me.

[Iken]

If it helps anyone, I boiled water in a small metal cup, used a pair of tongs and held the atom cart side down about 5-6 inches away from the water just to capture the steam for about 1 minute ( every 10 or so seconds I would shake the atom (still using tongs) to get the rest of the liquid out. Then I blew in the batt side to clear a little more. Then I used a small shot of butane in both sides to dry, let sit for about 30 seconds, then added 10 or so drops in the atom to primer (slowly!) 2 drops, rotate, let soak.

This procedure seems long, but only took 5 min and I'm sure there's alot more better methods on this thread, but this way works if you dont have a steamcleaner or patience to wait a while for drying

[smig]

I used a office gas duster to clean the atomizer. It got all the liquid out and now works like a charm.

[Gibby]

Okay, just a bit of analysis, which may or may not clear somethings up for some people.

Seems that the method of cleaning might depend on the specific situation. From my experience, which is only a few months mind you, is the following.

If you have only had an atomizer a week, and your performance has gone down hill, chances are what you have is a liquid build up, so blowing it out, with your mouth, or a can of air duster should suffice, after you get the liquid cleared out, take it easy on the liquid if you are dripping, if you are using carts, not much you can do, but make sure a cart is completely out before you switch them.

If you have had an atomizer a few weeks, and your performance has gone down hill, you may only have a liquid build up, so try what is above first, if that doesn't work, what you probably have is, techincally speaking yucky slimey stuff in your atomizer that simply blowing it out won't pick up. So at that point, you are going to want to steam or boil, i think steaming may work best, but the biggest point is to get the build up wet, and hot, so that the slime dissolves, and is able to leak out of your atomizer. Whichever you choose, you are going to want to blow your atomizer out and let drain a bit afterward.

Oh, and if you have a really hot atomizer, don't blow into with canned air duster, as it will increase the chances of your atomizer dying during the cleaning process (i don't want to explain extreme temperature changes and its affect on stuff, but drop a few ice cubes into a glass of hot water, enough said). Let it cool down to wear it won't burn your lips if you are going to blow into with yourself, or just to touch if you want to use duster, but make sure to do short bursts so not to cool it down with the duster too rapidly, the time varies, so i didnt' want to quote a specific time.

Once you are done, you will probably have to use about twice the normal liquid, or take several extra drags off of your cartridge before you get consistant vapor, due to you having just completely dried your atomizer out, and even then, you may still feel some resistance for probably an entire cartridge, or about your 3rd or 4th "session", or whatever you want to call it, of dripping.

Not sure if this helps or hurts, but there you go.

B

[rsngfrce]

Okay, just a bit of analysis, which may or may not clear somethings up for some people.

Seems that the method of cleaning might depend on the specific situation. From my experience, which is only a few months mind you, is the following.

Very helpful in my opinion... you'd have to read tons of messages to get it broken down this well...

[RjG]

To add to the previous post, here's a summary of the four distinct phases of atomizer degradation discovered so far.

1. Mesh is saturated with stuff that doesn't wick well (wash,steam,blow out,drain, etc)
2. Liquid feed hole at bottom of atomizer is blocked up (use pin to clear crust,or realign)
3. Atomizer is crusted over (coke soak, and/or red hot coil into cold water shock treatment)
4. Electrical failure (broken wire maybe you can solder back on, or broken coil)

[surbitonPete]

Just to add an observation ...It seems like there is a sort of oily component of the liquid that cannot be vapourized and that what builds up in the atomizer. That's why draining or washing can help as long as the burnt on gunk hasn't built up too much on the coil.