Provari for two years, what am I doing wrong?

[vtmnd]

I need help. I've been looking for answers on the forum for weeks and the more I read the more confused I'm getting. I'm not really a newbie, as my title says I've been vaping for two years using a v2 Provari Mini. I just haven't posted much, more of an onlooker for advice. With so many new batteries, tanks, clearomizers, atomizers, cartomizers, juices coming out (seems by the week!) I'm just at a loss.

The first 6 months of using my provari I had absolutely no issues. First I dripped with a cartomizer and quickly moved onto tanks with a punched carto. Worked perfectly! Then the dripping started to happen and the burning tastes more frequently. So I tried a vivi nova tank with immediate fail...dripping, burning. I then went back to the DCT tanks (I think that's what they were called...they don't sell them anymore on the provape website) and tried different cartomizers, but they all did the same thing. I finally got an Aspire Nautilus after the rave reviews on the forum. Again...immediate fail. I vaped low voltage and high voltage and always experienced leaking through the adjustable air holes.

I'm now back to dripping using iKenvape cartomizers that are in stock.

I use the provape premium ejuice peppermint patty flavor (dark color). I've read that the juice might be too thick for most tanks, but I've tried other juices that were thinner and had the same experience....sometimes worse. I havent found another ejuice that I like either. Most are too perfumy, even after I air them out, shake, and steep for weeks.

I'm looking for throat hit.

So my questions are:

1. What am I doing wrong?

2. Is there a different juice I should be using?

3. Is the Provari too much power for these tanks? Should I purchase a back up device? If so, which one (preferably on the cheap) that could give me a good throat hit?

4. Is there another tank I should try? Or is it time I get into rebuildables? If rebuildables, I know nothing about those and get more confused reading about all the different things you can do. A simple set up explanation would be helpful.

Thank you so much. I love this forum. It has seriously changed my life and possibly have saved my life. I was a 20 year pack a day smoker. 2 year vaper without a puff of the cancer sticks.

 

[tj99959]

Sounds to me like your carto tanks need new o-rings.

I use these tanks (mine are three years old)
Standard J-Tank (3.3ml) | ElectronicStix.Com
and punch these cartos with a saddle valve from Home Depot
Boge 510 Blank Cartomizer Standard Resistance 3.0 oHM 5 Pack | ElectronicStix.Com
and run my Provari at about 4.4v
Also, the darker/sweater the liquid ... the shorter the carto life. I use clear flavors, and a carto usually lasts a month.

ps: if you liked carto tanks, you will like a KayFun. (rebuildable)

 

[Train2]

Let's go back to "worked perfectly" - the tanks with a punched carto...
What's wrong with that?
I use a bunch of other stuff too now, but that's still my typical "out for the day" setup.
If you suddenly started having trouble with cartos, it may have been a manufacturing issue - there were some "bad batches" both from Boge and from Ikenvape.

If you liked that vape, I'd give it another try with the following thoughts:
1 - different people like different cartos. I actually WANT to love Ikenvape, but haven't liked the last two new products. I am using Boge, no-flange (just my preference), with big holes, or even a slot.

2 - You DO have to have a QUALITY tank. Cheaper ones tend to not hold a vacuum, which is critical in order for the liquid to "wick" properly up the carto. The cheapest GOOD tanks are from IBTanked.

If you want to move into rebuilding your own coil and wick, that gives you more control over the vape, of course, and a lot of people will recommend you get a Kayfun or some variant of a Kayfun (here's a cheap but OK copy). That is definitely worth considering.

Either way though, your ProVari should be a fine device to power the topper - getting good flavor and vapor is mostly "all about the juice delivery".

 

[tj99959]

IBT's are a 1 to 1 CLONE of the J-Tank.

 

[Bassnorma]

I need help. I've been looking for answers on the forum for weeks and the more I read the more confused I'm getting. I'm not really a newbie, as my title says I've been vaping for two years using a v2 Provari Mini. I just haven't posted much, more of an onlooker for advice. With so many new batteries, tanks, clearomizers, atomizers, cartomizers, juices coming out (seems by the week!) I'm just at a loss.

