How much SMOKE do we get from vaping?

[John Phoenix]

This is where you say, it's not Smoke, it's Vapor!

I am unconvinced. Here's why. When your atty gets gunked on stuck on dried juice it seems to burn some as well as I'm sure some juice properly vaporizes. You can tell the difference when you dry burn the gunk off as opposed to hitting the button in a clean atty/coil with no stuck on juice - the scent is fowl and resembles more of something burned than something vaped. You can also taste it vaping with a really gunked up atty. Some of this stuff has to be burning - creating some smoke.

I think science confirms this too because the gunked on dried up sugars of the juice on the coil must burn and not vape - it's the carbon that burns I think.

I have been vaping over a year now and these are things i've noticed. All in all I still believe it's healthier than smoking analog cigarettes but lets be honest and tell the whole truth here. If we are getting some smoke, the story needs to be told.

What do you think?

 

[cigarbabe]

We aren't getting any smoke John.
If it wasn't so early and I wasn't sleepwalking er posting I'd be able to tell you why....I think....but apparently not this morning.
C.B.

 

[John Phoenix]

LOL.. your too much CB.. Love ya!

Just can't help thinking that some of that dried on stuff gets a lil burned. Perhaps some hard core science guys will come along and either confirm this or set the record straight.

Seems to me the dried on stuff cannot vaporize. If so, keeping your atty clean and dry burned is even more important so that there is no chance any smoke will be created.

Sugar burns ( creating smoke) at 350 degrees. According to this nicrome wire temperature chart our coils get way hotter than 350. Certainly looks like it has the potential to burn and thus create smoke from some dried on juice. http://www.nichromewire.biz/#temp_chart

 

[KevNewEngland]

My guess is that the amount of smoke, if any, is trivial.

 

[BrotherFrankie]

my wife says im so smokin HOT when i dont smell like ciggy's ..

does that count?

 

[indo]

Im with you on this one John.. =)
black soot = something burnt ? right ? *shrug*
Im running a line and its pretty visible

other thoughts?

Regards
indo

 

[AttyPops]

Smoke contains products of combustion.... ash, carbon monoxide, etc.

E-cigs use a process of "phase change"... liquid -> gas -> condensate.

I don't think that the coil (when wet) can get hot enough to produce smoke. Carbon does not burn at normal temps, BTW. That's why it is "nature's Teflon" and why you season a wok or cast-iron pan... to leave carbon behind, because it doesn't burn.

Dry burning with a coil is probably an exception. But a wet coil, when an e-cig is used for normal vaping, can't burn because the excess heat is carried away by the liquid evaporation process. Like boiling water in a paper cup.

Also, just because something "burns/gunks" doesn't mean it has produced smoke... particularly for a liquid boiling away leaving deposits behind.

So, unless you are over-vaping and drying the coil, "It's not Smoke, it's Vapor!"

 

[Iffy]

I would say that a dry coil burns off the deposits. But like AP said, if the coil is damp, no combustion; ergo no smoke.

 

[DC2]

Thanks for reminding me that it's well past time I give my atomizer a nice dry burn cleaning.

 

[fray]

Burning (oxidizing) carbon creates CO2 and carbon monoxide (not smoke). This happens around 4000 degrees F.

 

[AttyPops]

Burning (oxidizing) carbon creates CO2 and carbon monoxide (not smoke). This happens around 4000 degrees F.

Yeah, but that's why I said "at normal temps"... imprecise at best. So thanks for the clarification. However, I still stand on the no smoke on a wet coil opinion. The question I have is "does the coil ever get to 4000 F even in a dry burn?". So can we ever "burn off" carbon?

 

[redbucket]

Hard to imagine an atty getting to 4000 degrees F. Unless your atty is made of Tungsten or something, it would melt itself. Metals - Melting Temperatures

Edit: The Nichrome wire I believe most atties use has a melting point of about 2555 degrees F.

 

[John Phoenix]

I did mention carbon - But.. who's to say whats on the coil is carbon? I was just guessing. We know sugars from dried juice collect on the coil. Not yet turned to carbon, I guess the sugars can still burn -

Forget carbon, concentrate on sugar burning.

so if not carbon, what is actually burning when sugar burns at 350 degrees? - And does this produce smoke that's carcinogenic?

Assuming this is a dry coil not flooded with juice to counteract the burning effect and is properly vaping.

 

[Iffy]

I think some are under a misconception that the deposits on a coil is carbon. It's not... it's crud; most likely containing carbon compounds.

Let's not over think the 'issue'...

 

[fray]

Yeah, but that's why I said "at normal temps"... imprecise at best. So thanks for the clarification. However, I still stand on the no smoke on a wet coil opinion. The question I have is "does the coil ever get to 4000 F even in a dry burn?". So can we ever "burn off" carbon?

Carbon is fairly brittle so I think when we dry burn are and making cracks in the Carbon as the nichrome defoms at high temps which helps it to come off of the coil. I do a wash, dry burn, wash method and often see little black specks in the alcohol on the second cleaning.



It can be a hard question to answer about other stuff and whether is "smokes" however a prominent sweeter that people use is sucralose.

Balanced combustion of sucralose:

C12H19Cl3O8(s) + 12O2(g) → 12CO2(g) + 8H2O(g) + 3HCl(g)


When sucralose combusts it produces co2, water, and a small amount of hydrochloric acid. I was not about to find what temperature it takes place but my guess is around 600 degrees.

 

[AttyPops]

<Snip>

Assuming this is a dry coil not flooded with juice to counteract the burning effect and is properly vaping.

That was my point... you can't "properly vape" a dry coil. So if it's wet, I don't think it is smoke at all, IMO. Always keep the coil wet...

Dry burning is a cleaning method, not a vaping method. So... meh. I don't care if you take a blow torch to it to clean it (NOT recommended!) but you don't want to inhale the fumes. That's cleaning. Vaping... wet.