Does 'topping off' a carto actually work very well?

[Shannon509]

XXL LR 1.4ml cartomizer:

Basic question here is that, while you can add liquid to the top, to "replace" what you've vaped, does it really replace the liquid along the length of the polyfill? There's no question that when a carto is completely dry and you add 4 drops of juice (especially thicker stuff) it soaks down like a quarter inch, maybe. Sure if you add a ml and wait an hour it soaks down. Again, since cartos don't vaporize the liquid at the top, just that which wicks down to the bottom where the "atomizer" is (am i wrong) does topping off actually work that well?

Side question: Can overfilling "kill" a carto faster? In other words does it post a threat to the "atomizer" and/or is it related to how the carto loses draw and tastes bad eventually despite being able to see down the wick?

 

[Fishtec]

Never put much thought into will topping up work correctly or not mostly I'd say use a few drags to off then all of it will be wet I'm guessing some due to the nature of the filling it should evenly distribute though and as for over filling I can say for certain will destroy your carto will have to vape like crazy to remove the excess and even though the filler will be ok because it's wet the surrounding wick will begin / will burn

 

[Baditude]

Topping off a cartomizer is a good thing. Even a well-prepared carto (properly filled) will appear dry at the top after a few vapes, because the very act of vaping creates suction within the carto tube and draws the liquid down to the heating coil. The top of the filler material appearing to look dry is normal and can not be avoided unless you top it off frequently.

Overfilling a carto can cause "flooding", when juice gets into the center air hole and you can hear gurgling. So you are looking for a happy medium of not too little or not too much juice.

I typically put a tooth pick in the center air hole to keep excess juice from getting in there when filling my cartos. I add liquid to the filler while rotating the carto with my fingers. When the filler looks like a slushy drink, I then shake it like a thermometer. This forces the e-liquid farther down the carto like a centrifuge would. I than add more e-liquid until the filler again looks like a slushy drink, and shake it down again. Once the filler will hold no more liquid, I remove the tooth pick. It's ready to use. No need to blow out the carto and taste juice in your mouth. No need to let it "set" as the filler is as saturated as it will get from the shaking.

The downside of using a cartomizer is not being able to view the level of the juice. If you go too long before re-filling the carto, you run the risk of buning the filler material; once burnt you will never get that taste out of the cartomizer and it must be considered ruined.

The upside of using a cartomizer in a cartotank is with each vape juice from the tank replaces what is vaporized from the cartomizer. Since most tanks are transparent, you can easily view the level of the juice and know exactly when to refill it.

 

[Shannon509]

it should work pretty well. is it still a good idea to drop once a day, wait and check for absorption to make sure it's totally filled? Seems like it would be. Is 'condom fill' or filling until obviously oversaturated once a day bad idea/unnecessary? When carefully filling and flooding it, how do you know if it's because it's full or just that the top is oversaturated? The idea that a think juice will distribute through seems to be the popular theory, but there's an experiment with pictures that show how even a half ml at best just goes halfway down the polyfill after 20 min. Is the action different when the poly is already moist? seems conceivable.

 

[Phil McRotch]

Overfilling a carto can lead to gurgling/flooding/juice drawing back up through your mouthpiece/drip tip.

There's not really an OCD need to constantly top off your carto, but it is essential to add juice when you notice the vape is getting dry, meaning flavor is beginning to lack. If you taste anything burning, you've successfully burned your filler material and that taste will never go away. You'll need a new carto after that.

People top off every now and then to avoid having to fill an almost dried out carto, but how often depends on your vape pace and style. Chain vaping will lead to constant topping off or filling.

 

[Shannon509]

Thanks Baditude, that's the info i was looking for. Didn't know these 510 type cartos had a downward "sucking" action!

 

[yzer]

XXL LR 1.4ml cartomizer:

Basic question here is that, while you can add liquid to the top, to "replace" what you've vaped, does it really replace the liquid along the length of the polyfill? There's no question that when a carto is completely dry and you add 4 drops of juice (especially thicker stuff) it soaks down like a quarter inch, maybe. Sure if you add a ml and wait an hour it soaks down. Again, since cartos don't vaporize the liquid at the top, just that which wicks down to the bottom where the "atomizer" is (am i wrong) does topping off actually work that well?

Side question: Can overfilling "kill" a carto faster? In other words does it post a threat to the "atomizer" and/or is it related to how the carto loses draw and tastes bad eventually despite being able to see down the wick?

I used Smoktech single coil XL 2.0 ohm cartos for over a year. These hold 1.8ml of juice so I'm surprised that your XXL holds only 1.4ml.

Yes, topping off really works once you figure out how often to top off. How often you top off depends on the size of the carto, the voltage you are vaping, the resistance of the carto and how you vape. I used to go 20-30 minutes with a single voltage 3.7V before topping off with six to twelve drops of juice. If you overfill, the carto will flood and gurgle with no serious harm done.

Using a carto barefoot offers great benefits if you like a pocket-friendly device. OTOH, a good carto tank requires less attention for refilling and extends the life of the carto. Yes, the vapor quality from cartos is at it's best when used with a good carto tank.

 

[Baditude]

Thanks Baditude, that's the info i was looking for. Didn't know these 510 type cartos had a downward "sucking" action!

I included a cutaway diagram of a cartomizer in this post that demonstrates the juice flow within a cartomizer.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/cartomizers/420705-can-cartomizer-rebuilt-rewick-recoil-like-clearomizer.html#post9606385

 

[aushizz]

I included a cutaway diagram of a cartomizer in this post that demonstrates the juice flow within a cartomizer.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...wick-recoil-like-clearomizer.html#post9606385

the plunger thing here makes it look easy have you tried this method?
since im a beginner i going to try bunch of differnt ways...

The Plunger Kit - MyFreedomSmokes.com