Cleaning the eRoll: atomizers, carts and batts

[wilhelmsure]

Might be a stupid question but I want to ask: How do you maintain your eRoll?

I've just had a go at cleaning my carts. Just ran them under a warm tap and blew the liquid out a few times (blew from the mouth end). I now have them stading on a paper towel to dry (mouth side down). Is this how you clean your carts?

Also, I will need to clean my atomizer at some point. How do you do that? Soak them? Burn them? Blow them?

Tips and tricks, please!

 

[EricDykstra]

Might want face the tanks in the other direction to dry.(Mouth side up) Water gets inside the mouth piece and drain better in that position. You can also remove the mouth piece and inside divider to wipe it out.

Atty cleaning there are some options

Flush with syringe filled with hot water or rubbing alcohol. I have a syringe that fits the spike of the atty. This seems to a pretty good job of cleaning the wick. To really clean the filament(inside the atty) you need to do a dry burn. I find that most of the time the flush is sufficient to clean the atomizer. You will have to dry burn and replace the wick at some point(or buy new).

How dry burn:

 

[wilhelmsure]

That was very helpful! Thanks!

 

[mommyofdoom]

I'm reposting what I'd posted in another thread, hopefully it helps!

This is how I clean my cartridges:

The cartridges are super easy to clean, I pull them apart and clean them once condensation starts to build up pretty bad in them. I pop off the top, pop off the mouthpiece disc, and use a straight pin through the side vent to push out the inner disc. So I don't lose pieces, I first plug up the sink, and I wash them in a wire strainer with very hot water. You can use a compressed air can to dry them I suppose, but I just blow manually (lol) then set them on a towel overnight until they're completely dry.

 

[mommyofdoom]

Oh, and don't try using an air compressor to dry them.

I hit the inside of one just right and sent it flying out of my fingers, across the garage and into a toolbox. lol

 

[mommyofdoom]

Sorry double post

 

[EricDykstra]

Oh, and don't try using an air compressor to dry them.

I hit the inside of one just right and sent it flying out of my fingers, across the garage and into a toolbox. lol

that is too funny, because i did the exact same thing

 

[alisa1970]

I'm reposting what I'd posted in another thread, hopefully it helps!

This is how I clean my cartridges:

The cartridges are super easy to clean, I pull them apart and clean them once condensation starts to build up pretty bad in them. I pop off the top, pop off the mouthpiece disc, and use a straight pin through the side vent to push out the inner disc. So I don't lose pieces, I first plug up the sink, and I wash them in a wire strainer with very hot water. You can use a compressed air can to dry them I suppose, but I just blow manually (lol) then set them on a towel overnight until they're completely dry.

I don't get it.

The tanks come apart?? I tried to pop the bottom off and it didn't seem to want to budge. I didn't want to break the thing ( I only have 2 at the moment) so I didn't force it.

 

[mommyofdoom]

I don't get it.

The tanks come apart?? I tried to pop the bottom off and it didn't seem to want to budge. I didn't want to break the thing ( I only have 2 at the moment) so I didn't force it.

Here's one disassembled:



If the mouthpiece end is hard to remove, you can just use a needle or straight pin through the side vent to push both pieces out.

Edit: Sorry for the tiny picture, I took it with my mobile.

 

[alisa1970]

Here's one disassembled:

View attachment 199988

If the mouthpiece end is hard to remove, you can just use a needle or straight pin through the side vent to push both pieces out.

Edit: Sorry for the tiny picture, I took it with my mobile.

Well that's pretty cool...I'll have to try that when my new ones come in. Thanks for the pic, it gives me enough to know what you're talking about. How did you figure out you can do that? As you might have guessed, I'm not a fiddler.

 

[mommyofdoom]

Well that's pretty cool...I'll have to try that when my new ones come in. Thanks for the pic, it gives me enough to know what you're talking about. How did you figure out you can do that? As you might have guessed, I'm not a fiddler.

I am lol

I realized it after I washed them the first time. At first I let them sit overnight, and they were still wet inside. I thought it was the stupidest design ever. Then I sat and messed with one and got it apart. And felt like an idiot.

