Aerotank v1 Rebuild to Single Coil, Do You Need Flavor Wick to Prevent Flooding?

[aznnp77]

Hey guys, I volunteered to rebuild a blister pack of aerotank v1 coils for a friend of mine. I made sure to get the version 1 coils with the exposed wicks that aren't enclosed.

I have extensive experience rebuilding Protank 2 coils. It's just too easy compared to that new enclosed design that Kanger is rolling out to try to stop people from rebuilding them. I just do a regular horizontal coil. Never tried the vertical, nor do I care to try.

Anyways, I'm just wondering if I need to add a flavor wick when rebuilding the aerotank coils since they are originally dual coils with 2 wicks on top of each other.

I never do a flavor wick when I rebuild because it pulls and tastes better without it, but there isn't as large a gap in the middle with the PT2 because it's only a single coil.

So will just the primary wick be okay when rebuilding aerotank coils, or do I need to add a flavor wick to prevent leaking and flooding? Unfortunately, I don't have an aerotank myself so I can't really test them out. I don't want to ruin a brand new pack of coils either by doing them wrong. I'm just gonna hand him the coils and I won't have my tools with me to make adjustments.

While I'm at it, my friend is a newb, so I dunno if I even want to make him take the chimney off to saturate the rayon wick I'm going to put in there. If he just put the coil into the tank, how long would it take to soak the wick on it's own?

One last thing. I always prime the wick with low voltages and work my way up. I start at 3.2 volts and work my way up to 4 gradually. That's the correct way to do it right? Or does it not matter as long as the wick is saturated?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Katmar]

Bump for some answers. Good luck.

 

[Sunburst]

There are too many variables to give you a definite answer, but I'll try to apply the appropriate conditionals. If you roll with a fat coil** (2-2.4mm ID) in there and you stuff it with enough rayon to fluff and cover the channel, you don't need a flavor wick. Because I'm sick of wiping out the 510 every few days on my mod, I have just been wicking with rayon like normal and then laying a small piece of yarn on top, trim them to size and Bob's your uncle. You can also skip the flavor wick (mostly, more on that in a minute...) if it has the silicon seal at the top that isn't just a washer, but sort of a top-hat, if you know what I mean. I have one that I stole off of my T3 coil that I use on some builds. Usually if I end up with the coil positioned too low, I'll pop it on instead of the washer style gasket.

Now, that will all depend on how your friend keeps and stores the tank. I keep mine upright 95% of the time. The other 5% would be in a shirt/jacket pocket or vehicle cupholder. I've not had them leak on me that way, but if you laid it on its side, I could see how you could get some air under that seal and then start leaking like mad.

OTOH, many others aren't as lazy as I am and don't mind q-tipping the 510 at all since the rebuilt coils would actually leak far less than the stockers. Especially considering the performance differential.

I think FT has Kanger style coils that are perfectly usable as cores to rebuild that include the enlarged positive pin airflow hole. I recall reading that somewhere, might have been /r/ecr, might have been FT's forum as well.

BTW, the new ones aren't that much more work. I've only had one that was a real pain to get the chimney cover off... and my thumb still hurts from a 2.4mm screwdriver going through it. I'm certainly not associated with Kanger's engineering department, but I think the cover isn't really to thwart rebuilding but to keep them from leaking and flooding. If you limit where the juice can get in and you make sure there's wick there, you'll pretty well stop the flooding and leaking, ya know? I rebuilt one yesterday and put the cover back on without a flavor wick, but I haven't used it yet. In the next day or so, I'll change flavors and give it a go.

I hope that helps you out.

ETA:

**In case you don't play with Kanger coils often, fat coils will reduce your airflow if you have the bigger center pin. Great flavor, fair vapor but a tighter draw. If your friend is a lung hitter, I'd go 1/16 up to maybe 5/64 and use a flavor wick. I don't notice much of an affect from a strategically placed cotton yarn flavor wick except for the cotton taste on the first three or four pulls.

 

[aznnp77]

Thanks sunburst. Just wish i had pictures and stuff.

