e-liquid vaping related questions

[vapman12]

I had posted this earlier thread
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/469362-new-vaper-some-questions-2.html

I tried disposables which I liked but was expensive. Then I tried cheap non-disposable e-cigs (those were the only ones which I had access to at that time). The experience was not good. Frequent charging was required. I got stuff leaking in my mouth, the charger broke etc etc.

So I have got myself a Joyetech EGoCTwist battery. I think it's the XL Battery but not sure. It has a voltage changing thing which I haven't tried yet. I also got a Kangertech clearomizer.

I got no clear instructions, so I have several questions
1. Does the clearomizer always need to be kept upright - will it leak if I let it sleep on the table (I don't want to experiment - I have already lost around 2 fillings of liquid because I accidentally twisted off the tank while trying to twist of the battery).
2. Can 2 different e-liquids be mixed in the same filling?
3. I was told that the coil gets dirty in 1 month or so. I was also told that it would stop working if it gets dirty and that's how I would know. Can the coil be cleaned - if yes, how is this done? Otherwise, what needs to be done - replace the clearomizer or replace the coil? Is just the coil - is it a difficult process?
4. Both the battery and the clearomizer seem to be well built (unlike the Greensmoke ecig which was crap). So can I expect these to last for reasonable amount of time?
5. Sometimes, I hear a gurgling sound while vaping - is there a way to not have this?
6. Once I felt liquid in my mouth - is it because I sucked too hard? Or is there another reason?
7. What does increasing/decreasing the voltage on the battery do?
8. I think I have the medium level of nicotine liquids currently. From next time on, I think I will buy full strength to get maximum bang for the buck - any disadvantages of this?
9. As of now, I am not a big fan of flavours, I would prefer regular analog kind of taste, so I am planning to order only those. I have access only to Joyetech, Dekang, Hangseng & Feellife liquids - any difference between different brands?

Any other general advice for a newbie?

 

[rhean]

By Kangertech do you mean Evods or protanks?

1. No. I have evods and protanks, and they don't have to be kept upright. I keep them sideways in my purse.

2. Yes! Try a little at a time, though, to make sure you like the flavor of the combination.

3. Evods and protanks (assuming you have one of these) have replaceable coils (heads). They're pretty cheap--under $10 for a pack of five. Replace every couple of weeks and you should be fine.

4. They should last you a good long time with replaceable coils. I've heard that the average battery lasts 300+ charges. The tanks should last, too. The Evods, btw, are plastic, while the protank is pyrex. Cinnamon and citrus flavors have a tendency to crack plastic tanks, but not pyrex tanks. If you have an evod, be careful about the flavors you put in there.

5. Gurgling happens when juice gets into the tube in the middle of the tank. Twist off tank, then twist off the head. Stick a q-tip in the tube to get the liquid out. Wipe the head really well, then blow through it. Some liquid should come out. Then replace everything and vape. btw, I always put a q-tip on that tube while filling up. It minimizes gurgling issues.

6. It's tied to the gurgling issue.

7. NO clue lol.

8. Disadvantage is you might get too much nicotine Water them down with lower nicotine liquids.

9. NO clue again, other than trial and error. I make my own juice.

Oh, this is a head:

 

[Traver]

Does the clearomizer always need to be kept upright?
Some will some won't. We don't have enough information to answer your question.

Does the coil of your tank sit on the bottom in the juice or is the coil near the top above the juice. Is there a tube with a coil inside the tank?

Can 2 different e-liquids be mixed in the same filling?
Sure but it might taste weird or you may have discovered a great new flavor.

What does increasing/decreasing the voltage on the battery do?
Higher voltage will vaporize more juice giving a more intense flavor and more hit and vapor.

 

[DeepSix]

I had posted this earlier thread
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/469362-new-vaper-some-questions-2.html
I have been vaping for almost two months now and have done a ton of research, mostly here on ECF. So that being said, here is my take:


1. Does the clearomizer always need to be kept upright - will it leak if I let it sleep on the table (I don't want to experiment - I have already lost around 2 fillings of liquid because I accidentally twisted off the tank while trying to twist of the battery)?

If you are using an EVOD, Protank Tank style or any Kanger bottom coil clearomizer, you can lay it on its side and it wont leak if it has been put together properly and the seals are good. I keep several tanks filled and stored in a little kit, so they are in various positions and I have never had one leak. Depending on the viscosity of the juices used, I have noticed that sometimes there will be some juice flooded in the coil, but that is an easy fix.

