Will this carto tank ever not suck?

[Scarey]

I've heard such high praise for carto tanks. I bought a low-end one (Boge F-16) to see if they were for me. So far, my experience has been this: Not enough liquid, dry hits, okay, that's not good for a carto, get it wetter. Floooding... Let it sit, looks dry... test, dry... Fill. Flooood. Let it sit. Floood. Good vape, flood... Dry... Flood...

Is there a happy meduim between flooding, dry, and leaking onto my mod? So far, I'm not remotely impressed.

 

[zapped]

Sounds as if youre not priming it correctly or you dont have a tight seal. My carto tanks work perfectly but there was a learning curve to using them.

 

[CrimsonJack]

I refer you to the Carto-master: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/3710-5-baditudes-cartomizer-tank-setup-guide.html

 

[Baditude]

It sounds like you have already flooded your cartomizers beyond repair. Start over with a new carto.

As my friend Zapped said, priming the carto correctly is the single most important step in a cartotank setup. How well you do this will determine how well that carto performs for its entire life.

Follow the method I use here word for word. Watch the video. Use the tooth pick. Get yourself a tank accessory tool. There is a slight learning curve with cartotanks, but you'll get it down soon.

Baditude's Cartotank Setup Guide

Cartotank Help for a Noob

Make certain your draw techique is correct for a cartotank. Slow gentle long draws of 4 - 6 seconds - imagine sucking on a straw in a thick milkshake. Short hard draw like you are smoking a cigarette will flood the carto. Not priming the carto adequately will cause dry burnt hits.

I'm not a fan of the low-end tanks like the F16, but it hopefully will give you a glimpse of what a quality cartotank can provide.

 

[Peppie]

I thought the same thing when I got my first carto tank (IBTANKED Halfing) Bought a few short non-punched cartos for it.
I had the same problems you are having.
I said F it and put it aside... for a while.
I tried punching more holes, tried less holes. Played with the voltage. Nothing was working. I set it aside again...

Then just last week I bought a standard sized IBTANKED tube and 3 standard 2 hole LR cartos. I figured all these vapers who love the flavor they are getting from their cartos cant all be wrong.

Put the new tank on the caps, loaded in the new carto, filled the tank, primed the carto and walked away for 10 mins., primed the carto again. Set the voltage to 4 volts and had at it. Yep not much vapor!! Damn Try again, Dry. re-prime, next hit, OK, but not good.

Set it down for a day... I added two more holes to the carto that is in the tank, re-primed. let it set for a couple of min. Took a few short hits. Better. Took a nice stead easy draw, much much better.

I can NOT chain vape this carto. I really didnt get it to chain vape. (I have drippers for that) I got it for the flavor factor in a tank that I dont have to drip into every 10 or so hits.

I have been using this carto tank all nite and am pleased with the performance.

Moral of this long winded store.
Dont give up, dink with it a bit, try a few different things. ALL these Carto nuts out there, Arent nuts


I have NOT yet read the above links. I must have got lucky. LOL
I will be doing some reading.
Thanks Badattuide

 

[Scarey]

I think I've got the draw down.When it did perform well, it was alright. I never heard of damage by flooding though. I guess I need to look into priming more. First carto: Burnt. Second carto: flooded to death. Maybe I'll figure this thing out on number three...

 

[Peppie]

I think I've got the draw down.When it did perform well, it was alright. I never heard of damage by flooding though. I guess I need to look into priming more. First carto: Burnt. Second carto: flooded to death. Maybe I'll figure this thing out on number three...

Keep at it.
Took me a bit more than that..
It was worth the hassle IMO

 

[The Vagabond]

I primarily chain vape carto tanks - in rotation
There was a learning curve and some variation from juice to juice

I love my main tank a BAT Tank that holds 15 ml of juice and I keep it loaded with a vanilla that I vape @ 10 ml's a night from it.
don't get me wrong I do like my RBA's and genies, I have a few clearos and Bcc's, but carto tanks are my go to E-liquid delivery vessel.

 

[danca90]

I use XXL cartos sometimes, they hold 3.5 ml, so no need for a tank.

