How to tell when atomiser is dead?

[Starlight]

I know that atomisers can die and aren't meant to last that long anyway, but how can one tell when an atomiser has had it? Or does one just assume it's had it if no vapour comes out anymore and nothing else seems to fix that? Or is there some sort of physical sign that lets one know it's dead?

[ZambucaLu]

Whenever I think my atomizer is dead, the first thing I do is take off the cartridge and suck directly on the atomizer. No vapor.....I try it on another battery just to be sure.

I do this because I have had batteries that actually light up when I suck on it so it seems like the battery is good so the atomizer must be bad....but when I tried it on another battery it worked. Could be a bad connection...or could be the battery still lights up sometime even though it's on its way out. Always good to double check 'em.

Sometimes blowing out both ends and/or cleaning them revives them too. Funny things, those atomizers

Lu

[Sun Vaporer]

Whenever I think my atomizer is dead, the first thing I do is take off the cartridge and suck directly on the atomizer. No vapor.....I try it on another battery just to be sure.

I do this because I have had batteries that actually light up when I suck on it so it seems like the battery is good so the atomizer must be bad....but when I tried it on another battery it worked. Could be a bad connection...or could be the battery still lights up sometime even though it's on its way out. Always good to double check 'em.

Sometimes blowing out both ends and/or cleaning them revives them too. Funny things, those atomizers

Lu

We have found that the constant tightening down repeatedly off the batteries sometimes countersinks the treads on the atomizer to the point that a contact is no longer made--we had this issue with 5 passthoughs and blamed it on the passthoughs when in fact all the passthoughs worked fine with a new atomizer. A piece of foil placed in the hole of the battery allowed contact to be made. So we now try to be careful not to tighten down the battery hard as to not so ever slightly dispace and countersink the atomizer contact treading...

[Starlight]

Thanks Lu

I was asking more for future reference as I don't think it's happened to me yet although I've got one (an EVO one, only 1 or 2 weeks old) that seems to be a bit erratic this evening. Maybe it's due to what you said about a one-off dodgy battery connection as I too tried it on a different battery and it worked for a short while then stopped again. I did try recharging the battery but it's made no difference. Then, a little while later, it seems to work again but only for a short while. Maybe it just needs a good night's sleep, like me, as it's a nutty hour of the morning here in the UK!

I already discovered on this wonderful forum about using empty carts to suck away excess vapour when none seems to come out (can't do it directly on the atomiser on an EVO as the mesh is right at the top) and to drain carts overnight having blown into them with air.

I just wondered if atomisers just stopped working without any visible signs of "damage" or if there were any visible signs of death, something like the mesh getting all messed up or something?

[Starlight]

We have found that the constant tightening down repeatedly off the batteries sometimes countersinks the treads on the atomizer to the point that a contact is no longer made

Ahhh.... now that might be it... I do remember thinking I'd maybe tightened the battery a bit too much on that particular atomiser, but I think it was only once and not constant and repeatedly as I'm usually quite gentle in assembling these things.

Either way, that's a very useful tip, thanks so much for it for future reference!

[GabbyD]

I've had one atomizer clog up pretty bad. It still works, but it's a hard draw. I've had a couple more die on me and you will know it because they won't get hot at all. However, that could still be an issue with not making contact with a battery so you have to work that out too. However, if you're using one and haven't switched batteries and all the sudden it just doesn't get hot, it's likely dead.

[Starlight]

So, if I've understood this right: if the draw becomes difficult and the atomiser doesn't get so hot (or doesn't get hot at all), then it's indicative that it's died.

Thanks, that's all very helpful.

[GabbyD]

It won't get hot at all if it's dead. If it gets clogged, you can try cleaning it. Some have been successful with various methods, like boiling (check the tips & tricks section for details). My one clogged one didn't clear up too much when I boiled it, but it got a little better. I just save it for an emergency back-up.

[Starlight]

Thanks again :-) I did once try gently swishing atomisers in boiled water for a quick 60 seconds to clear them of old flavours although it didn't really help in that respect. Maybe I was too chicken to try boiling them for longer for fear of damaging them. But if it's a case of a possible dead atomiser, I'd certainly try boiling them for longer.

[Chris From Cali]

I'll usually let mine sit in a bowl of warm water, then repeat my once or twice. Do a quick rinse and let it dry. Upon placing it back on the battery it usually takes quite a while for it to come back to life however. Normall at LEAST 20 puffs