dead atomizers ego tank system

[cofgrindr8]

Before attempting diy i had been using V4L premade liquids with no problem on my new ego tank. I ordered 55 bucks in TPA flavors got them Saturday morning and here's what i did....

5 drops 48mg/ml VG nic juice....15 drops PG....and 4 drops flavoring (roughly 15%)

First i used Tiramisu...then caramel candy...then marshmallow separately. I noticed the liquid seemed a little dry and was wondering if i needed to add water for the VG part of it but everyone is telling me no.

After about 2 mL of liquid had passed through the atty it went completely dead. I posted on the DIY forum not knowing this forum was here and i was told my atty just happened to die at that time and there was nothing wrong with my liquid. I asked about the low amount of flavor tasted and the dryness of the vape compared to V4L liquids. It was recommended i use ethyl maltol to smooth it out and add some sweetness.

So semi confident that my atty was the problem i mixed up some more juice yesterday afternoon on my only remaining tank atty and the same thing happened after only 1mL of juice passing through it. This time i used White Chocolate mixed with Sweet Cream...same ratios never going above 15ish%.

Before the atty died i noticed a very dark stream of fluid coming up into the tank from somewhere in the atty (wick, atty itself idk). I also noticed on the first atty after leaving it overnight after it died that my liquid was very dark when i used light flavors except for the Tiramisu on the first try. But the second atty had nothing but clear liquids going in.

What did i do wrong? Someone suggested that White Chocolate has sugars in it and it should be avoided but that doesn't explain both atties dying. I'm assuming that for some reason the wick is not letting the fluid pass through and the atty is burning up but the reason is a mystery to me? Is it a lack of water or are there sugars in the flavoring clogging the atty? All flavors were TPA.

 

[Kimerpuff]

Hello Cofgrindr8,

Lots of questions and answers here, so I will try to be organized! Hehe

First I need some information from you.

What is the target Nic strength of your mix?
What are you using to measure the drops with? Same item for all or different?
What type of Atty do you use in your tank, regular or LR?

I've tried to duplicate your ratios in a calculator, and I am coming up with 1.2ml batch at 10mg with 17% flavoring. The final product is 79% PG / 21% VG. To me this is in a very normal ratio, I would think even for a tank type feeding PV.

Flavors we use in DIY first, are made for food. There has been little to no testing on the inhalation of them, let alone their effect on atties. We do not sell oil based flavorings, because they have been tested to show they are not good for lungs and many vapors have had isses with equipment due to the oil. There are of course DIYers that use oil based flavors, its a personal choice for all. Just as using flavoring is. Pre-made flavored Juices have flavors made for food in them also.

Now, please keep in mind I have no experience with the ego tanks, I am a dripper. So I am hoping another member will chime in on the required blends for tanks to give the maximum vapor/flavor. I believe that most premade juices where you do not specify the blend, such as the juice from China may contain VG in them. Ren has some premade liquid from China that is 15% VG, but marketed at PG e-liquid. I have no idea what V4L uses, I would think the blend portion wouldn’t be a trade secret and they would let you know.

The White Chocolate Ingredients: Natural & Artificial Flavor, Sugar, Water, Ethyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Caramelized Sugar. I am waiting for an email from Linda at PA on the amount of sugar in the White Chocolate. Generally, this flavor is used in conjunction with others, I have personally used it a number of times with no issues to my atties. I have also tried many mixes from customers who use it as well. But the amount you use would of course make a difference with the sugar content versus an atty.

I do not know, then if the "dryness" your experiencing is coming from the tank. From my experience, dryness has been more of a PG issue. Many vapor's of PG based e-juice drink more water to combat this. But I have not heard of the vapor itself seeming dry before. Now, there is no reason whatsoever that you cannot thin the VG with distilled water or a clear alcohol. If the liquid is not able to wick properly, then yes by all means thin it out. DIY is all about experimenting, its great to ask questions but what works for you may not work for another and visa versa.

As for Taste, what I do to get the taste that is right for me would be to start at around 10% with most flavors (not the super strong ones like Tiramasu) and work my way up, drop or two at a time.. with testing, cleaning pallete and atty between the next test. Until I get to the flavor I desire. If your flavoring is light, I would suggest this method.

