Alcohol does work

[a2dcovert]

I have completed the resurrection of my atomizers. I had 6 atomizers that were not performing very well. I had already tried soaking them overnight in alcohol with not so good results. So I put the first 3 in rubbing alcohol for about 5 or 6 days. All 3 came out working like new. I put the last 3 to soak for about a week. One came out working right away. the second one had only a slight improvement. The 3rd hissed but produced almost no vapor at all.

I decided to try the hydrogen peroxide burn on these last 2. The first one I put through 3 30 second burns while being full of peroxide. Amazingly it came through with great results. It took a little time priming and vaping but in the end I think I got it back to about 95% of original condition. The last atty I tried the same burn proceedure but got no results. It has more resistance than the working attys but 12 ohms isn't too high. Still I guess I am going to pronounce it officially retired.

Not bad at all, Ive been vaping for 4 1/2 months and only 1 dead atty. This is way much better that I had originally thought things would work. So now I have 8 fully working used attys. I hope I can store 5 of them successfully until they are needed. At this rate I have, counting my new unused attys, I have a several years worth of attys.

One word of warning. One of attys, luckily the dead one, started losing the powder coat. I guess too much alcohol can do damage to the finish on these e-cigs. So I recommend only soaking for the amount of time needed to clean the attys. Somewhere less than 7 days.

And, that's all I know on this subject. I hope this helps someone.

Kevin

 

[mnealtx]

Thanks for the info, Kevin - I've got one that's running about 18ohms right now that hasn't responded to overnight soaks, so I guess I'll plunk it back in for a few more days...

 

[joedirt]

I'm guessing the alcohol might clean atty that are clogged or the ceramic is no longer wicking. However, the ohms are a measure of the nichrome wire. If the nichrome gets overheated or aged, the resistance has gone up and you just won't get it as hot anymore.

(power = heat)
I=V/R
P=V*I
P=V^2/R

So if you are using the same battery...
In one case the heat is (5V*5V/3ohm) = 8.3watts
For the aged atty it is (5V*5V/18ohm) = 1.4watts

So it is only going to get like 1/10th as hot.

****NOTE: these are only example calculations as the real heat is based on the resistance of the wire when it heats up. The actual nichrome is not 3ohms when it is hot, it is probably more like 30 ohms at temp.

 

[DarkCat]

has any one tried deoxidizing in baking soda?

 

[kinabaloo]

I'm guessing the alcohol might clean atty that are clogged or the ceramic is no longer wicking.

Yes, cleaning of the metal mesh and cleaning of the heaeter coil are two different things (http://www.tji-java-ide.com/e-cigar...&catid=46:faq--problems-a-solutions&Itemid=63).

The actual nichrome is not 3ohms when it is hot, it is probably more like 30 ohms at temp.

The increase in resistance is only about 1%, so 3.00 ohms becomes 3.03 ohms. Perhaps 2% at red hot, but that's all.

 

[ralphclark]

You don't need to soak for weeks, the whole procedure can be made much shorter if you combine the isopropyl alcohol with heat (pure isopropyl alcohol boils off at about 80 Celsius, but with water, some proportion will form an azeotrope will boiling at nearer to 90 Celsius) to speed the breaking up of stubborn deposits.

Here's a procedure that I've found to work well and the best thing about it is that your filthy atty will be clean as a whistle, bone dry and ready for vaping within about 10 minutes of starting.

• Soak the atomizer in room-temp isopropyl alcohol for 5 minutes
• CAREFULLY Pour hot (almost boiling) water on top
• Microwave the mixture at full power so its boiling for a full minute
• drain the atomizer then cover with pure isopropyl alcohol to wash out any remaining water
• shake out the atomizer then blow through it from each end into your hand until you stop feeling cold spots of liquid coming out.

My atomizers have only been through this twice so far. There is no sign of the black powdercoat coming off. I did find some black residue in the liquid I blew out of the inside of atomizer during the last step, but it's definitely coming from the inside, not from the shell.

For this process to be economical you need to buy isopropyl alcohol (="rubbing alcohol"?) in approximately litre quantities from a chemist or electronic supplies supplier. Don't be buying those dinky little plastic bottles of "tape head cleaner", it'll cost you a fortune that way.

