Atty and Carto troubles:(

[spaulding]

Hi all! Ok, so I'm having some trouble with my cartos flooding/spitting. I've tried various mixes from pure vg to about 80pg/20vg and still having trouble.

I'm dealing with a 6ml tankomizer I believe its called(manufacturer unknown, bought at Vapure), and a Smok Tek 3.5ml dual coil carto, Ohms unknown.

I haven't run into these problems with the eGo wickless tank system. So far I've had best results with the eGo type B Atty with the ~2ml tank. I started on an eGo with a type A tank and that worked fine for the first juices I was using, but now am getting quite a bit of burnt taste with those. Also experiencing some burnt taste with the type B, but FAR less.

As with the cartos, I've tried various mixes of pg/vg and still getting burnt taste in the type A. It's my understanding that the burnt taste is almost exclusively caused by the atty running too dry, but am still getting it even direct dripping into the atty. I've tried cleaning with hot water and even %91 isopropyl alchohol(no PGA on hand) to no avail. Is it possible I just haven't cleaned it well enough? Or could the atty be producing the burnt taste as it is on it's way out? Do I just have the wrong juice here?

I'm going nuts with this as it is putting a heavy damper on my heavy vaping habit.

EDIT: reading over this post, I realize it's a bit unclear, basically:

-How does one keep a carto from spitting?

-How does one keep an eGo-T type atty from burning?

-for both of the above questions: What pg/vg mixes have you found to work best, and what user error or equipment failure might I be dealing with?

PS-So far I prefer the eGo type A/B as the design of the tanks do not allow hot juice to come flying into the mouth(I don't really mind a little as long as it's cooled a bit), and they seem to work best for my vaping stye as far as delivering relatively consistent flavor/vapor/throat hit(very important to me).

 

[dormouse]

-How does one keep a carto from spitting?

By properly cleaning it up and settling it. I fill to its stated capacity, clean it up including tilting the open end down and touching soft tissue to the stuffing while puffing into the threaded end. Then I settle by laying it on different sides and on the ends (over about 15-20 minutes total is enough settling for 80PG/20VG in my cartos but those huge DC's may need more).

-How does one keep an eGo-T type atty from burning?

Adjust the wick somewhere between burning and leaking, use juices with 30% or less VG, allow time for juice to wick to the coil after putting on a new tank

-for both of the above questions: What pg/vg mixes have you found to work best, and what user error or equipment failure might I be dealing with?

Ego-T prefers 30% or less VG though some thinner 50/50's may work
Cartomizers - I use 80Pg/20VG or less VG in cartos. But in dual coils some use more VG (which I don't recommend unless you are already good at using cartos). I don't use DC's. I don't need vapor so bad that I would use my battery charge up twice as fast to vape 2 standard resistance coils at once.

--

My suggestion - learn to use what most people prefer - plain old Boge 510 cartos. the 3 ohm are cool and easier to learn on, the 2 ohms are hotter and you need to be more vigilant about keeping them damp. THEN try huger more complex cartos.

And for the T's, search youtube for Ego-T wick and hopefully you will find a video of adjusting the wick. And don't use juices that are too thick.

And disclaimer - I do not use Ego-T or dual coil cartos. This is based on what others have said. I read a lot of the forum. But wait for suggestions from those who actually use them.

 

[spaulding]

Thanks dormouse. I think I'm with you on the dc's. I really don't see what all the hype is about. I purchased one, as it was there, it was inexpensive, and I'd heard folks raving, but I don't plan on purchasing another. I've started playing with DIY as I've got a rabid tinkering streak, and now my cartos and attys are raining on my parade. I think for now I'll stick with the eGo-T and get a drip tip/atty setup to test my brews. Thanks for the pointers, on mix and wick, I was wondering about the wick, but I didn't want to start dinking with it before I do some research on it as I don't have enough on hand to ruin one. I'll find a few vids and try it out. I think the burning issue may have been mostly caused by a particularly thick premixed flavor that gummed up the atty something fierce and was not allowing juice to flow properly. Not sure if that makes any sense, but it's a thought that occured to me.

I'll try one of the standard 510 cartos before I give up on them entirely.

