Boiled cartomizers no longer work.

[brekehan]

I read over the forum and watched several you tube videos on how to clean my cartomizers for my new kr808d-1. So, I put all my cartomizers in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, let it cool, and then again for 5 minutes. I had all the tops popped off and rinsed them seperatly. I let them dry for 2 days.

Now, I fill them one by one with 20 drops of my favorite juice and not a single one produces any vapor at all. What did I do wrong? Is there anyway I can fix them?

I know my battery works because I have a couple new cartos left that work fine.

 

[markfm]

If you just suck on a carto, not connected to a battery, do you get good air flow? Possibly the tubes are misaligned.

Also, are you sure they actually dried? I don't air dry, I bake on a paper towel on a plate or pan at around 225F, about an hour ( a bit longer will not hurt), then let them cool down.

(slow air drying invites nasty stuff to grow)

 

[JohnKing]

Check to see if the carto warms up at all, if it does, your carto is still working, it may just be too wet.

 

[brekehan]

Well, I sucked on all of them, and got some juice in my mouth yuck!, but I get air through all of them. I held them up to a light and can see through the hole fine.

2 of them sound a little slurpy when I try on the battery. 1 doesn't and gets just a little bit of vapor, but not enough to call working. I haven't wasted more juice on the other 7.

None of them seem to get warm on my fingers like my good cartos do.

 

[Charlie58]

They may still have some water in them.
Also I've noticed on some of mine, that even though they worked fine when i put them in the to be boiled pile they sometimes need to have the post raised by prying up on them from the side with a paper clip to make good contact.
Maybe the pliable section of the post contracts from being heated and cooled?
I think I may have thrown away some good ones before thinking of adjusting them.
Also I've found the oven trick from the previous post to help a lot with drying them.

 

[doots]

Well, I sucked on all of them, and got some juice in my mouth yuck!, but I get air through all of them. I held them up to a light and can see through the hole fine.

2 of them sound a little slurpy when I try on the battery. 1 doesn't and gets just a little bit of vapor, but not enough to call working. I haven't wasted more juice on the other 7.

None of them seem to get warm on my fingers like my good cartos do.

I would try to dry them out a little more and try again. probably not dead, just damp still/

 

[brekehan]

They may still have some water in them.
Also I've noticed on some of mine, that even though they worked fine when i put them in the to be boiled pile they sometimes need to have the post raised by prying up on them from the side with a paper clip to make good contact.
Maybe the pliable section of the post contracts from being heated and cooled?
I think I may have thrown away some good ones before thinking of adjusting them.
Also I've found the oven trick from the previous post to help a lot with drying them.

I am not sure what the post looks like. I don't see anything on them that can be raised with a paperclip except maybe the metal wire loop inside. I'll have to take a picture of them inside and out and have someone circle it.

 

[beachpuff]

I am not sure what the post looks like. I don't see anything on them that can be raised with a paperclip except maybe the metal wire loop inside. I'll have to take a picture of them inside and out and have someone circle it.

This should help:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...batteries-tutorial-post-adjustment-video.html

 

[renstyle]

This should help:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...batteries-tutorial-post-adjustment-video.html

Have you tried spinning the cartos, holding the battery end? I've had luck with this "draining" cartos of juice. Gets them pretty empty. Prolly won't hurt them, but it does suck that you would have to fill them with "something" in order to test whether or not they work.

Do you hear popping when you hit the batt? That should indicate the PG/VG is boiling (producing vapor). I know somewhere here on the site there was work done checking the atty coil using a multimeter. If you had access to one you may want to give that a try, just to see if the resistance has gone thru the roof (not likely, but I suppose it is possible). Normally a LR atty would get REALLY HOT, possibly snapping/breaking with a freshly charged KR808 batt. Passthrus would hasten a LR death that much faster, but would still get it to work for a few hits.

Another thing you could try if you didn't want to fiddle with nic juice, would be to pick up some PG or VG (plain no nic) and use just those to test for vapor. I was able to pick up a 60mL bottle of VG at a local Hobby Lobby for $1.99 (wiltons brand, in the cake decorating section, next to the Lorann oils).

Those you could just spin-drain and add your own liquid with much less fuss. I've done this to verify an atty was still working inside a carto. Just another thought. If you find something that works please let us know. I've not yet done a mass-cleaning yet, but the day is approaching very soon!

 

[earthpig]

Gotta make sure they're bone dry and many carto's on the market won't quite hold 20 drops of fluid, and 18 usually is a safe bet. Now i will say that some fluids are thicker as well so a drop size can be bigger as well, but as a rule, your pressing the limit with 20 drops.

I also half fill em, and let them sit for a few hours. If they fire off, I'll continue filling. I do this so I don't waste juice. on the refills (not after boil) I don't do that, but I also never run em dry.

