Cleaning atomizers. Yes? No?

[tikva]

I've been vaping for ~ 2 wks now. Went crazy and bought several models. Have an EM901 (discontinued), a Titan (TW), an M401, a dse901 (can't use yet 'cuz it came with wrong charger) and a penstyle (kr-108).

Before I get to the atomizer question, does anyone know if the penstyle kr-108 is compatable with 801 penstyle parts? My kr-108 is from ePuffer (my first purchase before I found this forum and didn't know any better) and was lucky I even got it at all and it actually works. But ePuffer is overpriced and has a bad rep so I really don't want to deal with them further. Their penstyle is called the 'Elite Classic' but the charger I got with it says KR-108 on the back.

Okay, about cleaning atomizers. I've looked all over the forum and have seen different suggestions. Some people clean their attomizers and some don't. Most seem to agree on letting them drain overnight and/or blowing them out. Some have suggested canned air and some have said definitely DON'T use canned air. Somewhere I saw a suggestion to alternate attys everyday. Of those who clean them, I've read: to boil them, not to boil them, use only water, use vinegar and water, let them drip dry, use a steamer, use a sonic cleaner, don't use a sonic cleaner.....and....I'm confused!

With so much conflicting suggestions I don't know what to do. Since I bought extra attys (except for the penstyle and the d/c'd EM901), I've been alternating them and letting them drain at night. I havent cleaned any of them but I need to know what is the best thing to do to maintain them for as long as possible!

Any advice? Please! Thank you!

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Tikava--you have that right

"With so much conflicting suggestions I don't know what to do"

I do --some don't---so you should get plenty of opinions here and I will leave them to those who chime in

 

[ShMiGgY]

i've found that as long as you keep your attys wet (but drain them at night, but not too dry),,, just primed (that's why they come primed when you buy them),, and as long as they keep hitting well, then don't bother doing anything other than drain them at night so that they don't get clogged, but not too dry....

Once you start getting that tasteless excess vapor, or a burnt taste,,, it's time to clean (this can vary anywhere from 1 week to 1 month with most of my attys).. as soon as they seem to just get "funny", then it's time for a good clean (take your pick, i acid wash/sonicate mine)...

If i have a foul taster, or a crazy vaper (more vape than normal but no body/flavor) atty that i clean up,, they usu. go back to new again... and usually reset to about at least a couple weeks of trouble free use again. I just contrexed/sonicated 2 of our attys, and they've been going strong for about 10 days, and this after they got that burnt plastic thing going...

there's a definite learning curve, but you'll get it..

*edit* hope this made sense, you don't want a completely dry atty, they're a ..... to get re-primed, but you don't want one all clogged up with juice either. Once you find that in between, keep it there as long as you can, after that, if it just doesn't feel the same, i've found a thorough cleaning method works wonders. and sonic washers are ABSOLUTELY a yes... I've kept all of our attys (we have multiple vapors in this house),,, they're all working still... They are very tricky to learn, but once you do, you can keep them humming along. A lot also depends on your e-cig,, my 4081's require much more care than my new style (wide bridge) 401 attys do...

 

[tigerlily816]

I usually clean mine, by blowing through it until no more juice comes out, about once a week. I haven't had to do any more than that yet. I do plan on trying to sonic wash when it starts tasting funny, and when I can find the washer.

 

[Ann]

I put my atty in vinagar/water and let it sit over night. Rinse it out blow it out(not compressed air) and let it drain for a day. I am using 2 attys so one is cleaning and one is in use. They have been going now for 2 months with no problems.

 

[VapeApe]

I have ruined 2 attys by blowing them out with compressed air, I dont recommend that. If I do anything at all to them is blow out excess liquid if I flood it nothing else. So far they seem to be lasting 2-3 months with no maintenance. I really dont expect more than that for something that is considered disposable.

 

[TurtlsPace]

i watched a video on using cola, like pepsi, to clean the atomizers. soaking for 45 minutes, then rinsing and draining? supposedly the acid is what cleans out the carbon build up. anyone try this yet?

 

[jtc_333]

Ive had some of my atomizers for 3 + months. I just blow them out every few days and rinse them out in hot water every couple weeks. So far worked great for me. I only drip too.

 

[balldope]

Ive had some of my atomizers for 3 + months. I just blow them out every few days and rinse them out in hot water every couple weeks. So far worked great for me. I only drip too.

This has worked very well for me as well. I have had 901/801 at about 3 months as well, they are still producing good vapor. I use carts and also drip.

 

[Jim Davis]

This has worked very well for me as well. I have had 901/801 at about 3 months as well, they are still producing good vapor. I use carts and also drip.

Asking questions about atomizers is like asking "what is the meaning of life". There are so many different opinions, your head will spin for weeks. I think it has a lot to do with a persons style of vaping, input voltage, types of juice additives, heat build-up, and 1000 other things. I would say, whatever works best for you.

My particular style is, Heavy usage, juice cut at least 50% with VG, long gentle draws, and let the atty cool after each draw. I blow the atty out occasionaly. No cleaning unless clogged. My attys last for months.

 

[fiddler]

I alternate a pair, blow out (by mouth) most nights. When one gets weak, the only way I've found to revive it (maybe) is to hook up to USB and suck like mad until it gets very hot.

