How Long Can Your "Perfect Coil" In Your Favorite RDA Be Rewicked?

[NoMoreTequila]

OK, I'm pretty new to RDAs and recently realized that I've been rewicking the same coil build for over a month now and that I'v
never actually read anything about a coils longevity.

I have an IGO-L with a 28ga spring coil at 1.2ohm using a common diameter bit.(Pardon my buzz)

It's pretty much perfect for me still. I just dry burn and re wick as needed. I'm wondering what it is that I can expect. Will the coil eventually fail altogether? As in burn in half? Or, should I be expecting a drop in performance to precede the coils demise?

I'm guessing that the gauge wire and whether it's a micro or macro matters as well as voltage and usage.

What say you?

 

[ImThatGuy]

I usually have my builds last a little over a month, but I use ss mesh so I don't rewick.

Coils will drop in performance in time because of use. That should be the first sign for it to be replaced. You are correct in size, voltage, and usage are factors of it. What you forgot to mention is maintenance with how you clean it and what juice it runs. Juice is a factor because different juices use different ingredients that may or may not gunk the coil to the point it won't be 'recycled'.

 

[NoMoreTequila]

I usually have my builds last a little over a month, but I use ss mesh so I don't rewick.

Coils will drop in performance in time because of use. That should be the first sign for it to be replaced. You are correct in size, voltage, and usage are factors of it. What you forgot to mention is maintenance with how you clean it and what juice it runs. Juice is a factor because different juices use different ingredients that may or may not gunk the coil to the point it won't be 'recycled'.

Definitely agree that I missed a couple of factors if not several.

However, I've been using this device nearly exclusively all this time and I have NOT noticed an appreciable drop in performance as of yet. Obviously there has been a ship load of refills. I'm pretty much exclusive in my NET favorites as well.

What other maintenance techniques are there besides dry burns and rewicks?

What other factors are we missing?

 

[AzPlumber]

Dry burn and re-wick until performance drops or the wire breaks (usually during a wick change)

 

[NoMoreTequila]

Dry burn and re-wick until performance drops or the wire breaks (usually during a wick change)

Ah, OK, cool. And when should I be expecting that?

I think it's interesting when factoring in what juice, what build, etc., etc....

 

[NoMoreTequila]

I usually have my builds last a little over a month, but I use ss mesh so I don't rewick.

Coils will drop in performance in time because of use. That should be the first sign for it to be replaced. You are correct in size, voltage, and usage are factors of it. What you forgot to mention is maintenance with how you clean it and what juice it runs. Juice is a factor because different juices use different ingredients that may or may not gunk the coil to the point it won't be 'recycled'.

I'm sorry but I just kinda zoned this out 'cause SS wick is still a wick. I'm talking coils. Or have you discovered the perpetual SS wick?

 

[ImThatGuy]

Oh, lol...forgot to mention I use ss mesh as wick on my microcoil built gennies. I just wash them out with hot water then dry burn. Same difference...sort of...

 

[NoMoreTequila]

Oh, lol...forgot to mention I use ss mesh as wick on my microcoil built gennies. I just wash them out with hot water then dry burn. Same difference...sort of...

Thanks for the info. SS/ MC/ Gennie. Got it.

 

[AzPlumber]

Ah, OK, cool. And when should I be expecting that?

Typically when you don't feel like or have enough time to re-coil

 

[Rule62]

I can't say that I've ever had to recoil due to the coil wearing out. I dry burn them and clean them off when rewicking, which is whenever I change flavors. As long as they are kept clean, coils will last a long time. In my case, the only time I recoil is when I get an idea that I want to try. I've tossed a lot of perfectly good coils, just because I had a wild hair about something I wanted to try at the time.

 

[VaPreis]

I had a coil going in my Expromizer for what I will guess was about 6 weeks. It was 26ga coil that went through numerous dry burns and re-wickings. After a dry burn, I would even scrub it clean with an old toothbrush under hot water. Eventually, it seemed this wasn't enough and it simply didn't taste as good as it used to. So I took the coil off and spread it apart to have a look before I threw it away. Even though it looked "clean" from the outside, in between the wraps, there was still a bunch of crud. Crud that would not come out with a normal dryburn and scrubbing.

