Cleaning Atomizers
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I have a nearly new (1 week old) RN4081 atomizer I have at home in a bath of isopropyl alcohol. It will be 24 hours by the time I get home to take it out, rinse it out and blow it out with canned air. It was acting funny with the two batteries that came with it... so I guess it was time to clean it. I've only been vaping for a week so I am really not sure what I was supposed to do with it.
While the 4081 atty is soaking, I have a 510 kit that just came in yesterday from cignot.com I have been playing with. It's pretty darn nice not having the damn light flashing at me for drawing too long. We'll see how long the 510 lasts.
If the isopropyl alcohol doesn't work I will try hydrogen peroxide as that seems to generally be the most recommended way to clean them.
While the 4081 atty is soaking, I have a 510 kit that just came in yesterday from cignot.com I have been playing with. It's pretty darn nice not having the damn light flashing at me for drawing too long. We'll see how long the 510 lasts.
If the isopropyl alcohol doesn't work I will try hydrogen peroxide as that seems to generally be the most recommended way to clean them.
All I do with my attys is rinse them a couple minutes in very hot water. Then I blow them out, add juice and puff with an empty cart till they heat up and continue to add juice until I get good vapor. Been working well for me.
~BK
~BK
hi i just got a 510 but the atty is in a plastic covering. can i still clean it and how often should i? thanks!
You probably want to take off the plastic packing.....
Sorry, I just couldn't resist. Sorry if I offended Sunshine87.
I use the Everclear method of cleaning. Even new attys I get. Some flavors are a little hard to remove but the Everclear always gets it out. I clean the new attys because sometimes they can taste pretty bad on the first vape.
So in my experience so far it is important to check the resistance of your atomizers. The resistance should be normally around 2 to 3 ohms. This will give you an idea of the electrical health of the atomizer. It will not tell you that there is or isn't a dirty coil. An atomizer coil that is coated with carbon will still have good electrical resistance.
There are 3 types of atomizer failure:
1. Electrical problems that can be detected with an ohm meter. Resistance higher than 2 to 4 ohms is not normal. This indicates something is breaking down either in the coil itself or the coil connections are going bad. Be sure that the multimeter you are using can be trusted to give fairly accurate numbers. High resistance is not repairable and the atomizer will fail soon.
2. Coil coated with carbon. This is hard to correct due to the toughness of carbon. It is extremely difficult to get rid of carbon build-up. Some try dry burn, hydrogen peroxide burn and other different ways to clean this carbon off. This is the leading cause of atomizer failure. As far as I know, no one has been successful at removing the carbon build-up.
3. Wicking problems due to juice clogs. This problem is usually easy to correct by soaking in alcohol or other "safe" solvents. Be sure to wash the atomizer out real well with lots of hot water and let dry before repriming with 3 drops of liquid.
It is my theory that atomizers with a higher than normal resistance will fail quicker at higher voltages. This is due to heat from the voltage drop across poor connection, the problem that is causing the resistance.
I hope this helps someone.
Kevin
There are 3 types of atomizer failure:
1. Electrical problems that can be detected with an ohm meter. Resistance higher than 2 to 4 ohms is not normal. This indicates something is breaking down either in the coil itself or the coil connections are going bad. Be sure that the multimeter you are using can be trusted to give fairly accurate numbers. High resistance is not repairable and the atomizer will fail soon.
2. Coil coated with carbon. This is hard to correct due to the toughness of carbon. It is extremely difficult to get rid of carbon build-up. Some try dry burn, hydrogen peroxide burn and other different ways to clean this carbon off. This is the leading cause of atomizer failure. As far as I know, no one has been successful at removing the carbon build-up.
3. Wicking problems due to juice clogs. This problem is usually easy to correct by soaking in alcohol or other "safe" solvents. Be sure to wash the atomizer out real well with lots of hot water and let dry before repriming with 3 drops of liquid.
It is my theory that atomizers with a higher than normal resistance will fail quicker at higher voltages. This is due to heat from the voltage drop across poor connection, the problem that is causing the resistance.
I hope this helps someone.
Kevin
Some people do a preventative maintenance clean at regular schedules. I don't, I clean only after I notice a drop in vapor production.
Kevin
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I used polident for partials last night with my (red/black scorpion custom-painted, high quality) 510 atomizer from dietsmokes. It worked amazingly well. The atty was used daily for over a month with a high amount of vaping of clove flavored juice from janty and dietsmokes own juice line (both very good, personally hard to tell the difference between them.) This eventually led to a harsh burnt taste on the atomizer.
I rinsed the atomizer with hot water from the tap, dropped my atomizer in a plastic cup of polident for partials for about 8 minutes, rinsed again in hot tap water, then blew it out with from the battery side and carefully swiped the inside with a paper towel and left it to dry over night.
It works perfectly today and the yucky burnt flavor is completely gone!
I rinsed the atomizer with hot water from the tap, dropped my atomizer in a plastic cup of polident for partials for about 8 minutes, rinsed again in hot tap water, then blew it out with from the battery side and carefully swiped the inside with a paper towel and left it to dry over night.
It works perfectly today and the yucky burnt flavor is completely gone!