Anyway, thanks again for the prompt reply I'm loving vaping, and loving DIY!

 

[dormouse]

Sometimes people luck out and get a perfectly adjusted wick and sometimes they don't.

Also I avoid all juices that drop flavoring sediment which are usually dark, opaque or cloudy juices. I like light clear juices that leaving carto stuffing clean and keep the coil working well longer.

 

[madjack]

...don't/won't use the "T" type tanks so I can't give advice there...with cartos, to keep them from spitting, make sure the center air tube is clear by giving it a little blow like MsMouse sez...are you using a drip tip for a mouth piece on the carto??? You should, as it will keep your mouth/lips a little further from the carto and act as a baffle to any spitting juice....
madjack

 

[hairball]

To keep a carto from spitting, draw on it easier (you're not smoking a cig) and use a drip tip. Problem should be resolved.

 

[spaulding]

Thanks for the replies.

madjack: I'm not using a drip tip on the dcc as I don't currently have one large enough. I'm using the rubber whistle tip it came with. I do have a drip tip for the tankomizer, but am still getting a lot of spitting with it.

dormouse: I just took apart the atty in the type A that was tasting terrible. I busted the coil by being just a wee bit too rough in cleaning it, but man it was caked! Large chunks of coagulated juice. No wonder it wasn't working well. It was worth busting one though to see the anatomy of it. Next time I'll be more careful, and do a dry burn before trying to get as much crust off. Unfortunately I do like some dark flavors. I have noticed, and it's only logical, that the clearer juices vape much cleaner on the equipment, and try to alternate to flush out my atties a little. I'll just have to get my cleaning regimen going. I've done a fair amount of research but am really still in the beginning of the learning curve as far as practice goes. Only been vaping for a month or two now

hairball: I prefer a very gentle draw, but am not getting good vapor at all on these when doing so.

Conclusion: I need to clean my eGo attys much more frequently and do a FULL cleaning regularly, complete with disassembly and dry burn. Thankfully I'm the kind of nut that kinda enjoys that sort of tinkering. Also, I need to get rid of all this pg juice I ended up with as it is just too darn goopy(the chocolate in particular) for my atties and too smooth/not enough throat hit for my taste. I've tried mixing it down with variable results, but I think I may just shelve it for a while, or trade it off to someone who just loves pure pg. I've ordered some juice that I know is good and also a selection of diy flavors, which hopefully will get me back on track with this. Still need to order a couple atties and some pure pg nic juice to round it out, lol. Man this habit is expensive at times, especially when your a diy nut!

 

[spaulding]

UPDATE: So I had a flash last night as I was falling asleep(practicing mixing math in my head) to see if my type B tanks would fit in the dcc, and it does! Just popped in an empty tank and no more spitting by design!

I'm quite pleased as I am forced to use the cartos for now until I get more eGo-t attys. who knows, maybe I'll actually learn how to use the cartos properly and come to like them

 

[spaulding]

Ok, so I resolved the spitting issue with the dcc, but still not enough vapor, so I took it apart and discovered that the lower coil was disconnected and the upper was very gunked up. No wonder it wasn't working right:/

I also took dormouses advice to try a basic carto before I give up on em, and wrapped a peice of tape around the hole drilled in the side of a carto for the 6ml tank system, juiced it up(without the tank), popped on a drip tip, and voila! a decent vaping experience with no spitting.

Thank you all for getting me back on track here. I think I may have just gotten a little ahead of myself

 

[swedishfish]

Clear dcc are very easy to clean. The downside is they're more fragile. They can easily break apart if you throw them in your pocket or something. But they might be worth it for you since you must use juice that tend to clog cartos easily.

To clean clear dcc:

Put the carto on the battery
Wiggle back and forth to remove plastic casing
gently unwind batting, rinse in sink
dunk the coils in cup of hot water and swish around
dab with paper towel to dry
rewind batting
put plastic back on

 

[swedishfish]

I think the burnt taste with the type a tanks is the way you vape. In my case that's what I think it was and why I can't use them. If you tend to take deep, long inhales, it won't wick quickly enough. I always got that nasty plastic burnt taste with them.