Carto Flooding all of a suden.

[mostapha]

One of my cartos (Smoktech 1.7 single) is flooding like mad in a DCT. It was fine for about a week and just started. I don't think I've changed any of my habits, and the tank seems to be functioning properly.

Is this the kind of thing that people have been reporting with Smoktech & Boge cartos recently, or is it just a sign that it's wearing out?

 

[Kemosabe]

i have a smoktch 1.7 xl carto that leaks like mad. correction, i HAD that carto up until i realized that it would randomly just decide to spill most of its contents at will. i thought it was the extreme heat we've been having. so i refilled the carto and it did it again. its not immediate though. takes a while. on a closer look, i noticed that none of my other cartos were doing this so it couildnt be the heat. im not sure if it was the jucie (cinnamon redhot) or the carto as ive not used that juice in anything else. i assume it was the carto.

 

[erictho]

do you have the plastic caps, or the metal ones? when my tank started flooding randomly the top plastic cap cracked shortly thereafter.
may be that?

 

[donnah]

any time I've ever had a carto flood in a tank, I had an air leak somewhere in the seals. When air can enter the tank (as you vape) it creates too much pressure inside the tank, forcing the juice into the carto and out the bottom. Vaping in front of a mirror can help detect if your tank has an air leak.. bubbles can be seen coming from the break in the seal.

 

[mostapha]

@donnah, that might be it. I'll check and see. I almost hope that's the problem because it was like a $6 tank……I can just buy a better one. Or just replace the o-rings.

And it's the metal caps.

 

[donnah]

@donnah, that might be it. I'll check and see. I almost hope that's the problem because it was like a $6 tank……I can just buy a better one. Or just replace the o-rings.

And it's the metal caps.

You can probably replace the orings
I've been using the cheap dctanks for months with no air leaks

 

[mostapha]

I probably just didn't smooth out the slotting enough. It just surprises me that it took so long for it to "break". I'd expected failures to show up sooner. I'll pick up some o-rings on the way home if I can figure out what size.

 

[Leothwyn]

I've had that happen too. Not sure what causes it exactly, but I don't think there's a problem with my tank. I've just found that after 5-7 days a carto will start losing flavor, tasting a bit burnt, or start getting really flooded. Time to put a new carto in the tank, then all is fine again... for a week.

 

[mostapha]

Is it sad that I can't remember when I changed it. That's a possibility too. O-rings cost a few cents, and I think I can change them without spilling juice. I'll do that first and try to dry it out a bit……if it doesn't get better, I'll replace the carto.

Is that how you tell when a carto died?

 

[iamtumus]

in my DCT's everytime i refill, i take the carto out, put my fingers over the holes and hit it to make sure it's working ok independently

 

[mostapha]

The weird thing is that it seems to be working again. IHNFC what's going on. I'm going to pick up some o-rings just in case, but it seems okay now.

It might have been a rapid temperature change or something. It's like 68 inside and around 95 outside……and apparently the air pressure was dropping all day (storm just hit…including hail south of the city).

Yay for complexity.

 

[donnah]

yea, there's so many variables with vaping. When one component works, another one doesn't. Once you think you (me) have everything figured out, something happens that has no explanation. I had lots of flooding issues back when I first started using tanks, I started with the chibi and the mini sub. After awhile, air would come in through the vinyl grommets. All carto tanks work basically off vacum and when the seal around the carto gets weak, air can be sucked in as they are vaped.

I've had no instances of flooding once I started using the dctanks. My issues now are my juice starts tasting "off" after a couple days in the tank. I'm thinking it's just ME. taste is so subjective and some people can taste things that others can't. I've read post after post where people lose their taste for a favorite juice. It happened to me one time, right in the middle of a bottle. BAM.. all of a sudden, my beloved waffle, that I had happily vaped for months, tasted awful!

I've heard people talk about a tank flooding because of air pressure, like when driving up and down a mountain. I've driven up and down Black Mountain (NC) several times and never had an issue with my tanks flooding.

