Coil question

[TeamSwish]

I have a newbish question....

Are coils reusable?

I remember reading when I first started checking out the forum that I could throw used coils in vodka, dry them off and they would work good again.

I don't mind buying a 5 pack of coils to last me awhile....but every little bit of saving money helps, tight?

I'm currently using Kanger 0.5's for my subtank mini if that makes a difference....

Thanks....

 

[IMFire3605]

A good vodka/everclear/moonshine soak never hurts. Just let them air dry 24hrs before use and you should be good. A soak in unflavored denture cleaner can work as an alternative as well.

 

[Cloudmann]

Depends on how bad off the coil is. If the wick (cottony or silica material) is just gunked up, the vodka thing works great. Soak em overnight, let air dry on a saucer on a window sill for a few hours. Maybe repeat once.

If the coil itself (spiral metal bobber the wick is attached to) is gunked up and crusted, the vodka soak might do a bit, but once that coil is shot, the whole thing needs to be replaced. By all means, do the vodka soak... you can at least extend the life of your coils, generally by about 50%.

 

[bwh79]

You can maybe get a few extra miles out of them by soaking and/or dryburning, but it will never be the same as a fresh coil. If you really want to save money, you might want to look into rebuildables. A spool of wire and a bag of cotton can be had for about the same cost as a handful of replaceable coil units, and will last you for many times longer.

 

[nkr501]

Some people also boil their coils to clean them out. I've heard of people boiling them first then soaking them in vodka.
I've seen a video of someone taking the cotton out of the OCC coils. If you wanted to buy your own organic cotton you could try to take it out and dry burn the coil and re-wick it. You could probably nearly double the life of one coil if tried that.

 

[TeamSwish]

Thanks for the info....

I was going to mention rebuildables in my first message....I aim to learn that eventually....just don't have the time at the moment.

 

[suprtrkr]

I used the PGA soak, back when I was using pre-made coils. But rebuilding is the way to go. There is a learning curve, certainly, but with the proper tools it's not hard to do.

 

[NoFumus]

Thanks for the info....

I was going to mention rebuildables in my first message....I aim to learn that eventually....just don't have the time at the moment.

That atty's intended to be rebuildable, isn't it? I'd suggest that, even if you don't have time now, you might consider ordering the wick and wire anyway. That way, should the desire strike or your last coil go out, you'll be ready to try your hand.

 

[EBates]

I agree with bwh79, they will work for a while longer but never the same. The only thing that will clean the coil is dry burning. And that will destroy the factory wicks.

I bought two Nautilus tanks shortly after they came out BDC coils. Think i went through two coils in less than two weeks. That's when I ordered my first Kayfun and have used nothing else since.

 

[Romano Cheese]

This might be worth checking out