Cleaning atomizer

[KatyS]

One of my customers who still has his original atomizers (2 of them) told me today he cleans his atomizers with an air compressor. He uses a little surgical tube and blows them out every nite. He alternates his use every other day. No water nothing else. They have lasted over 4 months.
I can't blow hard enough (due to 45 years of smoking) to clean out the atomizers with just air. Going to have to find a small air compressor, may be the answer for me. Washing is a pain and does not work very well for me.

 

[TheEmperorOfIceCream]

I gotta stop reading the tips and tricks section! Every time I think 'what a good idea' and zip off another internet order...

Emp

 

[Janet]

I don't have an air compressor, although it's on my wish list for air brushing. Would the canned air for cleaning dust and debris from computers work? Which end of the atomizer do you blow the air?

 

[dnakr]

Janet, I have been using canned air for months now. I put the canned air tube over the atomizer hole that connects to the battery and shoot 2 or 3 bursts of air into it - then I hold the atomizer upside down and shoot air into it to clean out any excess liquid or fibers.

If the atomizer gets real cold, I wait until it warms up to room temp before I use it again. I have had no problems with it at all.

 

[GTOrichie]

If you don't have a compressor you can use a car tyre pump with the ball inflator adapter that comes with it.
don't forget compressors can kill if you aim them at your skin, please take care when using one.

 

[Kit]

you dont need an air compressor you can get good power in a can i use them at work all the time for cleaning camera and sound equipment.there very powerful anything more would damage the atomisers wire wick. canned air is sufficient .

 

[sagicorn62]

i've been using the same method as dnakr for 3 days now, using 3M dust remover (compressed gas duster).......seems to be working good, so far

 

[Janet]

Thanks you guys - I picked up some 3M canned air today and will try it out later. There have been several times I wished I had some. And I can justify spending the money because it's not just for the e-cig money pit - Comes in handy for a lot of other things too. Now I have it!

 

[phylo]

I would be cautious using compressed air on your atomizer. I have had the opportunity to take a few apart and to see just how fragile the insides can be.. Especially once they have been heated and cooled several hundred times... There are other components that are not metal in there that help with the atomization process and if you blow them out the atomizer wont perform as well and might even quit working...

Phil

 

[KatyS]

Thanks dnakr will try that, was thinking of small compressor, like girls use to do nail art., but like your way better and lot cheaper.

 

[icemanmaz]

I use a full pressure air line at work on mine but I have been using it to blast out the water after a clean.
First down the battery side then in the coil end. I has not done any damage they must be strong metal fibre. One thing though I work for a safety mad firm so I always wear safety gear. If compressed air gets into a cut in can cause a blood clot.

 

[ApOsTle51]

i used to use compressed air at work all the time. Thing is you dont even need a cut for highly compressed air to enter the blood stream . our compressers used to pump out 100 psi, at this pressure air can enter the blood stream through the skin creating air bubbles in the blood which can be fatal. So mind those pinkies..

 

[Rorschach]

i used to use compressed air at work all the time. Thing is you dont even need a cut for highly compressed air to enter the blood stream . our compressers used to pump out 100 psi, at this pressure air can enter the blood stream through the skin creating air bubbles in the blood which can be fatal. So mind those pinkies..

That is terrifying!

 

[Distahs]

you dont need an air compressor you can get good power in a can i use them at work all the time for cleaning camera and sound equipment.there very powerful anything more would damage the atomisers wire wick. canned air is sufficient .

Well if you live in the US don't use canned air most of it contains bitterant and let me tell you that stuff is vial tasting.

I had used my normal brand of canned air to clean out my keyboard and a little while later started typing away. Not to long after i made a sandwich and licked off the mayo from my thumb. 8-o
I even tried Listerine and it didn't even get the taste out. I have since dissected the Keyboard and ran all of the plastic components through the washer.

If you do use canned air look for the small print that says contains bitterant and avoid it like the plague.

 

[ngax666]

Just cleaned my NJOY Npro with can of Office Duster. no bad taste, works fine.

 

[coustanis]

>Well if you live in the US don't use canned air most of it contains bitterant and let me tell you that stuff is vial tasting.

The bitterent is so you can download music and movies while you e-ciggy.

 

[TropicalBob]

Bittorrent. That's a funny connection you made, however. Love it.

Anyone who was around a few years ago might remember "huffing" with canned air filling a paper sack. So, like a lot of hazardous substances, the canned air was made unpleasant to taste or smell in concentrated form.

 

[Kit]

Bittorrent. That's a funny connection you made, however. Love it.

Bittorrent TB? or bitterant! what you been up to hehe

 

[TropicalBob]

On the advice of legal counsel, .....

 

[jigtg]

It is not canned air, it is butane or propylene. Air is not used because you need much higher pressure to make it liquid. Or thats whats my understanding at least.

I'm sure there are chemicals strong enough to clean atomizer. Right tool for the right job.
Tried 40% alcohol and it really didn't work all that well.

I'm not entirely convinced that corrosion kills atomizers.
dirt->short circuit->higher temperature (lower resistance and higher current consumption)-> nichrome(or what ever) melt->dead atomizer. Both(pen and mini) atomizers I have have 3.3 ohm resistance. If it is corrosion, you would see resistance getting higher. What resistances you have on your (near) dead atomizers?