I built a similar new coil for it, and the difference was very noticeable.

In short, if the flavor or performance drops off? Try a new coil.

 

[Soundhunter]

I can't say that I've ever had to recoil due to the coil wearing out. I dry burn them and clean them off when rewicking, which is whenever I change flavors. As long as they are kept clean, coils will last a long time. In my case, the only time I recoil is when I get an idea that I want to try. I've tossed a lot of perfectly good coils, just because I had a wild hair about something I wanted to try at the time.

^^^ This ^^^.. I dont think I have ever had a coil start performing poorly.. It's normally something my dumb .... does to ruin it.. otherwise - They last until I want to change them. Or maybe I just don't notice the performance drop?

 

[Joules_Verne]

+2 I had to go back and check when I built my first coils for the Taifun GT's and it was 19June with P&C cotton following some great help from Rule62 - still going strong, dry-burned and rinsed it again today and it came up bright and shiny at original resistance.
Dry-burn it to remove the gunge and toothbrush the outside and interdental brush through the inside and re-wick with Shiseido cotton.
Using my favourite liquid and would notice any performance drop straight away.

 

[nicetucu]

It really is quite amazing the longevity of coils when properly taken care of. I'm a fiddly and think perhaps I can build an even better one.

Half the time I'm wrong and feel disgusted with myself lol. But I do get a bit better most times. It's screwing them on which frustrates me the most. Only been using RBA's for a short time and going through tons of wire. I have tons of wire, so all is good....need more wire cause my twisted builds. Having the right gauge for your setup is also important.

Now that I've gotten way off topic, carry on with the thread.... Ha Ha

 

[abpigdoc]

Wire diameter and wire TYPE have a profound influence, I've found. If you are looking for the perpetual coil, try Rene 41 in micro-coil configuration--the most stable arrangement I believe. This wire is fierce, and if you are using Steam Engine specs for winding, it's about the same as Nichrome 80 for resistance. It is stiff and nearly unbreakable, the only resistance wire that is tempered that I know of, and requires significant torching to be formed into attractive coils. I use a variable speed drill and a 2.2 mm bit, holding the wire forcefully with either the spool or a pin vice to maintain tension on the wire. After dry burning, I clean the interior with bristled pipe cleaners for that "just brushed" taste! These coils last a VERY long time. Burned up a lot of Kanthal beforehand, but really haven't used anything else since I found this stuff.

 

[DaveP]

I'm finally getting to the point where I'm happy with the performance of the coils I make for the Kayfun. Early on, I was recoiling often and trying different methods and resistances. Now, I re-wick ever few days when I can sense flavor changing.

Pull the old wick, wash the coil under tap water, and dry burn. If it looks good when it's red, it's a keeper. Dust it off (gently) with a paper towel to remove ash once it cools and dry burn again. It should look brand new at that point. If I fiddle too much with a used coil, that's when I'm likely to break a wire and have to wrap a new one.

 

[abpigdoc]

Yesterday I built the "Crown of Thorns" PDib-style twisted Rene 41 coil, 7 wraps on a 2.2mm bit, at 0.7 ohms, and plugged it into my Erlkonigin. Turned up the watts and let it fly. Whow! KILLING me with nic, good flavor, too. Then got a horrible leak...broke everything down, and gave it a good cleaning . I found that the new O-rings are stiffer than the euro equivalents, and I needed to screw the atty together tighter ! I had removed the coil and reinserted afterwards. So stable, I didn't even need to put it on a drill to keep it from deforming. I expect that even when I couldn't dry burn any more (you know that nasty taste that remains after a few?), I could soak or boil or drag on the concrete driveway to properly clean it. Seriously, almost.

 

[MrPlink]

I usually go a couple months at least. Cant say I ever actually HAD to swap em though