Cleaning Coils?

[Kittyntwinstarz]

I like to vape dessert flavored juices which tend to be thick, dark and sweet. I have heard you can wash your coils with soap and water. (soak in vodka too but I’m not buying a bottle just for this)

Is washing with soap and water ok? If the coil is still a bit brown after completely drying does this indicate coil is burnt and needs to be replaced or is it common with this type of juice for the to stay a bit dark?

 

[the wind]

never been a coil washer but if I did a espresso machine or ultrasonic tank would be best.you can do hot water or putting it in boiling water,never use soap.the reason I think that is you might not remove all of it.the brown is the wicking material being stain IMO. @Coastal Cowboy cleans his to extend the life.i think he said by a week or so.

 

[ScottP]

I wrap my own coils so easy to strip and rewick. I was wondering though, would soaking a prebuilt dirty coil in something like denture cleaner then boiling help clean them up without causing any problems?

 

[Zaryk]

My take on this is DO NOT use anything on your coils that you are not willing to vape. I do not use pre-built coils, so I'm not positive on the best method of cleaning them, but when I helped a friend clean theirs out we used vodka in an ultra sonic cleaner and it worked out great.

 

[ppeeble]

The problem with pre-built coils is that you're not really cleaning the coil - you're cleaning the wick. The only sure fire way to remove residue from a coil is to heat it until the crud burns off then wash it. Something you can't do whilst the (cotton) wick is in place.
Back in the day i tried washing wick/coils out using running water and then dry them on a radiator - they always tasted foul once washed.
Drop-in coils are a consumable and are designed to not be re-used. I'm sure a lot of coils can be rebuilt but the cost in time faffing about with them makes it uneconomical for most people.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I used to do a 30 minute boil in plain water with Baby Beast and Kanger SSOC coils. I just boiled and let them air dry. I'd get another few tankful out of them.

The only stock coils I use now are Vaporesso EUC's and by the time they're spent nothing can save them.

 

[Eskie]

The best you'll get out of a washed coil is as @Coastal Cowboy already pointed out a few more tanks or a day or two depending on the volume you vape. Rebuildable is really the only way to reduce the expense of factory drop in coils.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

The best you'll get out of a washed coil is as @Coastal Cowboy already pointed out a few more tanks or a day or two depending on the volume you vape. Rebuildable is really the only way to reduce the expense of factory drop in coils.

Only if you don't value your time. The best tasting, best performing rebuildable atomizers happen to be the most labor intensive (generally). Vaping is always and everywhere cheaper than smoking, but it ain't never been free.

 

[WillyZee]

soap and water = no
cheap bottle of vodka = $7

 

[Eskie]

Only if you don't value your time. The best tasting, best performing rebuildable atomizers happen to be the most labor intensive (generally). Vaping is always and everywhere cheaper than smoking, but it ain't never been free.

That really depends. I can clean and rewick a dual coil deck in maybe 5 minutes. I out rewick An average of once a week and the coil itself lasts several months when cleaned while rewicking. Balance that off against washing drying and replacing a drop in coil. Not sure how much time is saved.

Sure, I still use tanks with drop in coils, especially when traveling to simplify packing as a blister wrapped coil is easier than wicking stuff, but in general, at least for me, the time spent cleaning my own coils isn't overly burdensome.

 

[1/2 fast]

I’ve always found that if you drink enough of the vodka you won’t care whether the coil is gunked up or not

Never had any luck cleaning prebuilt coils. Wrapped my own for a long time now. Dry burning, brushing and rinsing the coil with warm water always works well for me. Seems to be equally important to re-tighten the leads each time I clean the coil and rewick.

 

[stols001]

I used to rinse, soak overnight in water (filtered, and rather highly filtered) and then would wash again the next morning, then leave to air dry (I live in a desert, a blowdryer on low can work).

I did cease the practice as a) I wasn't really sure how "clean" they were getting b) I found coil life was pretty unpredictable and once my coil went "burnt" that would result in having to discard e-liquid more frequently, so I'm not sure what the cost savings really were and c) I got into rebuildables and a lot more mods, so my coil life is a LOT better than when I split my vaping between a couple of Nautilus 2s. I still enjoy many drop in coil tanks, but I find my coil life has improved vastly with DIY and not chain vaping and I have less gunking factors now.

I still SAVE my spent coil heads (for one, the Joytech CLR coils can easily be rewicked or rebuilt, easier than some RTAs, honestly) but also my Nautilus ones in case I can't get them in the future (though I still have BUNCHES of new ones) just in case I get bored in the Vacopalypse closet and a futuristic world in which I have time on my hands to rebuild those coils (technically, I'd make the husband do it, LOL) and I feel like a bit of a hoarder over it, but I LIKE those coils and want to have them in any eventuality though I guess since I am also using RTAs I'm set in any case.

I wouldn't use soap though, I'd think that would make then taste terrible. Vodka or everclear would probably work better, although again, I'd rinse them pretty well before using them after they soak and etc.

Anna