AGA, wicking issue? Diagonal cut mesh???

[Shiryo]

Well, it's been 22 hours since I got my AGA; first genesis tank and 11 hours into fiddling with it. Been messing with the IGO-L for a few months prior...

My journey on setting up consisted of 4/4 wraps with triple twisted 32 awg Kanthal-A1 at what should be 0.7Ω, but reads 1-1.3Ω on the AGA for some reason. (Yes, I know, I ordered 28 awg lastnight...). Went through 7 coils, 3 #400 SS Mesh wicks, killed 1-2000mAh 18650, 1-1100mAh 18490, and 3-18350s.

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Anyways, I have a wicking issue with my AGA which is probably the cause for me thinking I have hotspots...

I cannot run the AGA with the fill hole screw in. It's practically impossible as it runs dry within a 2 second draw. I also have to do a 90* tilt, parallel to the floor. Otherwise it's vaping decent, could be a lot better.

My mesh is not diagonally cut, but recall reading a few months ago that this helped a ton?

Again, the mesh is a #400, it's about 3x1.75" and is rolled as tight as possible, has a center hole that can fit a 20ga needle snug.

The juice is vape is usually has no more than 50% PG, usually less than 30%PG, I like thicker clouds and love my VG.

Any help would be nice.

 

[Rule62]

The only people I know of who cut their mesh diagonally are those who make U wicks. Supposedly it aids in making the mesh bend easier. I can't verify, because I've never tried it. I don't make U wicks. I'm a big believer in cutting the mesh so that the grain runs lengthwise with the wick, when rolled.

 

[Shiryo]

Yeah, that's how I have my wick setup currently.

 

[grainey1968]

Cutting the mesh in a diagonal will not help your wicking issue (I only do this for U wicks). I agree with Rule62 on the lengthwise grain when using a single vertical wick.
Are you over oxidizing your wick (not able to breathe) and clogging up the grain? Have you tried pulsing an non oxidized wick?
My only other suggestion for you is to try 500 mesh. I never have any issues (PG or VG %) with any juice.

 

[Shiryo]

Yeah, it's only got oxdizing under the coils. I don't think it's clogged up though... Ill get some 500 soon.

 

[grainey1968]

Yeah, it's only got oxdizing under the coils. I don't think it's clogged up though... Ill get some 500 soon.

Only thing else that I can think of - are you washing your mesh before you start. I normally put some dish washing liquid on my mesh and then wash it off with hot water (some guys even boil it). I do it more of a habit now to eliminate any oil or leftovers from the manufacturer/ supplier.
I still think that something is clogging your wick or choking it (make sure you don't force you wick into the wick hole - needs to be loose).
Stay at it!

 

[varivapr]

I think you could expect to have to do a 90 degree tilt to get a regular single wick to keep up with a subohm coil. IME even a very good wick will not keep up with a long pull using a low ohm coil and will always need a tilt. I'd say just get use to tilting like most genny vapers and run what ya got if its working

 

[Shiryo]

Only thing else that I can think of - are you washing your mesh before you start. I normally put some dish washing liquid on my mesh and then wash it off with hot water (some guys even boil it). I do it more of a habit now to eliminate any oil or leftovers from the manufacturer/ supplier.
I still think that something is clogging your wick or choking it (make sure you don't force you wick into the wick hole - needs to be loose).
Stay at it!

Hmmm... Well, I could pull the wick out easily without the coils hanging up on it, but it takes a bit of finessing and wiggling. How do you suggest I clean a rolled up wick with a bit of oxidation? I also assume i'll be playing the whole coil wiggle game to ditch hotspots and such once it's cleaned off...

I think you could expect to have to do a 90 degree tilt to get a regular single wick to keep up with a subohm coil. IME even a very good wick will not keep up with a long pull using a low ohm coil and will always need a tilt. I'd say just get use to tilting like most genny vapers and run what ya got if its working

Well, it's a sub-ohm coil when put on a IGO-L, but on the AGA, it reads a much greater resistance, I don't know if it's the material the AGAs are made of creating a massive load on the reading or what... But placing my leads on the center post and the ground screw reads 0.9-1Ω.

I could understand that the wick can't keep up with the power, but a 2-3 second draw? Sounds pretty meh...

I would guess at first my wick was too thick for the wick hole, but you can barely feel any resistance when sliding into the wick hole, if at all...

 

[achu]

I've been running 500 with a fairly tight and fat roll of mesh with 32 kanthal. I mainly vape 100% VG juices like Bobas and House Brew. The issues I had before were hot spots and not oxidizing the mesh. I spent some time making sure my coils were a bit tighter and closer, oxidized the mesh, then got rid of any hot spots. I then proceed to feed the coil portion some juice and burn it off a few times. I think it's a process and depending on your juice, you just need to keep playing with your setup until you find one that works for you. I built 4-5 coils and rolled 2 mesh wicks before I got a setup that i'm happy with. I'm currently using a RSST and have an AGA on the way. Hopefully you find out a setup that works for you.