Coils burning out fast

[FrancisP]

Hi everyone,

New vaper here. Started about a week ago. I need help / advice about my coils burning really fast on one of my two vapes and as far as I know, I'm doing everything by the book.

The vape I'm having trouble with is a smok AL85. I love this machine but I can't seem to go more than 250-300 puffs per coil before they start smelling and eventually tasting like burnt cotton. Here's what I do.

1. Prime every coil, poke small holes with a needle in the cotton in each side port. Pour some liquid on top of the cotton and wait until the side ports of the coil are completely wet. Repeat until they are
2. I always keep the tank topped off. As soon as I see a bit of cotton that isn't submerged, I top off the tank
3. I vape maybe 15-20 puffs every hour or so. I like long pulls. but I stop firing as soon as I feel the vapor becomes warm. Usually after 5-6 seconds or so.
4. I let the cotton reabsorb liquid for about 5 seconds between each pulls.
5. Two coils came with the mod. One that's 0.4 Ohm and the other 0.6 Ohm. The 0.4 is rated from 30 to 80 Watts. I use this one at 35 Watts. The 0.6 is rated from 20 to 50 Watts, I use this one at 25 Watts.
6. On the 0.4 Ohms, I'm starting to experience a burnt smell at around 150 puffs when I expel the vapor through the nose, and start tasting burnt cotton at around 250 puffs.
7. On the 0.6 Ohms, I'm starting to experience a burnt smell at around 100 puffs when I expel the vapor through the nose, and start tasting burnt cotton at around 200 puffs.
8. The liquids I'm using are 70/30 and on the sour side. One that's berry flavored and the other is rasperry-lemon-pomegranate.

I went to see the shop where I bought the vape at. They agreed that it isn't normal operation and replaced my machine under warranty. I got the exact same model again. The second one does exactly the same thing, except the coils seems to last maybe 10-20% longer than the first one. The customer service guy primed the first coil I was using himself on each of the two machines. When he replaced my machine, he also had me try another type of coil that's not from Smok. I don't remember the brand though. It was a 0.2 Ohm and instead of a coil had a mesh to heat up the liquid. I had issues with this one at around 30 puffs.

Like I said, as far as I know, I'm doing everything by the book. I read online that Smok coils aren't the best ones around and they burn pretty fast, but people can still get 700-1000 puffs out of them. I don't even get half that.

From what I said, can anyone tell me if I'm doing anything wrong to burn the coils faster than they should or was I unlucky enough to get 2 defective machines in a row?

Thank you!!

 

[dom qp]

It's probably not the 'machine' (mod) that is defective. It would likely be the coils.

Reading through your post, it doesn't seem like you're doing anything wrong.

Smok coils, especially, are notorious for being inconsistent at best. It's possible that the coils you were given just suck, and the coils he had in the store also just suck. Statistically it would be the most likely cause.

If I were you I would buy a different tank with different coils and use the same AL85. If you get a good one you'll probably end up saving money in coils anyways.

And honestly I find it weird that the shop replaced your item for that reason.

 

[Izan]

Hi and welcome,
IMO, if you are taking a 5-6 second pull, you are not drawing forcefully enough.
Watch a few Utube reviews and focus on and mimic the draw strength and speed that the reviewer uses.
It sounds like you are attempting to use a DTL tank in a MTL style. Think Hookah (DTL) versus cigarette (MTL).

Hope this helps.
I

TL;DR, Suck harder and faster.

 

[VapourFlavour]

Does your shop carry any other brands in the same price range, Vaporesso maybe? That would be my next step. Before I started building my own, I never had to poke small holes in the cotton to prime them, why do you do this? I ask because it's the one unusual part I can see in your priming process. It also seems strange to me that the shop would replace your mod for coils burning out too fast, unless they think the power displayed is not what the mod is actually producing. Lastly, your puffs seem long at 5-6 seconds. You could be burning the coil that way. Try a higher wattage that the coil recommends to get a satisfying vape in around 3 seconds. Good luck!

 

[DaveP]

I'd try the soak method on the coils. Drop the coil into a small container (pill bottle) and cover it with juice overnight. Pull it out in the morning and let it sit in an empty container and drain the excess. Pour what's left back into the juice bottle for later.

I used to do that with eGo coils for the best saturation.