I have completed the resurrection of my atomizers. I had 6 atomizers that were not performing very well. I had already tried soaking them overnight in alcohol with not so good results. So I put the first 3 in rubbing alcohol for about 5 or 6 days. All 3 came out working like new. I put the last 3 to soak for about a week. One came out working right away. the second one had only a slight improvement. The 3rd hissed but produced almost no vapor at all.

I decided to try the hydrogen peroxide burn on these last 2. The first one I put through 3 30 second burns while being full of peroxide. Amazingly it came through with great results. It took a little time priming and vaping but in the end I think I got it back to about 95% of original condition. The last atty I tried the same burn proceedure but got no results. It has more resistance than the working attys but 12 ohms isn't too high. Still I guess I am going to pronounce it officially retired.

Not bad at all, Ive been vaping for 4 1/2 months and only 1 dead atty. This is way much better that I had originally thought things would work. So now I have 8 fully working used attys. I hope I can store 5 of them successfully until they are needed. At this rate I have, counting my new unused attys, I have a several years worth of attys.

One word of warning. One of attys, luckily the dead one, started losing the powder coat. I guess too much alcohol can do damage to the finish on these e-cigs. So I recommend only soaking for the amount of time needed to clean the attys. Somewhere less than 7 days.

And, that's all I know on this subject. I hope this helps someone.

Kevin

 

[h8isgr8]

I get 200 proof USP anhydrous ethyl alcohol from work; it does an excellent job of cleaning my atomizers.

A cap full in my beverage also helps the cleaning process along.

 

[quovadis]

Can you place metal into a microwave?
I thought it would blow up?

 

[surbitonPete]

I just do a daily dry burn now and never have any problems with loss of performance ..so therefore no need for cleaning ....another atty has just passed the four week mark working as good as new. Of course it will just die soon but anything over 2 weeks to me and an atty has been worth the cost.

 

[chad]

A cap full in my beverage also helps the cleaning process along.

Very nice!

Can you place metal into a microwave?
I thought it would blow up?

Good question. My experience with metal in microwaves has been destructive. Fun, yes. But destructive.

 

[crazyhorse]

Can you place metal into a microwave?
I thought it would blow up?

Metal that's submerged or covered is invisible to microwaves.

 

[nubee]

I just tried the coke (pepsi actually) soak on a week old 801 atty and I am impressed and sold.

It was just starting to tail off on vapor production and my nightly blow out / drain method didn't seem to be resulting in anything more productive.

I had read other threads about the phosphoric acid in coke and how well that seemed to clean off the gunk on the coil so I figured I'd give it a soak - wow!

Other than maybe not rinsing it enough (pepsi vape in the morning not my fav) I have the exact same feel and vapor I get the day I open up a new one.

Looking into the ice machine cleaner solution (75% phosphoric acid) next.

 

[crazyhorse]

Suggest you bypass the ice machine cleaner. Results are not that impressive, it burns the paint off the atomizer and it's an ordeal to flush the stuff out of the metal foam.

Pure ethanol (Everclear) seems to do a better job. It also works better than ethanol/methanol (denatured alcohol).

 

[nubee]

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up.

I'll try the grain and deal with pepsi vape in morning.

 

[jigtg]

You might be able to rescue the one with increased resistance by zapping it with some electricity. I say "might" because I have only done this once and it did indeed work. So you take 470uF 200V rated electrolyte capacitor and charge it to about 50 volts. Then just connect that to your atomizer. I guess the easiest way to get 50 volts would be to buy five 9 volt batteries and put them on serial. I should probably warn you that these kind of capacitors have polarities and if you put the polarity wrong it might explode. Okay, it might not happen with 9 volt batteries but bad things would happen non the less. On http://rocky.digikey.com/weblib/Panasonic/Web Photos/New Photos/TSED SERIES 35,22D.jpg negative wire would be connected to the side with the stripe. Should be easy to find in any electronics shop or any shop that specializes in fixing electronics.

 

[crazyhorse]

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up.

Metallic blue 801 atomizers. A good soak will burn the metal very nicely. As such an effective etching agent, the ice machine cleaner does make a pretty dang good flux for soldering stainless.

