Cartotank help?

[SunnyHours]

Hey guys!

I finally got myself a tank...I loved my cartomizers (2ohm boge) and I hadn't tried a tank yet.
It's a really cheap one, but as soon as my account balance gets back in the positive I'll get some IBTanked.

The problem I am having is that the top filler portion of the carto becomes dry.
that worries me a little bit that the filler might actually burn.
WHen I used my cart I was scared to death of dry hits so I kept the top moist. Now since it's feeding from the tank I'm not sure if I should still top it off.
I use Virgin Vapor's 100% VG but it's as "liquidy" as the MLV 60/40.
The cartos I use are Smoketech pre-punched 2 holes 3ohm flanged cartos.

Can anyone offer some wisdom on this?
Thanks

 

[SissySpike]

You might want to make the holes a little bigger if your using 100% VG. But really if its vaping well no need to worry it wont have that slushy fresh filled carto look. But it can still work properly.

 

[r77r7r]

Yep, bone dry on the top is fine. Smok's tend to have looser packing, so a 2 hole might be fine for 100vg.

The carto filling tools work great also.

 

[Baditude]

Are these single or dual coil cartomizers you're using?

The most important step in setting up your tank will be in properly priming the cartomizer before it is loaded into the tank. How well you do this will determine how well that carto will perform for the rest of its life in that tank.

Having said that, even a perfectly primed carto will "look" dry after a few puffs if you remove the drip tip and look at the filler. The above diagram will show why. As you vape, juice is being sucked from both the tank and the top of the filler by the draw of your vaping. The tank will never supply enough juice to the carto to keep the filler as saturated as when you first primed it, unless you intentionally flood it (not recommended).

So it is normal for the filler to look dry once you have begun vaping. The heating coil is in the same location as the wick holes of the cartomizer, so as long as the filler around the heating coil stays wet, you will not burn the filler.

Now, this is my own opinion, but I believe dual coil carts are another matter. Dual coil carts have a second coil about midway up the carto shaft. It's possible that the filler around the top coil will not be wet enough to not burn if the carto is not wicking perfectly. I often experienced a burnt taste when using dual coils. This is the reason that I switched from dual coils to single coil cartomizers. Since doing so, I rarely have had a burnt taste.

Hope this helps.

PS: I use two hole laser drilled cartos and they wick all of my juices just fine. I also use a couple of Virgin Vapor's juices. Kona Velvet Milkshake is the bomb. Anyway, her 100% vg juice is not particularly thick, as Anette mixes her juices to be carto-friendly. You shouldn't have any problem at all.

The darker the juice, the faster it will clog the filler and make the pull stiff. So, darker flavors will shorten the lifespan of a cartomizer. This holds true for any e-juice vendor's juice.

 

[Thunderball]

I agree, you should be good to go. BTW... I love my IBTanked set up.

 

[r77r7r]

Here is a link to a store with different option/prices on some good tanks. They also have the tank filler tool and a great carto punch.
Accessories

 

[The Ocelot]

I top mine off periodically.

 

[SunnyHours]

Baditude to the rescue! Haha
Thanks for the diagram that helped tremendously.
Seeing the wire at the top made me think the element was towards the top so I was worried.
Now that I know how it works no more worries

Is there a reason why you top up yours Ocelot?

 

[Baditude]

Baditude to the rescue! Haha
Thanks for the diagram that helped tremendously.
Seeing the wire at the top made me think the element was towards the top so I was worried.
Now that I know how it works no more worries

Is there a reason why you top up yours Ocelot?

No problem. I'm a visual learner myself, so I like to include diagrams or pics in my responses.

Whether to top off the carto or not is personal preference, I think. Sometimes I top off when I do a tank refill, other times I do not, and not for any particular reason.

I also recommend a carto tank tool, whether it be the combo tool IBTanked provides with their complete tank kits, or the Slap Yo Moma or tool from VVV. Indispensable if using a cartotank.

 

[The Ocelot]

Baditude to the rescue! Haha
Thanks for the diagram that helped tremendously.
Seeing the wire at the top made me think the element was towards the top so I was worried.
Now that I know how it works no more worries

Is there a reason why you top up yours Ocelot?

I pop the drip tip off every once and while and add a drop. I'm not convinced that it always wicks evenly through the little holes. It's one of my ingrained habits, like unscrewing the tank and wiping off the connector periodically. It's not leaking, I just don't like the little condensation that builds up. I also blow out my drip tip. I know, I'm weird.

 

[Unforeseen]

Moved to Assorted PV Topics - Tanks