The first 6 months of using my provari I had absolutely no issues. First I dripped with a cartomizer and quickly moved onto tanks with a punched carto. Worked perfectly! Then the dripping started to happen and the burning tastes more frequently. So I tried a vivi nova tank with immediate fail...dripping, burning. I then went back to the DCT tanks (I think that's what they were called...they don't sell them anymore on the provape website) and tried different cartomizers, but they all did the same thing. I finally got an Aspire Nautilus after the rave reviews on the forum. Again...immediate fail. I vaped low voltage and high voltage and always experienced leaking through the adjustable air holes.

I'm now back to dripping using iKenvape cartomizers that are in stock.

I use the provape premium ejuice peppermint patty flavor (dark color). I've read that the juice might be too thick for most tanks, but I've tried other juices that were thinner and had the same experience....sometimes worse. I havent found another ejuice that I like either. Most are too perfumy, even after I air them out, shake, and steep for weeks.

I'm looking for throat hit.

So my questions are:

1. What am I doing wrong?

2. Is there a different juice I should be using?

3. Is the Provari too much power for these tanks? Should I purchase a back up device? If so, which one (preferably on the cheap) that could give me a good throat hit?

4. Is there another tank I should try? Or is it time I get into rebuildables? If rebuildables, I know nothing about those and get more confused reading about all the different things you can do. A simple set up explanation would be helpful.

Thank you so much. I love this forum. It has seriously changed my life and possibly have saved my life. I was a 20 year pack a day smoker. 2 year vaper without a puff of the cancer sticks.

Hi vtmnd,

Your Provari is just a high-end battery. It will handle all coil ohm levels from about 0.8 and higher. I doubt the battery is causing this issues.

I can give you my history with tanks, if it helps:

Clearomizer tanks - Never found one brand that would consistently work without leaking gurgling or getting completely clogged on any battery. Taste was meh...at best.

Cartomizer Tanks: These worked well but there was a small learning curve...and every now and then I would get a dud carto or I would accidentally flood one. They only leaked when I did the dumb...like thinking I was twisting it off but I was actually pulling...OOOPS. MUCH better taste than a Clearo. I still use these sometimes.

RBA: My newest adventure is the Kayfun Lite Plus v2- I like it so far, but it also has a learning curve. Much better taste....Much better performance. Good starter tank but you need to learn a few things first. If you feel ready to tinker, this is a good start.

We can help you with the why's and wherefores of RBAs, shout if that's a direction you wish to go in. I would definitely recommend it.

A Provari is near perfection, sadly no tank is perfect. And I mean that on ANY mod. I think the KFL+ v2 is the closest I have found.

I still love my IBtanked tanks btw, they are in rotational use with the KFL+ v2.

 

[stevegmu]

Your toppers are the issue; not the Mini. I have had an IBTanked flood, replaced the carto and same issue, replaced the o-rings and bingo...

 

[vtmnd]

Wow! Thank you all for the helpful information! I agree the Provari is near perfection, just need to find the right tank. It does sound like I have been getting dud cartos. I will purchase a J-Tank and Boge cartos.

It looks like I'm missing out not trying rebuildables. Key word "more control". So I will also purchase a Kayfun (start with the cheaper version).

Thank you so much for the quick replies!! Feels like so much stress has been lifted off my shoulders and I have something to start with and try. Earlier today I almost purchased a new battery (downgrading) just to see the difference. I'm glad I waited for your expert advice.

Very excited right now! THANK YOU!

 

[xstitch]

I've never tried a carto tank. When I first got my mini I was using a mini kanger protank,
I learned to make coils for it too, lol!! Eventually I moved on to a kfl+ and have been extremely happy, never have any issues. I now have three kayfun's and three mini's. Making your own coil isn't really hard, the first can be intimidating but don't let it stop you!! My son was having all kinds of problems with his set up, so I bought him a clone and showed him how to build a coil. I haven't heard him complain since then!!

Just my 2 cents


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bassnorma]

Wow! Thank you all for the helpful information! I agree the Provari is near perfection, just need to find the right tank. It does sound like I have been getting dud cartos. I will purchase a J-Tank and Boge cartos.

It looks like I'm missing out not trying rebuildables. Key word "more control". So I will also purchase a Kayfun (start with the cheaper version).

Thank you so much for the quick replies!! Feels like so much stress has been lifted off my shoulders and I have something to start with and try. Earlier today I almost purchased a new battery (downgrading) just to see the difference. I'm glad I waited for your expert advice.

