Clearomiser Questions

[genoxy]

Hi Everyone,

Just got my first vaper the other day, Ego-T battery with CE4 clearomisers, really enjoying it so far.

I have been building up questions in my head though and figured this would be the best place to get some answers, please help if you can:

1) Is it normal to get a crackling type, bubbly sound when pressing the button before breathing in?

2) Some people say they get a metallic/burnt taste, I have not had this happen but I haven't let the e-liquid run down past the 0.8mL mark, always topping up the liquid and tipping the unit to keep the wicks wet, so could this be why?

3) Can I leave my e-liquid in the tank overnight or for extended periods without it breaking down the silica wick or do I need to empty the tank every night?

4) How long would you recommend I use each clearomiser before I need to change it? I have read online about people cleaning them but considering the low cost I would just prefer to replace it instead of risking breaking the silica wick.

5) Does keeping the wicks constantly wet with e-liquid reduce or increase the risk of the silica wicks breaking down and possibly being inhaled?

6) Can someone compile a list of wickless e-cigs available online for me to research further?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm sure there will be more but I don't know anyone who vapes where I live so this seems to be the best place for my queries, thanks!

 

[HK-47]

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert but I have done quite a bit of research and have experience using those clearomizers you mentioned.

Answer:

1) It depends on the juice. Some juices or mixes have given me a little bit or even a pronounced 'crackle' sound versus others. Most of the time it was pretty muted though, or nonexistent. I suspect you get more of that with the thicker VG based juices than the thinner PG juices.

2) The metallic/burnt taste often has to do with the coil itself, or the wick being bad. Some of this can be solved by a proper cleaning and dry burning to restore the flavor. In the case that the coil itself is bad on a CE4 it's pretty difficult to 'rebuild' them though I have seen it done. Some other clearomizers like the Vivi Nova style are designed with easy to replace (or even rebuild) heads. Same applies with some bottom coil clearos like the Kanger T3's. Most people seem to range on getting a week to a few weeks out of them depending on vaping use and juices used.

3) It's pretty safe to leave most liquids in your tank overnight, there's little danger of it breaking down the silica wick. The danger lies in the polycarbonate tank itself. Some juices (cinnamon, acidics like lemons citrus etc) can degrade a polycarbonate tank rather swiftly causing cracks in it.

4) Clearos are very easy to clean and fill. Typically all you need to do is rinse them out with hot water, or optionally use a grain alcohol like vodka. Dry burning's purpose is to clear any gunk off your coil by heating it up without the silicone end-cap in place until the residue is burnt off. There are videos on how to do this on YouTube.

5) Yes, it's better to keep your wicks more saturated rather than less. This will give you a better vaping experience and extend the life of your clearo. It's wise especially when your juice starts getting lower to tip the clearo periodically and make sure you get your wicks coated.

6) As far as 'wickless' e-cigs go there are really only 3 options when it comes to vaping. Dripping, clearos and cartomizers.

-Dripping involves using an atomizer tip, and you apply a few drops of juice, vape, then apply more. Some more advanced rebuildable atomizer models can hold a small measure of juice (30-40 drops or nearly 1.5 mL).

-Clearomizers use a wick either at the top or the bottom to pull the juice to the atomizer element. Top coils tend to provide a warmer vape but can have wicking issues especially with thicker juices (high VG blends or 100% VG). Bottom coils have less of this, but also provide a cooler vape. CE4's are a top coil clearo.

-Cartomizers consist of a metal tube containing the atomizer, a wicking material layer and a polyfill batting. The polyfill batting gets saturated with the juice and when you puff, small amounts of juice are wicked to the coils and heated up. Cartomizers can be used solo, or surrounded by a tank to provide additional juice storage. When a cartomizer is geared for tank use, it has holes punched in it to allow the juice to flow into the cartomizer.

And yes, this is a very good place for answers to your questions. For indepth material (especially on carto tanks) do a search for a post by Baditude he's a long time member and an authority on these things. Check out his blogs.

 

[WinstonSmith]

1. Crackles are generally good if they are consistent. Bubbling, if you mean gurgling, than that should be avoided because it can indicate flooding. Not always a big deal, sometimes blow it out, some people will vape through gurgles. Gurgles can precede an unpleasant mouthfull of juice so approach with caution.
2. That is why. You are using it correctly by keeping the wicks wet.
3. Yes. The only danger would be certain cinnamon or citric juices cracking the plastic on some tanks. With most juices I'd recommend keeping the juice in overnight to keep the wicks wet. Just shake them before you vape them again.
4. Mileage can vary widely per user, device and juice.
5. You need to keep the wicks wet for the clearomizer to function. Dry hits and burnt hits are the worst. Once you burn a wick that won't go away. The burnt taste stays.
6. There is no such thing as a wickless ecig outside of a certain April Fools day joke video. There are bottom coils like the T3 or Protank that don't have the tendrils of a Vivi style but they have wicks. Even when you can't see the wicks in a clearo or carto there is some wicking material somewhere. Hope this helps.

