Another one bites the dust.......

[Enfield]

Only to try new flavors... warm water rinse and blow dry.
Keep it moist - a good rule for almost any circumstance.

I am rapidly moving to the less-is-better camp when it comes to atomizer maintenance. I blow mine out faithfully once or twice daily, and do a hot water rinse only to change flavors or if it is behaving very badly.

 

[abandonhope16]

Do you blow the end the battery connects to, or the other end?

 

[Enfield]

Do you blow the end the battery connects to, or the other end?

I blow from cart-side thru to the battery-side daily, taking care to spend part of the time blowing with the center hole blocked.
If I'm blowing out after a rinse, I will blow thru both ways.

 

[Nette62]

Kreel,
Thanks so much, gonna dump all my mixes and choke on 36 till my order comes in from Nuvape. Good thing I only used 3ml bottles....

 

[Tallgirl1974]

I dont understand why Kreel thinks that (I get what he is saying but its not ringing true for me)- I do the same thing you do and get 3-4 weeks per atty. I dont even clean mine that much. I cant figure out why you're going thru so many! I cut with glycerin- people say that isnt good for them either but so far...(you know its going to die now just because I bragged!)
At first I just expected to go thru four a month, but lately its not even two a month. (I know two people who have never had one die- how do they that?!)
I just got a passthrough, you need one of these ASAP!
I emailed you and asked if you wanted to go in on the next china order- if so you can get a year warranty on each part- its a slow process but you get a new atty for the old ones. Better than nothing?
Let me know.

 

[Tallgirl1974]

I blow from cart-side thru to the battery-side daily, taking care to spend part of the time blowing with the center hole blocked.
If I'm blowing out after a rinse, I will blow thru both ways.

Because so many of mine die after a rinse, I wont even try this anymore!

 

[davidgo9ers]

You may want to try juice from a different supplier and see if the same thing happens. I've noticed that some suppliers juices tend to kill atomizers quicker than others.

 

[Houdini]

I never drain or clean any of mine on a regular basis and I've lost only one in 6 months. I took it apart and the coil wire came loose at the solder point. A broken coil wire is the only thing that can kill an atomizer IMO.
I don't see how any kind of juice, PG or VG or from a certain supplier can kill one. They are meant to be soaked with liquid. If the wick inside the coil gets gummed up then a cleaning may be in order. I soaked a couple of mine in rubbing alcohol once to see what happens. The alcohol did turn brown so the wick probably got cleaned but they really didn't improve on performance much if at all. You do have to really soak them with juice after you clean them though before they will work again.

 

[Enfield]

Because so many of mine die after a rinse, I wont even try this anymore!

I hear you, and I am rinsing less and less frequently, flavor-changes be damned. Mostly I try a rinse just as a last-ditch effort to save an atty that has one foot in the grave...sometimes it works, sometimes not.

I also don't mess with or even switch attys that are working well. I just blow them out once or twice daily to keep them from working too hard with fluid build-up.

My philosophy is always to keep plenty of spares around. Considering I used to drop $7.75 a pack daily for American Spirit analogs, if a $8 to $10 atty lasts me more than a couple of weeks, I am happy.

ASIDE:
I've spent *a lot* of money since starting vaping, but that doesn't bother me. I confess that I am a compulsive gadget person, so I'm sure I have over-purchased...and I am strangely OK with that. I've had very good luck with my 510 and Janty stick (801), and have scads of spare parts for both. I plan on using both 510 and 801 attys and carts with my Prodigy when it arrives, so I won't have to worry about out-moded models or parts gathering dust. I know that I have laid out much more cashish over the years for nicotine gum and patches than on vaping and I enjoy vaping 1000x more. Anything is better than those stinking analogs, in my book.

 

[Bones]

I'm still trying to figure out why you would "dilute" with a juice that contains Nicotine - Is that really diluting much? - If you want to dilute you should use a nic-free juice - Straight PG or VG -
I also have yet to have a single atty fail - I blow out a few times a day and boil for 10 minutes once a week in water/vinegar 50/50 -

 

[Enfield]

You may want to try juice from a different supplier and see if the same thing happens. I've noticed that some suppliers juices tend to kill atomizers quicker than others.

Could you elaborate on that, and be specific?
Not that I want you to bad-mouth any particular vendor, it's just that I would sincerely like to know your experiences there.

I saw one thread where a bloke had much better atty life *after* he stopped using JC juice (If we were in court, they would call this heresay). I've got nothing against JC...I really like their flavors, and they were my first, so they have a special place in my heart.

 

[davidgo9ers]

I don't see how any kind of juice, PG or VG or from a certain supplier can kill one.

I think that the flavorings used differ among manufacturers. From what I could see of my dead atomizers, certain flavors did not vaporize but instead stuck like glue to the mesh inside the coil. Nothing would clean it out of the mesh, and it got to the point that the mesh was so clogged it couldn't absorb any liquid. If there's no liquid in the coil mesh, then there's no way that you'll get any vapor.

 

[Glock]

OP,

Are you sure your atty's are really dead or maybe the positive terminal is getting pushed in too far to make contact. at the atty/battery connection. You can pull the center post out a bit using just the very tip of a paperclip and kind of wiggle it out on either or both the battery or atty's positive terminal.

The postive terminal is the little center piece with the hole at the threaded connections and it is held in place with an o-ring allowing it to move slightly in or out, but not too agressive or you could break the connection internally...

You can also find a way to test for this in various ways. There is a thread about a staple being used to test or as a fix for the connection issue.

Just something to consider if you have not already...