 

[ESmoking1979]

Hi, I wanted to post my method for cleaning atomizers and then I have a question:

I decided to use grain alcohol (everclear) since, unlike isopropyl alcohol, it can be swallowed. So what I did was blew through each atomizer and washed under hot tap water to get out all the remaining e-liquid. Then I put them in a sealed container of everclear to soak. First try, I let them soak for about a day. But I could still smell some of the flavor from the e-liquid and a couple atomizers were still clogged, so next time I let them soak for about 5 days. Then I removed them from the everclear, washed them under hot tap water again, and then I soaked for a day in distilled water to remove all of the impurities remaining from the everclear and tap water. Let them dry (bone dry) for 2 days. Drip and puff. Worked WONDERS. Clogged atomizers back to brand new. None ruined. BUT, here are my concerns. My atomizers are for an 801 penstyle, so they have paint on them. After a day of soaking in everclear, no problems with the paint. But after the 5 day soaks, the paint began top ripple and bubble. Fortunately, after allowing the atomizers to dry for 2 days, the paint goes right back to normal, I mean almost perfect paint jobs after drying. So here is my question. Does anyone think that any of the impurities in the paint can go into the alcohol and then remain in the atomizer? Will I be puffing on some toxic paint chemicals? See, everclear is an expensive soak. A small bottle is the price of an atomizer. So I've been reusing the everclear over and over. But I am worried that after so many uses (even after one perhaps) that dangerous paint chemical may be getting caught in the atomizers while soaking, and later inhaled. Thoughts please.

I know the everclear is WORKING to make my atomizers like brand new, as long as you soak them for days. The rippling and bubbling of the paint after 4-5 days proves to me that it is obviously breaking up impurities within the atomizer (as well as the paint). Also, the fact that a single day soak did NOT ripple the paint NOR clean the atomizers proves that it needs several days to work, but does INDEED work.

I believe this is the solvent we've all been looking for. But my concerns are inhaling paint particles. This will not be a problem for folks who have atomizers with no paint, so dive right in and get some grain alcohol (everclear) because it's the BEST and SAFEST solvent for cleaning your atomizers and WILL work. Just be sure to let them dry a full 2 days after. It's a one week process to do it right.

But please guys, share your thoughts on the paint particles/impurities that may be lingering after a good soak.

THANKS ALL!!!

 

[crazyhorse]

Get yourself some test tubes for soaking your atomizers. The ones I use are 13 mm inside diameter. The 801 is 11.25 mm outside diameter. It only takes a few milliliters of fluid to completely cover the atomizer. Use the alky once and then pitch it. At a few cents a milliliter, it's a minor expenditure.

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

But please guys, share your thoughts on the paint particles/impurities that may be lingering after a good soak.

THANKS ALL!!!

Seems to be no worries
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...int-detected-testing-atomizers-batteries.html

 

[miketr]

I am glad to hear this. I thought PGA would make a good cleaner, but had been disappointed in it, but this gives me hope. With all the conflicting cleaning information I've been reading, this is a breath of fresh air. Several different approaches to try out.
If you have trouble finding a test tube, they have the graduated plastic medicine measurers (made for children) at any pharmacy store. That is what I've been using.
I tried soaking an atty that was failing (it gets too hot, has little vapor production, discolors the top of the cart material, and is hard to vape. If that tells anyone anything, let me know) overnight in PGA, but that had no effect. And now I'm soaking it in PG based on other threads. I will next try several days in PGA. My recommendation as far as the paint, is to first coat the outside of your atty with something non-reactive that will peel off.
I hate to sound like a broken record since I keep bringing up silicone in various threads, but either paint a liquid silicone on the atty (here: Smooth-On - Mold Making and Casting Materials for a World of Applications!), or get a regular writing pen or pencil with an appropriate diameter pen grip of clear silicone, work the grip off the pen(cil), cut it to size, and work it onto the atomizer before submerging it (use a tiny bit of KY or, yeah, gross, saliva, to get it on the atty). It will keep the paint from being affected, and it will not react with virtually anything.
Thanks to everyone for their contribution. One thing I wanted to ask though, I heard that attys have rubber parts inside that could be damaged by excessive heat, i.e., actual boiling. I wonder if scalding water would be less potentially damaging and just as beneficial? And I don't know why you would need to microwave the atty itself; why not just the solution, then drop the atty in it?
Just questions from a newb know-nothing.
Thanks to all!