Cleaning the atomizer

[jbbishop]

I also found the suggestion of using the teabag filter to be genius and will be using this personally instead of the nylon batting. Great Suggestion. The idea is there is a loose woven mesh that readily absorbs and wicks the liquid and I feel this fits the bill.

 

[V-Power]

Now you see, I got so confused I completely forgot what I came on this thread for in the first place

As every good (?) cook knows, the best thing to do with a boiled dry, burnt on, pan is to leave it to soak overnight in cold water with Bicarbonate of Soda - the next day, the burnt on residue floats off.

So I thought I should try this with my atomisers...

I took a small glass, added about half an inch of COLD water - don't use hot it doesn't work so well - and about a teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda. Then I dropped in the atomiser and swirled it around really well with my finger, to ensure the soda liquid got in all the nooks and crannies (This is a Pilot -M401- atomiser by the way, so I can't actually see the coil). I also scooped up a bit of the watery soda with a teaspoon, as it doesn't dissolve, and dropped this directly on the metal wick and into the atomiser to ensure thoroughly soaked, then I left overnight.

This morning I hooked out the atomiser, rinsed it well with fresh water, blew it out well and then stood it up to dry on kitchen towel.

After a few drops directly on the metal mesh wick, I attached a cart to try it out - It vapes like a demon!

Also, on checking out the glass with the soda in, once the soda had settled I could clearly see lots of little black specks sitting on top of the white crystals, which must be the floated-off residue

I've got a second atomiser soaking now, so early days. But so far, so good, and Bicarb is cheap, easily available and safe to use, and it doesn't leave any nasty aftertaste.

Has anyone else tried it?

 

[surbitonPete]

The bi carb has been tried with varying reports of success and failure, that's the difficulty with finding a good cleaning method.....there seems to be so many variables that affect the success of anything we try.....the 'holy grail' is a cleaner that never fails and actually dissolves the black gunk.

 

[lordmage]

here is what i did this week to 4 out of 5 atoms with mild vap ability and all flavors had this sort of pepper taste to them i first blew out the atomisers then used a power adapter for my cyro mxt laptop cooler which out puts plenty of juice to heat up the coils. used it just long enough to cook em red hot but not constaint dropped em in rubbing achool for a 5 min or less soak did this sevral times each time i stay red hot for a sec longer till i got to about a total of 6 secs so that 5 to 6 dips per atty. then i flush with water blow it out with my mounth heated till barely red hot primed heated further rested and primed again after blowing out then vaped away. all four now have a nice smooth vap taste and vap like new again after the break in.

1. blow out
2. heat up manually
3. drop in soluation
4. blow out heat up add on sec repeat 3 or 4 times
5. soak in soluation for 5 mins blow out and water rinse
6. heat manually
7. prime
8. heat manually
9/blow out
10.prime rest and vap away

 

[jcoppers]

Well what am doing seems to work pretty well. I have a steam cleaner by scunci. Took the small attachment and cut the end off. Then threaded the end so my atomizers (RN4081 Npro) screw on to the end of the cleaner. Upon hitting the trigger the full blast steam goes right through. I give each one about 4 or 5 shots and when the steam comes through clean I put another on and do it again. I have had good luck with this method, your mileage may vary. Just my 2 cents worth.

John

 

[Sun Vaporer]

The bi carb has been tried with varying reports of success and failure, that's the difficulty with finding a good cleaning method.....there seems to be so many variables that affect the success of anything we try.....the 'holy grail' is a cleaner that never fails and actually dissolves the black gunk.

Pete --You have stated the standard clearly for the Holy Grail--none of this it worked--no it did not---maybe it did. Either it works and it is safe or it does not work and is safe--but it must be safe---we will find it Pete--we will find it----Sun

 

[Closet Toker]

Anybody try oven cleaner? That stuff dissolves grime in ovens.

 

[Ramblin]

M401
I tried lemon juice and that didn't seem to work. I then tried baking soda and vinegar and that didn't seem to work.

Dried it out good, screwed it on a fresh battery and kept dripping and blowing on the led end to heat up the atomizer. 30 minutes of mucking with it heating it up on the battery, it is vaping like new.