 

[alisa1970]

I am lol

I realized it after I washed them the first time. At first I let them sit overnight, and they were still wet inside. I thought it was the stupidest design ever. Then I sat and messed with one and got it apart. And felt like an idiot.

Well me, I would have just let it sit there and get all moldy and figure it was time to throw it out. Then I'd ..... about how this whole deal isn't saving me any money. Imagine I'd feel more the idiot if after all that I found out you could take them apart!

 

[TennDave]

I've never tried to dry burn per se and mine are still going after many months (December)...I did take the wick out and roll a stainless steel mesh in its place and this probably helps. I sometimes get low on juice and think that burns things off a bit... this is with 100% VG juice... just when it gets this way, you don't want to inhale- tastes terrible- just suck on it a bit and blow out the vapor (or lack of) and then fill up the tank. Anyway, I wanted to comment because in the past with 510 attys dry burning them meant a premature death (at least for me)... I personally think it's just best to keep using them as is...maybe get them hot occasionally with little to no juice...does the trick for me!

 

[cincy1020]

I've never tried to dry burn per se and mine are still going after many months (December)...I did take the wick out and roll a stainless steel mesh in its place and this probably helps. I sometimes get low on juice and think that burns things off a bit... this is with 100% VG juice... just when it gets this way, you don't want to inhale- tastes terrible- just suck on it a bit and blow out the vapor (or lack of) and then fill up the tank. Anyway, I wanted to comment because in the past with 510 attys dry burning them meant a premature death (at least for me)... I personally think it's just best to keep using them as is...maybe get them hot occasionally with little to no juice...does the trick for me!

Hi:
I'm planning to get an e-roll this weekend, How exactly did you go about replacing with a stainless wick? Does the stainless wick perform differently than the standard one (i.e. flavor, vapor etc)? I would LOVE if an atomizer lasted me half as long as yours
Thanks!

 

[misterholidayhouse]

I have battled the atomizers since the first week. I vape very heavily with my eRolls all day long with various juices and I can only get a few days of good service from an atty. I've found that 90% of the time I will have the wick slagged to the coil, even after a 24hr soak (tried water, isopropyl, vodka) and the wick will get pulled out of the spike when the spike is removed. When this happens you have about a 50/50 chance of unsticking the wick from the coil and being in good enough shape to re-use. I've tried scrubbing the wick in Vodka and also have recently had good luck torching them clean on the kitchen gas range. There seems to be very little consistence in the wicks. Some are thick and fluffy and some are thin and stringy.. Reinserting loose silica strands in the tiny piece of steel mesh wrap and getting it back in the spike in serviceable condition is quite a chore but I've done it a number of times. Usually only good for a couple more days of service.. The coils on the other hand, are little workhorses and will stand up to a number of dry burns. I dry burn them before putting the spike plate back in and do NOT stand in front of a mirror and blow in the LED end as others have posted. This will trigger an auto fire until the 10 sec auto cutoff triggers. Meanwhile you will burn your coil out or burn your fingers frantically trying to remove the atty... I just dry the atty, insert it, and put the cone on top and stove pipe it with no tank attached in three second bursts until the coil glows red, enough times to leave it a clean grey color when it cools. (Don't inhale during this step) duh.
Anyway, after all that, I may get a few days more use out of it or it also may die on the operating table..
I've had about as much luck simply soaking them in a shot glass of Vodka for 12hrs while I'm at work. Then I set the shot glass in a spaghetti strainer in the sink and run hot tap water into the shot glass for five minutes. I set the tap so it won't kick the atty out of the shot glass but tumbles the crap out of it. You can hear and see the atty tinking against the shot glass a couple times a second if you get the water flow just right. So far this works as well as anything. I have a heated ultrasonic cleaner at work and it has been disappointingly ineffective. My sheet of 400 stainless mesh is in the mail and I'm going to give that a go. In spite of all that tinkering, I still love my eRolls!

 

[misterholidayhouse]

Well.. My sheet of 400 stainless showed up today so I set in making my first SS wick per the guidelines of several folks on YouTube, including oxidizing three times in a gas flame with a douse in water each time, and three juice burns. My little wick turned out just beautifully and I used a small size paper clip for the core tube hole. Pressed it into the spike to just make contact with a fresh dry burned coil and vaped. Perfect delivery, nice crackle from the atty with no flooding and plumes of thick vapor. Only one problem.. Tastes like $hlt!.. Switched on a couple different tanks with different juices and the taste is just gone. Disappointing to say the least. I vaped hard on a fresh four pack of juice samples I received earlier today so maybe my tongue is trashed. I'll try again tomorrow and compare to the silica wicks.

 

[misterholidayhouse]

Ok, I tried the new SS wick again this morning, along with a couple eRolls still using the stock wicks. The SS wick was still tasting funky and just killing the flavor almost entirely, though providing a nice productive vape. Not easily defeated, I sat down and in five minutes had another SS wick ready to torch. This time I skipped the juice burn after oxidation and after patting it dry with a paper towel, put it in and vaped away. The production is just as good as the first one and the flavor is back! There is still just a slight difference in flavor but not much vs. stock. I'll toss the first one and give this one a go and see how it performs over a day. I'm not an expert here so if anyone else knows why the juice burn is recommended please let me know. It seems to be doing just fine without this step and it sure made a big difference in the flavor.

 

[cincy1020]

Misterholidayhouse, thanks so much for your posts! I got my eroll today, and I love it! If I have trouble with attys burning out too quickly, I will definitely figure out how to make a stainless wick. Please post updates, on how it goes with the new wick after more use.
Thanks again!

 

[misterholidayhouse]

cincy1020, I sure will. Yours will be fine in the meantime. Just make sure you don't run your tanks empty while vaping. it goes downhill fast after that happens. Turn your eRoll upside down often and give it a flick to see how much juice is left, then right it and give it a flick again to get the bubbles back to the top of the tank. This action is critical intermittently during each tank and when starting a fresh full one. Always start a fresh tank with a couple quick primer puffs to make sure it is wicking, along with an upright flick or two, then vape away! Dry hits are the death of these little attys but you will get good service if you follow these simple habits.
I'm actually happily vaping away on a stock atty that I've disassembled and cleaned a couple times and it's still pure bliss. One of those 40-50% that perform well for a long time. It's just the way it is with mass produced little gizmos from China.. Congrats on your purchase.

 

[misterholidayhouse]

Ok, round three with the stainless mesh.. I've found what seems to be a good compromise after experimenting with several versions of the #400 stainless mesh wicks. Last I reported, I had been able to make a stainless wick that performed well by oxidizing but skipping the juice burn. Unfortunately I spoke too soon as by the middle of the second tank of a medium thickness juice, it was flooding and leaking..
So.. I made a new stainless wick, triple oxidized it, carefully unrolled it and inserted a single 1mm strand of silica wick inside. I had a couple inches of it from an old Blu disposable I had disassembled. I tried a few versions.. Wick hanging out the bottom and top, flush on both ends, etc. Long story short, the wick that performs well for me, provides great flavor, low draw resistance, and is still going like new after three days hard vaping is as follows:
#400 food grade stainless mesh cut at 32mm x 6mm to start, rolled on a SMALL paperclip to give you a cylindrical wick that is 6mm tall (will need to be trimmed shorter to fit later) gas flame oxidized and quenched in water four times, NO juice burn after oxidation, unrolled and a single strand of 1mm silica in the core cut flush on both ends and even more importantly, after much trial and error, the top of the wick must be cut off at an angle and sit exactly flush with the top of the spike when the bottom gently makes contact with the coil.
Some of the how-to vids I watched stated that the top of the wick could be cut square and be protruding from the top of the spike by a mm or two.. I can tell you it makes a difference right down to the last drop if the wick profile matches the height and angle of the spike. If you leave it sticking up it will flood. Anyway, I'm going to stick with this design for now as I'm quite happy with the performance. It's a lot easier to do than you might think and can be ready to go in five to ten minutes. The single strand in the middle is not my idea. I read somewhere in the forums that someone else had tried it. I'd gladly give credit if I can find that posting again. My apologies to the OP. back to cleaning and maintaining.