Aspire BDC heads not lasting

[Bill220]

I've been using an Aspire BDC tank for about a month now and have been going through heads (1.8 and 2.1 ohm from 2 different vendors) anywhere from 2 – 7 days. I typically use 6-8ml of e liquid per day with this tank and tend to chain vape. I don't clean them in between tanks but I've tried cleaning them after they start tasting burnt with an ultrasonic cleaner, denture tabs, and plain old hot water with zero success. Sometimes I get that nasty smoke when dry burning and other times nothing but the taste I get out of them is horrible. At $2+ a piece for heads it's getting kind of expensive to use this tank but I really like the flavor and vapor it produces. I also use a Vision Vivi Nova tank with the top coils and they last forever.

Any thoughts, suggestions or personal experience?

Maybe I'm dry burning them wrong. To dry burn, I turn my Vamo V5 up to 6 volts, press the button until I see the head glow, let it burn for a couple seconds, turn it off and repeat a few times. Is this correct?

 

[PaulBHC]

Stop dry burning them. I just rinse my tank, top and coil in warm water, blow through the top hole, repeat and let dry overnight.

Once they taste burnt you are done.

 

[Bill220]

I'll quit dry burning them. Do you rinse yours every day? How long do yours last?

 

[Garemlin]

I'm typically getting 3-4 weeks from my Aspire BDC heads. Of course I don't use thick juices either. Just recently cleaned several but haven't had a chance to try them out to see if cleaning actually works. Just did a polident soak and distilled water rinse.

 

[Bill220]

I'm typically getting 3-4 weeks from my Aspire BDC heads. Of course I don't use thick juices either. Just recently cleaned several but haven't had a chance to try them out to see if cleaning actually works. Just did a polident soak and distilled water rinse.

Wow you're doing better than me!

 

[DaveP]

I have three Aspire Nautilus heads in an ultrasonic cleaner as I type. I'm on the 4th 3 minute cycle and inspecting the coils with an eye loupe after each cleaning. So far, I've gone from viewing a gunked up coil to the point where I can see the individual turns in the coil. My cleaner only has a 3 minute cycle, so it may take a number of button presses to get to a clean wire.

It would be much easier if the wire weren't inside the tube and surrounded by cotton.

 

[Garemlin]

I have three Aspire Nautilus heads in an ultrasonic cleaner as I type. I'm on the 4th 3 minute cycle and inspecting the coils with an eye loupe after each cleaning. So far, I've gone from viewing a gunked up coil to the point where I can see the individual turns in the coil. My cleaner only has a 3 minute cycle, so it may take a number of button presses to get to a clean wire.

It would be much easier if the wire weren't inside the tube and surrounded by cotton.

So the ultrasonic cleaners do work. I've read people doing that but none have really gone into specifics.

Tap'd from my LG G2

 

[Bill220]

So the ultrasonic cleaners do work. I've read people doing that but none have really gone into specifics.

Tap'd from my LG G2

My wife works in the dental field and she took the heads I have to work and put them in their ultrasonic machine for 45 minutes and it didn't do a thing in respect to the nasty burnt taste. I think maybe I'm just wearing them out since I vape so much.

 

[Bill220]

I have three Aspire Nautilus heads in an ultrasonic cleaner as I type. I'm on the 4th 3 minute cycle and inspecting the coils with an eye loupe after each cleaning. So far, I've gone from viewing a gunked up coil to the point where I can see the individual turns in the coil. My cleaner only has a 3 minute cycle, so it may take a number of button presses to get to a clean wire.

It would be much easier if the wire weren't inside the tube and surrounded by cotton.

How long are you waiting to stop using the heads and clean them? As soon as I get a few burnt hits in a row, I stop using them.

 

[DaveP]

So the ultrasonic cleaners do work. I've read people doing that but none have really gone into specifics.

Tap'd from my LG G2

It works, but the problem is that there's cotton wicking in the Aspire coils and on some coils the wicking sticks out between the coils. That makes it hard to see the actual wire wrap. All of them are shiny clean after doing the ultrasonic cleaning cycle multiple times and the ones where the cotton strands don't overlap the wire are bright and shiny from one end to the other.

If you have a head like a Kanger that allows exposing the wire more to inspection from a short tube aspect, I'd say it would be a great way to clean and inspect. I'll do some old Kangers next and report. My Aspires have been drying on the counter all night. Later in the day I'll try one and see how it works.

From PBusardo's Nautilus video where he dismantles a head, it looks like it would be a real pain to recoil one, at least until you could develop a good method.

 

[OHMEGA]

I've had multiple customers coming back saying their coils are not lasting after a few days. And this is with using 3.6-3.8v. It's got me scratching my head over the issue.

 

[joecil]

I've had multiple customers coming back saying their coils are not lasting after a few days. And this is with using 3.6-3.8v. It's got me scratching my head over the issue.

