Cleaning Attys.

[Drewsl90]

I just want to know from the seasoned vape Vets What is the best way to clean and maintain my Atty's?

Just to keep 'em vaping.

 

[Kent C]

I just want to know from the seasoned Vape Vets What is the best way to clean and maintain my Atty's?

Just to keep 'em vaping.

For new attys, I try them first and if there is no real primer taste, I do nothing. If some primer taste, I blow them out from the cart end first, into a paper towel and then try them. If no go, I'll drip some Galen's 151 vodka into the atty bridge area and shake, then blow out both ways. Dry thoroughly and then try. This usually does it. If not - soak submerged for 10 minutes, etc. etc.

For regular cleaning - every week or when I notice a lessening of performance, I soak in the same vodka (PGA pure grain alc.) unflavored, no color, totally clear.... for an hour, blow out by mouth only three ways - from threaded end, from cart end and from cart end holding a finger over the hole in the center post, thereby affecting the intakes - here I blow and suck to clear any obstructions. Let dry on a paper towel. Since I 'rotate attys'. I then drop 3 drops of unflavored no nic PG (dry attys die) and put in a ziplock bag, bleeding out all air. Using a cleaned atty I will put a few drops of flavored juice on the bridge and vaping, I'll huff it like trying to keep a fire going on a cigar or pipe, to get the atty started, and then vape away.

I don't recommend water - takes too long to dry and if you don't dry thoroughly I've read where people have lost attys that way. No isopropyl alcohol because of the dangers of inhalation and ingestion and even if you dry thoroughly it can leave a film on the metal. I don't recommend boiling in anything or anything with sugar in it, and nothing that isn't for human consumption and even some of those things that are. Anything oily or sugary is likely to mess with the atty.

I lost one atty from a dry burn that went wrong. It's the only atty I've lost in six months. I have another that has lost it's top performance, although I still use it, where I pulled part of the wicking under the bridge mesh before I realized it wasn't the oem filler. I cut off what I pulled out.

While this may be the case, I've never seen a report of someone losing an atty after using 151 or 191 proof Vodka or Everclear. I have seen people reporting having lost attys upon boiling, using coke, dry burning, Isopropal and even just hot water. I don't know all the details of those - only what has been reported from time to time.

A big rookier error would be to assume that somebody using extreme measures to revive a dead or weak atty is the same as a routine cleaning.

Most 'non functioning attys' reported in the new members forum are merely flooded and all that's needed is to blow out the fluid and start again. But many flooded attys were lost to 'extreme cleaning measures'.

The best rule for a non-performing atty is to assume it's flooded first. Then go from there.