 

[Unforeseen]

Moved from General E-Smoking Discussion to Assorted PV Topics- Cartomizers

 

[mostapha]

So, it looks like there's a flaw in my tube. It wasn't there a few days ago. There are a coupe of "bubbles" right by the o-ring as well, and liquid seems to be clinging to the top of the tank.

Is it possible it's just that the slot in my carto is too big?

I think it's something related to these observations, but IDK what it is. And it started flooding and then stopped flooding after being blown out again. So, I have no idea what's going on. I might just buy a better tank with my next order……unfortunately, the places my next battery and juice are coming from don't sell anything but DCTs and vivi novas.

I might just suck it up and pay for shipping for a delrin cartomator or something from yet another store. Ugh. So much stuff to order. I really wish there was a store that actually sold everything I "need" so I don't have to pay 3-4 times as much for shipping.

The flaw won't show up, but the liquid "stuck" to the top of the tank should be visible. Fortunately, it's "worked" mostly through the rest of that juice, so I can clean it, replace the carto, and see if it keeps going.

 

[donnah]

I just got the vivi nova from madvapes and am impressed so far !

 

[mostapha]

Yeah…I kinda want to try one. I just can't bring myself to do it. They cost like twice as much as a DCT and not that much less than a delrin cartomator……and I know that system works. Thinking about how that thing works has me a bit apprehensive about it. So far, the only thing I'm completely satisfied with is dripping……and I can't do that all the time.

Any specific thoughts?

BTW, changed the carto inside the tank, and it seems okay so far. Do cartos flood when they wear out? I haven't experienced that yet (as opposed to burning filler material) but I also haven't used one in a tank for long enough for it to fail before.

 

[djej]

Is it sad that I can't remember when I changed it. That's a possibility too. O-rings cost a few cents, and I think I can change them without spilling juice. I'll do that first and try to dry it out a bit……if it doesn't get better, I'll replace the carto.

Is that how you tell when a carto died?

If you cant remember when you changed it, you probably got a good number of days out of it (which is pretty good for a carto). I usually change my every 4 or 5 days. Even if it's not leaking, I always notice a performance boost with a fresh carto. The degradation of a carto is usually somewhat subtle, but a new one puts it in perspective real quick.

 

[mostapha]

Yeah…I changed the carto, and it's not doing it at all anymore. Plugging the hole (with a finger) on both sides of the (empty, clean) tank (without a carto in it)……it seems like it holds pressure just fine. If there's a problem, it's the inner o-rings, but the mirror didn't show it unless I pressed the carto into the side of the end cap (it sticks out a bit).

Apparently these smoktechs might just flood when they wear out. Whatever…that's better than how I imagine burnt polyfill……this way, I can blow it out (over and over again) and keep vaping 'till the end of the day and just waste juice instead of my lungs. I'm 5ml into a new carto and apart from running out of that juice doing just fine.

 

[Baditude]

I've been using the tank filler tools from Big Daddy Vapor and Phiniac for about a month now. They both serve two main purposes. One of these is placed on the end of the carto where the drip tip will go.

1) When inserting a carto thru a tank's end caps, its sharp edges on the end can damage the inner 0-rings of the end cap, allowing juice to leak from the tank when it becomes too weakened to do its job. The tank filler tool covers the end of the carto and therefore protects the 0-rings as the carto passes thru the holes.

2) Carto flooding can occur when juice is accidentally dropped into the air hole of the carto while filling up the tank with the carto partially removed. If the tank tool is in place on the carto while filling, absolutely no juice can enter the air hole.

I highly recommend these handy tools to anyone who uses a carto tank. The price may initially seem a little high, but figure that you are saving your 0-rings from unnecessary wear and damage; plus the tool speeds up the juice filling by at least half.

Slap-yo-mamma tool from Big Daddy Vapor and Phiniac tool
View attachment 122508View attachment 122509View attachment 122510

 

[mostapha]

Btw, the tank isn't leaking anymore. It was a dead carto. I'm just not used to them wearing out that fast.