RDA All I taste is wick

[dravell]

This has been driving me CRAZY.
I have been a RDA user the majority of the past year, I am a decent builder, I dont have any issues there.
I recently started buying tanks for the convenience, again my coil builds are fine, I wick it with KGD or Rayon.
No matter what I do, on any tank, Lemo, ErlK, Aqua V2, etc I taste I guess cotton. It isnt like a dry hit, its just...I dont really know how to explain it, its just a cotton taste, like riiiiiight as a wick is starting to dry up I guess? I cant really say since with my RDA use I blatantly know what a dry hit tastes like.
I though maybe my wicking isnt up to par, so I check the builds, the wicks are always very well saturated, not even a hint of getting dry. The wicks arent being choked so it isnt that either, Ive tried less wick even though I knew that wasnt it, but still the same thing. Ive tried tighter to see if that was it, same thing. I can vape my RDA wicks to near white before getting a dry taste, yet tanks are giving me a (different) cotton taste while soaked with juice.
Rayon and organic cotton or KGD it always is the same taste. Its like laughing in my face, I can chain vape these builds without actually getting a dry hit, its obviously keeping up...yet I just have this gross taste.

I really want to enjoy tanks, but this is making it very hard. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I end up having to keep going back to my drippers, which isnt a bad thing but I WANT to use my tanks!

Every time I take my chimneys off to check if just mayyyybe its getting dry, surprise, nope they are just fine lol. Its as if im crazy sensitive to anything cotton related in only RTAs.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

Is your airflow the same size on the tanks as the drippers?

 

[dravell]

No, I mostly use pretty open RDAs, but the taste is on a pretty wide range of tanks, from tight draw of a KF to the loose draw of a Lemo. the Atlantis for example tastes just fine from smallest airhole to largest so I dont think its an airflow issue.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

hmm maybe someone else will pop in and throw some idea's your way, i have to be honest i dont use RTA's, there can only be so many things that can give you troubles and you say your wicking isnt tight, strange one, sorry bud, good luck

 

[dravell]

This is a wick pulled off my Aqua V2, notice the saturation, which looks fine to me.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

yes it does look fine, nice tidy job

if you havent tried this yet you could pull your wicks out of the coils and strip a few strands off each one and then re-install, just give them a light squeeze to get some juice off them so you can get them back in. The reason i say do it with the wicks already installed is cus then you will know if its made a difference, i will be honest and say your wicks do look a little bulgie as they exit the coils but i could be wrong.

 

[dravell]

Probably looks bulgie since I cut the wicks at an angle for the channels, so all the "bulge" you see is actually cut cotton fluffing out straight instead of down. Because of that it would make it pretty much impossible to pull out and re-use but I will try a new wick with some more strands pulled out, I have the same size strips cut already so itll be pretty easy.

 

[duc916]

That is strange. Your build looks fine to me too. I build my Orchids almost identical to your Aqua, and I get more flavor than my RDA's. They say flavor is indirectly proportional to chamber volume, so I think my experience is more in line with what most people experience, since the tiny chimneys in our tanks are much smaller than the volume in any RDA. Do you experience the same regardless of juice and cotton type?

 

[RickCain]

Not sure if it is something else so I would recommend working up a build with silica and you will then see KDG/Rayon has virtually zero taste

 

[dravell]

Yeah any juice I get the same bad taste. KGD, organic cotton balls and rayon all give the same taste that im getting.
And thats the thing, ALL i use in my drippers is KGD and rayon, I know theres no taste, I get perfect flavor on all my drippers.
Its driving me crazy.

 

[JD1]

I'm grasping at straws here too, but maybe try a fresh wick, prime it up good, don't fill the tank, and just use it like a dripper. If you're still getting the cotton taste, it must have something to do with the reduced chamber effecting some note in your juices or something. Like I said, just grasping at straws lol. I hope you get it sorted though.

 

[Mccannch]

Have you tried using the dripper cap for the Aqua v2? Do you get the same flavor problems? If I were to guess I would say it's the airflow difference changing the flavor on you.