Funny too since I have only had one fail ever and I've been using them since I got my first back late last September. I have the Nautilus, CE5, T3s, Vivi Nova 3.5 and a Davide that uses them. The one I had fail was about the first one I used. I use them this way, tank empty I clean the tank, drop the head into Everclear and put a second one it. Let the one head sit for a couple of hours before removing and let it air dry. I then set it aside to replace the current tank when I do this again. I sill using the original heads as I've yet to open more than one to replace the one that went bad. I vape with high VG liquids at 8 watts to 12 watts depending on the juice on one of 3 - mods. The mods would be a Nemesis clone, Vamo V5 and a Lambo 6. That and a pair of KFL+ clones with on Kanger Pro 2 is all I've use at this point with an occasional taste of a new juice with an IGO-W dripper. Most of my heads are also 1.5 or 1.8 ohm rated with the one that failed no idea what it was. I also never dry burn these as the first was the only one I did and it failed.

 

[Bill220]

Funny too since I have only had one fail ever and I've been using them since I got my first back late last September. I have the Nautilus, CE5, T3s, Vivi Nova 3.5 and a Davide that uses them. The one I had fail was about the first one I used. I use them this way, tank empty I clean the tank, drop the head into Everclear and put a second one it. Let the one head sit for a couple of hours before removing and let it air dry. I then set it aside to replace the current tank when I do this again. I sill using the original heads as I've yet to open more than one to replace the one that went bad. I vape with high VG liquids at 8 watts to 12 watts depending on the juice on one of 3 - mods. The mods would be a Nemesis clone, Vamo V5 and a Lambo 6. That and a pair of KFL+ clones with on Kanger Pro 2 is all I've use at this point with an occasional taste of a new juice with an IGO-W dripper. Most of my heads are also 1.5 or 1.8 ohm rated with the one that failed no idea what it was. I also never dry burn these as the first was the only one I did and it failed.

I'm going to have to try the Everclear. Thanks for the info!

 

[joecil]

I'm going to have to try the Everclear. Thanks for the info!

Any high content alcohol works well not just Everclear. It works well on circuit boards, connections etc. The higher percentages of alcohol evaporates quicker since they contain I would guess less water. I've even used Isopropyl Alcohol at 75% up works great.

 

[DaveP]

Any high content alcohol works well not just Everclear. It works well on circuit boards, connections etc. The higher percentages of alcohol evaporates quicker since they contain I would guess less water. I've even used Isopropyl Alcohol at 75% up works great.

Back when our equipment used tape drives and removable platters in Century disk drives we used Everclear to clean heads. Isopropyl left residue that caused read errors and crashes.

Isopropyl is poison. You really need to use grain alcohol. I wouldn't take a chance inhaling the residue when there's suitable alcohol available that's OK to consume. It evaporates, but I'd worry about residue and continued use of something that can be damaging to the body.

http://www.isopropylalcoholmsds.net/material-safety-data-sheet-isopropyl-alcohol-msds/

Hazards Identification:

Potential Acute Health Effects: Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, sensitizer, permeator).
Potential Chronic Health Effects: Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer). CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: A4 (Not classifiable for human or animal.) by ACGIH, 3 (Not classifiable for human.) by IARC. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Classified Reproductive system/toxin/female, Development toxin . The substance may be toxic to kidneys, liver, skin, central nervous system (CNS). Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage.

 

[Garemlin]

Isopropyl is poison. You really need to use grain alcohol. If you wouldn't drink it or cook with it, don't clean your atomizer with it. Even long term skin contact and absorption can result in sickness. I wouldn't take a chance inhaling the residue when there's suitable alcohol available that's OK to consume.

Isopropyl Alcohol Poisoning: Causes, Symptoms & Diagnosis

I was gonna say this but have before and there are always ones that say they use isopropyl alcohol with no issues. So I just don't bother anymore.

Tap'd from my LG G2

 

[DaveP]

I was gonna say this but have before and there are always ones that say they use isopropyl alcohol with no issues. So I just don't bother anymore.

Tap'd from my LG G2

Isopropyl might not be a concern if it completely evaporates, but why take the chance when Everclear is available? It probably depends on the atomizer design and whether you can remove and replace the wicking. In my Nautilus heads, the cotton is packed in and threaded through the coils. I'd be worried about whether the wicks were completely clear of it after drying.

 

[Bill220]

I've been using Isopropyl alcohol but I rinse them very well with water and then run them through an ultrasonic cleaner. I think I'll switch over to Everclear.

 

[Maestro]

The flashpoint of IPA is pretty low. That's why it feels cold when you put it on your skin. I doubt there would be any left after drying for a day.

 

[DaveP]

The flashpoint of IPA is pretty low. That's why it feels cold when you put it on your skin. I doubt there would be any left after drying for a day.

That's probably true, but a bottle of Everclear or cheap vodka would last a long time and it's safe for consumption just in case a little remains in the wicking. Of course, it would flare and evaporate when the coil was heated, anyway.