Dead atomizer?

[GiveMeUrCookies]

how can you tell when it's officially dead? this is my first atomizer, so i'm not totally sure.

i think mine may be dead, or maybe it just needs to be cleaned and can be revived? hrm. anyone want to fill me on how to tell when it's completely dead?

it doesn't give anymore smoke, but i can still hear the whistling noise, and it still heats up.. so it can't be completely dead. -- or atleast i don't think so

 

[windblown]

how can you tell when it's officially dead? this is my first atomizer, so i'm not totally sure.

Hi Cookie, and welcome to the forum! You are right that as long as the atomizer is still heating, it is not officially dead. It may need a good cleaning, or it might just be having a bad hair day.

Luv your avatar!

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Definitely try a good and thorough cleaning. Let is drip for a good 8-10 hours, and start fresh with a new battery and new cartridge in the morning and see how it does.

sometimes mine get too much liquid and stop working until drained.

atomizers have a mind of their own ... good luck

 

[Mr.Darcy]

Cookie-blow it out from the battery end-a few hard blows into a tissue.

next,drip a few drops of eliquid directly onto the atomiser.

put on the dummy mouthpiece with no cartridge that came with the ecig,and see if you get vapour.

if you do,put a cartridge back in and smoke as normal.

 

[GiveMeUrCookies]

Cookie-blow it out from the battery end-a few hard blows into a tissue.

next,drip a few drops of eliquid directly onto the atomiser.

put on the dummy mouthpiece with no cartridge that came with the ecig,and see if you get vapour.

if you do,put a cartridge back in and smoke as normal.

Trying now!

 

[GiveMeUrCookies]

Nope, nothing. the atomizer got pretty warm when i blew out from the battery, and a bit of liquid dripped out. but it's still not working

 

[jhl01]

Hi there,

From my limited experience (4 dead atomisers - 1 having its last rites as we speak!), the best way to test it is to put on a fresh battery and some liquid on the atomiser (cartridge or drip).

Then suck like hell.

If the atomiser is dead, the metal casing will feel cold to the touch.

This is because any unheated air cools the outer casing. If the outer casing starts to warm, then the atomiser is 'Still Alive' and may need cleaning.

Hope it ain't bust.

ATB,

Jerry

 

[katink]

Take a tissue; and turn a corner of it into a longish piece. Now unscrew your atomizer from the battery, and put in that tissue until it rests against the atomizer-bridge inside the atomizer. Don't turn it around in there, you don't want to leave pieces of tissue behind; but do try to really touch the atomizer mesh bridge with it.
NOW, with the tissue still in, blow through the atomizer from the battery-end (without the battery attached!). Blow hard and a number of times. If you have too much tissue in to be able to do that, make the piece of tissue thinner so you can blow past it, more or less.

When you are done with blowing it through in this way (you should not hear any 'moisture-sounds' anymore before stopping; if neccessary swap tissue inbetween for a new piece) - then take out the tissue, put a few drops of liquid straight on the atomizer, screw on the battery, put on the dummy mouthpiece, and start smoking.
When some good smoke is coming out, you can put in the cartridge again... but if it then immediately 'chokes'into little or nothing again, then take the cartridge out again and just smoke with the dummy until the smoke gets clearly less... and thén put in the cartridge again.

Hope this helps you out (remember: blow through WITHOUT battery attached!)

 

[jamie]

....put in that tissue until it rests against the atomizer-bridge inside the atomizer....NOW, with the tissue still in, blow through the atomizer from the battery-end (without the battery attached!).

That's very interesting Katink! I had thought we were supposed to be cleaning out a little collection area under the steel wool bridge. This sounds like a technique to clear out the bridge itself.

Not sure if I misunderstand the atomizers or if it's just hair-splitting to see it as a difference. I'd like to hear more comments on this from you or anyone. Mostly I feel that just about anyone on the board understands this better than I do!

Thank you katink and everyone. It is so helpful to keep finding new ideas like this. I don't like to clutter threads by leaving lots of one-line "thank you" posts but seriously, I was a heavy duty cigarette smoker (who laughs reading what most of you describe as "heavy smoking") and now I'm not and it's so much because of all your assistance with this new-fangled gadgetry. Clavit just wrote a great post about ultra-sonic cleaning.... You're all just awesome.

 

[katink]

If you still have good enough lungs, this will largely clear out the ceramic pot and surroundings too; not only from blowing it out along with the air, but also because you more or less let the liquid in there take the reverse route from how it came in (now instead of coming in through the mesh bridge and spreading from there, you 'push it back' through the steel mesh toward the absorbing tissue...)

