Burnt coils - RTA

[PatVapes]

Ok, I think I should probably open this new thread with a clearer question and clearing up some things. I’m getting the same type of answers even though I’m asking different things. Maybe I haven’t worded what I want corrrectly hehe

1. I don’t want to spend more money than I already have. Please don’t suggest to buy this or that cause I won’t do it at this point and it doesn’t answer my question.

2. I don’t need to hear that I made a bad choice, or that I chose something that is too difficult for my skill level. I don’t believe in that. There’s nothing too difficult for me. I’m overweight, short, almost blind and weak and I hiked the Huayna Picchu mountain on my own. I can handle a dual RTA, trust me

So having said that, how exactly do I know if I’ve already burnt the coils on my RTA? Before you ask, yes, I’ve cleaned the coils correctly. Dry burn, run a little water on them, dry burn again to get rid of water.

What are the typical signs to watch out for when the coils are due for a change?

 

[Rossum]

Coils in a rebuildable atty don't get "burnt", they get crudded up. Most of that crud can be dealt with by dry burning, but there's a small amount of residue that remains each time, and more accumulates each time. I generally get four to six dry burns out of a coil before I decide (based on visual inspection) that it's time for a new one.

 

[QcVaper]

Honestly 9/10 times i switch my coils because it's been a while and they just don't look too good after 2 months of use

Though i did notice flavor being more and more burnt the older the coils get imho.
Generally speaking i can get at least 2 months out of a single coil ( all depends on the juice i'm vaping).

 

[stols001]

Resistance of coil may climb (i.e. you can no longer get all the crud off) leading to more frequent needs to wick and dry burn in my opinion, hence hastening the cycle.

Or, you know, whenever you feel it is justified. It's sort of different for everyone, but I have come to sort of "know" when I have pushed a coil too far... But only for me.

Anna

 

[raqball]

I am not sure what you mean by burnt coil..

If you are getting wicked dry evil hit after cleaning and rewicking then there is a chance the coil moved a bit during the process.

If you are using a micro coil check it before wicking and make sure it still heats up evenly from the center outwards. Removing wick can slightly alter the coil especially if you use a thick wick that's crammed into it...

Spaced coils don't generally have this issue but still should be checked before wicking.

Another thing to look for is hot legs. If the legs glow then you have an issue that needs to be addressed..

An improper micro coil and / or hot legs will give you a nasty - death - brunt vape...

If you are just asking when to change the coil, well there is no clear answer for that. Much depends on how you vape, what you vape ect. I tend to change my wick about once a week and I recoil about once a month. I vape plain vg/pg so my coils do not get all junked up...

 

[vapdivrr]

I agree with others in that most of the time it's a visual thing. Personally I dont notice a difference in the vape that tells me when to change, but eventually the coil just looks a bit old and I change it. My kanthal coils go for many months and with proper cleaning seem just as good from day one to when I change them, so for me it's just a visual thing.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Jwaterski]

With the problems you have experienced recently, it probably wouldn't hurt to replace the coils. As everyone above has noted, coils can go quite a while without any problem, but in your case you have another variable that is difficult to measure at this point. You have dual coils, if they are not balanced, one could be cooking while the other is open or barely heating. When dry burning, do they appear to heat evenly?

 

[the wind]

If the air flow path is not clean,it could cause a burnt taste.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

If you're talking about a burnt taste, that comes from the wicking being scorched or burnt, even little tiny areas produce the funky taste. Of course the basic answer is too much power being used.
Always start low & gradually work up.

If you're talking about burnt looking coils, that comes from the build up of caramelization caused by sweeteners & flavorings in your e liquid, too much power or nor enough airflow it gets crusty & gives off, odd, funky & burnt tastes.
When using overly sweetened or flavored e liquids this can take place rapidly, if you enjoy the goopy gunky type liquids all you can do is clean coils & re wick.

Wicking coils is kind of an art, it takes practice, sometimes 3 tries sometimes 30.
Each delivery device takes slightly different wicking techniques and finding what is just right is mostly personal preference, the way I do it may not work for you or anyone else.
Also I do not use any type of cotton, rayon is so much simpler for me, always what I start folks on when asked for help.