I try not to get excited about it. Whenever one gives up I just order another 10 from Beci <g>.

 

[Jim Davis]

I alternate a pair, blow out (by mouth) most nights. When one gets weak, the only way I've found to revive it (maybe) is to hook up to USB and suck like mad until it gets very hot.

I try not to get excited about it. Whenever one gives up I just order another 10 from Beci <g>.

What brand of atty? What do you pay for 10?

 

[ShMiGgY]

Looks like most people can keep their atty's working by draining/blowing through for at least a couple of weeks. You will hit a point where this just doesn't seem to cut it anymore and it just doesn't hit right. Some people will just order a new atty at this point, but in today's climate, maybe more depth is required...

That's when a more thorough, real, cleaning, over just maintenance is in order. Draining or blowing isn't a cleaning method, it's just maintenance (which is key). once they get past that, a good cleaning is needed. I would say the best methods so far are cleaning cycles using conc. H2O2 drips in conjuntion with increased voltage (or you could use a fresh charged batt and blow on it to activate the batt while you drip H2O2
. or. a acid wash/sonication. You'll know when your atomizers need the big guns...

PM me for a good way to get real strong H2O2... (30%, about 10 times as strong as drug store H2O2 w/ phosphoric acid as a stabilizer (which has also found use in atomizer cleaning). It's a common household component in some uses...

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

...then it's time for a good clean (take your pick, i acid wash/sonicate mine)...

...and sonic washers are ABSOLUTELY a yes...

What do you run in your cleaner? Just water, or what?

Thanks!

 

[patgwashere]

What brand of atty? What do you pay for 10?

He is talking about best e cig in china. they charge $30.00 for 5 atomizers. there shipping is expensive but extremely fast (about $18.00) so people usually order a lot to make it worth it. They have great BE-112 atomizers which fit pen style e cigs. There flue cured e juice is excellent and also a great price. They usually take about 5 to 7 days till delivery from china.

here is a link to there website: http://www.bestecig.com/

 

[Jim Davis]

He is talking about best e cig in china. they charge $30.00 for 5 atomizers. there shipping is expensive but extremely fast (about $18.00) so people usually order a lot to make it worth it. They have great BE-112 atomizers which fit pen style e cigs. There flue cured e juice is excellent and also a great price. They usually take about 5 to 7 days till delivery from china.

here is a link to there website: BestEcig-Newest Mini E-cigarette|E-cigarette|wholesale e-liquid

Placed many orders with them. The reason I asked, is because some people are paying 10 to 20 bucks for a single atty. Just trying to keep people updated.

 

[ShMiGgY]

What do you run in your cleaner? Just water, or what?

Thanks!

no, it's a acid/detergent mix for lab use called Contrex CA. the contrex loosens the deposits, and the sonicator shakes it off. works very well... You could get similar results with citric acid crystals dissolved in a bath in a jewelry cleaner (i would imagine)... would be about 10 times stronger than lemon juice... the contrex has other, trade secret ingredients in it, but i don't know how much they contribute...probably not too much..

 

[gothictango]

I didn't know about blowing at the atty and things before I found this board this week so some stuff did get built up, which was alleviated by hot water rinsing. I'm trying a soda soak right now to see if I can save a atty that doesn't produce vapor anymore. I wonder if I blow it out regularly if I won't need to rinse anymore, but I'm kind of a clean freak with my devices anyway so I'll probably do it again down the line for fun.

The tip in Spikey's video about putting wet attys in the oven on 150F for 15 minutes works well too if you need to speed up your drying time.

ETA: I just took the attys out of the Mountain Dew I was soaking them and and they are way cleaner than boiling water could even get them. I'll find out in about fifteen minutes if they work better.

 

[Kate51]

i watched a video on using cola, like pepsi, to clean the atomizers. soaking for 45 minutes, then rinsing and draining? supposedly the acid is what cleans out the carbon build up. anyone try this yet?

I di-sected a couple of 801 burnouts, just to see: the coil was about an eighth of an inch round and BLACK black, like old varnish. You couldn't even see the wire, it was THICK.
Thought, yah, they're dead sure nuf, so I put one of those coils in my Pepsi (what a waste of good juice) and left it for two days, and you know what? It was still on there. Didn't do a blasted thing, so I don't know why they think that stuff works, it doesn't. Pure Orange Oven Cleaner couldn't do it, I tried that 2! When they're dead they're dead, geez, just get over it.You can PICK it off, sort of, but then try to put it back in, DUH, but washing doesn't get it, at all. Nuf said, people sure waste a lot of time trying to prove something that doesn't work. Like my 801 batteries that while dying fouled up my attys, why didn't somebody tell me to go get a usb passthrough for $7, but NO, but now I just want my janty stick!!

 

[Jim Davis]

I di-sected a couple of 801 burnouts, just to see: the coil was about an eighth of an inch round and BLACK black, like old varnish. You couldn't even see the wire, it was THICK.

The gunk turns solid. Sort of like spilled food in an oven. Only harsh chemicals will dissolve it. But what would you be inhaling afterward. I saved my old attys (only 2 so far) and when I get a chance, I want to work on making a coil replacement. Keep the atty body, and replace the coil like a light bulb. Problems is, No spare time right now.