Rebuilding coil and wicks on Triton

[GermZx]

So, following the rebuilding guide by Joe, I rebuilt my 2 of my 3 triton coils with Kanthal 32g wire, and either 2mm silica or 2mm ekowool cotton centered wick.

In either case I get a burnt taste. I have tried 5, 6, and 7 wrap coils, both compressed into a min-coil and uncompressed (non-touching wraps) as well as boiled my ekowool, and torched my silica.

The best results I have gotten have been the silica torched on a 6 wrap mini-coil. But even after 2h+ vaping it still hits burnt flavor, although less than the other attempts. The 7 coil ekowool barely hits. I'm pretty frustrated.

The silica I'm using is from LightingVapes, and compared to the Halo stock wick, it is way less see through. It still torches normal, but I couldn't see why else I'm getting the burnt flavor after so many vapes. The ekowool perhaps is just due to the cotton center which I don't like at all.

I'm considering moving to a different, more rebuild-able system due to this, as the trial and error and seemingly no end of the burnt flavor is really upsetting me. I love Tribeca so it's very annoying! Any tips? My coils are pretty much perfect. I've tried removing strands from the 2mm silica one by one, to no avail. The ekowool is pretty much a bust, plus being 2mm plus or minus .3mm it doesn't fit in the stock coil or comparable coil, and i use a different drill bit to mold the new coils. Still, it has a very cottony burnt flavor.

 

[FallenRawToast]

what is the resistance of the coils you have built?

 

[GermZx]

I actually don't have a multimeter or anything to measure the resistance with...The only one I have in the garage sucks. I read somewhere that Halo's stock coils are 32g Kanthal with 5 wraps. Either way, I have used from 5-7 wrap coils in either the compressed mini-coil or spread out coil, with good connections, so I can't figure out if the issue is the coils or the wicks. Again, the stock wick seems way way more transparent than the wicks I got from LightingVapes.

To try to remedy any possible wick issues I have been removing one strand at a time hoping letting more juice in would alleviate the issue, to no avail.

I feel like dropping money on a multimeter (at least the one on LightingVapes which is 14) would really just push me to buy a different tank that's easier to rebuild, or a battery that has an inline meter and perhaps VV.

 

[FallenRawToast]

Well... without testing the resistance there is no way to know if the coils you are wrapping are of the ohm level you want. Because the total ohms is not really about how many coils you made, but about how long the length of kanthal is, what type it is, and what gauge it is.

Ekowool, when sold is normally talking about the inner diameter and not the outer as with normal silca. Plus with the cotton core will make it thicker still.

I mention the above, just because that can affect how much lenght of wire you used, and the more you use the higher your resistance, which is why... following someone elses instructions on how to build a coil is great, but until you really have a technique down... you should have a decent ohm meter handy to check if you got it right.

Also there are different types of 32AW Kanthal, A1, A, D etc etc etc. They all have slightly different heat thresholds, but also slightly different resistance values. Most vapshops sell A1, but I have seen a few others selling other types.

Anyways, sort it is a bit of a ramble, but i was trying to make the point, that you really need a multimeter for this, at least at first till you can just bang out new coils for a head, without thinking about it. Till you develope the muscle memory for it.

 

[PeteC2]

Yep, just a guess but I'd say that most likely it is one of three things:

1. Your coil resistance is too low. Lower than ideal coil resistance will certainly result in a hot/burnt taste

2. You may be wrapping your coils too tight or too loose, resulting in "hot spots".

3. You may not be breaking in your coils properly. Almost all coils are not going to fire evenly at first wrap. After building your coil, it is important to "pulse" fire the coil until you see the entire coil glowing evenly.

IMHO, a multimeter is an absolute "must have" for rebuilding coils, especially since the Triton does not have a digital read out showing resistance. Without that, you are simply guessing what your coil resistance is.

Unfortunately, the Triton threaded tanks do not match many vaping multimeters, but you can use a regular multimeter (less convenient, but do-able) to check the resistance.

On the other hand, the Triton tank coils can last a very long time with judicious cleaning and dry burning...I've gotten easily over a month from some, so IMHO buying replacement coils is cost effective enough not to bother with rebuilding...but to each his/her own.

 

[GermZx]

Alrighty, I got a multimeter. The ekowool one at 2mm diameter coil i rebuilt into a 5 wrap minicoil, which is clocking at 2.1-2.2 ohms. This is still tasting a bit odd, but i think it's just cotton flavor, I don't know. I haven't had a pull from the ekowool that I would strive to get again, but it's no longer completely off-putting.

The stock tank I have measures 2.4ohm, and my rebuilt silica tank measures 1.9-2.0 ohms, so I will rebuild that aiming for 2.3-2.4 and post back.

On a side note, I think I will be buying some sort of new RDA soon. Will I need a different battery or will the Triton battery's voltage work for most of them? I was looking at a Protank 2 mini as it is single coil, or a KFL+ clone of some sort.

I like the idea of being able to easily rebuild everything for a better experience, and I love my Triton, but I've had it for like 2 months and I'm feeling like an upgrade.

Btw, I took note Pete, and I properly broke the coils in and checked for hotspots and everything, thanks for the tips.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

[gopher_byrd]

For different toppers you will need an KR801D to 510 adapter as the Triton uses KR801D with the outer VGO connectors (what Triton tanks actually connect to) versus 510 connectors for the devices you mentioned. It will not look pretty...

 

[FallenRawToast]

well the connector type on a triton battery is a different type than most of the tanks out there, so you will need an adator. Yes you can use them and their voltage to run the tanks.. BUT... you then have to use an adator, which start to make things more clunky and top heavy.

For a lot of people this is a bit of a deal breaker.

a lot of the questions and answers you are looking for are in this thread;

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/halo/534822-another-glass-tank-question.html

 

[Joe13]

Are you wrapping the coil on a 1/16" drill bit? Last batch of 2mm silica wick I got from Lightning Vapes was way too fat (for me) to thread into a 1/16" coil. I had to remove three strands. Did the same for the flavor wick.

Have you tried a different liquid? I DIY 50/50, and some flavors are just prone to burning. Your coils appear have a lower resistance than the stock Triton coils. If the same liquid vaped fine on the stock coils, but are tasting burned on your rebuilt coils, the lower resistance might be to blame. If you're using high VG liquid, you may need to remove more than three strands to allow the thicker liquid to wick properly.

(By "mini coil" I assume you mean "micro coil"?)