 

[Baditude]

I love my main tank a BAT Tank that holds 15 ml of juice

That BAT tank made by Cirrus has a 12 ml capacity, not 15. Cirrus Bad ... Tank

 

[Baditude]

I think I've got the draw down.When it did perform well, it was alright. I never heard of damage by flooding though. I guess I need to look into priming more. First carto: Burnt. Second carto: flooded to death. Maybe I'll figure this thing out on number three...

Burnt taste: Carto not primed correctly, poor draw technique, carto is not adequately wicking enough juice, or carto has been used past its prime and needs to be replaced.

Flooded carto: Carto not primed correctly, poor draw technique, carto is not wicking correctly (possibly a pressure leak in the tank), carto has been used past its prime and needs to be replaced.

 

[PBOB]

My experience is, read Baditude's blogs and follow Baditude's directions. I just got started on Carto-tanks a couple of weeks ago and have had nothing but success.

 

[Rocketpunk]

Cartos truly aren't that difficult to master. Like everyone else, especially Baditude, has said, priming the carto is the number one key factor in making carto tanks work. All it takes is a little practice. Trial and error is the norm for these things. It's no where near as difficult as rebuildables, which I've noticed a gazillion noobs jumping onto.

I'm known to my friends as the carto god. I am a lesser god because I learned from the greater god, Baditude. It's all in the method. I use the drip/flick method. Some people use the condom method. The Ocelot Method is also an effective method, and was made by one of our own, dearly-loved ECF members, The Ocelot. I've also seen some people insert a dry carto into a full tank and use a sucking action to prime it. It works, but gets juice in your mouth. People with Thingy's from IBTanked can use it to prime their cartos that way, too.

Don't give up. Practice makes perfect. You wonder why so many people love their carto tanks? Because they rock. It just takes a little effort. Not a lot, a little. The pay off is SO worth it in the end.

 

[wv2win]

Sounds as if youre not priming it correctly or you dont have a tight seal. My carto tanks work perfectly but there was a learning curve to using them.

I agree. Using a cheap plastic carto-tank is the problem. I've used the same glass carto-tank for over a year with the same seals and have never had a leak. With a fresh carto you do have to prime it with 20-30 drops of eliquid. After that, they will last anywhere from 8 - 14 days and all you have to do is add eliquid to the tank once a day (5ml tank). Mine work flawlessly. Although I do not like Boge cartos.

You will have to experiment with how many pre-punched holes works best for you. I recommend no less than 2 and find 3 to be better.

 

[Asbestos4004]

If you get it on your 3rd carto you beat me. It took me a few more. I watched a bunch of videos...slowed down a little and presto...I love cartos. I had it down pretty good. I was using Boge cartos with AGR tanks. I liked those for the locking and filling features. I though a certain amount of initial flooding was just part of using cartos but I was fine with it. A few blows to clear out the tube and they worked fine. Then I read Baditude' stuff and honed my technique a bit. I upgraded my tanks to IBTanked...not only do they look way better, they perform way better. I don't ever deal with initial flooding anymore...none. No dry hits....none. I use thicker juices and I punch 2 holes. I love cartos and tanks...always have. It'll get better...keep at it and take advice from the vets. I actually like the vape I get off my Kayfun better but as far as being out and about, carto tanks are hard to beat when you need performance, reliability, consistency and simplicity all rolled into one package.

 

[Caffeine7]

I'm new at carto tanks too, its only been around a week. I was fortunate to have the vape shop guy show me the condom method so i did that and it worked well. I then read batitude's advice and used the condom method but then shook it down like a thermometer and dripped some more juice into it and they have been working awesome so far, only one that wasnt primed well and i think that was my being impatient to try the new juice. The flavor is a little bit better than my pro tank and pro tank 2 but more consistent with no dry hits and they seem to stay cooler.

 

[OlDogNewTricks]

There is a learning curve.

I don't run mine over 8 watts.

Don't run dark juices, if you can't see through the tank, don't use it with a carto.

