Drilling out Mini ProTank

[shacker]

So I absolutely love my Mini ProTank on ego batteries... for about 24 hours after installing a new coil. Then it invariably gets hard to draw and far less satisfying. I resist the temptation to install a new coil every day, because I know many people use the same coil for a week or more, and it would feel like wasting money (I've tried various cleaning techniques, which just don't work that well, and have even started rebuilding some of my own Kanger coils, but that's a pain in the ....).

Actually I'm really curious how it is that people get a satisfying vape on a Kanger coil older than a day, but that's another subject.

Seeing another post on drilling out holes, decided to give it a try. Using my smallest bit, put the collar in the voice (protected by a rag) and gently enlarged one of the holes to twice its original size. Used a q-tip to remove stray burrs, put it back together, and OMG! It's as if I put a brand new coil in it! Completely gives new life. It's all about air flow!

Can't recommend this technique highly enough. Go for it (at your own risk, of course).

 

[30+Years]

Shacker I've read this before and for the life of me can't figure out why some have that issue. For me no matter how long the coil is in there more times than not I will cover one of the holes with a finger so that the mini isn't too airy. Odd.

 

[Simply Red]

So I absolutely love my Mini ProTank on ego batteries... for about 24 hours after installing a new coil. Then it invariably gets hard to draw and far less satisfying. I resist the temptation to install a new coil every day, because I know many people use the same coil for a week or more, and it would feel like wasting money (I've tried various cleaning techniques, which just don't work that well, and have even started rebuilding some of my own Kanger coils, but that's a pain in the ....).

Actually I'm really curious how it is that people get a satisfying vape on a Kanger coil older than a day, but that's another subject.

Seeing another post on drilling out holes, decided to give it a try. Using my smallest bit, put the collar in the voice (protected by a rag) and gently enlarged one of the holes to twice its original size. Used a q-tip to remove stray burrs, put it back together, and OMG! It's as if I put a brand new coil in it! Completely gives new life. It's all about air flow!

Can't recommend this technique highly enough. Go for it (at your own risk, of course).

Kinda turbo charged it, didn't ya!? Did the same thing.

 

[Heabob]

I had to open mine up too.
Used a 1/16" and did all 3 holes on base first, better.
Then rebuilt coil, and opened up center pin on bottom to 1/16, much better now.

 

[Agamer]

I had to open mine up too.
Used a 1/16" and did all 3 holes on base first, better.
Then rebuilt coil, and opened up center pin on bottom to 1/16, much better now.

That is a good point it doesn't make a difference if the base holes are a half inch if the pin hole remains the same size since it will become the new choke point. Think about pouring water into an upside down funnel it doesn't matter how big the source of air or water is the funnel can only take so much at one time.

This is definitely a personal opinion thing though keep in mind what works for one may not work for another so do anything like this at your own discretion

 

[ckquatt]

Something I've noticed with the Mini PT2 (which doesn't apply to you anymore but it may help someone else out) if you're a juice swapper like me. I have 5-6 tanks going at once. After a few mini swaps all those holes would get clogged up with grime, dead skin cells, whatever's on your hands, and choke off the air supply. I keep a stick pin in my zip case so when it gets to that point I can clean out the air holes. Works like a charm!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[shacker]

I gotta say, after vaping this all day, I may have spoken too soon. There was such an immediate improvement to airflow that it *felt* like a big improvement at first, but eventually I realized that a bit more air isn't going to unclog a coil. By afternoon, I was getting a lot of air but very little actual vapor. So it's kind of back to the drawing board, trying to figure out why my coils clog so fast. I vape mostly Zeus's Juices, which I absolutely love. I try to stay away from the darker juices, but still. I do only their standard 60/40 mix.

So... how long does a PT coil typically last you guys and gals? Any tips for long coil life?

 

[AFox85]

I can usually get a good week to week and a half out of a coil. I tend to be a little crazy on cleaning it though, ill wasg out and do a dry burn after every tank. As long as u dont dry burn for too long, you wont degrade the wicks too much. But yup, around a week and a half the wicks have had enough and I toss out and install a new coil.

 

[shacker]

I can usually get a good week to week and a half out of a coil. I tend to be a little crazy on cleaning it though, ill wasg out and do a dry burn after every tank. As long as u dont dry burn for too long, you wont degrade the wicks too much. But yup, around a week and a half the wicks have had enough and I toss out and install a new coil.