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[Train2]

Longshot - maybe it's not the wick/coil at all, but the device? - did you TOTALLY clean the tanks when you got them?

There are a lot of little hiding spots for machine oil and such from manufacturing - since I had some trouble way back with ProTanks, I now go through a whole cleaning process with a new device. Some of the stuff ONLY comes off with SOAP. I had a couple that I literally BOILED and vodka soaked, but still tasted metallic - until I used soap.
Hot water and dish soap (not dishwashing machine, but something like "Dawn"), lots of rinse - get the thing CLEAN.

 

[roxynoodle]

I have recently gotten 3 types of Japanese cotton. I have come to the conclusion that most tanks do better with rayon. The SquapeR has been my exception; it likes cotton. And I'm preferring the cotton in the drippers.

However, since you're also having issues with rayon, I'm not sure why. Are you using the same amount as the cotton? If so, that may be the problem. You need to use more when working with rayon. It makes an audible "squeek" through the coil when you have the right amount. If you don't hear the high pitched squeek, you aren't using enough and won't have good wick to coil contact as it doesn't expand. You do have to be careful working with it so you don't deform your coil. Work some through, then slide it back and forth to stop the bunching. Once you get to about the middle, stop when you get the squeek. Now its ready for you to cut/shape your wick ends.

 

[Millah]

If you're getting the same cottoney taste with rayon, I say that's a little strange. Whenever I've "tasted" rayon, it had a noticeably different flavor from KGD for me. I'm thinking maybe it's your juice. Some juices can taste different in tanks. Try what others suggested. Just put your build in, prime the wick real good, put the chimney on and then vape it like a little Dripper. If you get the same taste, then I'd say it's your juice just tasting different in a tank

 

[dravell]

Have you tried using the dripper cap for the Aqua v2? Do you get the same flavor problems? If I were to guess I would say it's the airflow difference changing the flavor on you.


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I seriously dont know why I didn't think of this.
Gave it a shot, still the same taste
That eliminates the possibility of the small chambers somehow exacerbating the taste.
It has to be something wrong with my wicking, whatever im doing I must be doing something wrong here that I dont do on my drippers.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys I will keep you posted on my findings.

 

[Chelonian]

Learn to genesis
SS mesh, whilst having an admittedly steep learning curve, give absolutely the best flavor.
Once you get it right, there is no leaking in single wick attys, no need to tilt, no dry hits.
Just the best flavor you will get out of any atty, drippers included, and way more vapor than you get out of bottom fed cotton atomisers.


Redacted

 

[Zombo]

Longshot - maybe it's not the wick/coil at all, but the device? - did you TOTALLY clean the tanks when you got them?

There are a lot of little hiding spots for machine oil and such from manufacturing - since I had some trouble way back with ProTanks, I now go through a whole cleaning process with a new device. Some of the stuff ONLY comes off with SOAP. I had a couple that I literally BOILED and vodka soaked, but still tasted metallic - until I used soap.
Hot water and dish soap (not dishwashing machine, but something like "Dawn"), lots of rinse - get the thing CLEAN.

I was thinking the same thing. I'm curious to hear what the OP has to say about it.

I had a similar experience with one of my Lemos. Even though I had done an initial cleaning, there was a very minor after taste that one could actually describe as 'cottony'. Now that its been through a lot of use, and multiple cleanings, it tastes clean. Not very scientific, but just throwing it out there.

Like you said, longshot, but I think it's a legitimate question.

 

[edyle]

It's not the wicking causeing the problem.

2 things come into play with using tanks as opposed to drippers:
1: chances are you have more PLASTIC involved.
2: if its new tanks, especially where there is airflow that has to pass through the atomizer block, the MACHINE OIL inside the airflow holes is harder to clean out than cleaning most drippers.

 

[dravell]

I run all my stuff through a hot soap scrub with a toothbrush then ultrasonic cleaner so I didnt think that was it, but it very well could be if it isnt cleaning it good enough. All the tanks are new so it would make sense if that was causing it.