901 ,re-filled cartridge empty after 5-10 puffs...

[parapo]

i'm on my first week e-smoking and it seems i'm doing something wrong,or something is wrong with my hardware....

a have a bunch of carts that i refill every day,but some don't perform well.
most of them last only a few to 10-12 puffs only,and when i open the cart the sponge inside is moist ,not really empty.
maybe they went bad,if that's even possible....
any thoughts?

this happens on both my 901's. other than this i'm very happy with the performance.

 

[Bertrand]

The cartridges are like that for me too. Not much you can do other than try to make your own. I have had some success, but am still working at it.

 

[Bertrand]

You can also 'drip'. I haven't really seen the purpose in it, but lots of people seem to do this.

 

[parapo]

The cartridges are like that for me too. Not much you can do other than try to make your own. I have had some success, but am still working at it.

your own? as in creating bigger ones? ...cool.

post some pics.

 

[parapo]

You can also 'drip'. I haven't really seen the purpose in it, but lots of people seem to do this.

i do that at home,instead of replacing a cart i drip on the sponge.
(not the atomizer)

but i can't do that at work.... i need something more durable there...

 

[Bertrand]

your own? as in creating bigger ones? ...cool.

post some pics.

Nah. Changing the filler material. The stuff that comes in it only works when it is fully saturated with solution. Even when it is just as wet as the atomizer, its tendency will be to suck the liquid out of the atomizer. Not really what we want. Bigger won't really help that much: you'll dry out the filler at the top and it will stop working until you leave it for quite some time until the liquid at the bottom migrates to the top of the filler: it's about as easy to just refill it as it is to swap cartridges. I guess if you carried around ten pen-styles and smoked them in a round robin fashion...

Pics won't show very much (it's internal), but you can have a look at the thread http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/3760-stainless-steel-mesh-cartridge-medium.html

In particular, "General Principles of cartridge design" which summarizes what I've noticed so far. The principles really do seem to hold up.

I have one that fulfilled the four "Goals of cartridge design" I mention in the thread, but it stopped working properly after about three days. I'm trying to figure out why and will post again in that thread.

 

[tribalmasters]

I have had this problem many times! After refilling a cart it only lasts 10 puffs! It took me ages but I found a way out. You simply have days where you vape, put it down, vape again with the same cart without filling until it really does look dry! The nastiness of empty cart taste goes away after a short rest, I have no idea why that is but after a day of doing that it works again and empties the cart fine! So after that day just go about dripping it as normal and it seems to empty the cart.

So maybe its something to do with the atomiser getting too wet and tasting like its too dry??

 

[igetcha]

i found that i have exactly the same problem with my new 901. 10 puffs and its over even though the bottom half of the core is still very wet with juice!

however this is easily rectified by simply taking the core out of the cartridge, turning it upside down and then replacing. voila, the wet end is now at the top!

 

[Mommyshann]

Since the fabric inside the carts seems to always soak up liquid perhaps placing it in some liquid to soak it up would work? I've read somewhere on the forums where users have used egg holders, dripped some juice in it then placed the carts in the liquid and left them to soak it up. Another option would be to get a needle and syringe and use that to fill them from the top down.

 

[Tetsab]

I'm only a couple of weeks into this (with a 901b) but picked up a tip here a few days ago which I've found helpful: End of the day, dismantle, blow through the atomiser from battery end and tap onto kitchen towel/loo roll. If you've been overfilling carts, which it seems I have, you will get some liquid come out onto the paper which doesn't really belong down in the guts of the atomiser. You want it moist, yes, but soggy, no.

This could be just a variant on TribalMaster's method but with perhaps less chance of risking the atomiser overheating & dying. Also less hassle than RatInDaHat's leaving the atomiser upside down all night to drain, but similar effect.

Sorry, can't remember who to credit with this tip but think it is in Tips'n'Tricks somewhere.

 

[Fedor]

same problem here too....thats y i reserve 901's just for outdoors when really necessary..

The weird thing is sometimes, it doesn't vape well after 10-15 puffs EVEN though the cart isn't dry!

Most of the time, i use my trusty 801...

 

[shawnp1]

i havnt had the problem of the 901 stopping after 10 or so puffs as long as the carts still pretty full. but i could just be a lucky one lol

 

[RikkusRide]

I have a black 901 with a green led. From what I have read the new color led batteries get the atomizer hotter than with the old style. With the amount of vapor I get out of mine I thought it was normal. It does taste dry after 8/10 puffs. I would just set it down and vape later. I looked at it as the end of a analog, put it out and come back later and smoke again. I only top my cart off once or twice a day.

 

[phildo]

I've also noticed as you reuse the 901 carts they tend to degrade in performance, and you end up getting less and less life out of them. I've almost totally switched to dripping with the 901. I find you get much more vapor, much better flavor. It takes some technique and getting used to...but its worth it. 3 drops seems to be the sweet spot for me, gets me the equivalent of 1 cigarette...maybe a little more, maybe a little less.

 

[ed_bollix]

Seems to me that I have been carrying my 901 around battery side up in my pocket and having the same problem. All the juice settles in the bottom of the cartridge. If I set the 901 on it's side or carry it battery down in my pocket it seems to take care of this to some extent. I guess that keeps the liquid at the business end of the cartridge... I also carry a bunch of cartridges with me at all times.

 

[fiddler]

I've also noticed that recycled 901 carts get funky. The material inside seems to lose its capacity to absorb juice.

Anyone know of something readily available that could be used to replace the filler?

 

[Kate]

Some people use fish tank filter material which they reckon is the same as the stuff in the cartridges. Katink, one of our older members who doesn't post these days used filler from a stuffed fluffy toy.

 

[PeteMcArthur]

I'm pretty sure that the filling is plain polyester wool, which as Kate says you can get for aquarium filters and soft toy stuffing. Don't buy a thing called a "Poly-filter" for aquariums, it will adsorb/absorb anything that passes through it!

 

[JP_Guinness]

I have a black 901 with a green led. From what I have read the new color led batteries get the atomizer hotter than with the old style. With the amount of vapor I get out of mine I thought it was normal. It does taste dry after 8/10 puffs. I would just set it down and vape later. I looked at it as the end of a analog, put it out and come back later and smoke again. I only top my cart off once or twice a day.

Where did you read this information, if you don't mind me asking? The color of the LED has absolutely no effect on any facet of performance. The LED is simply there for aesthetic purposes, and can be removed altogether from the product design; and it has no bearing on function. Could you clarify what you meant? Did you mean that certain manufacturers are using different battery technologies, and they are using a green LED as the color choice to go along with the new?

 

[madog]

I use a product in my carts that called Pellon - the theromlam works well (used in hot pads)- you do have to fluff it up some bought one inch off the bolt at a Joanns Fabrics it cost like 17 cents and I have enough for an eternity.