I hope it helps out a bit

 

[DeviLFisH]

one point to add one ,

sometime when we changed new cartridge replacing the old ones

some cartidge the cotton wool will stuck in the atomiser
have to use tweeter to take out

or sometime maybe while replaced got some tiny cool wool stuck inside where our naked eyes cannot see have to see clearly if yes

will it affect the out put of the smoke ?

 

[leaford]

I always drop in at least a drop or two of e-liquid after blowing it out. You don't want the atomizer too dry when you take your first drag on it.

 

[trog100]

part of the wear out process is critical operation.. or intermittent working.. when they reach this stage i consider them dead.. or at least terminally ill and not fit for work.. he he

my standards might well be high.. i need reliable and consistent results.. when i dont get this the product is finished from where i stand..

using my pipes as examples.. when brand new.. i drip them.. i know 100% that with a charged battery and between 6 and 10 drips they will produce very consistent results.. the battery lasts all day.. when the smoke drops of some more drips and out comes the smoke again.. always with no ifs and buts.. this is when new..

but after two week heavy use things change.. two thing happen.. the smoke can simply diminish by a large amount with no other symptoms.. or they become inconsistent in the way they work.. the smoke production varies and the (mind of their own) factor sets in..

my conclusion.. the only way to get reliable and constant results is throw them away and use a new one.. (not a conclusion i arrived at readily) the heater coil in the atomizer wears out and needs replaceing if good reliable results are desired..

when anything your car for example starts and runs when it feels like it (the mind of its own factor) its simply a sign u need a new one..

some of these devices are crap from the word go and never work properly.. some do when new but soon start to wear out..

these things really need a new atomizer quite often.. the cost factor comes in big time here.. but its the only way to get 100% reliable operation from them..

which is why i plant and budget to buy two new pipe atomizers per month.. the same applies to the 901 generics.. one new kit and one spare atomizer per month..

its the only way to get 100% satisfy my needs operation from e smoking..

greencig are now selling a cart that comes with a new atomizer.. they are gonna cost way to much.. but i am sure they will work without having a mind of their own..

when it starts playing up... buy a new one or send it back if its on the five year guarantee plan.. sacrificing chickens and praying to the gods should not be needed..

trog

 

[Kit]

Nice technique katink

 

[Spider]

My atomiser is still producing plenty of vapour but it's starting to taste a bit like it's burning out. I've heard people say this could be the fibres before - it was also starting to hurt my throat a bit more too.

It's actually feeling ok again now. What is the usual time that an atomiser lasts for? Mine is a couple of weeks old.

Spider

 

[TropicalBob]

Life span seems to vary, depending on how heavily it's used. I get one month. Trog seems to get a week.

And I have a question nagging in my head: Do the heating wires just snap, as filament in a light bulb does? Or do they burn out more slowly with use? If they do, what metal are we inhaling?

Ah ha. That's one thing Dr. Laugesen will be testing for in New Zealand. You don't want to inhale ANY metal. It's likely worse than propylene glycol if atomizers are flaking off tiny particles as they die. But how can you test the exact moment of snap-failure?

 

[Spider]

I've just been smoking it again and it's fine now - I almost feel like I was imagining it! I don't smoke it all the time so I should get at least 3 weeks out of it surely!

... and no TB, you are right, I certainly don't want to inhale any metal!

 

[KATO]

OK Mr. Trog,

I'm loving my screwdriver, thank you, however.
It is dificult enough to choose the right juice, and I'm not going into research on atomizers.
That being said, please share with us the exact atomizer you have in your personal screwdriver right now and where we can buy atomizers like it today?

and, uhhhh, well... Why?

KATO

 

[HeatherC]

Life span seems to vary, depending on how heavily it's used. I get one month. Trog seems to get a week.

And I have a question nagging in my head: Do the heating wires just snap, as filament in a light bulb does? Or do they burn out more slowly with use? If they do, what metal are we inhaling?

Ah ha. That's one thing Dr. Laugesen will be testing for in New Zealand. You don't want to inhale ANY metal. It's likely worse than propylene glycol if atomizers are flaking off tiny particles as they die. But how can you test the exact moment of snap-failure?

Just to inform u of this....propylene glycol is an ingredient in albuterol which they use in asthma inhalers...so it is NOT BAD for you at all... dont know about metal particles tho.

 

[zbasspro]

These time warps on the boards have been killing me lately. This one must have been due for it's yearly bump How does this happen? Is it from someone searching for info.? It's been pretty common the last few days.