iAtty Wick Charring/Buildup Issue

[xvx]

I've seen some other people talk about this in other threads about charring buildup while using sweeter juices on iAtty wicks and thought it should have a thread about options and suggestions on how best to go about this problem.

I am running 3.7V 1.3-1.5Ohm Nextel Wick on my iAtty. Does anyone know if there is anything (ie different types of resistance wire, higher ohms/volts) that may mitigate this issue, or at the very least slow down the buildup? Should I dry burn it with a higher voltage to clean it off or does the wick need to be removed and torched?

Thanks!

 

[fright88]

I'd like to know the same I think my issue may be my juice but I really like my juice. Typically I have to remove and burn to clean the wick up.

 

[RippleInStillWater]

I've been burning with a higher voltage to clean the wire sometimes -- but every once in a while the wick needs to be changed no mater what......

 

[Moshmarr]

I have to remove my nextel wick to clean it periodically, probably about every 5-7 days over the last 3 weeks.
1.1 ohms @ 3.7V on the GGTS. At that point it's just black chunks of crud falling off the coil as I unwind it lol.
But the nextel torches right back to bright white every time so far, rewrap or wrap a new wire as necessary and back in smoke machine mode

I do think it's my juice as well, the little bit of dekang ry4 I had seemed to keep the coil in good shape the longest. But my extracted tobacco and coffees were another story, they sometimes last only a couple of days before I get that burnt taste which tells me its time to clean.
There'll always be particulates that filtration doesn't catch in extracted juices, one reason for the propensity to clog, perhaps. VG seems to maybe clog/char up faster as well, and lucky me that's mostly what I use I'll just have to accept that I use difficult juice!

My favorites taste so dang good when it's working that it makes the cleaning somewhat easier, I must admit.

I have done a brief dryburn with a small dose of 6V on it recently before the buildup was too far along, it worked very well for awhile. But as Ripple said, eventually you have to torch or replace it for sure.

 

[xvx]

Has anyone tried to dry burn at a higher voltage in between refills. Instead of just when the wick gets really bad, maybe it will hold the issue off and save the wick a little longer?

 

[fright88]

I have to remove my nextel wick to clean it periodically, probably about every 5-7 days over the last 3 weeks.
1.1 ohms @ 3.7V on the GGTS. At that point it's just black chunks of crud falling off the coil as I unwind it lol.
But the nextel torches right back to bright white every time so far, rewrap or wrap a new wire as necessary and back in smoke machine mode

I do think it's my juice as well, the little bit of dekang ry4 I had seemed to keep the coil in good shape the longest. But my extracted tobacco and coffees were another story, they sometimes last only a couple of days before I get that burnt taste which tells me its time to clean.
There'll always be particulates that filtration doesn't catch in extracted juices, one reason for the propensity to clog, perhaps. VG seems to maybe clog/char up faster as well, and lucky me that's mostly what I use I'll just have to accept that I use difficult juice!

My favorites taste so dang good when it's working that it makes the cleaning somewhat easier, I must admit. I have used a small dose of 6V on it recently before the buildup was too far along, it worked very well for awhile. But as Ripple said, eventually you have to torch or replace it for sure.

I would be good with 3 days probably even 2 days but right now I am getting about 22 hours before I have to clean it 19 or so before it starts to taste funky. I am going to try some different resistance and NR wire when I get the chance. I might also try a slightly higher ohm once I get my new wick in. I have tried 1.3-1.7 since I got it and havn't had any luck with longevity but looking at all the atomizers and cartos I've pulled appart they all have more then 1.5 wraps so I am hoping a thicker wire will allow me to get 3 or so wraps to see if that changes anything. I might try higher ohms because while the vapor production is slightly lacking all the Ce2's I've tried were 2.4 ohms and they all lasted over a week.

Again I believe my real problem is my juice but I really really like my juice so I am going to do everything in my power to get it to work in the iAtty

 

[xvx]

Again I believe my real problem is my juice but I really really like my juice so I am going to do everything in my power to get it to work in the iAtty

My sentiments exactly.

 

[fright88]

This is after about 23 hours of use

 

[Rick.45cal]

Fright, here is what I have found with it.

Increasing the diameter of the wire, or increasing the length of resistence wire (I.E. twisting the wire) actually makes it worse. I've personally found that mine last much longer with a shorter thinner diameter wire (same Ohm rating) essentially the wire is much hotter. Carbon build up is inevitable, this has helped me go from 3 days without a bad taste, to 8 days.

I use 36ga Kanthal A1, 3.5 Ohms at 6.4 volts. Using a higher voltage, may help your issue too

 

[Rick.45cal]

This is after about 23 hours of use

You must vape very dark juice. It's the caramel color that is caramelizing and turning to what chef's refer to as "Black jack"

I know you like your juice, but I think that's your biggest thing. Sometimes trying some new things never hurts I get stuck too, I vaped probably 200ml of Cloud pure Caramel Tobacco before I switched up (amazing by the way!) by adding a touch of cloud pure methol to it. So I guess technically I am still vaping the same thing

 

[fright88]

Well here are my thoughts. My juice is Caramel 60/40 from vapor pro I have also used Dulce De leche from tasty vapor a couple flavors from gourmet vapor, everything but the tobacco flavors from honneyville vapor, and about 4 flavors from myfreedomsmokes. Normally I get 14-20 ml before I have to clean (I vape a lot) at 3.7 volts 1.4-1.9 assembled ohms.

