Coils clogging fast with Cotton. What am I doing wrong?

[eJohn]

Hello all!

I have been using a genni for nearly 2 years now and have recently purchased the Squape Reloaded atomizer. I have the Wide deck which I've loaded up with some organic cotton I got from Walgreens. I have watched the videos on YouTube about loading up the cotton and followed them to a T. The initial performance (vapor and taste) is sublime but the problem that I'm having is that it quickly starts to degrade.

First, I notice a change in taste and when I unscrew the atty to look at the coils, they are clogged on the outsides of the micro coil in a brown residue that extends onto the cotton. I have to change the cotton twice a day to fix the issue. I also notice that once I remove the cotton and give the coil a good dry burn, it clogs even faster after I put in the new cotton.

Is this a known issue with cotton? Am I using the wrong type of cotton? Do I HAVE to boil it before using? That would be a chore.

I tried lifting the micro coil (6/7 wrap of 24 g Kenthal @ 0.8 Ohms) to sit a little higher on the deck and that resulted in a little better performance but the clogging still occurs to where I have to change it twice a day.

I'm using a heavier VG type of premium liquid that's nearly clear in color. The same liquid on my Kraken genni lasts days before I have to clean the coils.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[InTheShade]

Only time I have had that brown residue on the cotton is when I used too much. It chokes the wick and you end up with this weird partially burnt wick.

Just try using much less cotton than you think you need. Yes, there is a chance you might flood, but this gunking after such a short time isn't normal - so change something up.

I can get a good 3/4 tankfuls of Bobas through my kayfun without having to change the wicks.

As for which type of cotton - I use 100% natural organic cotton balls from Walgreens. I don't boil it either.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

I've had the same thing. The cotton shouldn't be hard to pull through the coil in either direction.

 

[eJohn]

Oh wow... I do use a lot of cotton. I roll it in there and stuff it to the point where it takes a lot of force to get it into the micro coil. I just thought that's what having the Wide deck is there for.. lots of cotton.

I will use less and see how that works out. How much less... I will have to experiment with. There should be a little bit of friction between the cotton and the coil when pulling on it, right?

Thanks for the quick replies!

 

[drunkenbatman]

Try not rolling it; people were doing that for awhile and spread it out on tutorials. Roll the tip you pull through with just the hint of dragging against the inside. When it takes on juice it'll expand.

 

[jaysterl]

I've been using koh gen do organic cotton with great success. Just cut a narrow strip ,roll the tip to thread through the micro coil then cut ends off to length to fit the juice channels . No need to roll the cotton this cotton seems to wick better since the fiber strands are all aligned.

 

[eJohn]

I've been using koh gen do organic cotton with great success. Just cut a narrow strip ,roll the tip to thread through the micro coil then cut ends off to length to fit the juice channels . No need to roll the cotton this cotton seems to wick better since the fiber strands are all aligned.

I thought about giving koh gen do a try but the place I found it for order online seems pretty pricey for only 5 sheets. Kumo Organic Japanese Cotton

 

[Mrs C]

It's out of stock atm but they get it back pretty quickly when that happens Pure Cotton - Koh Gen Do | Sephora They have a store locator on the site you might be find some close by. Maybe even get a sample pad or 2

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Yup - as you've been told above, less is more with cotton. Simple rule of thumb: you should be able to pull the wick back and forth through the coil (holding on to the wick tails) without moving the mod. If the mod moves when you pull on the cotton, you're using too much.

The brown gunk is prolly a result of the poor wicking - it's 'cooked' rather than vaped.

 

[ReigntheGamer]

You can also get it directly from them https://www.kohgendocosmetics.com/shopproductdetail.asp?prodID=27&catid=16

With shipping it runs about $22.00 or so but with as much as you get it will last a really really long time.

 

[drunkenbatman]

Japanese stuff is good stuff, or rather the processing they use makes it better at wicking, etc. I'm a little more convinced by the flavor boost/lack of gunking with rayon, but whatever works.

 

[Mike 586]

The brown gunk is prolly a result of the poor wicking - it's 'cooked' rather than vaped.

There's a good reason most standard builds just about everyone uses are around 28 gauge and sitting around 1.3 ohms or even higher in RTAs like the squape. Its the sweet spot for those devices on a mechanical. Higher ohms are even better on regulated devices since most can't step down the power applied and most budget ones seem to deliver the most consistent results around 1.8 ohms.

I don't know what kind device is being used to deliver the power or even how much power the OP is applying to the coils which very likely is playing a big role in the issues. 24 gauge, 0.8 ohm coil for the first build is just too far from standard to be starting with on a squape for an initial build.

The wicking might be part of the problem, but the heavy coil and the device delivering power are definitely big factors in the issues the OP is having IMHO.

 

[eJohn]

There's a good reason most standard builds just about everyone uses are around 28 gauge and sitting around 1.3 ohms or even higher in RTAs like the squape. Its the sweet spot for those devices on a mechanical. Higher ohms are even better on regulated devices since most can't step down the power applied and most budget ones seem to deliver the most consistent results around 1.8 ohms.

I don't know what kind device is being used to deliver the power or even how much power the OP is applying to the coils which very likely is playing a big role in the issues. 24 gauge, 0.8 ohm coil for the first build is just too far from standard to be starting with on a squape for an initial build.

The wicking might be part of the problem, but the heavy coil and the device delivering power are definitely big factors in the issues the OP is having IMHO.

That's an interesting observation you made there. I was always wondering why people like that high Ohms on the Kayfun-type RTAs. Now I guess that's why.

I'm using it on top of a Poldiac and the micro coil is bought pre-made at 0.8 Ohms 8/7 wraps of 24g Kenthal. I have 28 guage myself and am tempted to make a higher resistance coil. What drill bit and how many wraps for the 1.3 Ohms do I need to make?

Thank you!

 

[dhood]

That's an interesting observation you made there. I was always wondering why people like that high Ohms on the Kayfun-type RTAs. Now I guess that's why.

I'm using it on top of a Poldiac and the micro coil is bought pre-made at 0.8 Ohms 8/7 wraps of 24g Kenthal. I have 28 guage myself and am tempted to make a higher resistance coil. What drill bit and how many wraps for the 1.3 Ohms do I need to make?

Thank you!

I think that is about 3/32 with 7 wraps for 1.3 ohms