CE3 leaking?

[reg190]

I'm not using a drip tip...just the one the CE3 comes with. I prefer them over the drip tip. I don't fully take apart any of my CE3s as I'm still a bit nervous about doing that so I don't know what is meant when you talk about getting the inner seal wet.

When I first get a CE3, this is what I do:

1) Take a sewing needle slightly smaller than the blunt tipped syringe to puncture the hole.
2) Fill the syringe with water, place in CE3, and clean as per Outlaw Vaper's videos.
3) Fill with liquid as per Outlaw Vaper's videos.

It's just odd. I have two duds now...Just concerned because I started using these not only to quit stinkers but also to save money and I'm concerned that I'm doing something wrong that I can't identify and will end up wasting money on CE3 replacements.

Drummer, what do you mean you push the inner seals in? Mine seem to be seated fine although I've noticed on occasion one side might be slightly angled. Never had any issues with previous ones due to this though I can see it being an issue potentially. What do you mean by getting the inner seal wet though? Does it help with the puncture or something?

 

[drummerskey]

The mouthpiece is not pictured but the seal is and that is what I suggest you wet but you would have to take it out first. This is what is looks like un-assembled. In my opinion, the seal is the most difficult to remove but the easiest way is to put an empty one on a battery and wiggle the tube off of the barrel. You need to be somewhat careful but you can tug at it some. Once the barrel is off, you can just push the seal through with something that isnt sharp. I actually don't do this, I use a paperclip in the "poke hole" and wiggle the seal out because I rarely take the tube off of the barrel to clean it.

If you remove the clear silicone on the mouth part, you can push down on the seal with a Bic pen like Awsum suggests (just the outer casing, not with the ballpoint in) but I use the drip tip for a clearo and it works fine. You just push down a bit to make sure that it is seated well, even with new Clearos, there is a part you should make sure is seated properly before use. When a side is slightly up, it wouldn't hurt to push it down. If you do take it apart, and it isnt hard.....wet the seal before pushing it back into place. I have found that getting it wet just helps with the suction a bit better.

Personally, I don't use the syringe of water cleaning thing and I don't clean them before use....ever. If you just take the seal out, you can run the rest of the CE3 under hot water until you see the wicks white (or close to white). If they are bad, I rinse them as stated and then soak them for an hour in hot water (assembled except the seal is out) and if they are bad, bad....I rinse them as stated and take them completely apart and soak them in vodka. This has been suggested by others, I have only done it once and it really didnt do anything for me personally so I likely will just toss them if we get to that point.

 

[drummerskey]

And one more long addition........

When I first started vaping and really with the CE3s, I was you in a very similar post and I got along the same line of answers from everyone else (except mine, they rock!!). The CE3s do have a bit of a learning curve....just like anything else. I am sure that all smokers know how to fix a broken cigarette but if someone just explained it on a forum post, we would have all been a little confused.

The CE3s can be quirky and you have to have a little experience with them and it becomes second nature, I wouldn't be surprised if you are on this forum in a few months helping someone else out. From what I have read, and this includes me when I first started.....it is usually user error and without us watching a video of you filling one, we cannot really pin point it for you. It could be the poking of the hole, it could be stress cracks in the tube or just a shot run of Chinese made parts which I can assure you cost less than $2 each.

Trust me, I know how frustrating it can be but I will tell you this. Even though there is a chance it was my error somewhere with the CE3s I had issues with, SI gave me enough Volt points to get another 2 packs and after a while, I figured it out. I don't own SI so I cannot promise they will do the exact same thing but the reason why I return to them for everything and dont bother to look elsewhere is because they absolutely go above and beyond to make sure you are happy.

For the money....... exaggerating grossly your fail rate on CE3s to 40% of your purchases. You buy 2 packs (10 CE3s) and 4 of the 10 are duds, given the expected average usage on the site of at least 2 months (some even more). That would be 4 30ml bottles of juice (average 2ml per day) at $14 each (or $56) and $20 for the 6 working CE3s....as compared to $6/pack a day or $360.

 

[reg190]

Thanks for the picture and response drummer. I'm just nervous being new is all. I'm sure I'll figure it out. And I didn't know the parts were chinese...It all makes sense now lol.

 

[drummerskey]

It's all Greek to me.

If your one or two keep leaking, open another one and use one of the broken ones to mess with. Take it apart, see how everything works and you should be fine. I am pretty stupid and it only took me about a week to be a Jedi Master.