I have been using a vodka bath for all my attys in use, for when they clog and blowing out is not effective. Maybe every 2 - 3 days. These are all 510 attys, but different colors. My copper, blue, and silver attys are all good as new after 5 weeks, but I have not had as good luck with some black ones from TW. The coppers are also TW, so I don't think it is them. A box of 5 black attys has yielded, in about 3 weeks, 1 dead (or seems to be), and 2 growing weak.
I would like to think that while color gives the appearance of higher quality, all attys are essentially under the same quality control standards. But statistics are not really pointing to that just yet, with the blacks seeming to have shorter life. Those and the whites are the most available too, in general, meaning these are likely produced the most.
Of course, I might have just gotten unlucky. Sometimes I forget I put them in the bath, and they sit overnight. Could it be short term is ok to clean, but longer than 30 min or so causes problems in vodka? I do think vodka is about the best cleaner, not just for effectiveness, but sterilization and as an additive to juice for thinning and throat hit.
Peroxide is compelling, but I am reluctant to use any oxidizer on metals, although it is probably not strong enough to oxidize NiCr.
I would like to think that while color gives the appearance of higher quality, all attys are essentially under the same quality control standards. But statistics are not really pointing to that just yet, with the blacks seeming to have shorter life. Those and the whites are the most available too, in general, meaning these are likely produced the most.
Of course, I might have just gotten unlucky. Sometimes I forget I put them in the bath, and they sit overnight. Could it be short term is ok to clean, but longer than 30 min or so causes problems in vodka? I do think vodka is about the best cleaner, not just for effectiveness, but sterilization and as an additive to juice for thinning and throat hit.
Peroxide is compelling, but I am reluctant to use any oxidizer on metals, although it is probably not strong enough to oxidize NiCr.
I had an atomizer that just seemed kind of sluggish, hardly making vapor even with fresh battery, clean cart, blowing out the atomizer.
I tried the deal where you put it in boiling water for just a minute, let it cool enough not to burn your lips, blew it out, set it aside to dry thoroughly.
Next day, hooked it up to the battery, dripped a couple drops on it to get it moist, stuck on a cartridge, and blammo, my 510 was working like it did when it broke in. Major vapor, in other words. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!
[Follow up at 12:09 a.m. 11/2: The atomizer I boiled in water for one minute has been out-vaping my other two atomizers all day, and one of them is a new one I just started using a couple days ago. Other than just blowing out the atomizer, this seems about the easiest, most straightforward way to clean an atomizer I can imagine.]
I tried the deal where you put it in boiling water for just a minute, let it cool enough not to burn your lips, blew it out, set it aside to dry thoroughly.
Next day, hooked it up to the battery, dripped a couple drops on it to get it moist, stuck on a cartridge, and blammo, my 510 was working like it did when it broke in. Major vapor, in other words. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!
[Follow up at 12:09 a.m. 11/2: The atomizer I boiled in water for one minute has been out-vaping my other two atomizers all day, and one of them is a new one I just started using a couple days ago. Other than just blowing out the atomizer, this seems about the easiest, most straightforward way to clean an atomizer I can imagine.]
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I just use fresh lime juice and soak for 8-12 hours every 3 days. Seems to work for me.
Hey guys I haven't been on the forum for a while due to school. Just wanted to say I havent cleaned my atties since I got them and they still vape well. I have a 510 and manual batteries. The only problem I have is one of my atties tastes like grape from a homebrew juice so I only use that atty for fruity flavors and the other atty for RY4, mint, redbull, etc.
I' planning on trying everclear in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaning machine.
Anyone already try this??
~Jim Mitchell
3 pack a day smoker, Smoking for over 40 years.
That is until 12:15 pm Oct. 14, 2009 when I totally switched to vaping!
Zero analogs since that time.
Anyone already try this??
~Jim Mitchell
3 pack a day smoker, Smoking for over 40 years.
That is until 12:15 pm Oct. 14, 2009 when I totally switched to vaping!
Zero analogs since that time.
Is it true that the M401/02/03 series atty's don't ever have to be cleaned? I read this somewhere on the threads.
Also, would it be better to have one atomizer for each e-liquid one uses? I haven't read anything about this. It would be a bigger expense to have quite a few attys, but having 1 atty for each flavor sounds interesting to me.
Anyone?
Also, would it be better to have one atomizer for each e-liquid one uses? I haven't read anything about this. It would be a bigger expense to have quite a few attys, but having 1 atty for each flavor sounds interesting to me.
Anyone?
I hooked up a month or so old atty with hot RO water and my water pik, holy vapor batcat ! Insane vapor, and clean taste ! I didn't even realize it was pooped out like that.
My main atty is M401. I use only one; others stock piled.Is it true that the M401/02/03 series atty's don't ever have to be cleaned? I read this somewhere on the threads.
Also, would it be better to have one atomizer for each e-liquid one uses? I haven't read anything about this. It would be a bigger expense to have quite a few attys, but having 1 atty for each flavor sounds interesting to me.
Anyone?
M401 still going strong after about 3 months.
It must be cleaned or else the draw will get tough and performance lowered.
I direct drip so I can change flavors at will.
I am afraid to use a spit contaminated atty that has been sitting around w/o sterilization.
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