Ego cartomizer problem (chemical like taste and irritation)

Status
Not open for further replies.

ZambucaLu

ECF Guru
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Nov 23, 2008
10,262
22
Central NY, USA
I use a 21 gauge needle. And yes, I would say after this experience with mega cartos....

ALWAYS fill and top off from the top, never from the battery end and to avoid possibly damaging the coil, don't push the needle all the way to the bottom. I'm going to start from the center and work up from now on but I think my next purchase will be with the ego mega attys and carts. Hopefully they will deliver the same great taste and vapor production. My favorite thing about mega cartos is not having to take a slow long draw. I can puff it like I did an analog and that to me is a BIG plus.

Anyone tried the mega carts and attys? I'd love to hear how they measure up with the mega cartos.

Does it look like this supplier is saying fill from the bottom?

Joye eGo MEGA Cartomizer (Empty) [Joye eGo MEGA Carto_BLK] - $3.75 : Best Electric Cigarette :: Electronic Cigarette

Filling: We recommend drip filling through the thread side about 15 standard drops to start, then let settle for a few minutes, then add some more, and settle. If you hear some gurgling while taking your first puff after you have filled you probably over filled it, and need to vape through any excess juice.
 

Katya

ECF Guru
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Feb 23, 2010
34,804
120,147
SoCal
This is the first! Everybody else recommends a syringe. But then I used to fill my GreenCig cartos dripping from the thread end, slowly, letting the liquid just get absorbed. Worked much better than a syringe, for me, at least. I'm going to give it a try. I's almost time for a refill!

But 15 drops? It's less than 1 ml? Why only 15?
 

Buzzaard

Full Member
Jun 27, 2010
27
0
Florida
If this turns out to be what caused my problem, I know how it happened and how to prevent it. I'm certain those nicks on the wires were caused by the needle I used to refill them. When refilling from the top, it's not possible to make contact with those two wires but, if you go through the battery end, it's very likely the needle will ..... the wiring. I had refilled them a time or two through the bottom because I was in a hurry and didn't want to take the time to remove the mouthpieces.

Does this sound logical?

Do the wires have a plastic coating on them like say an electrical cord but smaller to match the wires, or do they have a paint like coating on them?

If you broke the plastic coating or scratched the coating of the wires perhaps you created a secondary path for the current to flow through your cartomizer and this was causing the fluid to boil from the current flow, basicaly a short circuit. So you would be not only vaporizing what was on the vaporizer but burning/boiling part of your fluid.
Normally wires have zero resistance but if they used the same type of wire in the atomizer as is used in motor windings (has a paint or coating of enamel for insulation) then it would have resistance and would be prone to shorting.

Have you thought of using the condom filling method?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnPWfGkhnF4&feature=related
 

Katya

ECF Guru
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Feb 23, 2010
34,804
120,147
SoCal
Just an update. Every single one of my eGo cartomizers took on that Horrible Chemical taste after 2 or 3 refills.

I was so happy with them. Now I'm bummed. They are just too expensize to not be able to last more that 3 refills.

Yup. Followed by that horrible burnt smell 10-15 min later, in my experience. I keep them wet and I'm careful not to overvape.

This is the first! Everybody else recommends a syringe. But then I used to fill my GreenCig cartos dripping from the thread end, slowly, letting the liquid just get absorbed. Worked much better than a syringe, for me, at least. I'm going to give it a try. I's almost time for a refill!

But 15 drops? It's less than 1 ml? Why only 15?

I did that and the carto was toast within minutes. Just sayin'.

Didn't work for me. But the carto was on its way out, so who knows. I won't be doing this again.
 

ZambucaLu

ECF Guru
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Nov 23, 2008
10,262
22
Central NY, USA
I did that and the carto was toast within minutes. Just sayin'.

Didn't work for me. But the carto was on its way out, so who knows. I won't be doing this again.

Thanks for that Kataya. Sounds like filling from the batt end (with needle or without) isn't a good idea. Hopefully customers won't take that suppliers advice.