Very excited right now! THANK YOU!

Might do well to replace the O-rings as well...Like Steve and others said...They are cheap enough and at least we can rule them in or out as an issue,

Let us know if you buy that KFL, You can stop into the Saloon, we have some good builders in there who love to answer questions...pay no attention to the bouncer LOL

 

[Ed_C]

IBT's are a 1 to 1 CLONE of the J-Tank.

Aren't the J-Tanks polycarbonate or plastic? Caps look to be a different thickness as well. They are both cartotanks.

 

[vtmnd]

I'll replace the o-rings too. Thank you!

 

[FringeChief68]

I might be able to help with that Aspire Nautilus

The only time I seen a Aspire Nautilus leak was from over or under tightening the coil.

I know I know everyone thinks they don't over tighten but please read this.

The coil is what normally leaks and that should be finger snug not tight. There is a little o-ring on the bottom of the coil right above the threads and if you over tighten, that o-ring gets smashed and will leak. You can see it in the picture below.
In that picture the coil to the right you can see it standing up, there is a hole at the bottom, then threads then that O-ring that I am talking about, it is under a little flange.

When I open mine up to refill my tank my coil becomes real loose to where it will leak. and I have to snug it up again. That is how loose I keep my coil.

The trick is to make it tight enough to stop it from leaking but without crushing that o-ring.
If I do over tighten it and crush that o-ring you can use a little eyeglasses screwdriver and slide it between the o-ring and that little flange to try to puff it back up again. but if it is too flat it might always leak.

First thing is to make sure the airflow is free of any juice, once there is juice in there it's hard to tell if it's still leaking.
Take the whole tank apart, even take the coil out. With a paper towel to catch any juice, blow thru the side adjustable air hole. and any juice in there will come out where the coil was.

Now when you go to put your coil in, just screw it down till that o-ring touches, and then not even maybe a quarter turn.

Here is where the tricky part starts with the Nautilus.

See the top of the tank screws into the top of that coil, so when you tighten down the tank the coil could spin a little and tighten up more.
So if it is tight to begin with, it can be over tightened when screwing the tank back on.

So even if you don't over tighten your coil, if you over tighten you tank it will spin the coil and over tighten the coil

And another problem is that when you take your tank off to fill it, the same thing in reverse can happen and it can loosen the coil without a person knowing and when they put it back together it will leak. So any time you take your tank off make sure that coil is still snug.

The tank is the easy part, it don't have to be tighten down that much either. Just finger snug. Soon as the glass touches the big white gasket, the same thing, maybe just a quarter turn. If it's going to leak there it will do it right off the bat. And this is where you would rather have it leak from because you just snug it up a little bit tighter and it will stop.
The Nautilus is a good tank, but learning how snug to make the coil can be a little tricky.
It's in our nature if something is leaking, make it tighter lol. This is not the case in vaping.

I hope this helps

 

[stevegmu]

Are you using a carto tool to put in the carto? If not, you will eventually cut the o-ring enough to mess with pressure and cause leaking...

 

[vtmnd]

This information is so great!

Another question. Where do you purchase your juice? I'd like to try some clear liquids and compare with my dark liquid to see if the problem was also my juice. I've purchased from various places over the years, but tend to always go back to provape. Ugh...why am I such a newb 2 years into this? lol.

 

[Fir3b1rd]

I need help. I've been looking for answers on the forum for weeks and the more I read the more confused I'm getting. I'm not really a newbie, as my title says I've been vaping for two years using a v2 Provari Mini. I just haven't posted much, more of an onlooker for advice. With so many new batteries, tanks, clearomizers, atomizers, cartomizers, juices coming out (seems by the week!) I'm just at a loss.

The first 6 months of using my provari I had absolutely no issues. First I dripped with a cartomizer and quickly moved onto tanks with a punched carto. Worked perfectly! Then the dripping started to happen and the burning tastes more frequently. So I tried a vivi nova tank with immediate fail...dripping, burning. I then went back to the DCT tanks (I think that's what they were called...they don't sell them anymore on the provape website) and tried different cartomizers, but they all did the same thing. I finally got an Aspire Nautilus after the rave reviews on the forum. Again...immediate fail. I vaped low voltage and high voltage and always experienced leaking through the adjustable air holes.

