Help A Noob

[Catriona Begg]

I just got the Kangertech subox kit today as I heard it was good for a newbie to get into rta builds etc. Having a few issues though.

First I tried out rta mode, following instructions that came in the pack and also following a youtube video showing the process. I did think at the time I hadn't done it perfect, seemed the coil wasn't centered and I think i used a little too much cotton cause I couldn't pack it leaving it fluffy and with any sort of gaps at the side. I tried it out and it was really bad, liquid in my mouth, sparking/cracking noises, really really noisy and burnt hot taste. Not ideal. What did I do wrong?

Also I've now put the standard 0.5 occ coil that came in the kit in and having the same issues. Really hot vapour coming out but hardly any of it and still liquid coming through even though i've cleaned out the inner shaft and got all the liquid out more seems to be appearing?

Help?!?!?

 

[suprtrkr]

Hi! I don't have that mod and tank assembly, but I think it's a safe bet you didn't do it right the first time. Sparking/cracking noises bother me. You're not talking about juice pops, are you? Electrical noises coming from it is a very bad sign. It's possible you have left a tail on the coil wire that's contacting something, or shorted it out somehow. That would be very bad news, and could short your battery with a number of extremely unpleasant consequences up to and including having the silly thing light on fire while you're trying to vape it. It is not safe to build coils without an ohmmeter to check for this. If you don't have one, don't build any more until you do. Liquid in your mouth (and frequent juice pops) on a rebuild job usually means improper wicking; the wick isn't stopping the juice from flooding the vape chamber and it's going right up the drip tip into your mouth. You say it also happens with the factory coils, though, so maybe the coil and your RTA section were not properly seated in the tank base. Or maybe you have a bad tank base that leaks. Not being well acquainted with your mod, I'll stop there and wait for somebody who knows more about it to respond.

 

[Catriona Begg]

Yeah me neither! I've had the noise before but this is different, much louder much more crackly. Its better now I've taken the rta out and put the occ in though. The coil was already installed in the rta when i got the kit, all i did was add the cotton. My battery measures resistance etc so thought it was okay to do without an ohmmeter? I have seen the very nasty pics on here of builds going wrong so don't want that to happen.
What i'm confused about is the heat from the vape coming out? The only tanks I've used before are the nautilus, nautilus mini and K1 and never had that heat but maybe its just normal with more powerful batteries and i'm just not used to it?

 

[DingerCPA]

Catriona, welcome!

What power level are you using on the mod? Also, everything needs to be "snug", but not over-tight. Did you prime the OCC? I.e. did you put some drops of juice directly on the coil (and even through the flow holes to saturate the cotton?) Then, after filling and assembling the tank, did you leave it sit for a few minutes?

When I put a fresh coil (of any kind - RBA or OCC), I will always start the power low and then work my way up to *MY* vape-nirvana setting. Can't rush this.

+1 to suprtrkr - When I first started building coils, I also used my mod to measure resistance, but I was building 1.7-2.0 ohm coils. It wasn't long before I added a real ohmmeter to my arsenal. It's quite worth it, and keeps your mod safe. Once I have a measurement that is satisfactory, I will pulse fire (without any wicking material) to check for even coil heating. You can make minor adjustments to even up the coil so that you get a uniform glow.

Re: the heat - yes, lower-ohmmed builds will feel much hotter, especially compared to Nautis (you're potentially working with 1/3 the resistance and at least twice as much power.) Truthfully, I am not overly fond of the 0.5 ohm OCCs - they're too warm for me and I feel like I'm sucking on a firehose. I really like the 1.2 ohm stock coils, and my builds are just under 1 ohm, but that's *MY* preference.

Cheers!

 

[nkr501]

What wattage are you using when you get the loud crackles and burnt hot taste?
What was the resistance of the coil you made for your RTA?

 

[AXIOM_1]

Don't have that specific tank but I do rebuild lots on an RDA ....... What I have experienced with crackling popping is when I sometimes get too much juice saturating the wicking. On your particular setup you may be over tightening the coil heads and leaking juice. Just make sure that you do not over tighten either the occ coil assembly or the rebuild-able assembly..... I see lots of folks over tighten and it causes leaks, which causes crackling/popping sounds.

 

[suprtrkr]

Yeah me neither! I've had the noise before but this is different, much louder much more crackly. Its better now I've taken the rta out and put the occ in though. The coil was already installed in the rta when i got the kit, all i did was add the cotton. My battery measures resistance etc so thought it was okay to do without an ohmmeter? I have seen the very nasty pics on here of builds going wrong so don't want that to happen.
What i'm confused about is the heat from the vape coming out? The only tanks I've used before are the nautilus, nautilus mini and K1 and never had that heat but maybe its just normal with more powerful batteries and i'm just not used to it?

More heat is common to higher watts. That is, in fact, what higher watts means in terms of thermodynamics. You're applying more power to the coil and what the coil does with that power is convert it to thermal energy. It may be, once we get you straightened out and the tank working well, you will find you prefer lower wattage settings on your machine. I have a Snow Wolf 200 watt machine. When I first got it, I put a .5 Ohm Kanthal built tank on it and ran it to 100 watts. It made vapor like a fire hose and was so hot it was like breathing flame I never have taken it past 100 watts and I didn't keep it there long. Nowadays, I vape Kanthal builds in the 30-35 watts range on it, and no more than 40 with Temp Control wires. And yeah, I really do suggest an ohmmeter. It doesn't have to break the bank, they can be had, already rigged with a 510 connector so you just screw in the built tank to check, for no more than about 5-10 quid online. If nothing else, it will make *me* sleep better, if not you

 

[Catriona Begg]

I did prime the OCC (0.5) and started really low, now I've worked up to 25w with the air holes fully open and its going fine when I do a lung hit but really rank when I do mouth to lung..but yeah I think that might just be the way its supposed to be and I don't like it too much!

When i built the RTA the resistence was 1.6 and i tried it starting low and working up to 20w but then took it out cause of the sparking noises i got freaked out and would rather keep my face.

I didn't realise over tightening was an issue and think I may have done that cause I always thought the more i tighten the less likely it will leak...oops

 

[Catriona Begg]

Can anyone recommend somewhere online I can get an ohmmeter that ships to the UK?

 

[AXIOM_1]

I didn't realise over tightening was an issue and think I may have done that cause I always thought the more i tighten the less likely it will leak...oops

Yes, over tightening is a COMMON thing for people to do......... The best way to tighten any part on your gear that has on o-ring on it is to simply screw the device until you start to feel just a slight bit of resistance and then top. Lots of folks keep turning past this point and the fragile little o-rings cannot take the pressure.

And yes, Higher wattage is going to create a much hotter vapor.

 

[suprtrkr]

Can anyone recommend somewhere online I can get an ohmmeter that ships to the UK?

Here's one from Fasttech.

 

[Catriona Begg]

Thank you!