Before my first GG tank I was a Ce2 guy for about a month and a half. I usually got about a week on a ce2 before I tossed them because of excessive buildup however the lowest ohm I ever found was 2.4 and all of my ce2-s have between 4 and 6 wraps around the wick.

Now I have tried the wick wick and Nextel and 3 different Ce2 wicks. They all lasted about the same amount of time before buildup killed the taste but the advantage of the nextel it cleans off and is reusable.

Now my thinking is if a 2.4 ohm ce2 lasts me a week and my iatty a little over a day and they both have the same wick and same juice the extra buildup has to either be the lower ohm or the wire.

Again any advice is apreciated. And thanks again Rick for all the testing and info you've shared it has been a big help.

 

[xvx]

Rick, what about tightness of the resistance around the wick, does that make a difference as well?

 

[Rick.45cal]

It's perplexing fright. I think part of it is the sheer volume you continuously vape, it's compounding the problem. The only difference I see in the CE2's is that they are using a much finer resistance wire (if my memory serves, I need to go cut one open and look)

I agree one of Nextel's nicer properties is how easy it is to clean and reuse.

I wrap my coils as tight as I can (without breaking them) around a large safety pin

 

[RippleInStillWater]

It's perplexing fright. I think part of it is the sheer volume you continuously vape, it's compounding the problem. The only difference I see in the CE2's is that they are using a much finer resistance wire (if my memory serves, I need to go cut one open and look)

I agree one of Nextel's nicer properties is how easy it is to clean and reuse.

I wrap my coils as tight as I can (without breaking them) around a large safety pin

Yeah, I vape nothing but sweets and desserts of my own making so the buildup happens enough to make a difference in 3 days for me, maybe 15-18ml of juice, that's when I dry burn and it seems fine again which will work for about 2 weeks total. I have not tried the Nextel yet despite owning it for a month and a half yet, -- god I'm a procrastinator!!! -- but I like the ruse aspect for sure!

And I use a needle, same difference, but I have found its better not to take out the pin/needle until its in the slot.

 

[Poppa D]

My .02 on this subject.

I think its the air tube blowing directly on to the coil and wick, creating a "hotter surface". Ce2 dont last very long either, at least they dont for me.

All the atomizers that I've broken down are wrapped in metal mesh around a ceramic cup with 4 or more holes, none of the air has direct access to the coil/wick.

I'm trying a mesh screen in the inside bottom of the ceramic cup under the coil, to see if it will disrupt the air flow from the 1 opening and distribute the flow more evenly. Having just started trying this today, I cannot comment on its effectiveness toward having a more stable wick. It does lend toward the sweetness flavor being a bit sweeter, which is a plus.

The mesh cup screen needs to be "treeted" as the 400 mesh does so that it doesnt short the coil. I used atomizer mesh wrap for this air screen.

4.5 ohm at 7.4 with 36g resisistance wire.

 

[Rick.45cal]

I'll be interested to see what turn out from your experiment Poppa, I've got an idea in my head on eliminating the ceramic cup entirely and eliminating the non res wire simultaneously, now I just need to make the parts

I also think you are probably on to something there

 

[wfarrar33]

before i traded mine (dumb move but i had a feeling there would be a V2) i would just blast it at 6V for awhile then repeat and it eventually burned it all off. I never unwrapped it. It got gunked up pretty quick but a HV dry burn every few refills done the trick

 

[Smacker]

I use to clean my standard wick and twisted wire set up about every 3-4 days. I changed to soldering the NR wire to 32Ga Kanthal with Nextel wick set up@ 1.8ohms @ 3.7 volt and worked great for almost 2weeks! Before changing I just popped a couple 3.2 batteries in to try and WOHAAA! I have been vaping this setup for 2.5 weeks and still going strong. I haven't taken the cone off for over a month to even look at it. I did tighten the cone down a couple times to slow down the wicking. At 3.7 volt I always opened it up prior to change out. Go figure? Still trying to snag another I-Atty!!

I would be glad to offer 100% refund to anyone not happy with their I-Atty purchase. Please PM me ASAP!

 

[Moshmarr]

Yep- to paraphrase Rick's excellent summation; Carbon happens
Love my iAtty though! There's some great-sounding ideas in this thread.

 

[eyebrook]

Ive been thinking about this problem, I vape coffee flavours and most are dark, so my coils and wick gunk up quite quickly, is part of the problem the Ceramic Cup being permeable and the solids building up on it, making it easier for the gunk to build up on the coil and wick Just a thought I could be totally wrong