Atomiser Maintenance - what DOESN'T work

[Angela]

I have been reading and reading and reading with interest all the suggestions and experiments being carried out on atomisers - the majority of which are coming from the side of reviving an atomiser that has already gunked up.

I am trying to work out which method is best for a general maintenance clean (I have only been blowing out [manually] and draining overnight so far,but feel it is time for a better clean)

In the interests of trying to work out the 'safest' method (these are working atomisers and it is my intention to try and do some pre-ventative work to keep them going), instead of posting here what has worked for you (eg steaming, boiling, etc).... can you please post here what you tried that killed a working atomiser?

Ta.

 

[kinabaloo]

You have done right so far with the daily blow out and drain.

Maybe once a week or so a warm/hot bath - but not boiling - with lemon juice, vinegar or cola. If atomizer is generally ok, maybe 20 min.s would be long enough; if it has lost power, leave in over night after bath cools down. After, rinse well, last time with distilled water. Dry then re-prime with 5 or 6 drops of juice dripped onto metal wick. Dry by blowing through from battery connector end. and standing upside down for a while on a paper towel. If you don't want to wait for the atomizer to completely dry out before using it, note that it might take a minute to spring to life while the coil dries out when activated.

Things that might damage the atomizer: boiling, drying in oven, high pressure air.

 

[Catanonia]

Boiling (in bottom of a pan) and drying in an oven don't work.

I killed 3 atomizers this way. See my thread in tips and tricks.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Boiling (in bottom of a pan) and drying in an oven don't work.

I killed 3 atomizers this way. See my thread in tips and tricks.

Catanonia--you are correct. Boiling in water has no effect on the residue on the coil. The only think boiling in water and drying does do is clear a flooded atomizer.----Sun

 

[Kendra]

Well, I soaked them overnight in this: Coil Cleaner then I rinsed them really well. Then I got paranoid I didn't rinse them as well as I should have so I boiled them for a moment and rinsed again. Then I blew out all the water (with my mouth) and tried them. They all work but I don't know how well, yet, since I haven't sat with them for a long time and tried them all. They all produce vapor, but I only just made sure of that and went to the next one. Then I had some othe things to do. What I need to do is make sure each one is properly primed and start vaping with them, but so far, I only know they aren't dead.

The coil cleaner's main ingredient is phosphoric acid and I do NOT know the percentage, but it says it's professional strength. In the store, you can buy only one bottle and it is about $15.

 

[Angela]

Sorry if my original post was a little confusing, I have read all of theother threads about various methods, what I was looking for here was people's experiences with gentle preventative maintenance suggestions, and if any of hose relatively gently methods had manage to kill an atty

 

[Houdini]

Catanonia--you are correct. Boiling in water has no effect on the residue on the coil. The only think boiling in water and drying does do is clear a flooded atomizer.----Sun

It's a good way to wash out that foul tasting factory primer too.
Personally, I've never done anything to any of mine. I have one that I use in a passthrough every day for hours. Never cleaned it, drained it - nothing. Just used it and its still smokin like the day it was new 3 months ago. I'll try something if and when it shows signs of failing but until then I'm just gonna work it to death and see what happens.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Well, I soaked them overnight in this: Coil Cleaner then I rinsed them really well. Then I got paranoid I didn't rinse them as well as I should have so I boiled them for a moment and rinsed again. They WORK but I don't know how well, yet, since I haven't sat with them for a long time and tried them all. They all produce vapor, but I only just made sure of that and went to the next one. Then I had some othe things to do.

The coil cleaner's main ingredient is phosphoric acid and I do NOT know the percentage, but it says it's professional strength. In the store, you can buy only one bottle and it is about $15.

Kendra--I took a look at this stuff and it is hard core!!! Might want to retink using it as it is a solvent that your really do not know if you can rinse off and would be safe to vape again with!! You brave sole!!--Sun

 

[ApOsTle51]

well , i've tried boiling, steaming , coke ( revived 2 of 8 atomizers ) None work 100%.

I've tried and tbh it's more hassle than its worth to me. Atomizers are a consumable atm , that's the best way to look at them. £10 per month on 2 new atomizers..what's that 2 packs of cigs ? that's just 2-3 days smoking. not that bad really....

 

[Kendra]

Kendra--I took a look at this stuff and it is hard core!!! Might want to retink using it as it is a solvent that your really do not know if you can rinse off and would be safe to vape again with!! You brave sole!!--Sun

I'm still here, by the way, vaping out of a perfectly smooth 901 atomizer! So, it really worked well. And, someone who posted the other day about phosphoric acid said that the solution was clear afterwards, as if it actually dissolved everything.

Mine didn't dissolve everything, because there were a few particles in the solution. And, really, only one atomizer was having difficulty, but I want to clean them as maintenance so they last longer. But, it's working great now. It took probably about a half hour to an hour till it was running like new, but there is no more difficulty drawing. .. no more bad taste or anything. It's really perfect.

well , i've tried boiling, steaming , coke ( revived 2 of 8 atomizers ) None work 100%.

I've tried and tbh it's more hassle than its worth to me. Atomizers are a consumable atm , that's the best way to look at them. £10 per month on 2 new atomizers..what's that 2 packs of cigs ? that's just 2-3 days smoking. not that bad really....

Apostle, I think this is becoming so important because so many people are afraid that there will be a ban or something. I am still waiting for my Central Trade order and I ordered a lot of atomizers. And, I ordered all the atomizers vapordrag.ca had left for the evo during his going out of business sale, too. But, I am just stocking up. So, if I can get each one to last a long time, I'll just be all set, well, forever!

 

[kinabaloo]

Kendra - good news. I couldn't see the full ingredients list on the website so can't say for sure it is perfectly safe. Yes, phosophoric acid rinses away fine and is effective. Just wonder if there might be something else in the mix that would be harder to wash out. It seems on the face of it to be similar to NuCalgon, which is good - but is designed for ventilation rather than something directly in contact with a food item. Can you post the ingredients?

 

[breakfastchef]

To Angela, the OP, the maintenance you are doing is recommended by most manufacturers and is a 'best practice'. Blow out and turn over to drain overnight will likely prolong atomizer life.

As far as the accumulation of 'gunk' (scientific term) from all the crap we put down the tube, no one really knows what is the best way to clean them. The manufacturers certainly won't say as they want us to buy more. Since e-liquids seems to be water soluble, I would guess a cleaning method involving water is probably best. Gunk, on the other hand, probably is not dissolvable in water, hence the many aggressive cleaning schemes we see posted on this forum.