 

[KreeL]

Because so many of mine die after a rinse, I wont even try this anymore!

I don't do any 'cleaning' on mine either. Blow outs and drainages only when necessary, but no soaks.

I discovered that some things don't mix well and work properly with attys. I simply DO NOT DIY anymore except with pure PG 36mg when bumping a flavor up a bit.

In chemistry I learned that if you don't know what's in something, and when THAT something is breaking your equipment when modified by you, then stop modifying it, ...or lose your equipment.

 

[Houdini]

I think that the flavorings used differ among manufacturers. From what I could see of my dead atomizers, certain flavors did not vaporize but instead stuck like glue to the mesh inside the coil. Nothing would clean it out of the mesh, and it got to the point that the mesh was so clogged it couldn't absorb any liquid. If there's no liquid in the coil mesh, then there's no way that you'll get any vapor.

This is why there is a cleaning cycle built into the battery. To burn that crap out of there. This may also be why I have such good luck with atomizers. I mostly use my ScrewDriver and it gets the coil so hot that there is no way anything in there will not vaporize.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Kreel,

I have seen you say elsewhere that you "cycle 3 attys during the week". I take it that you rotate them, but would you be so kind to spell out exactly what you do with them; please and thank you.

With appreciation,
ltbv

 

[KreeL]

Two days straight, blow out both ends, dry rack til next rotation. Roughly two days use per atty per week.

My theory, and so far it's working, is that DIY raises the 'stickiness' of the liquid (primarily glycerin, VG, flavorings, etc.). I have a tray full of clogged attys from my DIY experiments. Again, my theory, using the same atty every day also increases the residue buildup on the coil. The coil works harder, as does the battery, and gradually the performance in both decreases. Some vapers use the dry burn method. I haven't had the need to use that yet. Starting and stopping anything repeatedly involving heat over extended periods of time will cause failures in anything. When you realize what an atty goes through in just one day's time, it's no wonder their lifespan is short for many people.

One more thing. The atty that is being used is suspended horizontally overnight with nothing touching the area where the cart connects to the atty. The only time they go vertical for draining is on their days off. Dripping on the atty after draining or when stock new, is also the ONLY time I drip on them.

As for vapor production, the 510 using good PG based liquid gives me more than enough. Of course, I don't vape for extra massive vapor. I vape for the nicotine.

 

[Nette62]

Kreel,
My new juice should be here today when I get home from work, all 18mg, all sample bottles, so If I want to mix flavors ie choc,almond,coconut this will be ok with my attys?

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Hello Kreel,

Thank you for your response.

Two days straight, blow out both ends, dry rack til next rotation. Roughly two days use per atty per week.

Just to make sure I am understanding you correctly...

So, for the first two days that an atty is taken out of use, you blow them out each of those days. Then, it would be oh ... two or three days before they come back into use.

And, while they are on the dry rack, they are standing vertical with the threaded end up.

Right? Wrong?

My theory, and so far it's working, is that DIY raises the 'stickiness' of the liquid (primarily glycerin, VG, flavorings, etc.). I have a tray full of clogged attys from my DIY experiments. Again, my theory, using the same atty every day also increases the residue buildup on the coil. The coil works harder, as does the battery, and gradually the performance in both decreases. Some vapers use the dry burn method. I haven't had the need to use that yet. Starting and stopping anything repeatedly involving heat over extended periods of time will cause failures in anything. When you realize what an atty goes through in just one day's time, it's no wonder their lifespan is short for many people.

The first time I saw you and and another person discussing about flavors and what the DIY did to your attys, I immediately stopped using flavors. That seems to have helped some, but I haven't been doing a rotation either.

Just had a monumental success, for me, recently. An atty that lasted over a week! And that was with continual every day use... and no flavors, so there must be something to it.

One more thing. The atty that is being used is suspended horizontally overnight with nothing touching the area where the cart connects to the atty. The only time they go vertical for draining is on their days off. Dripping on the atty after draining or when stock new, is also the ONLY time I drip on them.

That is what I had been doing too.

As for vapor production, the 510 using good PG based liquid gives me more than enough. Of course, I don't vape for extra massive vapor. I vape for the nicotine.

Vapor production is one of the pleasures for me... so that is a factor. I did buy the higher nic juice expressly to be able to cut it and extend the amount of juice... especially since at the time of my beginning to vape there's been talk of bans. And that topic has only grown.

I do use both PG and VG in my cutting in order to maintain the approx 70% PG and 30% VG concentrations that the manufacturers of the juice have as well as adding a touch of water. Had been using a touch of Everclear and water both, but figured that the Everclear might be causing too much heat so have eliminated that too.

Now to also try the rotation. Was using two e-cigs at a time at one point as a form of rotation, and that was a pain... not practical in the least, but the rotation as you've described is something that might prove not only beneficial, but will be practical too.

Looking forward to your clarifying if I understand you correctly, and if you have anything to add too.

Thanks!
ltbv

P.S. What kind of juice do you use?

 

[Enfield]

Kreel,
My new juice should be here today when I get home from work, all 18mg, all sample bottles, so If I want to mix flavors ie choc,almond,coconut this will be ok with my attys?

That should be fine.

I think that the concern is that excess of flavoring (like Lorann's) might muck up an atty with extra residue. Blending flavored liquids to your liking won't be increasing the flavoring ratio per se.

Please report back on your blending with chocolate, almond, and coconut. I'd been thinking about chasing after a Almond Joy combo myself. I would love to know what ratios of the three flavored liquids works best for you.