EVOD ProTank Head Rebuild

[VClouds]

Got my 2mm wick here and it works fantastic.

Bulk Silica Wick

They have other sizes if needed too.

 

[EddieAdams]

If going by my latest silica purchase I could see 2mm being perfect...
Top is the 1mm from Germany which I use 3 and 3
Bottom is“1.5"mm from Texas which just doesn't work well with the ProTank EVOD heads unless I separate it..

 

[VClouds]

Here is a pick of the 2mm wick on my IGO-S.



Wish I could get a better pic but that's the best my blackberry can do, hope it's good enough for you to see.

 

[EddieAdams]

Yeah I could see that being good for the way I do mine. Just 1 through and 1 over. The 1mm from Germany seems to wick better though. Grabs the liquid more for lack of a better description
This is the 1mm i love from Germany on the top http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=321033990302 This is the 1.5mm on the bottom which I don't feel is of the same quality and much larger than.5mm http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=121093200261
Referenced the photo above. The 1.5 is more rigid in texture. Maybe placing something for size reference would of been smart...ha

 

[Jimmy_Noname]

First, thanks for the awesome thread. But I was wondering if anybody could help me with a problem.

I've tried rebuilding several times but it always comes out tasting burnt. I use 32ga kanthal with 2mm silica at about 2ohms and I burn the kanthal before use to get rid of impurities before hand, but it still tastes/smells burnt. After some googling I figured out it is the silicone(?) grommet that has been burning on my coil, mostly the negative side if that matters, I can confirm it as it is the only thing that smells burnt disassembled and you can see scorch marks like the ones in your pictures.

I know the origin of the problem, but what is the cause? Am I wrapping my coil wrong? Is it shorting? It seems to burn fine and evenly, but what can I do to keep it from burning that grommet/gasket thingy? I'll keep trying and see if I can magically get it right, but if anybody would share some wisdom I would be very grateful.

 

[VClouds]

Dang, wish I could offer more help but just have not run into this problem myself yet (crosses fingers, toes and eyes).

My first thought was having a hot spot in the coil, commonly can be caused by not wrapping tight enough (outside loop not in contact with juice to keep it cool enough to work) or wrapping too tight (strangling the wick).

But you say the coil appears to light up evenly so my next thought would be placement in the head it's self. Could one end of the coil be a bit closer to the side than the other?

I'm still a newbie at all this RBA stuff but wanted to try and help some till one of the masters shows up to teach us all the errors of our ways.

Best of luck figuring it out and keep us posted.

 

[Big Screen D]

First, thanks for the awesome thread. But I was wondering if anybody could help me with a problem.

I've tried rebuilding several times but it always comes out tasting burnt. I use 32ga kanthal with 2mm silica at about 2ohms and I burn the kanthal before use to get rid of impurities before hand, but it still tastes/smells burnt. After some googling I figured out it is the silicone(?) grommet that has been burning on my coil, mostly the negative side if that matters, I can confirm it as it is the only thing that smells burnt disassembled and you can see scorch marks like the ones in your pictures.

I know the origin of the problem, but what is the cause? Am I wrapping my coil wrong? Is it shorting? It seems to burn fine and evenly, but what can I do to keep it from burning that grommet/gasket thingy? I'll keep trying and see if I can magically get it right, but if anybody would share some wisdom I would be very grateful.

I've not found the connection gasket to be scorched in any of the heads I've rebuilt. One thing I do not do is torch the wire before assembly. Only after the coil is in place. You don't want to oxidize the wire where it makes electrical contact. Poor electrical contact creates heat, and can burn the grommet. BTW, kudos to Kanger for using a high temp pin gasket. This material is not the same as the typical silicone I've seen used in other similar clearo designs, and is much more resistant to scorching.

Holding a dry burn to long can also scorch it. The only dry burn mine see is with the wick removed (hemp wick) leaving just the coil. 1-2 seconds a couple of times and it's ready to rinse and wick.

 

[EddieAdams]

Is the coil centered? Possibly touching the side at the top. Happens after you place the center post back. The flavor wick is pressed into the coil which can shift it to the side causing it to make a connection with the atomizer body. Either build the coil lower in the body or use less flavor wick...
Also make sure your coil isn't too wide...

 

[Jimmy_Noname]

SUCCESS!!!! I figured it out... my coil wasn't tight enough, creating hotspots on the legs of my coil where contact with the wick was weakest, thus burning the grommet. I just used a smaller diameter precision screwdriver to wrap my coil and took extra care when inserting the post as not to mess with the coil. Now I just need to dial in my voltage as the tighter coil lowered my resistance to 1.5ohms at 6 wraps, vapes like a chimney though lol.

Thanks though for your input guys, without guys like you I would be far worse off lol.

 

[Big Screen D]

SUCCESS!!!! I figured it out... my coil wasn't tight enough, creating hotspots on the legs of my coil where contact with the wick was weakest, thus burning the grommet. I just used a smaller diameter precision screwdriver to wrap my coil and took extra care when inserting the post as not to mess with the coil. Now I just need to dial in my voltage as the tighter coil lowered my resistance to 1.5ohms at 6 wraps, vapes like a chimney though lol.

Thanks though for your input guys, without guys like you I would be far worse off lol.

There ya go.

This right here is the reason I like to make my coil around an round metal implement and insert the wick after I have the coil in the head. Allows me to pull the legs taught, space the coil wraps evenly, and fire the coil for a couple of short burst to remove any contaminates. The coil winds up aligned perfectly and allows me to replace the wick in minutes when I feel the need to replace. What I do to get the wick threaded thru is to wet the wick with juice and twist it tight to reduce the diameter, then once thru, untwist to spread out the wick. Of course that only works with hemp or cotton. Silica is to fragile for that method.

 

[VClouds]

SUCCESS!!!! I figured it out... my coil wasn't tight enough, creating hotspots on the legs of my coil where contact with the wick was weakest, thus burning the grommet. I just used a smaller diameter precision screwdriver to wrap my coil and took extra care when inserting the post as not to mess with the coil. Now I just need to dial in my voltage as the tighter coil lowered my resistance to 1.5ohms at 6 wraps, vapes like a chimney though lol.

Thanks though for your input guys, without guys like you I would be far worse off lol.

Congratulation, you just advanced to the next level of RBA mastership. lol

Glad you figured it out and it was an easy fix and thanks for keeping us posted, will probably help someone else when the time comes.