Coil Killers

[Clockmaker]

Are some juices more prone to caking up coils? One of my favorite juices is Vapetasia Royalty II and the other is Killer Kustard. Seems I only get a couple tanks in my RTA and the flavor goes to, well,,, you know what. When I blow it apart the coils are caked with burnt juice. I've read that really sweet flavors(the ones I like)are prone to do this but what about VG/PG%? Are higher PG% juices less prone to burning and caking up the coils? Could I add 10% PG to my juices to help reduce caking?

TIA!!

 

[Storm52]

Certain flavors cake up the coil. I run flavorless in a tank and the coil last months.

 

[MLEJ]

Are some juices more prone to caking up coils? One of my favorite juices is Vapetasia Royalty II and the other is Killer Kustard. Seems I only get a couple tanks in my RTA and the flavor goes to, well,,, you know what. When I blow it apart the coils are caked with burnt juice. I've read that really sweet flavors(the ones I like)are prone to do this but what about VG/PG%? Are higher PG% juices less prone to burning and caking up the coils? Could I add 10% PG to my juices to help reduce caking?

TIA!!

You heard correctly about sweetness gunking coils. Some tobacco e-liquids do, too, primarily the naturally extracted ones from my experience. VG is thicker than PG so a higher percentage of VG could reduce coil life somewhat. That said, i've never heard of typical VG/PG percentages making any large difference in coil life so it's more important to use a percentage appropriate for your coil. You could try adding a little PG to see if it helps, though i suspect you'll notice more of a difference in flavor reduction than in coil longevity.

 

[Clockmaker]

You heard correctly about sweetness gunking coils. Some tobacco e-liquids do, too, primarily the naturally extracted ones from my experience. VG is thicker than PG so a higher percentage of VG could reduce coil life somewhat. That said, i've never heard of typical VG/PG percentages making any large difference in coil life so it's more important to use a percentage appropriate for your coil. You could try adding a little PG to see if it helps, though i suspect you'll notice more of a difference in flavor reduction than in coil longevity.

I was led to believe that PG carries flavor.
I think I may have made an improvement. I pulled the clapton coils and wound a single strand 24ga. Ni80 coil. I modified my Blaze pro max to run one 4mm ID spaced coil. So far I'm on tank 4 and the flavor is still pretty good. Going to a single coil allowed me to run less wattage and increase battery life. I'm running that cellulose cotton that comes in the long string and the 4mm coil is perfect for using it as it comes out of the box which makes wicking a breaze, I just thin the tails a little, trim to length and stuff 'em in the wells.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

I was led to believe that PG carries flavor.

You are correct, PG will not reduce flavor in a mix.

Both PG and VG carry flavor. Many retail juice manufacturers made 100% VG juices that many people enjoyed.

10% flavoring is still 10% - that 10% will still be 10% in a 100% VG mix.

Due to the inherent VG thickness "it can mute flavor intensity" giving one the impression of less flavor with their DIY mixes. The solution is to better shake/mix and longer steep times for the flavors with the higher VG. (also, see DW below)

From what I have seen on ECF and other vape sites - PG carries flavor better - which one could perhaps interpret as "better", however, that "better" is at best subjective. Because PG is much thinner in viscosity (versus VG) flavorings in a mix do reach a more miscible, or homogeneous solution, faster than say 100% VG mixes do.

It is my understanding that higher VG mixes generally require longer steep times in order to reach a homogeneous state. Makes sense, thicker base.

If someone were to use, or prefers, high VG in DIY, one solution is to add distilled water (DW) to a mix.

IIRC @Letitia uses DW in some of her mixes. She has generally advised people to add a drop or two of DW to a mix, test vape and then go from there. Some RBA's handle a higher VG base better than others (wicking). Adding DW helps the juice to wick better (thins out the VG). I am not sure how much DW to add to a 100% VG mix. My common sense guess - start low - like 2% to perhaps 4% and go from there. Hopefully Letitia can add her expertise, cuz I am not at all sure I got that right. LOL

I vape 50/50, 60VG/40PG and 70VG/30PG and never have an issue with flavors being muted. Steeping is the key no matter what ratio one prefers. Some mixes require longer steep times versus others. Heck, even flavorless does better with some steeping (true!).

 

[Letitia]

With dw how you vape matters. I'm primarily a rdl, restricted direct lung, so I generally mix 6-8% dw. If you like a rowdy vape start at 2% and go from there. Start out with 30ml mixes. If you are a dl dripper vg and the pg from your flavors will likely be fine. If the hit is dry add 1% dw to the bottle and go from there. If you are mtl I'd start the mix with 4% dw. You may need to raise your flavors by .5-1.5%, especially if you use vg base nic.

 

[ShowMeTwice]

Thanks @Letitia - that's very helpful.
< bookmarked it! >