Help with burnt tasting atty?

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ddirtyvapes

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Jan 23, 2011
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Hey all, I started vaping probably a month or so ago and I've been having problems with my attys. I vape a magma, so it's a 510 and I've been using the Volcano magma attys. The first one I had I probably just didn't keep wet enough and it developed a really awful, burnt taste. I ordered two new ones when that happened. I've been dripping pretty much always now (sometimes I use home-filled carts) and paying pretty close attention to how I'm treating my attys in general, but one of them has yet again developed a very burnt taste. I clean them every so often with isopropyl alcohol or, if they just get flooded and I can't fix it I'll rinse with hot water and let them dry overnight. I know isopropyl alcohol isn't the best, but it's what I have access to. Otherwise, I don't know what to do. I've read about dewicking them but the bridge in the Volcano brand attys is really big and impossible to get under to de-wick. Any other thoughts? I know some people have said attys do have a limited lifespan but I'm not a nonstop vaper and again, thought I've been taking good care of them. Does anyone have advice on how to either get these tasting good again or perhaps another 510 atty that will definitely fit well on the magma and may be easier to maintain? (I know some don't fit quite as well as the Volcano ones do, unsurprisingly.) Any help would be much appreciated!
 

zombienerd

Reviewer / Blogger
ECF Veteran
I'm not sure which of the problems is causing your burnt taste, but it is usually caused by one of two things.

1) Burnt taste due to burned wicking. If your wick itself is burnt, there's not much you can do to get rid of it, except overpower the flavor with something SERIOUSLY strong, like peppermint (think altoids flavor x2).

2) Burnt taste due to "leftovers" from old juice. If your burned taste is caused by residue left behind, it's the residue that is actually burning. Darker juices can do this, as well as juices with lots of sugar... This issue can be fixed sometimes by "dry burning"

How to get rid of the taste, if it's caused by residue:

Blow out your atty as best as possible.
Soak it in your Isopropyl alcohol for 20-30 minutes, and then flow the alcohol through it both directions (if possible)
Blow it out again, to get rid of the majority of the alcohol.
Let it dry for 12-36 hours, until you're absolutely sure it's bone dry.
Hook it up to your battery, press the button for 5 seconds, and then let go.
Blow into your atty from the top.
Wait 10 seconds.
Burn for 5 seconds again.
Blow into top.
Keep doing this until you no longer see any smoke, debris, etc coming out after you blow. If you can burn it for 5 seconds and see no smoke, no debris, you should be good to go.

Prime the atty, and vape. You'll probably still notice a little burned flavor for the first 10 or so vapes, but this method usually gets rid of the nastyness within the first few ml of fluid.

If it doesn't work, then your wick is probably burned itself, and it's time to move on :)


DISCLAIMER: Dry burning *CAN* burn out your atomizer, so it should only be used as a last resort. It has the chance to resurrect your atomizer, but does not always work. So, the choice is up to you.
 

xnonfactor

Full Member
Jan 18, 2011
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I have found that removing the threads from under the bridge that tend to burn to the coil can considerably reduce the aftertaste or burnt taste on atomizers. There are some Youtube tutorials on how to remove those.

I will say to take this advice from someone who drips and has never used filled cartridges to deliver juice to an atomizer.
 

zombienerd

Reviewer / Blogger
ECF Veteran
Well, I'm not familiar with that atomizer, so no. I was being very general in my post.

I've seen a few different build styles of atomizers, and each one is very different.

Some only have one wick, that's inside the coil, and it would be impossible to remove.

Some only have one wick, that goes in between the bridge and rests on top of the coil, which is easy to remove.

Some have two wicks, one that goes from the bridge to the coil, and one inside the coil. The bridge wick is easy to remove, the coil wick is impossible.

I can't say for certain which one you have... But I know that not all wick material is created equal. Some can withstand 500+ degrees F without burning, some can barely handle 250 before they char.