 

[FrancisP]

Does your shop carry any other brands in the same price range, Vaporesso maybe? That would be my next step. Before I started building my own, I never had to poke small holes in the cotton to prime them, why do you do this? I ask because it's the one unusual part I can see in your priming process. It also seems strange to me that the shop would replace your mod for coils burning out too fast, unless they think the power displayed is not what the mod is actually producing. Lastly, your puffs seem long at 5-6 seconds. You could be burning the coil that way. Try a higher wattage that the coil recommends to get a satisfying vape in a 2-3 second vape. Good luck!

Hi, I poke a few holes because I saw online it would help the cotton absorb the liquid faster by loosing up the fibers of the cotton, hence preventing it from drying out too fast while firing. Figured I'd give it a try, wouldn't be worse than it was.

That is exactly the reason they replaced my mod. The guy tried it and felt it was firing higher than the wattage that's displayed on the screen.

I will try to get another tank with different coils. My kit is still under the shop's 30 days warranty and I might be able to get away with replacing it entirely for another model and just pay for the difference. Will check with them what would be the best thing to do in my case.

Hopefully I can get this sorted out. I haven't touched a real cigarette in a week because vaping really helps and I want to continue down that road, but it'll be difficult if the experience is not as enjoyable as I hoped it would be.

Thanks everyone for your comments! I really appreciate it.

 

[FrancisP]

Hi and welcome,
IMO, if you are taking a 5-6 second pull, you are not drawing forcefully enough.
Watch a few Utube reviews and focus on and mimic the draw strength and speed that the reviewer uses.
It sounds like you are attempting to use a DTL tank in a MTL style. Think Hookah (DTL) versus cigarette (MTL).

Hope this helps.
I

TL;DR, Suck harder and faster.

You may be right. I can try that. I bought a kit that came with the tank, 2 types of coils (0.4 and 0.6 Ohm) and the mod itself. I have to assume they would have matched it correctly since everything came in the same box.

 

[Izan]

You may be right. I can try that. I bought a kit that came with the tank, 2 types of coils (0.4 and 0.6 Ohm) and the mod itself. I have to assume they would have matched it correctly since everything came in the same box.

F,
It is not the equipment, but your technique that is the variable.
If you want to take long slow draws, hold the vapor in your lungs and exhale like a cigarette, a MTL tank (Innikon Zenith) may work better on the Smok battery device.

Cheers
I

 

[uthinkofsomething]

I'm pointing at technique here also, sorry. You could try (and probably have) drawing more air in more quickly. Fill your lungs the same amount you did with your 6 second pull, but do it in 3 seconds. If it just feels way to airy for you, close the airflow a little.
The reason for this is that a harder more forceful draw forces air over or through the coils at a higher velocity and cools them more. Sounds counter-intuitive but there is a balance with airflow. Keep playing with it, everything you described @FrancisP sounds good, and at the low end of the wattage scale you are at, a slightly closed airflow should work fine. Restricted direct lung inhale.

 

[FrancisP]

I'm pointing at technique here also, sorry. You could try (and probably have) drawing more air in more quickly. Fill your lungs the same amount you did with your 6 second pull, but do it in 3 seconds. If it just feels way to airy for you, close the airflow a little.
The reason for this is that a harder more forceful draw forces air over or through the coils at a higher velocity and cools them more. Sounds counter-intuitive but there is a balance with airflow. Keep playing with it, everything you described @FrancisP sounds good, and at the low end of the wattage scale you are at, a slightly closed airflow should work fine. Restricted direct lung inhale.

Thanks, I just tried that a few minutes ago. But I think now I'm forcing it way too much as I could hear bubbling sounds in the tank after a few pulls. I'll try to find the right balance and close the airflow a bit. It's true that I use it wide open. I use it that way to help cool down the coil. I'm trying anything that would make sense to me right now lol

 

[VapourFlavour]

Thanks, I just tried that a few minutes ago. But I think now I'm forcing it way too much as I could hear bubbling sounds in the tank after a few pulls. I'll try to find the right balance and close the airflow a bit. It's true that I use it wide open. I use it that way to help cool down the coil. I'm trying anything that would make sense to me right now lol

You'll get it, don't give up!