I remember back in the day we didn't have pictures when I was working on my car, and I had to just figure it out. Then we got pictures, and now we have videos. Can't imagine what people did wayyy back in the day.

I've used the flavor wick in the past, and I think it hits about the same initially, but it doesn't pull as well over time. My friend probably puts it sideways. He's been using an Innokin vv3 for years now, but is upgrading to an iStick this week.

I was planning on using a standard 1/16 screwdriver since it fits into the channels perfectly on a kanger coil. I dunno what you mean by silicone seal as a washer. You're talking about the silicone grommet that goes on the bottom of the chimney right? It's just a top hat to me, and partially covers the juice hole.

As far as leaking goes, some people experience more than others. For me, I always blow through my tips and wipe under them whenever I get home. My primary tank usually has plenty of juice in those areas. I'm not sure if it's common or not. This friend really isn't into vaping as a hobby AT ALL. He just wants something that lasts and isn't expensive. I'd like to avoid leaks if it all possible, but I've only built them one way up to this point, and don't want to experiment with him. I don't have an aerotank.

Last night he told me he usually uses the same coil for 4 months! I was like wow, I usually rebuild mine after 3 days.....

 

[Jwaterski]

I use an aerotank v1 with the old single coils for a protank v1, works fine. I use the same when I re-coil them without a problem and I normally put a small flavor wick on them. I use high vg juice, so ymmv with higher pg ratios.

 

[aznnp77]

I use an aerotank v1 with the old single coils for a protank v1, works fine. I use the same when I re-coil them without a problem and I normally put a small flavor wick on them. I use high vg juice, so ymmv with higher pg ratios.

Thanks. I've read conflicting info about using protank coils in an aerotank as far as leaking is concerned. I prefer to play it safe and just use aerotank coils. That way I know it was made for the tank, but I need to take care of that gap somehow that would be missing from building it as a single rather than a double. I just know from experience that the flavor wick takes away from the flavor after a while in my opinion.

 

[fireguy967]

I went with large diameter (2.4mm) coils and just enough cotton to fill the void between the rubber seal and the bottom of the wicking slit. Make sure the coil sits higher in the head also. The bottom of the coil at or near the bottom of the wicking slit worked best for me.

 

[Sunburst]

I went with large diameter (2.4mm) coils and just enough cotton to fill the void between the rubber seal and the bottom of the wicking slit. Make sure the coil sits higher in the head also. The bottom of the coil at or near the bottom of the wicking slit worked best for me.

Same here, I usually get down to maybe a millimeter from the bottom of that channel. To be fair, that's where my 2mm mandrel gets really snug. But, it works well.

 

[aznnp77]

Thanks guys. Sounds like most of you are using flavor wicks, so I'll go ahead and do that to be safe. Maybe I'll go ahead and try the wider screwdriver, then use the smaller one to get in there.

I dunno if I can raise the coil at all. I usually just put the screwdriver flush with the channels, then put everything back together then.

 

[fireguy967]

Thanks guys. Sounds like most of you are using flavor wicks, so I'll go ahead and do that to be safe. Maybe I'll go ahead and try the wider screwdriver, then use the smaller one to get in there.

I dunno if I can raise the coil at all. I usually just put the screwdriver flush with the channels, then put everything back together then.

I never use a flavor wick. They actually mute the flavor on mine and always seem to find a way into the air tube blocking the flow completely.

 

[fireguy967]

Thanks guys. Sounds like most of you are using flavor wicks, so I'll go ahead and do that to be safe. Maybe I'll go ahead and try the wider screwdriver, then use the smaller one to get in there.

I dunno if I can raise the coil at all. I usually just put the screwdriver flush with the channels, then put everything back together then.

Sunburst says her 2mm bit stops at about the right spot down inside the channel for placing the coil where it should sit. I just always built the coil then placed something with a small enough diameter back through the coil to hold it until I could get the insulator and pin back in, then I pried up to set it where I want it. Sunburst's way is easier.

 

[Sunburst]

I'm not offended at all, but I am a dude.

 

[fireguy967]

Not really sure why I wrote "her." Lol. Apologies to you sir.