 

[Cat_in_the_Playground]

I don't air dry, I bake on a paper towel on a plate or pan at around 225F, about an hour ( a bit longer will not hurt), then let them cool down.

(slow air drying invites nasty stuff to grow)

I was excited when I found videos that described how cartomizers could be cleaned. I hated filling up a new carto with a new flavor, only to figure out it was disgusting and unvapable. I followed the directions in MistressNomad's newbie videos and soaked them in grain alcohol for a few hours and then boiled them for 10 minutes. She says to let them air dry somewhere with good air flow. I have my portable space heater set to "fan" blowing on them. But even though I know I have great air flow, I was concerned about their ability to dry fully before something nasty grew in there. Its not like there is a lot of room for air to really circulate around the filler material. I think I'm going to go put them in the oven for an hour. Another benefit is that I don't have to wait 2 days for them to dry before I can start vaping with them!

I've heard that there is no guarantee that they will work again after cleaning them, but the way I looked at it was that in their current state they were garbage. If doing this cleaning process allows me to be able to use them, I've saved money. Especially the ones that were used for 5 puffs just to test out a new flavor.

Thanks for sharing. Headed to the oven now

 

[OMG!]

Happy baking!

 

[Cat_in_the_Playground]

Unfortunately, my cartomizer cleaning experience didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I cleaned them according to Mistress Nomad's newbie video, removed excess water and set them to dry in front of a small fan. I baked them after I read about it in this thread, then let them cool. I loaded the first one up with juice and nothing. I cleaned both 510 and KR808D1 carto's and neither of them work and they both seem to suffer from the same symptoms. I will go through the suggestions mentioned earlier in this thread:

- if I suck on them, they have good air flow.
- The cartomizer does get warm. Especially the V4L cartos get warm to the touch
- I can hear the crackling/popping sounds when I push the button (my batteries are all manual). Despite hearing what sounds like normal vaping sounds, there is no vapor. If I attempt to drag on it, I get a mouth full of warm, dry air. Not only is there no vapor, but you can't taste the ejuice at all (as in not one drop seems to be getting vaporized).
- I tried the post adjustment and that didn't do anything.

Has anyone had this happen to them after cleaning cartomizers? Symptoms sound familiar?

I realize they were garbage before I cleaned them, but I was really hoping to get some use out of some of these that were only used briefly with a new flavor that I learned I hated. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[OMG!]

I experienced that very same thing with newly cleaned cartos. My problem was they weren't full enough. Once I got enough juice in them they worked better. Still not like new, but MUCH better.

 

[Cat_in_the_Playground]

I experienced that very same thing with newly cleaned cartos. My problem was they weren't full enough. Once I got enough juice in them they worked better. Still not like new, but MUCH better.

I wish that was the answer. I just went and got another clean one and put plenty of juice in it. I think the amount of juice I put in would typically be too much and the same results - You can hear the sizzling noise (almost sounds louder than in my working cartomizers?), the cartomizer definitely gets warm. When I draw on it, I just get warm air - vapor. It all seems like it should be producing vapor, but nothin'. This is the third one from the batch I cleaned and same result. Any other ideas? I really hate to have to throw 17 away (it's particularly hard b/c I'm an especially "thrifty" person... although u won't know it from how much I've spent and continue to spend on vaping - LOL).

 

[Cat_in_the_Playground]

I can't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I also have a 510 and cleaned my cartomizers for both. So, both my KR808D1 and 510 cartomizers that I cleaned have the same problem/symptoms.

 

[intriqken]

I can't imagine what is going on especially since you get warm air and hear them crackle,
I clean mine with hot water...pump water thru them using a baby syringe....then pump air through them until no water comes out,,,dry them at 225F in the oven for an hour and they work fine, Usually only take about 3 puffs to get them going again,
I would suggest destroying one of the 808's to see what is really going on inside (you would be turning it into a drip tip so it wouldn't really be destroying it,).
Take out all of the foam inside of one, leaving the center tube and being careful not to pull on it....then hook it up on your manual battery. Hit and hold the button for about 5 seconds and see if it begins to glow red inside on the wire/coil. Repeat if necessary. Then drop a couple of drops of juice outside of the tube and hit the button again, You should soon be seeing some vapor. Don't be afraid of repeating the 5 second hold a few times, At this point you aren't worried about burning out the atomizer inside since you've already mentally assigned this one to R.I.P status. You should be able to put a drip tip on it now (or just your cap for the time being,,,or nothing, just don't burn your lips) and use it as an atomizer.
Still not working? Take the now naked cartomizer and rinse it really well (soak for 5 minutes, then rinse) in alcohol...the higher the percentage of alcohol (I use 90% rubbing alcohol) the better and the quicker it dries/evaporates. Pick up the carto/atomizer like a little cup full of the alcohol and it should be dripping or running freely thru the hole in the bottom,
Wipe off the outside of the unit, blow out the remaining alcohol first from one side then the other, then put it back on the battery and push the button to burn off any remaining alcohol. It should glow nicely now.
Now you can drip directly into it 2 or 3 drops at a time and use as a drip atomizer.
'IF' this works then you know the cartos are still good, they just aren't getting cleaned and dried as they should, Maybe they have mega build up,,,I don't know,
'IF' it worked with the one you just did those steps to, take the others and re-clean using a baby syringe (Walmart- $2) and hot water then dry again in the oven as before,
Hopefully, this does the trick for you.
I can imagine how frustrating this has been for you,