After every tank! Interesting, but also a lot of fiddly work I don't care to take on. I've been waiting for them to clog before washing, so maybe that explains it - too far gone by then I guess. And washing doesn't do much for 'em once they're shot.

 

[AFox85]

One crucial, crucial step to my dry burn process on these I forgot to mention is this. Your flavor wicks that sit on top of the coil build up with whats almost like carbon deposits..If you dont attend to this it will get worse and darken your juice or give you a bad flavor. Every dry burn I grab these with a pair of tweezers (still wet from me just rinsing out the atty with water, but make sure to dab dry first on paper towel these two wicks) and dry burn them with a butane lighter. You'll see the 'carbon deposits' disappear before your eyes.

 

[Rickajho]

I gotta say, after vaping this all day, I may have spoken too soon. There was such an immediate improvement to airflow that it *felt* like a big improvement at first, but eventually I realized that a bit more air isn't going to unclog a coil. By afternoon, I was getting a lot of air but very little actual vapor. So it's kind of back to the drawing board, trying to figure out why my coils clog so fast. I vape mostly Zeus's Juices, which I absolutely love. I try to stay away from the darker juices, but still. I do only their standard 60/40 mix.

So... how long does a PT coil typically last you guys and gals? Any tips for long coil life?

Wow. It is making me wonder what's in those liquids. I know you said you try to avoid the dark ones but how sweet are they and how intense is the flavor level?

Have you pulled the vent tube on any of these coils to see what is going on when the performance drops off? Leave the coil mounted in the base, dry the vent tube with the silicone cap off (or you won't be able to get a grip on it) and wiggle and pull until the vent tube comes off the coil assembly. What's it look like? If the wick and coil are really dark or so black you can't tell where the top wick leaves off and the coil starts... you have some real coil killer liquids going on. If that's true the problem is the liquids. The only fix would be to change liquids or accept that you will need to clean those coils - a lot.

 

[AFox85]

You do have to fiddle a lot to keep them on par. I guess its worth it if it performs well. It does suck, sometimes I feel I have to do this at work if im not getting a good vape for whatever reason.. Just my two cents YMMV

 

[AFox85]

So I've been using these protanks for a year or so and never thought of drilling the air holes any larger. I have 4 tanks, and the draw from them is all a little different; some looser, some tighter. I just drilled the air holes out on one of the tighter ones with a 1/16 inch bit, and WOW. Definitely a little noisier with the increased airflow, but taking slower steady drags im getting ever so slightly muted flavor, but CLOUDS of vapor. Close to twice the normal output.. Thanks for your help, I might just do this to all my minis..

 

[happydave]

That is a good point it doesn't make a difference if the base holes are a half inch if the pin hole remains the same size since it will become the new choke point. Think about pouring water into an upside down funnel it doesn't matter how big the source of air or water is the funnel can only take so much at one time.

This is definitely a personal opinion thing though keep in mind what works for one may not work for another so do anything like this at your own discretion

air has the properties of "inducement and entrainment" air is
also compressible.
so enlarging the holes in the base and then compressing it a bit through the post in the bottom of the coil is really not a bad plan at all.
i drilled out all the air flow holes to 2 MM on my EVOD and Protank mini 2 and i get loads of vapor on each hit for days and days (8-10 mL) on one coil.

 

[shacker]

Oh yeah - I do often take them apart (sometimes to rebuild them by hand) and they're definitely thick and blackened. I also start to see a bit of blackness leaking back out into the tank, discoloring the juice visibly. So yeah, it might just be a side effect of the fact that Zeus Juice is so dang flavorful. But what a dilemma - once you try them you can't go back. I've tried so many other kinds of juices but keep coming back; hard to find anything that compares.

I think I'll contact Zeus to see if they have recommendations on which of their juices are the least cloggy. I've also heard recommendations on playing around with the PG/VG ratio.

 

[Heabob]

I'm lucky to get 2 days, then I have to rebuild, mostly bakery/sweet type juice.
Mostly the same thing with all my other tanks.
Can only dry burn silica wicks 1-2 times, then get burnt taste no matter what.

For these 2, at least, I can pull out the cotton, dry burn, replace cotton and go.
IGO-L dripper, plus I can run "tank cracker" juice in it also.
RSST I'm fiddling with now, cotton wick, auto dripper mode.