#500 SS Mesh

[proteckt3d]

This may not be your issue, but something to consider. If you are not heating the juice up fast enough to instantly vaporize it, you could risk just boiling it which will cause it to turn darker. Sometimes the mesh works too well and overwicks and also causes boiling. I had this issue for a short while when I switched to 500 and fixed it by changing my coil setup and then raising my voltage a bit more. At 12-13 watts now.

Something else to consider is if your wick is touching the top cap once installed, this could cause a short and again lead to just boiling the juice.

I hope it's a boiling issue darkening/changing the color of your juice and not a contaminant of some sort.

Thank's for your reply Envi, my coils are around 1.7 ohms and I'm vaping on a Ego battery, so it would be about 7 watts or even less. No point in asking if it's too low I suppose but at least is something to work with.
Sorry for leading to another point, but do you know where can I find more info about liquid going darker when vaping at lower voltages?

 

[Envithyx]

Thank's for your reply Envi, my coils are around 1.7 ohms and I'm vaping on a Ego battery, so it would be about 7 watts or even less. No point in asking if it's too low I suppose but at least is something to work with.
Sorry for leading to another point, but do you know where can I find more info about liquid going darker when vaping at lower voltages?

I can't remember where on ECF I gathered those tidbits. I think one indication might have been on this thread (actually took the time to read the whole darn thing, eek), or perhaps one of the other 3 or 4 other big threads I read on wire/mesh/watts/etc...

This is what I can say from my own personal experience.

I started with a 3/4 wrap of 32 kanthal (was waiting on more wire) which was a 1.5 ohm coil on a slightly less than 2mm wick of #500. I couldn't get it past 3.5v (8 watts) or I started to get hotspots on the top coil. I liked 8 watts on cartos, but I liked 10-12 watts on my dripping atties, so was trying to bump it up. While in this configuration, my juice would darken and I wasn't getting great flavor, but the vapor was ok.

Somewhere between that and getting my 30 guage wire, I read some posts about darkening juice, and the effects of just boiling your juice. You vaporize only part of the juice, so you get some vapor, maybe even good vapor, but flavor lacks and juice darkens from the buildup of the unvaporized components burning on the coil (and was I getting carbon buildup fast on some juices).

So it kinda hit me, I needed to get it hotter, but still couldn't with 32 on the 500. As soon as my 30 showed up, I did a 4/5 wrap (1.2 ohms) and I had that sucker at 13 watts (4 volts) in no time with no hotspot issues. The vapor was improved, but most notably was the fact that flavor bursted out from all my juices. No more carbon buildup from just one tank, juice isn't getting darker anymore, and I finally have a stable setup from which to keep experimenting from.

If I can find the original posts I read, I'll PM them to you. Hope my own experience helps not that it is any indication that is what is happening to you, just something to try and rule out.

 

[Matt M]

I'm using 0.2mm Nichrome. Can you explain what the 3/4 means? My coil goes around the wick four times? Haha

 

[Envithyx]

I'm using 0.2mm Nichrome. Can you explain what the 3/4 means? My coil goes around the wick four times? Haha

Typically you'll see coils represented by x-1/x due to how it looks from the front and the rear. If you say you wrapped the wick four times, it could be thought of as a 3/4 coil or a 4/5 coil which makes a big difference - so stating both rules out any uncertainty.

I tried to consider if you have a 3/4 or a 4/5 wrap, by counting to 4, but then came up with both results depending on where I started counting (top of the circle or bottom). *shrug*

Anyhow, I've also seen people post 4/4 wrap, not sure how that works out, but I could see it possible if the positive and negative leads were both on the same size of the wick when connected.

Sorry so long winded in my first postings in this thread. Been up for a day and a half now and need to stay awake for another hour or so. My limiters are pratically gone.

 

[Matt M]

Thanks. I'll have another play with it.

 

[AndAllThingsWillEnd]

I don't know what I'm doing wrong... I've had my ZAP for three days now and still cant get #500 going good without getting a metal taste. I was actually getting better everything with Zens premade wicks (even though I had to tilt, which I don't mind). As far as I could tell I had everything right, no hotspots, tight wick, tight coils and when I'd take a hit I'd get nasty flavor. I was using 5 inches with the insulator taken out. I don't know what to do, I just want good flavor and vapor...

 

[motelgrim]

Any tips for getting rid of a top coil hotspot?I literally spent from 4pm to 2am trying to get rid of mine. Is it because its not wicking properly? I haven't boiled my mesh yet, but no matter how much prodding I do it just lights up every time...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I'm no pro, but I spend the same amount of time futzing with my top coil.
I had a washer on the positive pole to reduce the distance between the wick and pole which, I thought, was supposed to help with that.
Nope. Not with this setup. Once I removed the washer, all was good and has been since.
Coulda been that the reduction in distance between pole and wick lowered the resistance too much.

 

[studiovap]

I'm no pro, but I spend the same amount of time futzing with my top coil.
I had a washer on the positive pole to reduce the distance between the wick and pole which, I thought, was supposed to help with that.
Nope. Not with this setup. Once I removed the washer, all was good and has been since.
Coulda been that the reduction in distance between pole and wick lowered the resistance too much.

