Plastic melting carts = poison

[paulyc44]

I am surprised no one has mentioned this. After vaping for a few weeks I noticed that my carts have small notches on the end that slips into the atty. Upon further inspection I noticed that the part of the cart that slips into the atty has also thinned out compared to a new cart.

Obviously this is occuring over time, however this also means that they are melting on a microscopic level and being inhaled into my lungs. I do know that inhaling burning plastic is poisonous and this concerns me quite a bit.

I know some will tell me to not hit it every 2 seconds but that's not a solution. Some will say don't use a cart more than a few times but this is not a solution either because regarless, a new cart begins the melting process not visible to the eye.

Has anyone else noticed there carts melting?

 

[Pumaman]

I assume you have a 510? If so, you need to align your cartridges so the flat edges don't sit on the edges of the bridge. Just use search, the details are posted here somewhere.

 

[Scottbee]

I am surprised no one has mentioned this. After vaping for a few weeks I noticed that my carts have small notches on the end that slips into the atty. Upon further inspection I noticed that the part of the cart that slips into the atty has also thinned out compared to a new cart.

Obviously this is occuring over time, however this also means that they are melting on a microscopic level and being inhaled into my lungs. I do know that inhaling burning plastic is poisonous and this concerns me quite a bit.

I know some will tell me to not hit it every 2 seconds but that's not a solution. Some will say don't use a cart more than a few times but this is not a solution either because regarless, a new cart begins the melting process not visible to the eye.

Has anyone else noticed there carts melting?

I SERIOUSLY doubt that you are actually melting the plastic cart. By design, the bridge doesn't get nearly hot enough to vaporize the liquid, much less melt plastic. The coil is a different story, it can get hot enough to melt plastic, but in normal use it never will. And, the plastic of the cart never comes anywhere remotely close to the coil.

 

[Pumaman]

I SERIOUSLY doubt that you are actually melting the plastic cart. By design, the bridge doesn't get nearly hot enough to vaporize the liquid, much less melt plastic. The coil is a different story, it can get hot enough to melt plastic, but in normal use it never will. And, the plastic of the cart never comes anywhere remotely close to the coil.

I have a couple myself, the edges did indeed melt right where the were intersecting the edge of the bridge if I didn't align them.

 

[Nestran]

I must concur. There is an irregular edge there.

Nestran

 

[CJsKee]

I use 901 carts on my 510 and haven't had a problem with them melting...and I don't have to align any particular way.

 

[Scottbee]

I use 901 carts on my 510 as well.. and a couple of my 510 attys run REALLY HOT. I can see a deformation where the bridge has contacted the plastic of the cart.... but absolutely no melting.

The true melting point of most plastics is between 300 and 600 degrees. That's substantially higher than any bridge temperatures that I've ever seen.

Deflection temperatures run about 100 degrees lower than that. So deflection I could believe (barely).

 

[oldtechno]

I took a quick look at mine...most of them have only been used for about 2 days at most. So far, so good.

Smart idea though...everybody should take a quick look.

 

[Vaporer]

Is this occuring at 3.7v or are you the 5 & 6v burners?
I could see the possibility of the higher heat from the higher voltage doing damage.
It wasn't designed for it.

I have a couple 510 carts I modified the outlets for the draw I prefer. I've used both daily for over 2 months. They fit well and other than normal insertion scuffing, they look fine.

At higher temps, I'd be more concerned of producing Acrolein................

 

[ladyraj]

I had the same experience with carts melting when I ran my PV too hot. Now I alternate between PVs for those heavier vaping periods.

 

[NightShadow]

I also have had this issue.

I have been using the same cart for a week and a half, and while I thought I had been aligning it correctly there is always the chance I missed on ocassion.

I admit that using the same cart for a week and half straight is perhaps a BIT much, but I wanted to see how they would hold up. (I did wash the filler every few refills)

My 510 atty is also a "high bridge" type, Using stock 3.7v manual batteries.

Obviously I am not a fan of inhaling burnt plastic either, so I trimmed off the affected section with a box cutter, about a dimes thickness of material. I havent used it as long now as I had originally to replicate the ammount of use/abuse yet to see if this is enough clearance to not melt it over time. I did note that the divot in the filler material after removal is much less pronounced (deep) than it was before, but still there for wicking. It is working the same as an uncut cart however.

Before discovering this, when refilling my cart I would have the filler matierial even with the edge of the cart, and upon removal of the cart after use the filler would be pushed back into the cart (from being pressed against the high bridge (wick?).

I PM'd a few kind people here and was told that this generally is a non issue with the Low Bridge atty's, which I will need to try just for this if my trimming experiment ends up in more (slight) melting.

