HARSH VAPOR, lots of coughing & can't breathe! Newbie Help!!

[enadrown]

I decided it was time to try an e-cig and bought a 510 Titan kit from Totally Wicked, some extra carts, and 30ml bottle of 36 mg menthol juice. I was so excited, still am, but am having some issues with vaping. I am 23 and have been smoking 1.5-3 packs of Kool's a day for years.

The only word to describe my vaping so far is harsh. I got the kit yesterday at noon, harsh from the get go, use the wet carts at first. Kept them topped off, didn't vape too long, didn't take big hits, didn't vape for long periods of time without letting the atty cool down and my lungs HURT. This morning I changed atty's and it seemed a lot better like it was a bad atty. It also got a little better when I totally removed the carts fiber-fill and dripped on the atty. But it is still harsh, it hurts to breath, makes me cough, and I have to take super small draws to even get it in my lungs.

Being a heavy smoker, average is 2 packs a day, I wouldn't have thought that it would be so hard to smoke the vapor.

Is this normal? Does the vapor make everyone choke and sputter? I have only smoked two cigs, am getting my nicotine fix, but CANNOT BREATHE, it hurts, smoking an analog cigarette is REFRESHING right now. I had a good run today when I sat at the computer and did it for 30 or so minutes straight after changing from the atty that was harsh from the first minute, thats the only time it didn't make me cough.

How long should an atty last, would they be bad already after 1 day? Someone please throw some ideas out there, I like this and REALLY want/need it to work!! Thanks!

I have some juice on the way from Dawn, and we'll see if it's possibly the juice.

Imagine those morning when you wake up and just can't breathe, that's what the vaping is doing to me right now. Immediately after I started shouldn't be analog withdraws yet?

[stormynights]

I think your nicotine is too strong for you. Dilute it with PF or VG.

[doots]

Hi En

it could be the juice youre using. what mg is it?

it also can be that the atty needs to be broken in. Some attys have primer on them that needs to burn off. This can cause harsh throat hits.

Vaping shouldnt burn or make you cough. There is a short time though to get use to it as its not like cig smoke and cause burn a little at first but yours sounds like more than usual.

Dripping was good. make sure you place several drops of liquid down the atty on the bridge of the atty and then place your cart back on.

Like I said, it might just be the eliquid youre using,

You can cut it down a bit using vegtable glycerin which will give you also a smoother vape..

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

Could very well be the PG. It is rare, but some people just can't get used to it or can't seem to tolerate it. A friend's mother just had to stop using an e-cig since she coughed every time she tried to take in the vapor. She refused to try other liquid (VG).

My sister took a hit off of my e-cig and coughed (and she smokes some "other" stuff that'd make anyone cough!).

You might want to try buying a bottle of plain Vegetable Glycerin. Cleaning out a cartridge, and try vaping that (thin very slightly with a bit of distilled water). If you do ok with it, you may need to switch to a VG liquid.

[Elapid]

If I had judged the e-cig by the first few timers I used them I might have given up on them. But I was determined to help out my lungs and continued until I ended up breaking in the atomizer and developing my vaping technique. There is a learning curve you have to go through to get the most from your e-cig. Do the same and you will get the technique down and your atomizer broken in. I promise you that you will be glad you did in the long run.

Best of luck, Elapid---<

[MaxUT]

"harsh from the get go"

Could be the primer in the atomizers, some of that stuff is extremely nasty and gives a harsh taste. I've taken to washing them out before using them, just in case.
Could also be some cartridge filler stuck to the atomizer mesh and melted on it.

I would do this:

Take the atomizer off and blow the remaining liquid out into a paper towel. I always blow into the cart side to do this.

Soak the atomizer in hot water for a few minutes, sling the water out of it and lay it on its side to dry.

Put it on a battery and do a dry burn. Look into the atomizer and hold the battery button down. Let it come to red heat and hold it there for several seconds. Let it cool down.

Prime the atty with 3 drops of e-liquid, let it soak in for a couple minutes, then put on a full cartridge and give it a try. It may still take some time to get the last of the bad taste out so I wouldn't inhale the first few puffs.

[enadrown]

thanks for all the replys, I am going to clean atty's and pick up some vg tomorrow. After trying it again before bed I am honestly wondering if it's not some sort of allergic reaction somehow?? anyone heard of that?

like i said 36 mg totally wicked juice. i'll go get some VG tomorrow, tried to find some this morning no luck at walmart, will hit walgreens tomorrow.

can i just put plain VG on the atty to see if it is atty or juice since the other juice i ordered hasn't come in yet?

thanks again for the replys, i am definitely going to be dedicated and try to make this work even if I have to try another e-cig, which might have to wait a while due to budget issues. but i'll keep trying the 510 and suggestions! you guys are great~

[enadrown]

o and... how long should an atty last? (i'll still clean it) but being new dont want to be puffing on a faded atty and making things worse for me! lol

[Snarkyone]

Atomizer life differs greatly from user to user and atomizer to atomizer. Some people never clean them and get months of use others clean them and only get a month or two or only a matter of a few weeks. It varies I have 4 atomizers that I have rotated through for the last month and I have had only one failure, and one failed after I cleaned it. You just can't say with any accuracy or intelligence how long one will last. I think a good rule of thumb is to just treat them as consumable and plan on replacing them every other month or so depending on how much you use them. This way you will always have a fresh atomizer giving optimum performance and plenty of spares if need be. The people that I have talked to that do this all seem to enjoy their E-cig with few hassles. A lot of it is just getting it the head to treat the atomizers as consumables that need to be replaced much like a air filter or oil filter. It's like vaping with a new kit every month or so.

The other things mentioned were all well and good but there is one other thing. It could be that the 510 just hits too harsh for your taste and it always will. I have one and I think it hits a bit on the harsh side but it doesn't make me start into a coughing fit or anything it is just a little harsh. I like the m401's taste over the 510 that I have, it just taste better. I know of plenty others who feel the same way and the 910 provides a better taste than the 510 from what I understand. Just because it makes a ton of vapor it is not for everyone. If it's tons of vapor you want use some VG based juice or add a little to your juices. It's something to consider, the 510 does hit a bit heavy compared to the others that I mention.

[doots]

you can use vg by itself but it is thick and really needs to be thinned somewhat with a drop or two of vodka or distilled water to thin it out a bit. that would be fine.

An atty could last months, weeks or a day. no way to know. Ive had 1 410 atty for months and still doing good.