A hot leg and a hot spot are not the same thing. The washer on the pos post is IMO vital on the AGA-Ts. It reduces the problems caused by a hot leg, which produces flavor muting caused by burning juice on the open wire and on the first part of the top coil. A hot spot is a short caused by a poor or damages oxidization layer on the mesh surface, this is often due to too tight or overtightening a top coil. Removing the washers was not the reason your problems went away, the additional resistance created by the newly exposed open air wire run would be insignificant in the dive towards stabalizing your setup, compared to the issues created by the resulting hot leg.
Dry burning and nudging/tightening your coils when glowing is the only way to get a stable/consistant coil.
Pushing the wick away from a hotspot until the whole coil is glowing then releasing the preasure is key.
Once your coil is glowing evenly you can then adjust the tension of the coil (while coil is glowing still)
by moving each wrap of wire in turn, once everything looks good, step up the voltage as you continue to pulse to glowing coils until you are just over your intended final vaping voltage/wattage. Then and only then add juice.
This method will give you repeatable consistant result over and over again

 

[MikeE3]

I don't know what I'm doing wrong... I've had my ZAP for three days now and still cant get #500 going good without getting a metal taste. I was actually getting better everything with Zens premade wicks (even though I had to tilt, which I don't mind). As far as I could tell I had everything right, no hotspots, tight wick, tight coils and when I'd take a hit I'd get nasty flavor. I was using 5 inches with the insulator taken out. I don't know what to do, I just want good flavor and vapor...

I'm not one of the experts around here but here's some 'thoughts' for you based on what I've learned in this thread.

Is you wick really tight to the point of being very stiff like a nail? This can cut down on wicking ability.

When I was using 100mm wicks in a my ZAP, I had to increase the voltage significantly. For example with a 30mm wick at 2Ω I was happy vaping at 4.2volts. With a 100mm wick and 2Ω coil I had to increase to 5V to get comparable vapor/flavor production. All that mesh becomes a heat sink taking away from the coil's ability to heat up to temp quickly and vaporize the juice.

I think BJ said beyond 80mm of 500 mesh and you start to hit the point of diminishing returns. My wicks now run from 60-80mm and I'm happier with those then my 100/100+ mm wicks.

I's suggest up'ing you voltage and if that doesn't seem to help, then unroll you wick, trim some off and rewrap it a bit looser.

Good luck.

 

[AndAllThingsWillEnd]

So with the zap I should use 80mm? Rolled loose enough to fit the hole or tight enough to leave space between the wick and the hole itself?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[studiovap]

So with the zap I should use 80mm? Rolled loose enough to fit the hole or tight enough to leave space between the wick and the hole itself?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Try 65mm rolled semi loose, with a slight clearance between the wick and wickhole, the clearance improves wicking as it reduces cohesive forces between the juice on the wick and hole.
Cohesive forces really impede wicking.

 

[tiburonfirst]

ok, y'all - i need some help with troubleshooting.
since i got a handicapped right hand atm, kwalka was my savior and fixed me up with a working wick and coil in my chid. i'm usually easygoing on my stuff and was hoping this would get me through the time needed for the torn tendon to heal.
well, it didn't work out that way. all of a sudden there is no electricity going to the chid - provari indicates 0 ohm. i checked to make sure wire is fastened securely around positive and negative posts ............ any ideas what might have gone wrong?

 

[CountSmackula]

make sure the center post projects out of the 510 connection.

 

[MikeE3]

So with the zap I should use 80mm? Rolled loose enough to fit the hole or tight enough to leave space between the wick and the hole itself?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

It shouldn't be tight, that could interfere with wicking. Not looking for an overly loose fit, if it slips in/out easily you should be OK.

 

[tiburonfirst]

thanks! that might be it since i now can stand up the chid while before it used to wobble

any way to adjust this without taking it apart? the thing is full of juice

 

[BJ43]

thanks! that might be it since i now can stand up the chid while before it used to wobble

any way to adjust this without taking it apart? the thing is full of juice

Take a small instrument and pry the center post on the chid out about 1mm or push it from the top. You should not have to take it apart. Loosen the lower top nut about one turn.

 

[tiburonfirst]

Take a small instrument and pry the center post on the chid out about 1mm or push it from the top. You should not have to take it apart. Loosen the lower top nut about one turn.

haha! i think i just destroyed ken's masterpiece! i'm on my hands and knees trying to find the top screw that just popped off and went heaven knows where! but the post is out by 1mm

 

[tiburonfirst]

i knew it - now getting e1!

 

[BrokenLung]

Hey BJ & everyone else.

I am having wicking issues. I am rolling the most solid wick I can and still my results are poor. I am using #500 mesh with my 100% VG juice that is SUPER thick (not cut with water or anything).

I fit around 67mm of mesh into my AGA-T's 2.5mm wick hole. I don't think I can get much if any more to fit. I am leaving the fill screw out. I have tried to oxidize the wick less thinking maybe all the oxidation was blocking the juice but it didn't help.

Am I just using a hopelessly thick juice for a SS wick?

 

[BJ43]

Hey BJ & everyone else.

I am having wicking issues. I am rolling the most solid wick I can and still my results are poor. I am using #500 mesh with my 100% VG juice that is SUPER thick (not cut with water or anything).

I fit around 67mm of mesh into my AGA-T's 2.5mm wick hole. I don't think I can get much if any more to fit. I am leaving the fill screw out. I have tried to oxidize the wick less thinking maybe all the oxidation was blocking the juice but it didn't help.

Am I just using a hopelessly thick juice for a SS wick?

I have never had any problem with 100% VG but my average temperature here in the tropics is 85F. Others have informed me that VG gets very thick in the cold and wicks a lot better if thinned with distilled water or vodka...