Dry burn is almost a misnomer, just mashing & holding the fire button until the coils glow orangeish red is a great way to create problems. Multiple pulses just to the glow stage then cool, scrape & repeat.
Just me, if I had mashed the fire button & heated the coils in one step up to a bright glow, I'd consider them toast, I've had too many experiences with over heating coils and the problems it can cause.

Both the coils should heat at the same pace from inside out, after dry burn, strumming, cleaning always check the wire grub screws for tightness before & after rewicking.

If you're convinced you're doing everything right, time to disassemble your tank check insulators, wash thoroughly & try again.

 

[uthinkofsomething]

I have used the same pair of dual coils for over five months. It seems like when they get that old you need to clean them a little more frequently. Good advice given above, make sure you pulse to glow coils slowly and gently. After they are "clean" pulse again and make sure all is heating evenly, I usually strum them a few times as they cool.

 

[tailland]

What are the typical signs to watch out for when the coils are due for a change?

1. Obnoxious, sharp taste although cotton is good and soaked.
2. Heating pattern changes. Coil first (or only) glows on the outside.
3. A non-negligible change of resistance.
^
Easily done if you overheat the coils. If you avoid that, they can last a looong time.

 

[evan le'garde]

What are the typical signs to watch out for when the coils are due for a change?

If you look at the coil with a magnifying glass after a dry burn you'll see brown powdery remains on the surface. If i remember correctly you are using exotic coils made up of several strands. These type of coils are going to be harder to keep clean than say a basic single strand coil.

Dry burning can include burning off little bits of cotton wool. Blowing on the coil during a dry burn should remove this detritus. Just take a closer look at the coil with a magnifying glass to ensure you've removed as much unwanted waste as you can.

Ordinarily your coils should last months with the right maintenance. If eventually you can no longer remove the accumulated remains from all the little nooks and crannies then it will probably be time to replace your coil/s.

 

[Letitia]

There may be a drop in flavor and consistency as the coils age, especially if you are aggressive with the dry burning. Pulse and lighy brush the coils a couple times, I also blow on mine during a burn. I tend to change coils every 4-6 weeks whether they need it or not.

 

[listopencil]

I dry burn it and then brush it, with a soft wire brush, until it's somewhat clean. I keep brushing until all of the crap is off of it. If the coil breaks before I can get it clean then I make a new one. So...there you go.

 

[PatVapes]

Thank you all for replying and for telling me your wise advice and experiences.

Perhaps I’m not cleaning the coils properly. When I rewick I don’t really see a lot of gunk or anything left there.

I just rewicked yesterday I think and the flavor is really muted, pretty much non existent. I don’t know how to explain it but it tastes like... a vegetable mixed with a hint of sugar.

It doesn’t taste burnt or anything like that but it doesn’t taste like grape jam monster either.

I’m really sad

 

[Jwaterski]

Too much wick.

 

[stols001]

Too much wick, wick not broken in, oh many things could be happening.

If rewicking is the suck for you try rayon. It's a lot more forgiving and long lasting.

Anna

 

[englishmick]

Thank you all for replying and for telling me your wise advice and experiences.

Perhaps I’m not cleaning the coils properly. When I rewick I don’t really see a lot of gunk or anything left there.

I just rewicked yesterday I think and the flavor is really muted, pretty much non existent. I don’t know how to explain it but it tastes like... a vegetable mixed with a hint of sugar.

It doesn’t taste burnt or anything like that but it doesn’t taste like grape jam monster either.

I’m really sad

I've been coiling and wicking for 5 years and things still happen that I can't explain. I rewicked a subtank a few days ago. Never had a problem with it before but this time it's leaking out of the airholes. I've got a Kayfun right now that I rewicked last week and it tastes slightly burnt and the flavor is weak. Stuff like that used to happen all the time, now it's rare.

Normally I just replace the wick and it's fine. Sometimes replace the coil. Never did figure out how to tell when a coil needs replacing.

My advice is just keep on doing it. Trying to figure out the cause of problems is good, but sometimes it just happens and you might never figure out why.​

 

[PatVapes]

Thank you guys, I’ll rewick it and try my luck again. Hopefully I’ll be successful before 2019

 

[Zazie]

No advice here, just sympathy.

Good luck, @PatVapes!