Lu
 

The Wiz

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Feb 14, 2009
10,408
3,854
62
Whiskeyville USA
Thanks for that Kataya. Sounds like filling from the batt end (with needle or without) isn't a good idea. Hopefully customers won't take that suppliers advice.

Lu
Lu....I have been filling them with the needle bottle. 1.5ml on the initial fill and 1ml on re-fills....anything more and it starts to leak out the connector end and is quite messy! Even with a 1ml re-fill I generally get a few hours use before I have to switch them out! I now keep 4 filled at all times and I never have to worry about dripping.....just change them when they start to lose flavor!

2 weeks with the original two...and still working fine!
:)The Wiz!
 

The Wiz

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Feb 14, 2009
10,408
3,854
62
Whiskeyville USA
Yup. Followed by that horrible burnt smell 10-15 min later, in my experience. I keep them wet and I'm careful not to overvape.



I did that and the carto was toast within minutes. Just sayin'.

Didn't work for me. But the carto was on its way out, so who knows. I won't be doing this again.
Thats the trick with these Katya.....At the first sign of flavor loss I re-fill them. No problems since I messed up my first one!

:)The Wiz!
 

Katya

ECF Guru
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Feb 23, 2010
34,804
120,147
SoCal
Lu....I have been filling them with the needle bottle. 1.5ml on the initial fill and 1ml on re-fills....anything more and it starts to leak out the connector end and is quite messy! Even with a 1ml re-fill I generally get a few hours use before I have to switch them out! I now keep 4 filled at all times and I never have to worry about dripping.....just change them when they start to lose flavor!

2 weeks with the original two...and still working fine!
:)The Wiz!

And you get no off flavor or taste as others have reported? I had two that developed a very unpleasant taste after 3 or 4 refills. And I fried one!:D

Wiz, I keep the cartos as horizontal as possible while refilling and I keep the end silicone cap on. I get 1.8-2 ml in without a problem, filling very slowly. If you fill too fast, it always leaks. I roll the carto gently on the table and then let it rest on it's side for 30 min or so. That's the initial fill. Refills are harder because there's no way to know how much liquid there is left inside. Drives me nuts. I even started weighing them. Per my dear friend WitchWay, an empty Ego carto weighs 3.8g and a prefilled one from TW weighs 5.8g. 2 mil of juice weighs 2.3g so a filled carto should weigh at least 6.1g. Every time I refill I can get it back to the 5.8g mark, but not over. :p
 

stashbldr

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jul 6, 2010
1,156
2,500
Florida
I even started weighing them. Per my dear friend WitchWay, an empty Ego carto weighs 3.8g and a prefilled one from TW weighs 5.8g. 2 mil of juice weighs 2.3g so a filled carto should weigh at least 6.1g. Every time I refill I can get it back to the 5.8g mark, but not over. :p

I've been using the eGo carto's for 2 1/2 weeks now, love them. Read about the grain weighing idea, ordered a little scale on Ebay for $8 .. it arrived 4 days ago, love it! The scale was a fantastic idea, it sure made my "refill life" lots better, I hated not knowing how much juice was still in the carto.

But just like you Katya, I too can not go over the 5.8g mark, if I do .. leak, leak, leak. However, that said, I dont care it the max is 6.1g or 5.8g because it lasts for hours at 5.8g.
 

emsmom

Moved On
ECF Veteran
Mar 19, 2009
473
1,006
Arizona
So far, I have not gotten any off taste and am loving these!! I have only refilled 6 times now, but it is still tasting and producing vapor like the day it arrived! This is so much better than the original cartos I tried when they first came out! Like night and day! I could never figure out why so many of you were sold on cartos and now I am beginning to see it!! Not having to drip every few minutes has been wonderful. Just pick it up and vape and it works perfectly each and every time!
 

zoiDman

My -0^10 = Nothing at All*
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 16, 2010
41,619
1
84,742
So-Cal
I've been using the eGo carto's for 2 1/2 weeks now, love them. Read about the grain weighing idea, ordered a little scale on Ebay for $8 .. it arrived 4 days ago, love it! The scale was a fantastic idea, it sure made my "refill life" lots better, I hated not knowing how much juice was still in the carto.

