In a tank system the cartos still do all the work, the tanks just hold extra juice so you don't have to refill as often.
It's like a car. The carto is the engine, the holes/slots are the fuel pump and carburetor, and the tanks is the gas tank. If the engine won't fire, or is weak and gives poor performance, it's not a hole in the gas tank. The fuel line may be clogged or the fuel pump defective (holes/slots too small or too few); the carburetor may be flooding (holes slots too big or too many) or there may be a problem in the engine (the coil and/or connector post). If the tank is faulty, all you're going to get is leaking gas (juice), but that's enough of a problem on its own that it does need to be fixed/replaced.
I think a lot of the misunderstanding with tanks comes from video reviews. Every single one of them has a "let's see how it vapes" segment, but the tank does
absolutely nothing as far as vaping itself is concerned. Vaping is entirely a function of the atty/carto/PV combination. The only thing a tank does is hold juice. It can leak or not, it can slide around on the carto or not--but even delivering juice to refill the carto is a function of the holes/slots cut into the carto and not the tank itself. The only thing those segments show is how well the carto and PV work together, assuming the reviewer has filled the carto correctly in the first place; since it's the initial fill that's shown in the reviews the vaping demonstration is functionally identical to using the carto without a tank attached at all.
Whew, okay, didn't expect to get on a soapbox
Just some quick notes: I personally punch all my cartos myself, and the main reason is that I have never found a pre-punched carto that worked well for my vaping style. I don't know what I do differently since most people can find pre-punched cartos that work for them, but I can't. I only punch one hole because more than that consistently floods the carto for me.
1. If you are using a grommetted tank (like Mom and Pop's) and find them flooding, try scooting the bottom grommet up to partially cover the hole(s) and restrict the flow of juice. If you have the carto occasionally run dry, give a suck/draw/drag without firing the PV--this will pull a little more juice into the carto and "prime" it. Also, the viscosity of your juice will affect how big/many holes/slots you need. You can find the perfect balance, but if you change your juice you may need to adjust your feed system smaller for thinner juices or larger for thicker ones.
2. Tanks are designed to keep the carto full until the tank runs dry. One of the signs of a full carto is a slight gurgling--if you are not using a tank you will only get this on the first draw or two, if at all, so people are not used to hearing it as the tankless carto is using up juice as it is vaped. With a tank, the expended juice should be replaced as it is used so that the carto is
always full. This means that with a properly working tank a slight gurgling should be expected. As long as your vapour production and flavour is good, a slight gurgling is a good thing (means everything's working).
3. If your vapour production is poor, there is little or no flavour, and/or you are getting juice in your mouth, the carto is flooded. The coil may not be firing or the holes/slots may be too much for your vaping style or you may have over-filled the carto or any number of things. Roll up a napkin or paper towel and slide it into the carto and up against the filler to absorb excess juice. If the top of the filler looks a bit dry, that's fine--it means your carto is no longer flooded. Vape a drag or two--if the problem goes away you're fine. If it doesn't go away, or is initially fixed but returns, there is a problem in your system somewhere.
4. If you've never used tanks before, it can seem a bit complicated. This is a matter of something being more difficult to describe than it actually is to
do. There is a learning curve, though, just like there is for vaping. If you have problems, don't be discouraged--most people love tanks once they get them working. With that in mind, though, some people prefer attys and some cartos; some people prefer dripping, some people like cartos/tanks and some people can only be satisfied by bottom feeders. The only thing that matters in the end is what works for you. Tanks are simply a way for cartos to hold more juice--if you prefer cartos then tanks will be heaven once you get your groove going, but if you prefer dripping or bottom feeders to cartos then tanks will not change that for you.
