General consensus on cleaning atomizers

[nomochokes]

Hello All,

I know there are hundreds of pages and many different opinons and methods for cleaning atomizers and I have read many of them. It is somewhat overwhelming at times to sift through all the great information but it can also be very timely.

Has there been 1 or 2 proven ways to clean these things?

I am noticing a real slow down in my current DSE801. I want to clean it but I don't want to totally take it out in the process.

If someone has kept up with the best 1 or 2 proven ways of doing this I would greatly appreciate your imput. I'm sure a lot of others would appreciate getting this information in summary as well.

I'm not looking to retry those things that have already been tried and failed. I just want to get my current 801 fired up again like it was when I first got it or at least better than it is right now.

Thanks for the help!

 

[kinabaloo]

It a good idea to at least drain the atty overnight and rinse under the hot tap now and then.

Beyond that, there are a number of things that work well for some people; and only some people.

Have a read of the threads on the first page here.

For now perhaps the best advice is 'get some spares'.

If you decide on doing a cleaning technique, do so from new, every day or two because the longer you leave it, the less likely it is to work.

 

[Catanonia]

If you decide on doing a cleaning technique, do so from new, every day or two because the longer you leave it, the less likely it is to work.

That is definately the key here. Prevention.

 

[prr2freya]

I have an m401 and my first atomizer is still going strong. (I do have backups though)

I don't even use water. I blow it out once or twice a day... then every few days I soak it in alcohol for a few hours.. let it drain or just blow it out several times until dry (and it dries fast!) Sometimes I use canned air to blow it out(even better). I stay completely away from water. I can start vaping within maybe 10 mins after the alcohol soak and blow out. I dip in juice to make sure the wick is nice and wet as alcohol really dries it out.

Have had no problems at all in a month.

 

[Dilutetrips]

I have found a few things that seem to work.
Blow out the atty
Drain the atty overnight
I have not done a soak with my Kissbox atty yet, but have tried soaking in hot water and sodium cabonatefor about 15 mins and than rise under hot water. Blow out atty and let sit overnight. Next day and a few drops of liquid to atty and all my attys have started up like new.

 

[Tin Cup]

Hello All,

Has there been 1 or 2 proven ways to clean these things?

Thanks for the help!

This gets complicated, but I'll try...

First, and this is very important, you need to know that there are two different types of cleaning that people talk about. The first is just e-liquid getting in places you don't want it to be. You can clean this out by setting the atomizer upright overnight, blowing on it, rinsing it out with water/denatured alchol/soda/etc.

The other type of cleaning refers to the build-up on the atomizer coil. This is a hard, black, carbon-like gunk that gradually accumulates on the heating element. In time, it reduces the amount of heat that the e-liquid passes across, which reduces the amount of vapor you get.

This gunk can build up to the point where there's no more room to build up, and the heating element breaks.

Here's what we know about cleaning the gunk:

1) PG residue is much harder to remove than VG. The people that are having success removing the gunk by soaking are those that use exclusively VG. Nu Calgon Ice Machine Cleaner seems to work the best at removing the gunk, but be sure to RINSE, RINSE, RINSE! after soaking.

2) It seems like the only way to get rid of PG residue is to burn it off. This is similar to the "cleaning cycle" that the manufacturer puts into the batteries. Unfortunately, this is very risky because it's easy to put too much power on the atomizer, and you end up ruining it.

The real trick is to put enough power to burn off the gunk, but without enough power to kill the atomizer.

I know this isn't very detailed, but this post would be thirty pages long if I explained more.

I hope this helps. We're still looking for the perfect method, but I'm beginning to think it doesn't exist.

TC

 

[Catanonia]

This gets complicated, but I'll try...

First, and this is very important, you need to know that there are two different types of cleaning that people talk about. The first is just e-liquid getting in places you don't want it to be. You can clean this out by setting the atomizer upright overnight, blowing on it, rinsing it out with water/denatured alchol/soda/etc.

The other type of cleaning refers to the build-up on the atomizer coil. This is a hard, black, carbon-like gunk that gradually accumulates on the heating element. In time, it reduces the amount of heat that the e-liquid passes across, which reduces the amount of vapor you get.

This gunk can build up to the point where there's no more room to build up, and the heating element breaks.

Here's what we know about cleaning the gunk:

1) PG residue is much harder to remove than VG. The people that are having success removing the gunk by soaking are those that use exclusively VG. Nu Calgon Ice Machine Cleaner seems to work the best at removing the gunk, but be sure to RINSE, RINSE, RINSE! after soaking.

2) It seems like the only way to get rid of PG residue is to burn it off. This is similar to the "cleaning cycle" that the manufacturer puts into the batteries. Unfortunately, this is very risky because it's easy to put too much power on the atomizer, and you end up ruining it.

The real trick is to put enough power to burn off the gunk, but without enough power to kill the atomizer.

I know this isn't very detailed, but this post would be thirty pages long if I explained more.

I hope this helps. We're still looking for the perfect method, but I'm beginning to think it doesn't exist.

TC

well summed up in under a page

I am still buying atomizers. 25 at last count and I have only had 3 dead ones in 45 or so days. 2 of those where my fault.

 

[hma95]

After reading these forums for a while and having my 901 kit for 2 months I can report I'm still on my first 2 atomizers and still don't have a dead one... knock on wood!

I don't let it drain daily, all I do is, once a week I blow the 2 out, let them sit in pepsi overnight. In the morning I rinse them in warm water, blow out, rinse again and blow them out again as best I can. Then I let them sit for about 8 hours or the full day to dry. Put just 1 drop directly on the atomizers and a fresh cart and go for the week and do it again at the end of the week.

So either I got REALLY good luck with my first atomizers or the maintenance is slowing down the build up process making them last longer.

 

[DragoonZeph]

What kind of alcohol are people using to do the bath with? Iso? or Liquor Store? And the burn... Wouldnt it be easier if the suppliers made 4V battery, and we can just hold a manual button and do a burn without damage to the coil. Ideas thoughts? I dont know. I just don't want to jury rig something to use for the coil burns.

Baking soda/vinegar. Is that good for PG fluid coils?