Can someone help me with my Grand?

[kilroyst]

Can anyone help shed some light on whats wrong with me or my Grand?

I’ve had strep for the past couple days, so I have to admit I’m feeling a little extra frustrated, so I apologize in advance if it seems that way.

History of the problem: I received my new Grand and RM2 a little over a month ago, set it up and adjusted to it right away without any problems. Awesome vape and nary a complaint.

A little over a week ago one day the Grand began to leak from the 510 connection intermittently, no rhyme or reason I could put my finger on. To be clear, I squonk and the excess juice doesn’t get sucked /drain back into the bottle, just sits in the bottom of the atty, eventually drains out the catch cup and all over the Reo, me and my pockets. No problem, I checked all the usual suspects:

1. Gave it a hot water bath & made sure tubing flowed freely.
2. Made sure the tubing was secure to the brass nipple.
3. Trimmed the tubing at an angle making sure it wasn’t getting blocked off in the bottle. (This fixed it for a couple of days…I thought I had it licked)
4. Made sure the o ring was seated correctly in the cap & not bunched by over tightening.
5. Changing the tightness of the cap.
6. Tried running the o ring at the base of the bottle threads instead of in the cap.
7. Made sure the wick isn’t obstructing the drain hole in the RM2.
8. Tried a different bottle.

I can only think of a couple of things I haven’t tried which are using the reducer tube (figured 50/50 was thick enough not to need it) and replacing the tubing.

One other possibility, I am running an o ring in the catch cup under the RM2, because without it, when the RM2 is threaded on barely snug the airhole is oriented away from the button. That’s really an uncomfortable orientation for me & I prefer the airhole to face the button. I removed it this morning and am still getting the issue. But I’ve seen that many run the o ring under the RM2 for this purpose so I’m not sure why it would be the the problem.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Hopefully someone has a suggestion I haven’t thought of….I just want perfection back.

 

[Blix]

I don't use an o-ring with my Grand and RM2, and it never leaks. My air hole almost in line with the button.. Maybe try a thinner o-ring?

 

[kilroyst]

Thanks for responding but I removed the o ring this morning & just cleaned up a tissue-full of juice from the top & sides of the Reo and my desk. It's just been sitting there for the last half hour upright and untouched. So I guess the o ring isnt the issue.

 

[nerak]

Thanks for responding but I removed the o ring this morning & just cleaned up a tissue-full of juice from the top & sides of the Reo and my desk. It's just been sitting there for the last half hour upright and untouched. So I guess the o ring isnt the issue.

With no juice in the RM2 when you squonk watch the juice come up into it. Just a small amount. When you release the bottle is there a suction noise and does the juice go back down the hole?

 

[kilroyst]

@Nerak, Most of the time, no there is no sucking noise. "sometimes" there is. The vexing thing is it goes from sucking (what its supposed to do) to not sucking (in a bad way) in a few minutes time and without me fiddling with anything, just vaping normally.

 

[super_X_drifter]

I had a similar problem with juice in the catchcup. Here's how I corrected it:

First, as long as the airhole is in front of the coil and pointing up when you vape, you can set it to point any orientation you like.

I took one of the Orings from a spare REO grand bottle cap (its thick) and stretched it by pulling it between my fingers. When I stretched it enough that when I placed it in the catchcup it was completely outside the footprint of the 510 connection, I screwed on the atomizer base. I screwed it down tight. Then I screwed on the cap. It is hard to get the base off without using a bounty to grip it (without the cap) but the leak problem is solved.

Now, the only time I see any juice outside the RM2 is when I squonk too much and inadvertently tilt it towards the hole

 

[Treebeard]

Could you have somehow rotated the ceramic base in the RM2?

 

[unloaded]

Sounds like air leak around the tube in top of cap. This will cause it to suck air in there instead of extra juice down the tube. If the cap is as tight as it can get try a fatter oring in it.

 

[kilroyst]

Thats exctly how I had it set up when the leaking problem started Super. I removed the o-ring hoping to solve the problem.

 

[kilroyst]

Sounds like air leak around the tube in top of cap. This will cause it to suck air in there instead of extra juice down the tube. If the cap is as tight as it can get try a fatter oring in it.

I have an extra bottle kit, I will try the spare cap when I get home this afternoon. Thanks!

 

[super_X_drifter]

Thats exctly how I had it set up when the leaking problem started Super. I removed the o-ring hoping to solve the problem.

Just checking - it was a grand bottle cap oring right?

It is very important to STRETCH it out first. When I just dropped them in the catchcup it still leaked. If it is stretched out so its completely on the paint in the catchcup, and the RBA is screwed down very tightly, there's no way it could leak - Even if there was a problem with the bottle/cap/ tube.

It took me some experimenting to perfect that solution

 

[kilroyst]

Well, thanks to all I may have this ironed out, (I'll reserve final judgement for a day or two, it's had me fooled into thinking I'd licked the problem before, lol)

I got home from work & decided to try a new bottle and cap, as I was putting the new cap on the tubing, taking care not to stretch/put pressure on the tube, the tubing slipped right off the brass fitting. I had a new tubing kit, so I just decided to use it & dropped some super glue around it as I was sliding it on, let that dry for an hour or so & buttoned everything back up. I re installed the RM2 following your directions Super, and it seems to be sucking the excess juice out of the RBA now.

Vaping nirvana has ensued. If there is trouble in paradise again, I'm sending it back to see its maker, he'll whip it into shape.

Thank you everyone for all the help! I'm feeling a bit more relaxed...lol