 

[uthinkofsomething]

Thanks, I just tried that a few minutes ago. But I think now I'm forcing it way too much as I could hear bubbling sounds in the tank after a few pulls. I'll try to find the right balance and close the airflow a bit. It's true that I use it wide open. I use it that way to help cool down the coil. I'm trying anything that would make sense to me right now lol

Normally if it's gurgling I would say it's not vaporizing enough juice and turn up the wattage a little but that may increase the burnt coil issue.
Set the airflow how you feel comfortable taking a full hit in about three seconds without having to suck on it. It may be wide open works but try to take a good inhale in a shorter time. If it's not enough vapor turn up the wattage a little. With a shorter heating time the coils shouldn't burn up quite so quick.

 

[Baditude]

I think it may simply be the SMOK coils you've been using. They do have a history of being inconsistant at best. If SMOK was using a poor grade of cotton or if it was too tightly compressed then it won't wick properly, even if you poke holes in it. There are other brand coils which will fit in your tank, but I don't know which ones they are to make a recommendation.

If it were me, I'd get a different tank that uses non-SMOK coils. Figure out if you are a MTL (mouth to lung) or DTL (direct lung) vaper and then choose an appropriate tank depending upon the type of draw technique that you prefer.

 

[Benjamin89]

Could also be if youre using juice thats gunking up the coils quickly preventing it from wicking properly thus producing poop taste like sweet candy dessert flavors tend to gunk them up fast

 

[sdennislee]

If you have a SMOK tank with SMOK coils I suspect that to be the issue. Here is a partial list of other coils that will fit some SMOK tanks.

SMOK TFV8 Compatible
* Eleaf ERL RBA
* Eleaf ERLQ coils
* Eleaf ES coils [100W Pick! - Impressive 140ml lifespan]
* Geekvape i1+i4 coils
* Horizontech DUOS coils
* Horizontech Arco A6 coils
* Horizontech Arco T6 coils
* OBS V OCCoils
* Sense Blazer 200 coils
* SMOK TFV8 coils

SMOK Big Baby Beast, Baby Beast and Big Baby Beast Light use the same coils
* Eleaf HW coils [30W Pick! - Consistent build quality]
* Eleaf HW-1 SS316 coil [TC Pick! - Only TC offering]
* E-XY T1 coils
* Geekvape Aero Mesh coils
* Geekvape iM1+4 coils
* iJoy XS coils
* Jomo Tech Smartvape TC80 coils
* Joyetech ProCore Aries coils [Do NOT fit 22mm tanks]
* Joyetech ProCore C1-S MTL coil [MTL Pick! - Only MTL offering]
* Sigelei SLYDR SM coils
* SMOK TFV8 baby coils
* Geekvape Aero Mesh coils
* Teslacigs H8 coils
* Vapefly Fantasy Mini M8 coils
* Vaporesso NRG coils [50W+ Pick! - Fantastic wicking w/o flooding]
* Vaportech M4/8 coils
* Vaptio Frogman coils
* WOTOFO FLOW coils [40W Pick! - No spitback]

Baby Beast coils, the Wotofo Flow and the Joytech Pro -C coils

The Baby Beast, Big Baby Beast, and Big Baby Beast Light use the same coils. The X-Baby or Brother has its own coils as does the TFV8 Cloud Beast.

The TFV12 Baby Prince uses the V8 Baby coils. The TFV12 has its own coils. The TFV12 Prince and Resa Prince both use the same coils.

There is a RBA for the Big Baby Beast but you will need the glass section for it. The RBA for the TFV8 Cloud Beast has its own RBA as well as the TFV12 and TFV12 Prince have their own RBA sections.

 

[FrancisP]

Quick update:

I went back to the shop yesterday and asked for another tank with other coils. I ended up getting an Aspire Atlantis EVO tank with the coils that were supplied with it, for 29$CAD. So far so good! I'm at 159 puffs with no signs of it burning prematurely. And although the coils work at a slightly higher wattage than my previous Smok ones, it seems that my battery is lasting longer than before.

Yay!

 

[BrotherBob]

New vaper here. Started about a week ago.

Welcome and glad you joined.
The information below may help you to obtain a good foundation of vaping knowledge.
Might like to read:
Learn About Vaping Here - Everything Ecigs - From Beginner To Advanced
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https://spinfuel.com/new-vapers-start/
ECigarette Academy: Essential Need to Know for New Vapers
Beginner Archives - Guide To Vaping
http://vapingcheap.com/vaping-101/
6 Quick & Useful Vaping Tips for Beginners
(10) Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder with Egos and Mods | E-Cigarette Forum
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/f...nk-or-what-a-guide-to-juice-attachments.3230/