Travel and Vaping Tanks leaking on Airplane

[stevegmu]

I recently did a flight to and from Amsterdam (from the US).

I carried a box MOD in my pocket with a kayfun, and had two other box MODs and a mech in my carry on (along with everything I'd need in the event I had to rebuild something).

I vaped on the plane without issue (though I was being fairly stealthy about it - which shouldn't be confused with trying to hide everything completely). No one had any idea that I was vaping. I never tried to hide my MOD or when I was taking a hot from it, but I did take precautions to let out little or no vapor.

Though I didn't have what one might call "problems" with Dutch customs, I did have to explain exactly what it was I was carrying (a DNA30 box) and demonstrate for at least 2 people that it was indeed an ecig that worked before I could get on my plane (puffing up quite a cloud in the middle of the airport was quite enjoyable). They were impressed. The TSA and US Customs were a breeze with it. One woman at customs looked at it in the scanner for a second or two longer than normal, but nothing more.

The trick for keeping a kayfun from leaking on a plane is very easy: while on the plane, make sure that the MOD is upside down. Use the seat pocket to hold it in place with the Kayfun pointing down. Not a single drop leaked on any of 4 flights, 2 of them 8 hours long.

I have had the same issue at Schiphol and Vaclav Havel. They know what vape gear is; they just want to see if it only contains e-liquid, not the other...

 

[KGie]

From what I've been figuring is the zip lock bag is sealed at the original higher pressure so when you go up in elevation the pressure drops causing the bag to expand sucking juice thru the air holes in the tank. Does that make sense?

Yes, it does. And with the tank right-side up the airholes are at the bottom, so gravity is also working to pull the liquid out. If it's upside down, OTOH, gravity is still trying to pull the liquid down, but since the tank is now upside down the airholes are at the top, and the top of the tank, which is now at the bottom, is sealed. At least, that's my theory as to why turning tanks upside down when flying keeps them from leaking.

I had two tanks in sealed zips on my last flight; when I did that the time before last, both tanks leaked. This time I did the upside down trick and, voila! -- no leakage! Paint me a surprised and happy campy.

 

[Cindyu]

I'm a frequent flyer and can say that yes, turning the tanks upside down works. I usually carry a couple of kayfuns and a couple of nautilus tanks. One a recent trip to California, a fellow in a vapor shop told me about turning it upside down to avoid leaks. It has worked like a charm ever since.

I put my liquid bottles in a baggie along with my other cosmetics/liquids. I put the tanks upside down in a pocket in my purse. They are not completely full so that the pressure won't drive the liquid up to the airholes. And because they aren't full, I've had no issues with customs or with security with them being in my purse.

One thing I HAVE started doing however is have a separate baggie (not required by law btw) that has my batteries and mods in it. I put this in my bin when I go through security because invariably this is what beeps during screening. Fortunately almost every time, it turns out that the security inspector is a vaper too! hahah!

 

[KGie]

I
I put my liquid bottles in a baggie along with my other cosmetics/liquids. I put the tanks upside down in a pocket in my purse. They are not completely full so that the pressure won't drive the liquid up to the airholes. And because they aren't full, I've had no issues with customs or with security with them being in my purse.

Are your tanks clear -- glass or plastic? There's such a small volume of liquid in my Aerotank Minis, even when they're filled, that I considered not putting them in with the other liquids, but technically they are carrying liquids and you can see the liquid, however little, so I've been putting them with the liquids. One more pain-in-the-neck annoyance with flying these days, but I'd rather contend with the extra hassle than take the chance of running afoul of TSA regs.

 

[DreamWithin]

I usually have a filled one on my mod when going through the checkpoint and have never had an issue, though I fly infrequently. Hard to say what TSA will accept since they are not very good at being consistent, in general . . .

 

[FlyBoyJourney]

I am not sure where someone would find the info that Cargo Holds are not pressurized. The entire pressure vessel of course is pressurized from the beginning of the cockpit (not including the Radome or "nose" of the airplane) to the "aft pressure bulkhead"( So the Tail section is not pressurized, this is where the flight control surfaces attach to the frame, Elevator jack screw etc) Also the landing gear wells do not get pressurized. Thats about it. We have heating and cooling air (which is also the air that pressurizes) going into the Cargo holds for most airliners.

The problem your seeing with leaking tanks is what someone began to figure out, that the pressure (sea level lets say for most, or close to it) that is on the tank DECREASES as we climb, (not as much of course if we were NOT pressurized so if a cargo hold was not pressurized this problem would be exacerbated times ten) So the pressure in the cabin once we reach cruising altitude is equivalent to say 7000 to 8000 feet, instead of 35,000 feet outside the pressure vessel. (As others have posted unbreathable air up that high). This is possibly causing the e-juice to expand a bit. (Cue anyone here with a Thermodynamics degree) Since there is less "air" force on it LOL. Hence lower air pressure. (You may see some leaking here already depending on your viscosity of liquid PG/VG and your tank config)

Once we descend the pressure starts to increase toward Sea Level again and the e-juice comes under pressure again, and hence will act according to this now higher pressure and of course the result will be through air holes, fill holes in tanks etc. I found this out the hard way once I started taking my Nautilus tanks on flights with me to work so I could vape on trips. Made a mess! I can see how the upside down trick works, on MOST tanks and MOST liquids. (some e-juices like higher PG's have a lower viscosity or thickness and will no doubt leak more easily than 100% VG juices) Since when the pressure increases again as we descend the e-juice is not sitting on air holes to leak out. Make sense?

ANYHOO my fix was simple, I did not want to deal with this AT ALL as I can do 4 flights a day sometimes, but mostly 2. The ONLY easy fix I realized was to remove the whole tank which is subject to pressure completely. Hence, I started dripping, bought an IGO, then a Zenith V2 (Fantastic RDA) etc. No pressure chamber, no effect as the airplane climbs or descend on the atty. Since then every tank has been collecting dust, RDA's produce a ton more flavor, vapor and enjoyment (To properly replace a analog cig). I do still use my Kayfun but leave it home lol
I must be bored that was way too long an explanation LOL

 

[Rossum]

So the pressure in the cabin once we reach cruising altitude is equivalent to say 7000 to 8000 feet, instead of 35,000 feet outside the pressure vessel. (As others have posted unbreathable air up that high). This is possibly causing the e-juice to expand a bit. (Cue anyone here with a Thermodynamics degree)

I don't think it's the e-liquid that expands so much as the air in the "head space" of the tank. So the question is, what's at the "interface" between the tank and the outside? When ambient pressure changes (particularly when it decreases), you want the air in the head space of the tank at that interface, so that excess air is what bleeds out rather than liquid. Again, with a bottom coil tank, you want it upside-down. With a top-coil, right-side up.

PS: When you get tired of the hassle of dripping, get a bottom-feeding mod.