 

[Tramd]

You know I feel like we could rule out the fill hole fairly easy here. Anyone want to try sealing the fill hole after filling while its still upside down? Lets think about this, fill it up, remove syringe while its still upside down and that should be airtight especially with liquid on the other side. Now what if we plug the hole? Something that can be punctured again like wax. That should be a fairly conclusive test, no? Unless someone could poke some holes in the method (hah).

Yes I'm skeptical of the fill hole being a problem. It just seems like it would be an immediate problem if that were the case when it usually isn't.

 

[awsum140]

The easiest way to check the fill hole leak theory is to trim down a spare mouthpiece tip and stuff it into the blank space between the inner seal and the mouthpiece. This isn't my idea, Tail11 came up with it, but it will easily show if there is a leak and stop it if it is leaking by virtue of supplying a secondary seal. iTaste uses that technique on their mini clearo which is more like a CE3 than a clearo.

Drummer - May the Schwartz be with you!

 

[awsum140]

Hey Drummer, how are you pulling the seal without taking the tube off? I hate to pry it out with a syringe because about every third one I try like that I ruin. I also ALWAYS clean them before first use. The last batch of ten looked clean, so I filled them and started vaping old socks or a certain piece of worn, male, athletic equipment. Wasted 10ml of liquid doing that, not to mention the time needed to cempty and clean them.

 

[Tramd]

Its enough to cover the air hole? But how much of a seal is that really? I'll try it with some juice I dont like and see what happens.

 

[awsum140]

I have to admit I haven't tried it with a CE3 yet, but I rarely have leaking problems (just lucky I guess). Anyhow, Tail11 said it worked for her, and given what iTaste does in a similar situation, it sounds like it'll work. Worst case you waste a mouthpiece tip. You know, I've asked why that blank space is there in the first place, SI and GV, and no one seems to have a good answer, other than that's the way it is (thank you Walter Cronkite).

 

[Tramd]

I have some comfort tips that might work, I'll cut one and see what I can do with it. Actually, thinking of it now I might use the endcap they come with, just sliced down so it will slide in. I only have 2 packs of CE3s and I'd like to keep the spare mouthpiece lol

 

[awsum140]

Actually a comfort tip, or anything like it, would probably work just as well without having to anything down.

 

[drummerskey]

I have a paperclip that I bent to a 90 degree with plyers....short bend for a little strength and I put it in the poke hole and pull up.

 

[awsum140]

Hmmm, I have one like that for pulling the silicon cap out of a clearo. I've thought about trying it on a CE3 but I'm still worried about wrecking the seal. Maybe I'll give it a try tomorrow, filling day for my stable of 30.

 

[awsum140]

Hey, where'd Rick go?

 

[Tramd]

If the mouthpiece is on the majority of the time and it leaks while the mouthpiece is attached. How would cutting another mouthpiece to insert as a seal work?

 

[Ritzo90]

Just going to jump in on this one. My ce3s have improved ten fold in regards to burning. The inner seal is a problem as stated here. When the syringe gets easy to insert, shortly after slight leaking begins. If I stored full ce3s I'm sure they would leak out. I just throw them, if i get a week or three I'm happy. I just use the syringe to break the seal, I'm careful though, turning and pushing. If you just smash it through you start the tear and it ruins the expected life.

Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk 2

 

[awsum140]

The idea of the second mouthpiece is to provide a secondary seal for the inner silicon seal by having it fit tightly on to of the inner seal. That can act to reduce the possibility of air infiltration through a torn or worn out fill hole.

 

[Tramd]

I dont see how? You're just adding another layer that would already exist with the mouthpiece attached. You still remove it under normal circumstances to fill as with the mouthpiece. If I understand right you're effectively extending the length of the mouthpiece, thats it.


edit: I've just filled another CE3, I'll wait until it starts to leak then play with it to see what I can do to get it to stop. I'll work under the assumption that its air getting through the coil assembly. A bubble popping and letting juice go down the air hole. I'll try and suck air through it with the CE3 off the battery and plug the bottom.

 

[awsum140]

The idea is to provide a secondary seal on top of the puncture in the inner seal, like a dual layer. The added compression, alone, may help seal a leaky fill hole and the added seal on top of the inner seal may also help. I wish I had a camera that worked so I could post some photos of a modified one.