how to make the atomizer last longer.

[Lucid206]

i was wondering since the tips that came with my kit contradict what some people say to do here so wanted to know what the common practice was..

my standard 510kit came with tips that said to leave the cartridge on topped off so the atomizer does not run dry, which would reduce its life.

ive also read many times here to take the atomizer off, blow threw it to clean and leave it on a paper towel for the night.

+ a few other tactics..

whats the common consensus here for this? thanks.

 

[d1cedealr]

I think the two things you def need to do are keep it clean and keep it wet. I usually use cartos tho so maybe there are other things to do to help.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

The trick to keeping your atties running well is to keep them wet when they're in use. When you aren't using them, it's perfectly fine to leave them on a paper towel after you've blown them out thoroughly.

I drip about 90-95% of the time and I blow my atties out at least once a day. I've gotten to the point where I only give them a soak in 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (which evaporates completely and doesn't leave any residue) when they absolutely need it. This is usually when the vapor production has diminished so much that they seem almost ready to die. After they've soaked for around 20 minutes, I let them dry overnight in a well ventilated area.

I'm a firm believer in the KISS principle. If you start over complicating things, it just leads to frustration.

 

[tybin]

hi Lucid from Seattle blow em out at night and then add one or two drops to the bridge before you put it on the cartridge. it's also a good idea to do the follow for increased atty life: hit the button first before bringing it up all the way to your mouth. this gives the juice a chance to start going on the coil before you start sucking on the dang thing. take a pull no longer than 3-5 secs. let go of the button before you are done pulling. this gives the atty a chance to cool off. and above all, don't chain vape to the point where the atty gets too hot. if it's hot against your cheek, it's getting too hot. give it a break or rotate with your second pv that came with your kit. think of it like a car...you gotta keep it lubed or your grinding the insides. And lastly, contrary to popular belief, there are two reputable vendors of attys that say dry burning is a no no.(think again of a car engine without oil)you can pulse it after a soak but dry burns aren't so good

 

[tat2d4life]

everyone has their tried and true methods... keep them wet when you vape , and clean them out weekly or when they start to taste funky.

 

[SpecialJ]

everyone has their tried and true methods... keep them wet when you vape , and clean them out weekly or when they start to taste funky.

what method of cleaning do you use???

 

[beatles5009]

I've watched videos on people swearing by using Coca-Cola, pouring thru the atomizer a couple of times, blowing and then soaking over night in the Coca-Cola. I've done it, and it works to clean, maybe the bubbles & acid in the soda?

 

[Jaebihn]

There are some really good youtube videos out there on how to clean an atty. I have seen people say to use coke, isopropyl (90% or better), malt vinegar and even listerine/crest pro mouth wash. I personally use alcohol because its the cheapest and it has worked for me.

To get an atty last a long time use quality attys. I have purchased bargain attys before and they last 1/2 as long with 1/2 the taste/vape.

 

[Puffadder]

I would think club soda would be a better alternative to coke as the syrup is awfully sticky stuff.

 

[twolazy]

I alternate my atomizers so they get a day off, only have 4 atm, and all 4 are still working great. Other tip is dont pull so hard through them...

For a cleaner I use generic vodka mixed with ISO alcohol, works great! Soak 15mins to an hour, pull out, blow and let sit... :thumbsup:

 

[charly]

If you have an ultrasonic cleaner around the house you could also try that. Have seen posters on other forums swear by it.

 

[Shannon65]

For me, the only way to make them last longer is to use the ones that come built into a cartomizer.

 

[emus]

My attys lasted months w/ clean burning eliquid and occasional cleaning.
Don't last long w/ some dark eliquids.
Once hard slag sets up on wick it is hard to clean 100%.
I've tried many cleaning styles and found dry burning cleaned dry atty is most effective.

Pic on the right shows the slag that builds up on wick.
After dry burn part of the slag was removed.

Pic on left is wick after substantial clean burning eliquid vaped.

 

[cmjust0]

I use 510's, and I cleaned mine out pretty frequently using a few different methods.. Blowing them out and leaving them battery end up overnight...hot water...baking soda/vinegar...

What I've found works best for me so far is to soak them in some kind of liquor overnight -- I've thus far used vodka, tequila, and rum, simply because that's what I had handy at the moment -- and then rinse them out with hot water, blow out the water, and let them dry. Then, instead of just wetting them with liquid whenever I'm ready to use them, I actually wet them again with water, hook them to a battery, and pretty much light it up and hold it until the coil glows cherry red with sizzle and no smoke coming off.. Takes a while.. The batteries sometimes get so hot that they're hard to hold onto down as far as the button..

That probably sounds harsh, but I've only had *1* atomizer really, truly die and go completely cold on me so far, and it was an underperformer to begin with.. The rest of them, once soaked in alcohol, rinsed, and then dry-burned are like brand-new again..

Oh, and my average atomizer will go through this process about once a week, depending.. I don't really have a rotation, so to speak...I just can't stand an atomizer that's not giving me throat hit, so I reach for one that's been through this process and start the cleaning process on the one I just unhooked, ASAP.. I might use the same two in rotation a couple times in a row each while they others sit waiting.. No preference, no set rotation, no FIFO/LIFO system...just grab a dry one, rewet it with water, dry burn it till it quits smoking, and then vape.. Each of my attys has been through this many times...and like I said, only one fatality so far.

I took the dead 510 atty apart, btw.. Both wires were still hooked up.. The coil was intact.. I have no clue why it died, but it did.. And FWIW, there's not a whole lot to a 510 atty, and a 510 coil is pretty stout.. I unraveled the coil on the dead one and had to pull *pretty hard* to get it to break.. I think you'd have to have one heck of a battery to burn it in half, provided it was manufactured correctly.. Even a fully charged 510 battery won't get it past *red* hot, which isn't really a problem..

Heck, just for giggles, I got one red hot and put a drop of cold water in the barrel just to see what would happen once.. Big loud sizzle, tiny cloud of steam...still using it. lol

All in all, I think an atty will take more abuse than we think they will..

 

[trev720]

Mmm good tips, thanks.

 

[JustaGuy]

The contradicting advice is confusing. When I started, Vicki at Cignot.com, where I bought my 510 kit, told me to dry burn, so I did. I dry burn all my 2.2 and 2.5 ohm attys daily, takes 10 minutes, yields cleaner taste. Been rotating 4-5 attys everyday and all are still alive after 4 months (kow). The cleaned attys sit dry until used. However, I always drip a few drops into dry atty when I use them, priming them, so the first inhales are good. Hot water rinse/soak before dry burning. Just my experience, works for me. I keep it simple. YMMV.