2. Can 2 different e-liquids be mixed in the same filling?

Absolutely they can! This is one form of DIY, and I highly recommend it. I always mix flavours and rarely clean out a flavour before filling with a new one. The exception for me to this rule is very potent flavours that can over take subtle ones. For example, if I am vaping anything menthol, cinnamon or tobacco and I want to switch to a plain fruit flavour or sweet flavour, then the tank and coil has to be thoroughly cleaned as menthol, cinnamon and tobacco can linger for quite awhile.

One thing to keep in mind....Say you have a strawberry flavour in your tank, and the tank gets to about 1/3 full and you decide to top up with a blueberry or say peach (flavour doesnt matter-just any flavour other than strawberry), the first few drags will still taste like strawberry because the coil and wick are still saturated with the strawberry juice. The new flavour will eventually get to you once it gets worked into the wick/coil.

3. I was told that the coil gets dirty in 1 month or so. I was also told that it would stop working if it gets dirty and that's how I would know. Can the coil be cleaned - if yes, how is this done? Otherwise, what needs to be done - replace the clearomizer or replace the coil? Is just the coil - is it a difficult process?

The coil will get dirty, its inevitable. How fast it gets dirty depends upon the type of juices you vape and the frequency in which you vape. A chain vaper will require maintenance more often than a "smoke break" vaper. Clear juices that are low in sugars/not sweet tend to be better for wicks in my experience. Juices that are brownish or dark tend to clogg and cause charring on the wicks, especially when higher voltages are used due to higher sugar content, its the sugar that burns and gums up the coils. Once flavour get muted, or you can't get a good haul, then its time to clean or change the coil/wick.

As for cleaning, do a search on this topic. There are many ways and methods and safety considerations. The methods I employ are derived from information gleaned from this site and youtube. Some people who like to tinker will say to rebuild the coils (I prefer to rebuild with a micro/nano coil), others who do not have the time or patience will just replace the coils. They are cheap if purchased from the right vendor, like 1 buck or so a coil. So this will be entirely up to you. The coils can get some serious mileage on them if they are taken care of.


4. Both the battery and the clearomizer seem to be well built (unlike the Greensmoke ecig which was crap). So can I expect these to last for reasonable amount of time?

Yes, as long as you do not drop them on the ground, or submerge them in water (for the batteries). Care must be taken during recharging though. I usually place my batteries in a metal tin away from anything that is flammable in the event the battery catches fire during a charge cycle.

If you are using a glass based clearomizer, like the protank series of tanks, you usually only get to drop it once due to obvious reasons. You can get replacement glass. I use Protanks, and I highly recommend them. They can be finicky, but I get great flavour from them.

5. Sometimes, I hear a gurgling sound while vaping - is there a way to not have this?

Yes. The coil is flooded. Take the coil out of the base. Use a kleanex to absorb any juice from the stem and bottom contact of the coil. Put your lips to the stem and blow out the coil. The juice will flow out where the coil contacts the battery terminal. Some gurgling is normal. You can tell though when enough is enough and it needs to be blown out.

6. Once I felt liquid in my mouth - is it because I sucked too hard? Or is there another reason?

Yes, and sometimes no. Depends on the coil and wick. If you are using a manufactured wick/coil, you probably sucked too hard. Or it can be because the wick is not properly setup and is allowing too much juice to the coil. This happens to us all.

7. What does increasing/decreasing the voltage on the battery do?

Increasing the voltage makes the coil hotter, and combined with more airflow makes more vapour. Some juices taste better when heated with a coil using a higher voltage. Some juices will burn and taste like ... when heated with higher voltages. Rule of thumb, increase voltages 0.1 volts at a time until you taste a difference that you dont like. Just dont crank to full voltage and take a taste, depending on the juice and coil, you could burn the juice and ruin a coil.

8. I think I have the medium level of nicotine liquids currently. From next time on, I think I will buy full strength to get maximum bang for the buck - any disadvantages of this?

There are different schools of though on this, and only you will be able to figure this one out. But some guidelines. Full strength is 32-36 mg/ml of nic in solution. Anything higher you run the risk of being poisoned. If you purchase 32 mg/ml and you take a haul and you get hiccups and feel light headed and slight head ache, you need to drop down in strength. If you chain vape, get a lower strength so that you do not get head aches. If you just take vape breaks, then you can get away with the full strength.

