Cleaning with Coke Killed 2 atomizers....

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Until someone does some carefully monitored 'testing' (including taking close-up photos of the inside of the atomiser over time, so no simple task) we can't know for sure the best protocol for cleaning. Perhaps the best advice for now is to clean when you notice that the atomiser performance has persistently dropped and is not simly because you have changed juice or juice formulation. That is, I suggest not washing an atomiser that is working well, but neither waiting till it's 'dead'. Once a week perhaps.

Hot soapy water (just like for dishes) will remove any oils (tobacco-flavored juices are most likely to have these) and the beginings of caked-on gunk. Swish in the hot water for a minute, rinse, gently shake off, blow through a few times from battery-connecting side and leave upside down (battery-connecting end up) for a while, say 10 mins - 1/2 hour. Blow out again then drop 4 drops of fluid onto wire mesh (cartridge end). Wait 2 minutes. Begin use. Any water still on coil will evaporate after a few puffs or so and then it will begin to work normally.

If the atomiser is getting in a bad way, try the vinegar bath (it's a weak acid, like cola). (Vinegar will dissolve mineral deposits of which there are lots in coffee residue, and non-pure water, so perhaps this is 'only' how it helps; the carbon is removed in tiny bits, as some have observed, because the carbon is intermingles with minerals which are attacked, so the deposit structure is broken down somewhat such that the carbon - which is not reacted with/'dissolved' - flakes off; so I would suggest that the success of vinegar would vary according to whether impure water was in the juice).
 
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Nuck

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Feb 14, 2009
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Ontario, Canada
Me too... I don't mess around with preventative maintenance on a $10 item. My M401 has been going at least 2 months, and I beat it like it owes me money.

That's what I've finally come around to. I don't even bother blowing them out anymore unless I'm changing flavors. The only thing I'm careful with is not smoking them dry.
 

Sun Vaporer

Moved On
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Jan 2, 2009
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Florida
Does all this advice apply to both the M401/EVO and the penstyle atomizers? The M401 atomizer is exposed while the penstyle is not. Is it safe to soak a penstyle atomizer?

Idaho--I soaked many of penstyles 801/RN4072's and can tell you that the size of the coil is huge comared to others and a coke bath followed by heat and a re-prime can do wonders for them. We are still working on totally "cold" atomizers---Sun
 

andyl66

Full Member
Jun 19, 2009
26
2
I always do a pepsi bath with my 510 attys. I leave them in full sugar pepsi (its the phosphoric acid that does the cleaning), for about an hour. Then I drop the atty into boiling water and let it simmer for a minute. Take it out of the boiling water with a spoon, jiggle it around for a minute until its cool enough to put my mouth around, then blow through to clear out any water. I give it really good hard blow-throughs, then I run a hair dryer through it for a couple of mins. Finally, I get a shot glass half filled with Glycerin and drop the now dry atty into the glycerin, and blow the glycerin through . That's it. A new, clean atty - I then just wrap cling film around the whole thing till I'm ready to use it again - I have about 10 attys on rotation and I use one per flavour (5 flavours on the go at any one time).

Once I'm ready to re-use, I take it out of the cling film, lightly blow through the glycerin into a kitchen towel, then just stick a freshly filled cart on it. It acts exactly like a brand new atomiser, and it takes a couple of days to reach its full vapour power!

Since doing this I have never had a single atomiser die on me. I do it once the draw becomes harder and vapour drops off.
 
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