I'm now back to dripping using iKenvape cartomizers that are in stock.

I use the provape premium ejuice peppermint patty flavor (dark color). I've read that the juice might be too thick for most tanks, but I've tried other juices that were thinner and had the same experience....sometimes worse. I havent found another ejuice that I like either. Most are too perfumy, even after I air them out, shake, and steep for weeks.

I'm looking for throat hit.

So my questions are:

1. What am I doing wrong?

2. Is there a different juice I should be using?

3. Is the Provari too much power for these tanks? Should I purchase a back up device? If so, which one (preferably on the cheap) that could give me a good throat hit?

4. Is there another tank I should try? Or is it time I get into rebuildables? If rebuildables, I know nothing about those and get more confused reading about all the different things you can do. A simple set up explanation would be helpful.

Thank you so much. I love this forum. It has seriously changed my life and possibly have saved my life. I was a 20 year pack a day smoker. 2 year vaper without a puff of the cancer sticks.

I've never used a carto tank so my answers may sound a Tad vague and be off the mark is some respects.
To the question of, is it time to get into rebuilding (RBAs ) ... there is no right time for ANY changes or upgrades, it's all what you as a vapor are comfortable with. I've only been vaping for 11 months, the last 7 with a provari. Before that, I was using an MVP with an aerotank. Another VERY HIGHLY recommended tank system that doesn't require rebuilding would be the Nautilus. The new bottom coils have been said by many to offer supernatural flavor.
To the rebuilding point, I am assuming because you are looking for flavor and throat hit, you're not looking to chase the cumulus clouds. The best "starter " rba would probably be the lauding and a simple YouTube search can point you to some Great instruction. As to which version. For first forray I would suggested either an ehpro or hcigar kayfun v2 clone. Both are between 35 and 40 bucks on eBay or 101vape.com and have earned a reputation for being quality. Setting up a kayfun csn cause you to invent a new language in swear words the first time, but after 2 or three builds it becomes second nature and most provsari users will tell you the two are a marriage made in heaven. I caution you, rebuilding is the start of a serious addiction, once you relaize hoe different it can get, its very easy to build a mammoth collection of tanks If you have any other questions the saloon in provape 's subforum, would be a good place for you to find several provari owners and any of us would be happy to help you in any way we can.
Definitely should you chose to try your hand at the kayfun, you may wanna pop in :

 

[Bassnorma]

Great info Chief Thanks! I learned something there...

To Steve's point, absolutely. And you are not a noob but check these blogs out because they are a treasure trove of carto info

(8) Cartotank Help For a Noob

(5) Baditude's Cartomizer Tank Setup Guide



P.S. I pmed you the Saloon address...come as you are but if you can make a good Mojito...all the better.

 

[stevegmu]

This information is so great!

Another question. Where do you purchase your juice? I'd like to try some clear liquids and compare with my dark liquid to see if the problem was also my juice. I've purchased from various places over the years, but tend to always go back to provape. Ugh...why am I such a newb 2 years into this? lol.

I like ProVape juice, but Halo is my main supplier, followed by Alice In Vapeland.

 

[Bassnorma]

This information is so great!

Another question. Where do you purchase your juice? I'd like to try some clear liquids and compare with my dark liquid to see if the problem was also my juice. I've purchased from various places over the years, but tend to always go back to provape. Ugh...why am I such a newb 2 years into this? lol.

LOL< we are all over the map on juice...it's such a personal thing...Stop on up to the Saloon...we will hash it out over some conversation and BACON

 

[Fir3b1rd]

Here is a Great one stop place to get building info, and instructions.
He has a video at the bottom building a kayfun.
http://www.tasteyourjuice.com/wordpress/rebuilding/

 

[Grimwald]

I had trouble with burning cartos when I first tried carto tanks. I use flanged Smok 2.0 ohm single coil with 2 holes. I have Smok DCTs (large and small), U-DCTs, and IBTanks. In order to get them to wick correctly with my heavy vaping, I needed to open up those 2 holes a bit more with a carto punch. The first time I did this, I didn't own a punch so I used a hammer and small nail, LOL. (I recommend a carto punch) Now all of my tanks work perfectly.