E-cig getting "weaker"?

[RobFindlay]

I'm the guy who picked up a couple of the 20 dollar models at the cig store I know I started off low end.

My model has cartridges that can be re-filled with e-juice but i have a problem.

Either I'm putting two much or two little juice in the cartridge or my atomizer is going to crap. I can put a freshly charged battery together with a freshly juiced cartridge and I get vapor...but not as much as I should, and I don't get that "throat hit" most of us smokers are used to.

Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong?

 

[WomanOfHeart]

The cheap starter kits have awful batteries that fade off faster the more you use them. That's just the nature of cheap gas station/cig store kits.

If you want throat hit you'll need a better kit and you'll probably want juice with more PG in it.

PG is the thinner of the liquids used to make e-liquid. It carries flavor better and provides a stronger throat hit.

VG is thicker, makes for a smoother vape and provides more vapor. It can also mute some flavors.

 

[Stosh]

You may be flood ing the atty a bit with too much juice (any gurgling?) or the atty may need a quick rinse and dry. Have you tried just putting a couple drops direct on the atty and see if it vapes better? Also fluff up the cart filler a bit so you're sure it's touching the mesh inside the atty.

But overall the $20 cig store / 7-11 / gas station models will not have the TH of a real cig, they just don't have the battery strength.

 

[RobFindlay]

Gurgle, no. A bit of leakage yes, so I may have over filled it.

How do I "rinse and dry" my atty?

Also I am re-using the carts that come with foil covering the filter bit, how do I fluff up the filter?

Thanks guys!

-Rob

 

[AttyPops]

Do you have any info on make/model? The atomizers/cartos vary quite a bit.

With that said....

1) Welcome to ECF if I haven't welcomed you before (and even if I did!).
2) I started with a tobacco-shop e-cig. It got me into vaping, and into other stuff. The battery finally died, but I used it up, just like I would have with my current 510's. It was similar to an kr808 battery but with a 510 connector on it. lol. Let me use other 510 atties too. I may have paid a bit more for mine, but your $20.00 is not the extreme, and if it gets you into vaping, and to ECF, it's money well spent.

Clean the atomizer/carto if you can. They gunk up over time. For atomizers, it's not uncommon to clean them every day or two depending on the atty and the juice. Blowing atomizers out frequently will reduce the need to clean them.

Other things to consider:
1) The refill juice may be thicker???? and now wicking as easily.
2) Cartos don't last forever
3) if not kept wet, they can get "melty filler" syndrome and not wick well either

Best guesses since I don't know what specific make/model.

Good Luck!

EDIT: OK, sounds like an atty, not a carto (that's what I thought, but wasn't sure). The filler can be removed with tweezers, rinsed, dried, and replaced.

Blow out the atty (blow into the open end, gunk comes out the threaded end.. put napkin over it or do it over sink).
Run hottest tap water through it for a few seconds (forget the distilled water B.S. for now), blowing it out again over the sink. Do this like 3 times or more.

Now you have to dry it. Blow a few breaths through it to get most of the water out. Then you can
1) put some juice in it and blow it out a few times, or
2) put it on e-cig and warm it up. If it's an auto e-cig, you have to blow through the LED end
3) vape through it until it works... don't inhale if it's too steamy
4) Wait a day or three.......the list could go on.....

 

[RobFindlay]

@attypops I don't have the 510 mine are the ones with the cartridges having the male bit and the battery having the female bit, shortly I'm going to upgrade to a 510.

How do you clean them? Just blow it out with say a can of compressed air?

I'm starting to think my e-juice filling technique led to "not much juice getting into the filter"

 

[AttyPops]

I edited. We posted at the same time. lol. See above.

 

[Stosh]

If it's over filled try removing the cart and take a few drags without the cart, that would use up the excess juice.

Rinse and dry would be running hot water thru and let it dry for a day or so (not good if you don't have spares)

Fluffing the cart, take a toothpick or tweezers and fluff the filler you're dripping the juice onto. Or pull it out entirely and rinse with hot water, dry well with a paper towel, make sure it's loose and fluffy and re-insert.

 

[Puffadder]

In addition to the first two responses it may be you are refilling with a weaker juice as well. The first refill bottle I was sold was just marked as low and I thought it was the same 11 mg as the carts I started with. I found it less satisfying than the carts and after some research found out it was 8mg.

 

[RobFindlay]

I think my "cheap" atomizer just went to crap on me, I ran out and bought a set of the "closed" ones where it's the atomizer and the filter all glued up tight, and straight off I'm getting good throat hits.

I'm going to be ordering a 510 next week hopefully I'll be better off with higher quality components.

 

[cctex]

I'm going to be ordering a 510 next week hopefully I'll be better off with higher quality components.

I would suggest an Ego. The battery life is better.

 

[joeyazzz]

thus why it was so cheap. order a joey 510 off a website and your good to go. sorry all you people who like egos...
i find you get more liquid on your hands then vape in your lungs.

 

[danieloviciu]

I heard about some german atomiser that last somehow forever. After a while all that you have to change is some little part of the atomiser. Does anyone know anything about it?

 

[morepyro]

It sounds like your "cheap" atomizer is gunked up, but it may still be salvageable. You can do a forum search for a "dry burn" cleaning that takes care of most problems.

A drt burn runs the risk of killing the atty if you aren't careful, but it sounds like you don't have much to lose at this point.