But just like you Katya, I too can not go over the 5.8g mark, if I do .. leak, leak, leak. However, that said, I dont care it the max is 6.1g or 5.8g because it lasts for hours at 5.8g.

I case anyone is wondering What's Up with all this talk of weights, check out this thread.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...9-how-tell-how-much-juice-ego-cartomizer.html

I'm thinking about trying eGo Cartomizers one more time. Perhaps I got a bad batch. I love the way they worked BEFORE the horrible taste occured.

Also, If I try another 5 and the same thing happens, it would be reasonable to conclude that something in my juice might be causing it.
 

Lyndagayle

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 1, 2010
1,139
577
71
Arkansas
Do the wires have a plastic coating on them like say an electrical cord but smaller to match the wires, or do they have a paint like coating on them?

If you broke the plastic coating or scratched the coating of the wires perhaps you created a secondary path for the current to flow through your cartomizer and this was causing the fluid to boil from the current flow, basicaly a short circuit. So you would be not only vaporizing what was on the vaporizer but burning/boiling part of your fluid.
Normally wires have zero resistance but if they used the same type of wire in the atomizer as is used in motor windings (has a paint or coating of enamel for insulation) then it would have resistance and would be prone to shorting.

Have you thought of using the condom filling method?

The wires are painted. You can't use the condom method with Ego cartomizers as there is no condom on them, just a rubber tip on each end.
 

Lyndagayle

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 1, 2010
1,139
577
71
Arkansas
Just an update. Every single one of my eGo cartomizers took on that Horrible Chemical taste after 2 or 3 refills.

I was so happy with them. Now I'm bummed. They are just too expensize to not be able to last more that 3 refills.

Try using your syringe to rinse them out. I did that to the other bad one and was able to use it again. Still don't know what caused the horrible taste and smell but since I cut the first one open and saw there was no burnt filler, I thought I'd try rinsing the other one out and it worked. These things are temperamental to say the least. I ordered another batch and they're doing great after several refills. Hopefully they'll get the kinks worked out of them.
 

zoiDman

My -0^10 = Nothing at All*
Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 16, 2010
41,619
1
84,742
So-Cal
Try using your syringe to rinse them out. I did that to the other bad one and was able to use it again. Still don't know what caused the horrible taste and smell but since I cut the first one open and saw there was no burnt filler, I thought I'd try rinsing the other one out and it worked. These things are temperamental to say the least. I ordered another batch and they're doing great after several refills. Hopefully they'll get the kinks worked out of them.

I have washed out 3 of them and am going to see how they do.

The biggest problem is there is Not a good way to dry them out. I tried connecting a piece of .250” ID tubing to the battery connector on one and sucking the water out with a Shop Vac.

It worked Great and I was able to get all of the water out of the Carto. Unfortunately, it also compressed the filler material and made the draw Very Hard. The “Bag-O-Rice” tech doesn’t work very good either.

I tried flush the water out with a PG/VG mixture and at least when I refilled it with e-Juice, I was getting vapor. The taste flavor was weak but there didn’t seem to have the Horrible taste. Perhaps if the washing works, I can vape it half empty and then top it off with more e-Juice.

I want them to work because when they do, they are great.
 

Plantgirl

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 11, 2010
281
2
NC
Im on my second order of them (the 5 in a box) and I still am loving them. After 3 refills I get a slightly less flavor but the vape and TH are still good. Did I read that suppliers directions correctly...they want you to fill through the battery end? Im not getting that at all. When I refill, I always use the rubber stopper thing so it catches any leakage and I always let it sit for a few minutes. I really wish they were cheaper too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread