How much can you fill an RDA before it gets dangerous

[Kazuko]

Hi everyone,

I'm about to buy my first ever RDA (probably this evening, or in the coming days), I've cleared most of the questions I had, except maybe one, hence this post.

I know some RDAs have juice wells, some don't, and I heard that many of those who use well-less RDAs use the tank-like cap (not sure what it's called, maybe airflow cap?) to act as a tank / juice well.
I figure it should work as long as you don't read the airflows, since there are O-rings at the bottom preventing leakings (even though when vaping, I get the mod quite horizontally, so even then, top airflows make leak).

The one point I haven't found any information on is regarding to the coils. What happens if the juice reaches both edges of the coils? Will it short? And if it actually wraps the coils (like really lots of juice, enough to get the juice level on top of the coils, and miraculously without reaching the airflow, which probably wouldn't happen since the coil height should be somewhere near the airflow, but let's stay hypothetical), or even just reaches the bottom of the coil, it will burn directly against juice, right? Should it be avoided? (I guess it should, but I can guess many things wrong, so I prefer asking)

TL;DR : At what point is it not safe to add juice in an RDA (when the cap is mounted), mostly regarding coils shorts?

Edit: Just to clarify things, I do not intend to use my RDA as an RTA, obviously, I won't flood the hell out of it. I just like to know whenever something could go wrong, especially since I've picked an interest in mech mods and stuff, and even though I don't feel ready to step away from regulated, it's always good to know what to look out for

 

[AzPlumber]

No, e-juice won't short out a coil. Too much e-juice (flooded) makes it hard for the coil to vaporize any liquid.

 

[440BB]

If overfilled to the point liquid is touching the coil, you will likely suck up unvaporized liquid and get little vapor. It won't take you long to find where the limit is for your particular RDA - if you're sucking up liquid - too full. A little bit of trial and error and you will be able to feel whether your vape is too full or running dry on the first draw. Good luck with your RDA journey!

 

[Kazuko]

If overfilled to the point liquid is touching the coil, you will likely suck up unvaporized liquid and get little vapor. It won't take you long to find where the limit is for your particular RDA - if you're sucking up liquid - too full. A little bit of trial and error and you will be able to feel whether your vape is too full or running dry on the first draw. Good luck with your RDA journey!

Thanks, I'm really looking forward to building my first coil! And it's reassuring to know over-dripping won't make my RDA hazardous!

 

[chromedohm]

You'll know you've over-dripped when you go to take a puff and get a nice warm dribble down your arm

I just gush my juice straight through the drip tip because I'm too lazy to count drops. When I'm still getting used to a new atty I like to take off the top cap so I can see how much it takes to get the wicks nice and juicy. After that, when it starts to feel dry I'll know how much I can safely squeeze in without having to pop the top off

 

[stols001]

I don't use RDAs much. Overfilling won't harm it but things may get a bit messy. I'd probably keep some paper towels around to deal with any overfill, in case it winds up all over your mod as you are getting to know your RDA and how often you need to drip. But, it won't harm the dripper in any way and I'm fairly sure you will get the hang of it fairly quickly and etc.

Best of luck,

Anna

 

[Don29palms]

Let's just think about this a moment. Why or how would ejuice short out a coil? The way you get vapor is heating up wicking that is saturated with ejuice. If ejuice would short a coil the vaping wouldn't work at all.

 

[sonicbomb]

If you over-drip you can get some nasty spitback

 

[Kazuko]

Let's just think about this a moment. Why or how would ejuice short out a coil? The way you get vapor is heating up wicking that is saturated with ejuice. If ejuice would short a coil the vaping wouldn't work at all.

Yeah I thought about that, after I started getting answers, didn't think of it before... Don't judge me too hard

I'm actually vaping on my brand new RDA atm, and so far I experienced over-dripping and dry-hits
Didn't have leaks though, still getting the drip tip messing when dripping, but it's a work in progress!

This first build is not spectacular, but on par with my previous tank flavor-wise. Much thicker vape. Quite a slow ramp-up and cool-down, but I used half this resistance with drop-in coils, so that was to be expected, plus I think I set the coil too high up. But so far, it's still pretty good, and I'm glad I made the switch!

 

[Don29palms]

Yeah I thought about that, after I started getting answers, didn't think of it before... Don't judge me too hard

I'm actually vaping on my brand new RDA atm, and so far I experienced over-dripping and dry-hits
Didn't have leaks though, still getting the drip tip messing when dripping, but it's a work in progress!

This first build is not spectacular, but on par with my previous tank flavor-wise. Much thicker vape. Quite a slow ramp-up and cool-down, but I used half this resistance with drop-in coils, so that was to be expected, plus I think I set the coil too high up. But so far, it's still pretty good, and I'm glad I made the switch!