So two of my 8 day old cartomizers are getting really hard to draw on...I cleaned the battery holes, cleaned the connections, no dice...any suggestions? I'm sure the answer is here somewhere.
Cartos hard to draw?
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They may just have outlived their usefulness or need a good wash--cartomizers don't last forever. How many times have you refilled them?
Well they've never been washed, thats for sure! I just keep topping them off with juice...I dunno, maybe twice? Lets see...I have 6 cartos all together and I had one 5 ml bottle of juice. The juice is just about gone and 4 of my carts are good and full. The two that are hard to draw still look damp when I squish em. Does that help? I seriously thought they'd last a bit longer...I got my VK a week ago monday.
From what I collected from the VK users it is a hit or miss, Do remember that the cartos are made with the intend of tossing them away once you have used them the first time. But thanks to some ingenuity and testing some users have figured out that they can be used for up to 2 or 3 top offs.
Are you using Mods? do you take long draws? I guess what im trying to say is YMMV. Try washing them an see if that works. But I would not waste to much juice trying to figure it out.
No mods, long draws yes. I'll try washing them. Is that a sign they're done? They get hard to drag through? Not sure what I was expecting...
I remove some liquid when they're hard to draw. I use a q-tip and absorb some of the liquid from the top of the carto. If the draw is still too hard, I discard.
And don't forget....whatever liquid is in them can be extracted using the Reverse Taryn Spin.
ps. Can we just shorten this up to "RTS" from now on?
ps. Can we just shorten this up to "RTS" from now on?
A good rinse with hot water and blowing through them and they should be good as new.. I've used the carto I'm currently vaping on for a little over 2 months now, and must have filled it a good 20 times and it's still going great!
After every 2 refills I just rinse out the whole thing and start refilling again.
In my opinion, as long as the atty in there is still good, and the mesh will still hold liquid, it's not done.
After every 2 refills I just rinse out the whole thing and start refilling again.
In my opinion, as long as the atty in there is still good, and the mesh will still hold liquid, it's not done.
agreed, these little guys are powerhouses IMO.
though, i tend to fill ~4 or 5 X'S before cleaning.....
and when i do, i rinse with hot tap water and blow out X's 5....
let air dry for 2-3 days (though 1 is likely fine).
just recently i bought some 153 proof pga to really clean my gunked up ones, and give them a light boil as well..... though i have not tried this yet, im sure it will give them new vitality as well
yes, mine typically last much longer, but they *do* have to be washed out periodically.
Yes they will get gunky and hard to draw on if you don't rinse them out every 2-5 refills 
There are several threads on how to clean them out on here. Everyone has they're own method. The rinse under the tap is the best way as a beginner IMO. (The way Darrigaaz describes)
There are several threads on how to clean them out on here. Everyone has they're own method. The rinse under the tap is the best way as a beginner IMO. (The way Darrigaaz describes)
Here's another thing to look for - especially after washing, sometimes the tube in the center can get blocked or off center, causing a very hard draw. I prematurely tossed a few carts before realizing this. Just make sure you can see some light through the hole, and that it's centered in the cart. A straightened out paperclip is an ideal tool for this, and it makes all the difference in the world!
I thought you guys were reading my mind this morning... but it turns out to have been a near miss since my "hard drag" issue is with a new carto. I just pulled out a fresh - never used - carto this morning and can't get it to draw at all. Tried it on several batteries so no issue there... any suggestions?
A friend of mine here at work just had the same concern yesterday. He said that he felt like after 2 months, all his cartos just felt like he was sucking a bowling ball through a coffee stir. He had taken a needle and worked the gunk out of the holes in all his batteries, but it didn't help. He's had all 5 of his batteries for about the same amount of time.
I took a look at his batteries, and found that he hadn't cleaned the gunk buildup that existed in the area between the battery post and the holes. Might want to clean that ring around the battery post with some rubbing alcohol and an old toothbrush and see if that helps. It's amazing the difference in draw after a good battery cleaning.
I took a look at his batteries, and found that he hadn't cleaned the gunk buildup that existed in the area between the battery post and the holes. Might want to clean that ring around the battery post with some rubbing alcohol and an old toothbrush and see if that helps. It's amazing the difference in draw after a good battery cleaning.
I thought you guys were reading my mind this morning... but it turns out to have been a near miss since my "hard drag" issue is with a new carto. I just pulled out a fresh - never used - carto this morning and can't get it to draw at all. Tried it on several batteries so no issue there... any suggestions?
If it's only one specific carto that's giving you trouble, and no others, then probably just a bad carto
i find with some carto's that if i over tighten them the small rubber o-ring in the center post will compress and block the holes, so try to slightly loosen the carto.......it works for me.... (this trick works only on carts that have a good draw before inserting them into the battery)
Lando...
Lando...
Thanks everyone, I plan to rinse them as soon as my new batch of juice gets here. I waffled for so long over flavors that I am out out out...so sucking hard is better than no vape at all!
I never would have thought of taking a toothbrush to the top of the battery, I used a q-tip and was pretty frustrated that I couldn't get in between that ring area. So I'll try that too, although it looks pretty good in there.
I never would have thought of taking a toothbrush to the top of the battery, I used a q-tip and was pretty frustrated that I couldn't get in between that ring area. So I'll try that too, although it looks pretty good in there.
Wow - if that were true for me, it'd get expensive. I tend to get a bit more than 50 before I toss 'em.
I've got a slowly growing pile of cartos that need to be washed... and another that I've been topping off for weeks now with no problems. f course, it's also my most of the day vape that I never let get completely empty, so I really don't know how many "full" refills it's gotten. 
I've found that the clearer the eJuice going in, the less frequently it seems to get gunked up. I've got a vanilla/coffee blend at 24mg (both juices are dark) that apparently gunks up the carto within 3-4 top offs... but the barely tinted mint is still going strong with heavy daily use and refills for the last 21 days.
I've found that the clearer the eJuice going in, the less frequently it seems to get gunked up. I've got a vanilla/coffee blend at 24mg (both juices are dark) that apparently gunks up the carto within 3-4 top offs... but the barely tinted mint is still going strong with heavy daily use and refills for the last 21 days.
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