So I don't really know which solution may have worked. Patience paid off.

 

[kinabaloo]

Ramblin - Good to hear a positive result. I'm pretty sure both cleans contributed. As I have said before, the gunk oftentimes doesn't come off during the clean but in when start vaping again (somewhere around 5 - 30 minues later). I think you knew that Ramblin; just repeating for other readers.

 

[Chuckle Brother]

Well what am doing seems to work pretty well. I have a steam cleaner by scunci. Took the small attachment and cut the end off. Then threaded the end so my atomizers (RN4081 Npro) screw on to the end of the cleaner. Upon hitting the trigger the full blast steam goes right through. I give each one about 4 or 5 shots and when the steam comes through clean I put another on and do it again. I have had good luck with this method, your mileage may vary. Just my 2 cents worth.John

EXCELLENT METHOD i have had one of these small steam cleaners in my cupboard for years and have rarely used it except for the odd carpet stain.
I tried it on all four of my atomizers and it is an instant deep clean.
I held each atomizer with some custom made tweezers and blasted off the grime onto an old white towel and i could see the removed residue on the towel it literally only takes a few seconds of blasting to remove all the deposits.
I then gave each atomizer a few blasts with a can of compressed air which my place of work has very kindly started to stock for blowing the dust out of computer keyboards.
The compressed air again only takes a few seconds to completely dry each atomizer.
Prime the atomizers with 3-4 drops of e-liquid and they are like new.

CLEANING WITHOUT CHEMICALS HAS GOT TO BE THE WAY FORWARD!

 

[surbitonPete]

EXCELLENT METHOD i have had one of these small steam cleaners in my cupboard for years and have rarely used it except for the odd carpet stain.
I tried it on all four of my atomizers and it is an instant deep clean.
I held each atomizer with some custom made tweezers and blasted off the grime onto an old white towel and i could see the removed residue on the towel it literally only takes a few seconds of blasting to remove all the deposits.
I then gave each atomizer a few blasts with a can of compressed air which my place of work has very kindly started to stock for blowing the dust out of computer keyboards.
The compressed air again only takes a few seconds to completely dry each atomizer.
Prime the atomizers with 3-4 drops of e-liquid and they are like new.

CLEANING WITHOUT CHEMICALS HAS GOT TO BE THE WAY FORWARD!

I get baffled by the way some people report complete success with something that doesn't work at all for me.......I have reduced the size of the nozzle on a kettle to get a really concentrated steam blast and held a gunked up atomizer in the hottest part of the steam for ages (with a pair of pliers) and the steam hasn't removed any gunk at all. The only explanation I can come up with is that somehow the gunk has formed differently.

 

[Caesarea]

I get baffled by the way some people report complete success with something that doesn't work at all for me.......

Yep, I 'm waiting for the one that announces total victory with eye-make-up remover...or ignited brandy or similar...

 

[exogenesis]

But surely it depends on who's make of eye-makup you are using ?

Perhaps the 4081 is more susceptible to steam cleaning than
what you've got Pete, mini-pipes ?,
what atomizer model do they use.

 

[surbitonPete]

But surely it depends on who's make of eye-makup you are using ?

Perhaps the 4081 is more susceptible to steam cleaning than
what you've got Pete, mini-pipes ?,
what atomizer model do they use.

Hi exo.......I tried the steam on a dead mini pipe atomizer I had taken apart...so I could actually direct the steam hard on the coil and 'see' what effect it had......but for me and my gunk.....absolutely none at all.......lol.

 

[~Wonder]

I get baffled by the way some people report complete success with something that doesn't work at all for me.......I have reduced the size of the nozzle on a kettle to get a really concentrated steam blast and held a gunked up atomizer in the hottest part of the steam for ages (with a pair of pliers) and the steam hasn't removed any gunk at all. The only explanation I can come up with is that somehow the gunk has formed differently.

Was it a bone dry coil or did you soak it first? I'm thinking just the act of soaking might help soften up the gunk which would allow something like high pressure steam to shoot it off. A soaked pan is much easier to clean than a dry pan.