 

[genoxy]

Thanks HK-47 and WinstonSmith, great answers to all my questions.

The tank style clearos like the viva nova seem to be made to store more fluid and be rebuildable but I'm just looking for a simple, easy to use and replaceable solution so the CE4 should do the trick, alternatively the CE6 appears to be rebuildable too?

Also whats the go with VV batteries, what are the benefits of these and which one is the best? Some people have said they can explode which is concerning...

 

[WinstonSmith]

The Ego twist is a very reliable and easy to use variable volt battery. The variable voltage allows you to tune in the volts to the carto/tank/clearo/juice and find the sweet spot for the situation. A lot of juices wick differently, and respond to different levels of power, and equipment may have different ohms and wicking setups, or be new or more used. Being able to get that perfect amount of voltage can not only make for a better experience, but can save some equipment that would be destined to the trash heap if you couldn't compensate for the situation with a fixed volt. Highly recommend the Ego Twist. The Ego Twist is a good intro to variable voltage devices. There are high end mods that can do everything on earth, but the twist is the natural entry that I would recommend for this.

 

[Abe_Katz]

Hi Everyone,

Just got my first vaper the other day, Ego-T battery with CE4 clearomisers, really enjoying it so far.

I have been building up questions in my head though and figured this would be the best place to get some answers, please help if you can:

1) Is it normal to get a crackling type, bubbly sound when pressing the button before breathing in?

On a brand new CE4 "Stardust" clearomizer...yes. Some juices have a more crackling-esque sound then others. Basically what you are hearing is the juice coming to a boil to be turned into vapor.

2) Some people say they get a metallic/burnt taste, I have not had this happen but I haven't let the e-liquid run down past the 0.8mL mark, always topping up the liquid and tipping the unit to keep the wicks wet, so could this be why?

Wicking problems is the main reason for having "dry scratchy-burnt hits" on a CE4. That said if a juice is thin enough one can go lower than 0.8mL. I've found for me that on 70/30 and 80/20 pg/vg juices I can actually drain a CE4 nearly dry. Basically you are using the clearomizer correctly.

3) Can I leave my e-liquid in the tank overnight or for extended periods without it breaking down the silica wick or do I need to empty the tank every night?

I personally don't care for "stardust" type clearomizers prefering bottom coil clearos...but that said I have used them and have always left whatever I was vaping in the clearomizer overnight. That said "extended periods of time" could be a month or a year. I would say that most juices should not be a problem for a day or two. Longer than that it would be a good idea to drain your juice and either save it--I've made a tin-foil funnel for this purpose--or toss it.

It should be noted that some juices are known to be "tank crackers" which is a reaction to the juice and polycarbonate plastic--which is what most of your transparent plastic clearomizers/tanks are made of. There is a list somewhere on the forum about tank crackers--but I've seemed to misplaced it. (I had it bookmarked)

4) How long would you recommend I use each clearomiser before I need to change it? I have read online about people cleaning them but considering the low cost I would just prefer to replace it instead of risking breaking the silica wick.

Generally they have a life expectancy of 2 weeks of constant use. That said, if you use a CE4 V3 the head can be replaced. You'll know its a V3 because you can remove the bottom. As for cleaning--rinsing with hot tap water and blowing out the coils does the trick.

Dry burning is optional. Over all YMMV with CE4s. It depends on your vaping habits, how frequently you clean them, how you clean them, if you dry burn them at all, and what type of juices you use. My experience with them is that they don't like anything lower PG than a 70/30 juice.

That said I burried a CE4 recently--well in the trash--it lasted me two months.

5) Does keeping the wicks constantly wet with e-liquid reduce or increase the risk of the silica wicks breaking down and possibly being inhaled?

You want to keep your wicks wet so they wick juice to the coil anyway. I'm no doctor but I think the silica wick worries are over-hyped. I've yet to see any that were broken down to the point to be an inhalation danger that didn't have a ruined coil anyway.

6) Can someone compile a list of wickless e-cigs available online for me to research further?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm sure there will be more but I don't know anyone who vapes where I live so this seems to be the best place for my queries, thanks!

Questions is how one learns.

As for wick-less toppers, HK--took care of you with his list.

 

[genoxy]

The Ego twist is a very reliable and easy to use variable volt battery. The variable voltage allows you to tune in the volts to the carto/tank/clearo/juice and find the sweet spot for the situation. A lot of juices wick differently, and respond to different levels of power, and equipment may have different ohms and wicking setups, or be new or more used. Being able to get that perfect amount of voltage can not only make for a better experience, but can save some equipment that would be destined to the trash heap if you couldn't compensate for the situation with a fixed volt. Highly recommend the Ego Twist. The Ego Twist is a good intro to variable voltage devices. There are high end mods that can do everything on earth, but the twist is the natural entry that I would recommend for this.

Thanks for the recommendation! is this the Ego Twist?

alternatives to smoking cigarettes - vv eGo-t battery

 

[genoxy]

Thanks Abe_Katz, appreciate your answers mate