As a general rule of thumb do not vape any NIC juices that are over 36 mg/ml strength, and especially 100 mg/ml strength nic bases, you could die if you do.

9. As of now, I am not a big fan of flavours, I would prefer regular analog kind of taste, so I am planning to order only those. I have access only to Joyetech, Dekang, Hangseng & Feellife liquids - any difference between different brands?

I cannot really answer this as I am in the process of learning the DIY aspect of making juices. Do a search and there will be answers for sure.

Any other general advice for a newbie?

Hope this helps.

 

[Jay-dub]

Looks like people have taken good care of you here. All I can add is that my protank 2 would gurgle a lot. Then, I got a VW and cranked up the heat. Haven't had it gurgle once since then. Try slowly cranking up the volts but once the flavor is rich don't push it any further. You want the perfect amount of heat for the juice you're using. Maybe at your current setting your vaporizing the liquid at a slower rate than it's being wicked.

 

[diggyb]

If I lose one more ml from unscrewing the tank rather than the battery, I'm going to scream. Glad I'm not the only one...

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

Question#5 & #6

More than likely, yes. For most bottom-coil tanks like the EVOD, Protank, T3S's etc, you need to draw as if you were drinking a milkshake, nice and slow. If your draw is as hard as it would be on a cigarette, you need to back off quite a bit. You're basically inhaling the air coming through the air channels which hits the coil and it heats up and produces vapor. It doesn't require you to do massive inhales. The harder you draw, the more liquid you're going to pull into the wick which will eventually flood the tank and lead to gurgling.

If the tank is gurgling, you'll have to turn it upside down (base of the tank toward the sky) and blow through the drip tip into a paper towel to clear the chamber. You'll want to blow as if you were blowing up a balloon. Hard enough to blow the excess out, but not hard enough to get light headed or pass out.

Question #8

I started off with 24mg, it about knocked me down and I was a pack a day smoker. I dropped to 18mg and it was still way too strong for me and now I move back and forth from 12mg to 15mg. Unless you're just not getting a throat hit out of 24mg (which is pretty potent), I wouldn't personally recommend going higher. When you get in to the 30mg+ range, those are more so for diluting (and even most vendors note that on their sites). A number of members do use 30mg+, but if you were never a 2-4 pack a day person, 30mg+ probably isn't for you; just my thoughts .

As an example, a buddy of mine smoked 2-3 packs a day when we'd hit the clubs (years ago). He just got into vaping and bought his first eGO starter kit (just a basic eGO - no variable voltage) and picked up some 18mg. He said he almost stopped because if it was going to be that harsh, he'd just stick with smoking.

That said, 18mg from one vendor may be strong or weaker than from another, so you really have to do a little trial and error.

Question #9

All flavor companies will vary in strength and flavor profile. You'll have to taste test each of them (or just a few) to find the one you like the most. Taste is very subjective in nature, so what I may absolutely love, you may hate with a passion. As a general rule, order 3-5ml bottles as a sample to get a feel for what you like most. That's more than enough for a tank full of juice and after a tank, you should be able to make an informed decision on whether you like the flavor or not. For me, I know within the first 3-4 vapes, others it takes a little longer as you question whether you like it or not .

 

[vapman12]

By Kangertech do you mean Evods or protanks?

1. No. I have evods and protanks, and they don't have to be kept upright. I keep them sideways in my purse.

It's a T3S. Hopefully that also doesn't have to be kept upright?
Also anyone know if it's plastic or pyrex?

Tx everyone for your replies.

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

The TS3 is plastic/poly. You don't need to keep them upright at all times, but if your tank is low on juice, it's better to keep them vertical to ensure the juice hits the wick and keeps it saturated. Not a requirement, just a suggestion .

It's a T3S. Hopefully that also doesn't have to be kept upright?
Also anyone know if it's plastic or pyrex?

Tx everyone for your replies.

 

[vapman12]

3. Evods and protanks (assuming you have one of these) have replaceable coils (heads). They're pretty cheap--under $10 for a pack of five. Replace every couple of weeks and you should be fine.

I have a Kanger T3S. I was looking at some sites which sell coils - it has Ohm choices listed. For eg. here - http://www.mtbakervapor.com/cartomizers/kanger-t3s-mt3s-replacement-coil-5-pack/
it asks me to chose between 1.5, 1.8, 2.2, 2.5 Ohms. How do I know what I should I buy?