Boge cartomizers stiff draw

[santhony]

I've been having trouble with Boge cartomizers on my Riva getting stiffer and stiffer on the draw and a couple finally getting impossible to get any air through. Cleaning in boiling water and thorough drying does not fix the problem.

Anyone have any ideas about how to fix them, or should I just toss them?

Other than this, these cartos are really great!

 

[nerak]

Can you see light through the little hole inside? Is the tube in the middle straight? I know a few of mine were off center, and some I could not see through. I used a paper clip and aligned the tube in the middle, the others I blew through from both ends and tried to clear them. Another thing, are they warming up when you vape? Sometimes the little part in the battery end of the cartomizer that connects with the battery gets pushed in some. If you lift it out a little, very easy, it might work. Hope this helps.
Keep vaping!

 

[dormouse]

Yes - that can happen. Take off the cap and hold the carto up to the light - you should be able to see straight through it to light. If you cannot or you can only see a tiny bit, then the air channel has gotten crooked. Unbend part of a small smooth paper clip and make it as straight as possible. Alternately you could use a hatpin if you have one. With the end cap off and the carto off of the battery - stick it into the air channel and try to get it to come out the battery end hole (that's a small hole with a 510 carto - it need to be a small smooth paperclip). Then see if you can tell which way the air channel is crooked and pull the paper clip back in and try to gently straighten the inner end of air channel so you can see light through the carto.

I made a Boge last a month by doing that in the latter part of the month. At the end of the month it was really hard to drag and I threw it in the trash... then took it out and tried to straighten the channel again and it worked so well I kept that carto to try cleaning it.

Note - some dried eliquid residue could also be blocking the threaded end hole or somewhere just inside there, but the same procedure will clear that too. Just make sure you wipe up the threaded end well when done.

They don't all get crooked. But just a slight variation in the wrap of stuffing can cause it to swell more on one side. The SLB cartos don't have a defined air channel (just a fat pad of stuffing with an inner donut-shape seal on top). You could try those too. So far I'm happy with the Boges and trying one SLB with an extra flavor.

 

[santhony]

Can you see light through the little hole inside? Is the tube in the middle straight? I know a few of mine were off center, and some I could not see through. I used a paper clip and aligned the tube in the middle, the others I blew through from both ends and tried to clear them. Another thing, are they warming up when you vape? Sometimes the little part in the battery end of the cartomizer that connects with the battery gets pushed in some. If you lift it out a little, very easy, it might work. Hope this helps.
Keep vaping!

Poking a paperclip through fixed it. Thanks. I was afraid I might damage the heating element, but it seems to be ok now.

Even the completely clogged ones still warmed up, so they were not burned out.

 

[N2rock]

I use Boge cartos all the time. And yes, after just a few days use they become hard to draw. I can see clear thru the hole, so I know that is not the issue at all. After tearing one apart I came to the conclusion that a lot of un-used juice just collects at the bottom of the filler. As more and more collects, it becomes harder to draw. One day I decided to try to detemine why they become hard to draw and tore one apart- it was a used one, hard to draw, and was "empty" as far as hitting it was concerned. When I got is tore apart, the filling was so full of juice that it soaked my fingers just holding it. I could see no other problems internally. So I came to the conclusion that it must be getting full of juice at the bottom end over time.

I always just toss them when they get to that point. They are cheap - a whole lot cheaper then buying a pack of analogs per day. So I just buy a couple boxes of them at a time, and toss them when they start getting hard to draw. Funny thing is the one I'm currently using has been on since last Friday- that's a record for me, as all previous ones lasted 3 days max. But this one is still hitting just fine. Not sure why this one just keeps going.

 

[santhony]

I use Boge cartos all the time. And yes, after just a few days use they become hard to draw. I can see clear thru the hole, so I know that is not the issue at all. After tearing one apart I came to the conclusion that a lot of un-used juice just collects at the bottom of the filler. As more and more collects, it becomes harder to draw. One day I decided to try to detemine why they become hard to draw and tore one apart- it was a used one, hard to draw, and was "empty" as far as hitting it was concerned. When I got is tore apart, the filling was so full of juice that it soaked my fingers just holding it. I could see no other problems internally. So I came to the conclusion that it must be getting full of juice at the bottom end over time.

I always just toss them when they get to that point. They are cheap - a whole lot cheaper then buying a pack of analogs per day. So I just buy a couple boxes of them at a time, and toss them when they start getting hard to draw. Funny thing is the one I'm currently using has been on since last Friday- that's a record for me, as all previous ones lasted 3 days max. But this one is still hitting just fine. Not sure why this one just keeps going.

Well, I just fished one that I had tossed out last night out of the garbage, washed it out (all the coffee grounds that had dumped on it) and tried to push a paperclip through. After really working on it from both ends, I finally got it past something really hard and stuck in there, and now air flows through it fine - and it still heats up! I guess I don't have to worry about damaging the heating element.

I agree, they are cheap, but so am I! I've got to slow down a little with expenditures on this vaping stuff!

Thanks all for the help for this newbie.

 

[DaveP]

I went through about 1 Boge carto a week from the 1st of 3 boxes I ordered a while back. I gave a friend two of those. Once I got into the second box, they lasted anywhere from a few hours to less than a day before beginning to draw so hard it was almost like a folded straw. I tried the paper clip trick on one and was able to get better draw but it didn't last long.

I finally pulled the stuffing out of one and there was a mangled hard center section. Now that I have seen what one looks like after you pull it apart, I have a better understanding of how they are built.

Bottom line is that they are a great vape, but can be finicky. QC could stand some tweaking.

 

[Ralikar]

I hate Boge carts (for 808d bats)-- Bloog are 10x better. I had fill problems and the filling is like rocks but holds the juice so tightly you can't vape. I literally went through 2 new filled carts today in like 30 min and was angry at every tight puff. Any cart that wants you to sit them overnight or you have to adjust or paperclip is a waste of money.

 

[arbogast]

You learn something new everyday. The paperclip trick worked very well with a cpl of cartos. I used the blunt end of a sewing needle as I couldn't bring myself to starting a new thread titled "How to properly straighten a paper clip?".

 

[Bozzlite]

Thanks Nerak and Hairball. That is something I wasn't aware of. Very good info.

Just goes to show, you are never too old or too experienced to learn something new.

 

[Treefrog]

Thank You for asking the question Santhony and thank you Dormouse for your response!! Woot, I'm vaping again!!!!

 

[dormouse]

WOW old thread. I retract my suggestion to try SLB cartos. Sucked after refilling. Talk about hard to drag.

And since this thread I found that all juices that drop flavoring sediment in the carto will shorten the life of the carto, clogging the stuffing, baking onto the coil, clogging the air channel at the threaded end, ruining everything - the drag, the wicking, the vapor production, the flavor. I now only use thin clear juices in cartos.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Yep old thread and I've taken dormouse's advice about vaping clear juices EXCEPT every Sat. night (my vaping anniversary) I treat myself to whatever juice I feel like vaping

WOW old thread. I retract my suggestion to try SLB cartos. Sucked after refilling. Talk about hard to drag.

And since this thread I found that all juices that drop flavoring sediment in the carto will shorten the life of the carto, clogging the stuffing, baking onto the coil, clogging the air channel at the threaded end, ruining everything - the drag, the wicking, the vapor production, the flavor. I now only use thin clear juices in cartos.

 

[dormouse]

I will still drip evil dark cloudy juice on an atomizer occasionally. Like that B52 tobacco from Juicy vapor or the B52 from Vaporbomb. Nom nom yummy. Bailey's, Grand Marnier (orange liqueur) and kahlua.