Don't overfill. Leave about 1/8 - 1/4 inch.

I use the suction method. Fill the tank. Cup the end of the carto so no air can flow through it. Put suction on the mouthpiece for a second or two, moderate suction, not hard. Repeat till you see a drop of fluid on your cupping hand. Set it down for a minute. Repeat until you have lowered the fluid level in the tank 1/4-1/2 inch. Refill, leaving 1/8-1/4 airspace. Leave upright for 5 minutes or so. I use a pill bottle to hold my cartos.

Draw like you are drinking from a straw, no more than 8 seconds or so. Give it 15 seconds between draws.

Don't let the holes in the carto be dry.

I get 30-40ml through them before they start to get tight in the draw.

Boge XL LR (F16) cartos cost about a buck here: vapelite.info, great vendor.

Tanks: Smoktech pyrex DCTs. Cheap and very nice.

I cannot agree with the other posters about Baditude. Completely changed my vape. Cannot thank him enough.

Good luck and have fun! Once you get good at them, they produce very decent flavor and vapor with no maintenance.

 

[fourthrok]

Just thought I'd mention something about tanks. You don't "have" to have the expensive glass tanks to be successful. Honestly, you really don't. If you want them, fine. But a tank, after all, is just a container that holds juice. So long as the O rings are good and make a tight seal, that is the only truly important part. The main thing is to prime your carto (I use a sharp --not blunt-- needle on a luer lock top bottle available at a few vendors if you search a bit) After you've filled the carto using whatever method you want, then drop a few drops one at a time into the connector end of the carto; into the little hole there. Wipe down the threads a bit with tissue. After that it's a matter of filling the tank and just vaping. When you refill you shouldn't take the tank off the PV. Just use a tank filler tool (best) or simply slide the tank up carefully fill, avoiding the carto itself, and go. The amount of holes in the carto is pretty much determined by the thickness of your juice. I agree that 2 holes are pretty much a minimum. Periodically I might take off the tank/carto and drop a few more drops into the connector end. Or just slip my sharp needle into the carto and give it a little squirt of juice. Especially when the tank has been sitting around unused awhile. In the event you get gurgling, just remove the carto tank, gently blow through to clear the excess juice, and replace cartotank back on to the PV.

I use all sorts of tanks...from more expensive pyrex kind, to side hold fill with or without metal caps, to the cheapest plastic ones with delrin end caps. They all work the same for me. Some are prettier than others...but they all work the same. I've been using carto tanks now for over 2 years and rarely have a problem.

 

[Jayvaps]

Man, I am glad I just went full tilt and tried the IBTank first.

I was looking at the F15 and 16 tanks to 'try' but then just bit the bullet and bought an IBTanked. The price is not that steep. I igured I could try out different cartos as that is where the flavor and hit comes from.

I just got it yesterday. I primed it using the IBTanked 'thingy method' and it worked perfectly. Twisted the thingy a bunch of times, put a few drops on top, let it sit for 30 minutes and it has been working like a champ since then.

Although, I did have some experience with cartos(not carto tanks) before, as I started out with regular cartos.

I went with a standard sized tank, as I figured that would give me a warmer vape compared to the XL cartos, and I like top coil clearos because of their warmer vape.

I am a happy camper now with my IBTanked carto tank. The best advice I can give you OP is to bite the bullet, spend the money and get a good tank and some good pre punched cartos.

My first order at IBTanked was $40.50. But that included 5 pre punched cartos, a carto tool and a colored tank and the shipping. You can probably get a full tank not colored, 2 cartos AND a carto tool for $30 shipped. With the included free thingy which makes priming the carto very simple.

Oh, and I have pretty much been chain vaping it. I have just had to fill up the tank again for the 3rd time in 1 day. That is how well I like the flavor out of this tank and a standard pre punched smoktech 2ohm single coil

 

[The Ocelot]

There are so many ways to fill a carto. I'm constantly experimenting every time I read something new, but most of the time it ends being a variation of my usual method. Here's a pictorial of what I do:

The Ocelot Method of Carto Filling (aka The Upside-Down Condom)