Ethyl Maltol will smooth out rough edges so to speak, it adds some depth and for me the yum factor. It is a mild sweetener, if your looking to really sweeten it up, I would suggest the Flavor Apprentice "Sweetener" Now the Sweetener is very strong, so start with adding a drop to your mix, testing and again repeating the above process. Its very easy to over sweeten, I have been down that road!

As for Flavor ratios going over 15%, there is no "answer" on how much flavor to use. I have some mixes of combined flavors that go to and slightly above 30%. The rule is to your taste No magic number you cannot pass. My rule of thumb, if it tastes nasty, I went to high. Until you get to that point, you have not over done it. The best way to find "your" perfect flavor is the drop method I mentioned earlier. Go up slowly, so if you over do it and find the nasty mark, you can dilute back to good easily.

Oh and Tiramisu is very strong! It will linger in an atty, no matter what kind. For strong flavors such as this one I dedicate an atty to.

 

[cofgrindr8]

Hi Kimerpuff. Thank your for all the information. It seems the ego tank has some wicking issues even with store bought juice because i just received a regular 510 atty yesterday and its a MUCH easier draw and giving much more flavor.

After reading what you and others have to say about flavoring percentages I'm tending to believe that i needed some water or alcohol to thin it out a bit since the ego tank seems to have a bit of a problem either wicking too much and leaking...or not wicking enough and tasting like burnt plastic. In my case not wicking enough. To answer your questions...

The target nic strength isn't anything specific as long as i keep it under 12mg/ml. I normally vape 4mg but i go up depending on how badly I'm craving a cigarette. Still trying to get off those last 5 a day.

I measured the drops of PG and VG nic juice using the same dropper but i used the bottle that the flavoring came in which gave slightly smaller drops. So the flavor percentage should be a tiny bit lower overall.

And the atties were a regular and a low resistance. I used the LR first because it gives a little better experience versus the regular one.

Since i got you here on the forum could i ask what the sweetener is. I was going to order some ethyl maltol but after your suggestion i'll go that route as long as it's as safe as ethy maltol. And the other question i have is are you currently selling the Nature's Flavors? I couldn't find it on the website. Thanks for your time and all the info.

 

[eyebrook]

just a thought, i read somewhere that pg/vg needs to be diluted with distilled water, about 20% distilled water i think

 

[Kimerpuff]

Cofgrindr8,
The Sweetener is Water, PG and Sucralose. I personally use the EM premixed for me, which would be the Cotton Candy Flavor. But then I am not looking for as much sweetness either.

In doing a search on Ego Tanks, here at ECF I have seen a number of posters who find that flavor isnt coming through as well with the tanks. Since your using smaller drops on the flavoring then the drops for the e-juice and PG I would suggest bringing the flavor up. If you used the dropper we carry to measure your e-juice and PG, then your drops would be almost twice as big as the ones from the flavor bottle. Because you dont want to burn out alot of atties, which is super expensive I would suggest thinning your mix with about 10% distilled water to start and then work slowly which ever way you need to inorder to resolve the wicking issue.

For your target nic and those last 5 cigs a day I do have a suggestion What I suggest when people want to drop their MG, is to make TWO Juices. One high and one your all day vape level. When you need that kick, drip some of the high MG juice to get past the craving. Now for your all day vape MG levels, dont try to get low to fast. If you say were vaping 12mg and it kept the craving beast at bay for the most part, drop your MG levels one MG every two weeks or month. If you drop it very slowly like this you will not notice that its gone down. So in May you would make 11mg juice and then in June make 10mg and July 9mg. This has worked well for many people I know.. Your body wont notice that slight decrease

We are currently testing the Natures Flavors so we do not have them for sale at this time. We have been looking at carrying them since last year, but we do take our time when bringing on a new product because we want to insure that its safe as possible and will give our customers what they are looking for. To us, its not about the quantity of flavors but the quality they provide

 

[Kimerpuff]

I just got some info from Linda on the White Chocolate. She wasnt able to get the exact amount of sugar, but around the 30% mark. As I know many who use this flavor, I am guessing that its not one to use with a more fussy type atty, but I have successfully used it dripping with a 510LR.