Subtank mini rta leaking when on its side

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MotoMudder

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Nov 22, 2013
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I dont have that issue, mine leaks out the air vents when on its side. I THINK its caused by the gigantic juice holes and gravity. Gravity pulls the juice through the cotton and out the top/sides.
My fix is dont set a full tank on its side, try to stand it up, or upside down works for me too, just a small ring will leak out. Standing upright is best option.
 

Flyguide83

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Jun 26, 2015
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I might have fixed it. It's been laying down on a towel for about 5min. No leaks!
2 problems, the top plate of the rta wasn't tight. Also, the clear o ring at the base was shoved up against the base and not sealing. I snagged the ring from the stock. 5 ohm coil and realized that it was much thicker.

I swapped them out and so far so good.
 
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VaPreis

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Oct 5, 2013
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Any tank that relies on vacuum can be prone to leaking on it's side, especially if the liquid level is low. If when laid on it's side, one of the liquid channels is exposed to the air pocket in the tank, the vacuum in the tank is lost, and the liquid will level itself out in the chamber, flooding it.

Adequate wicking will help reduce the chance of that occuring (or reduce how quickly it occurs)
 

fwtechwiz

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May 31, 2015
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So now I am just getting some flooding. . It's suckling up the chimney and gurgling pretty good. . Works great other than that. Wicked it using the pancake method.
Probably no way to fix that though is there?
On the advice of a co-worker who has been vaping for about 2 years, I switched from organic cotton to rayon. I have to use a little more (enough for some pretty good resistance when I pull it through the coil) but after a bit of practice I've got it down. Too little wick and I get popping and gurgling. Too much and I get dry hits. There's a sweet spot where it's just right. And I've found that sweet spot is different depending on your PG/VG ratio of your juice.
I should mention I also modified the RTA by drilling a 1/16" hole through the side of the RTA, about 1/3 up on the side, lined up directly over the juice channel.
 

DaveP

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May 22, 2010
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Bad o-rings cause leakage from the tank itself, not necessarily from the chimney area. If it's leaking out of the drip tip, the coil and chimney area is saturated and there's not enough wick to hold it all.

I vote for wicking that covers the deck area well and fully fills the coil. There's usually a hole or two on the deck that feed the wick. Make sure they are covered or you can get flooding to the coil when it's tipped on its side. I use a hyperdermic needle to poke the wick ends down to the deck to make sure they contact it fully.
 

Flyguide83

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Jun 26, 2015
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Got it running nicely now. Need to have cotton thick enough to be tight in the coil. Put the top tube on with the wick sticking out and cut it about 1/4" above the top. Then fluff and stuff it down to completely cover the sides where the juice holes are. Leaving the air vent open to flow over the exposed coil. It gives you excellent air flow and a cool vape.
It's feeding max vg with no problems at all.

No leaks and no dry hits! Flavor seems to be better than the vertical .5 ohm coil but not too much different.
I did notice that I'm hitting nic overdose limits faster though. Even with 4mg juice which has never happened before with a standard occ coil.
 
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