Unless the low bridge atty's eleminate this, I would hope to see a metal cart design come out in the future.

I know the pic is not HQ, but hopefully clear enough that you can see the deformation of the melted area on the cut off section.

Top = new cart.
Bottom - trimmed cart.
Right = cut off section with the melted part (divot) on top.

Sorry, I wasn't able to borrow Bandit's awesome camera, and mad skillz to take the pic.

 

[Vaporer]

Even @ 3.7v I have had the filler shrink & harden leaving a bad taste.
The PTB filler stopped that.

 

[cyberwolfrob]

although I am new to the vaping i have not incurred a prob with it at all

 

[Jules22871]

I SERIOUSLY doubt that you are actually melting the plastic cart. By design, the bridge doesn't get nearly hot enough to vaporize the liquid, much less melt plastic. The coil is a different story, it can get hot enough to melt plastic, but in normal use it never will. And, the plastic of the cart never comes anywhere remotely close to the coil.

If you are using a 510 atty and a 510 cart you can most definitely melt one if you do not align it right. To do this, look into your atty, you will see on either side of the bridge a white semi-circle. Align your atty with that and you will be fine. Turn it the other way and you will MELT it. There is one type of 510 atty, not sure what it is called or who makes it, but the white semi-circles aren't there, just align your cart with the tiny wicking fibers you see sticking out from underneath the bridge. This is from personal experience. I have melted grooves in my carts before I learned how to align them the correct way.

 

[TommyGunBC]

IMO carts suck I stopped using them in the first week of vaping , that was in January. Just get yourself sealed batteries and drip drip drip !!! and if you must use carts get a model that uses cartomizers .

 

[Jules22871]

IMO carts suck I stopped using them in the first week of vaping , that was in January. Just get yourself sealed batteries and drip drip drip !!! and if you must use carts get a model that uses cartomizers .

Don't you use an empty cart, no filler when you drip? That is the way I do it. I dont' think I could stand the heat on my lips without a cart. All I do is drip but I still use the cart for the mouthpiece.

 

[TommyGunBC]

yes I still use a tip with no filling , so in essence I don't think of it as a cart it is just a tip . the only thing I use carts with is my Evo but that is very rare .

 

[Jules22871]

yes I still use a tip with no filling , so in essence I don't think of it as a cart it is just a tip . the only thing I use carts with is my Evo but that is very rare .

lol, I was hoping you had some secret that you were going to share to get away from carts,lol

 

[Kate51]

I also have had this issue.

I have been using the same cart for a week and a half, and while I thought I had been aligning it correctly there is always the chance I missed on ocassion.

I admit that using the same cart for a week and half straight is perhaps a BIT much, but I wanted to see how they would hold up. (I did wash the filler every few refills)

My 510 atty is also a "high bridge" type, Using stock 3.7v manual batteries.

Obviously I am not a fan of inhaling burnt plastic either, so I trimmed off the affected section with a box cutter, about a dimes thickness of material. I havent used it as long now as I had originally to replicate the ammount of use/abuse yet to see if this is enough clearance to not melt it over time. I did note that the divot in the filler material after removal is much less pronounced (deep) than it was before, but still there for wicking. It is working the same as an uncut cart however.

Before discovering this, when refilling my cart I would have the filler matierial even with the edge of the cart, and upon removal of the cart after use the filler would be pushed back into the cart (from being pressed against the high bridge (wick?).

I PM'd a few kind people here and was told that this generally is a non issue with the Low Bridge atty's, which I will need to try just for this if my trimming experiment ends up in more (slight) melting.

Unless the low bridge atty's eleminate this, I would hope to see a metal cart design come out in the future.

I know the pic is not HQ, but hopefully clear enough that you can see the deformation of the melted area on the cut off section.

Top = new cart.
Bottom - trimmed cart.
Right = cut off section with the melted part (divot) on top.

Sorry, I wasn't able to borrow Bandit's awesome camera, and mad skillz to take the pic.

Halleluhia, finally found someone else who trims carts...mine are 801's, and have definitely found they get hot enough to foul up vaping for awhile, 'burned' is a good word, it's gross! Even with low-bridge design attys not all carts are created equal, I do trim them if the atty pushes the wicking up into the cart, CUT!
And totally agree with all who say line up the cart with the bridge, it is a must do.

 

[TommyGunBC]

ahh now I see it my 510 cart tips are starting to warp and melt , none of the my 901 or 801 cart tips do this , I think it is the thin plastic the 510 cart tips are made of I will either trim my 510 tips or just use the thicker 901 for them .