That's why I was a bit general in my previous post. Perhaps someone familiar with your model of atomizer can jump in.
 

intriqken

Super Member
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Feb 8, 2011
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I haven't been able to get rid of the burn taste from my 510 no matter what I do.
I recently ordered an adapter so that I can use my 901 atty and cartridge or my 808's with my 510,
I'm hoping that makes the difference,
The 901 atty is longer making for a greater seperation between the cartridge and the heat element,
I like the 510 I have sometimes because it is an automatic but hate the burned taste I get after about 5 drags,
If the adapter doesn't work using other carts and cartomizers and atty's then I will start looking for a 901 or 808 auto battery,
 

dormouse

ECF Guru
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Oct 31, 2010
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If you use 306 Joye attys instead, the bridge is external. You might need a 510 extender (Madvapes) if you want to use the cone with such a short atty, and you would need a 306 drip tip (fits outside the atty). i think there are some LR Cisco 306 attys people like.

Also - FreedomSmokeUSA sometimes has inventory of dewicked 510 attys
 

ddirtyvapes

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Jan 23, 2011
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Portland, ME
Well, I went ahead and watched a youtube video about how to remove the bridge and did it, but it was REALLY difficult with the design of the magma attys. Even though they're 510s, the bridge is more triangular shaped and much deeper in the atty itself so it's hard to get to. That said, I did take out the bridge and the taste is gone, but I think I may have slightly damaged something because the vapor isn't a whole lot and the TH is eh... I've just head removing the bridge makes both of those better. It's not a big deal and I'm giving the de-bridged atty a shot, but maybe the magma attys are just too difficult to deal with to debridge.
 

kgeiger002

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May 14, 2010
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Well, I went ahead and watched a youtube video about how to remove the bridge and did it, but it was REALLY difficult with the design of the magma attys. Even though they're 510s, the bridge is more triangular shaped and much deeper in the atty itself so it's hard to get to. That said, I did take out the bridge and the taste is gone, but I think I may have slightly damaged something because the vapor isn't a whole lot and the TH is eh... I've just head removing the bridge makes both of those better. It's not a big deal and I'm giving the de-bridged atty a shot, but maybe the magma attys are just too difficult to deal with to debridge.

Just be carefull ...not a big deal removing all of it. I use a toothpick and/or a tweezers. Just workit a little and it will come out. Just be easy with it. I've de-bridged so may I can't count. Just take your time - wiggle the bridge a bit and it will pop out.
 

ddirtyvapes

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Jan 23, 2011
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Portland, ME
Just be carefull ...not a big deal removing all of it. I use a toothpick and/or a tweezers. Just workit a little and it will come out. Just be easy with it. I've de-bridged so may I can't count. Just take your time - wiggle the bridge a bit and it will pop out.

Maybe it was just this atty, then. It's actually working okay now... but I had to use a good deal of force to get the bridge out, ultimately, and I wasn't able to get all the aluminum mesh out. It's definitely working better, took a little time to acclimate but I'm still getting no TH. Oh well. And have you debridged magma attys? Again, I'm not trying to fuss about them because I know they're just 510s but the shape of the bridge and how deep it's set looks very different from the other 510s I've seen in youtube vids, etc.
 

alldayvape

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Feb 11, 2011
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I remove any burnt tastes by putting 2 drops of liquid in the battery end of the atty. Then blow it through. Then add 2 more drops and put the battery on.

Works like a charm.

But for how long? That fix works only temporary for me. After lets say 10hits or 15min of vaping, the burnt taste comes back.
Pushing the wick down was the only permanent fix for me.
 

WomanOfHeart

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Sep 19, 2010
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If your atomizer has a burnt taste then it probably isn't being kept wet enough. It doesn't matter if your using carts or dripping. You also need to make sure that you either blow out or rinse out new atomizers to get the packing primer out of them. More often than not, these are the causes of burnt taste or smell.
 
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