PS. If your cartos are the ones ceramic type that you fill with a syringe the problem just got harder, You would have to destroy the first by removing the rings inside then doing the alcohol thingie with, I haven't tried to simply convert that type to atomizers for dripping before so I don't know how it would work,

Good luck
Keep Vaping!

 

[Cat_in_the_Playground]

I can't imagine what is going on especially since you get warm air and hear them crackle,
<<SNIP>>
I would suggest destroying one of the 808's to see what is really going on inside (you would be turning it into a drip tip so it wouldn't really be destroying it,).
Take out all of the foam inside of one, leaving the center tube and being careful not to pull on it....then hook it up on your manual battery. Hit and hold the button for about 5 seconds and see if it begins to glow red inside on the wire/coil. Repeat if necessary. Then drop a couple of drops of juice outside of the tube and hit the button again, You should soon be seeing some vapor. Don't be afraid of repeating the 5 second hold a few times, At this point you aren't worried about burning out the atomizer inside since you've already mentally assigned this one to R.I.P status. You should be able to put a drip tip on it now (or just your cap for the time being,,,or nothing, just don't burn your lips) and use it as an atomizer.
Still not working?

I can't figure it out either. If they were just dead, I would accept it and move on. But it seems like everything should be working and I'm missing some tiny little thing and they will work like a charm.

I followed your first set of instructions. Of the cartomizers I cleaned, 2 are for my 808, the rest are 510's. I took the one 808 that I had filled and tried to use and took it apart as you described. The coil glows red every time. I can still hear it sizzling. When I used it as a drip tip, it seemed to work as its supposed to and produced vapor. So, I haven't progressed beyond the first set of instructions (what I copied above) since it is working at that step.

Since it seemed that all the parts are functional, I took my other 808 and added juice and same thing as before - gets nice and hot, hear crackling, but no vapor, just some really hot air. I just don't get it.

The only thing I could try is the second set of instructions, but on one I haven't disassembled (and substituting grain alcohol for rubbing alcohol since the filler would still be in it). I can't imagine that they are especially gunked up. They were all working fine before the soaking, boiling and baking. And 3-5 of them were used for a handful of vapes (put a new flavor I bought into a fresh one and the juice was disgusting). Even the ones that have been used longer were not that used.

I know cartos are disposable. It is just the thrifty side of me that just hates dumping them all in the garbage - especially when some of them have hardly been used.

Any other ideas? I appreciate your help very much.

 

[renstyle]

I've just taken some of my own used cartos and put them thru this process:

1. got water boiling on the range

2. remove from heat, drop about 20 cartos into the water

3. "lightly" boil for 15mins (just warm enough to get bubbles, not a rolling boil)

4. drain hot water, rinse with cold tap water for 1min, then repeat steps 1-3 again

5. after this is done, drain the water

6. blow out as much excess water onto a paper towel

7. set upright on a cookie sheet in a 150-170 degree oven (the lowest setting) for about 15mins

8. let dry, caps off overnight

It's a bit involved I know. Then I filled one carto with about 10 drops. Let it sit for 20-30mins. Then add 2-4 drops at at a time until it looks "slurpy/slushy". I did this with just one carto to get the technique down. Left it sit overnight with the top off in a storage container.

The next day I "primed" the carto on my USB passthru. The draw was just a bit harder than original, but the vapor it produced (18mg 80/20 pg/vg juice) was about the same as the original. Taste was just slightly diminished from the original.

I then did another 5, then 10 cartos with this filling method. All so far work (more or less). Some cartos are better than others, but I've gotten them all to work.

Hope this helps...

EDIT: All of my cartos are KR808, and the only batts I have are 808 auto/manual and a single usb passthru. No fancy hi-mAh batts or mods. About as basic a kit as you can get... They were V2cigs prefilled, which isn't the best quality cartos out there, about mid-range.

 

[xg4bx]

I've tried boiling them and ended up just throwing them out. I'm not made of money but I just can't justify the effort in refurbishing goods that are disposable by design. I was spending $60 a week on cigs, $9 for a pack of cartos every week is a drop in the bucket.