Is it really vapor and not smoke?

[polsmoka]

Vapor implies a fog/mist or steam

One way of getting a vapor from a liquid is by ultrasonic vibrations, a method I am only aware of one manufacturer doing (and even that has been questioned!)

I thought about this as I played with a battery and atomizer (disposable wire type.) I found that the "element" can get red hot. Are we not producing smoke (ie. burning of juice) and not really vapor? I notice if I accidentally try to vape a totally dried out, what comes out is acrid and nasty. Is this not burnt wadding?

Thanks!

 

[polsmoka]

meh @ no edit I wanted also to say I am super happy with my V4L products. I haven't had an analogue in over a month. I am so used to the pleasant tastes the thought and smell of analogues now disgusts me!

 

[Bangers]

The one thing that makes me question how much material is actually burned rather than vaporized is when I vape my 510 in a dark room with one bright light. The vapor seems to hang in the air much longer than it should. I am vaping cheap juice until my mail arrives tomorrow though...

 

[tarheeldan]

To some degree it's an issue of semantics, or the definition of smoke. Properly wet atomizers don't run all that hot and do vaporize the liquid. If they're dry and activated for a time they may generate enough heat to burn batting (yuck), but obviously this is not the norm.

Generally, the batting isn't affected and the liquid is heated to the point that molecules are excited enough to reach a gaseous state and be inhaled but I wouldn't consider it burning by any means. As a visual aid, I'd say try placing an activated atomizer on a wad of tobacco well steeped in propylene glycol. The specific heat of the liquid should keep the tobacco from showing signs of combustion. Cheers.

 

[polsmoka]

The one thing that makes me question how much material is actually burned rather than vaporized is when I vape my 510 in a dark room with one bright light. The vapor seems to hang in the air much longer than it should. I am vaping cheap juice until my mail arrives tomorrow though...

Why not turn off the light then

 

[Bangers]

Hah, I don't mind it. The foggy look is nice in my studio without the smoke gumming up my equipment.

 

[doots]

yes it is only vapor..

 

[HexKrak]

Burning/smoke implies combustion which isn't happening. This is heating to below a combustion point, but above a atomization point.

 

[Katattack]

Not surprising, PG & VG vapor do hang in the air otherwise they wouldn't be used for theatrical fog.

 

[Kurt]

The OP is somewhat correct in that vapor, by definition, is not visible if there is no color associated with the molecules. So it is actually condensate, like a cloud is condensate. It is tiny droplets of VG or PG and a little bit of water stuck to those droplets.

The atty does glow red hot when it is dry. But liquid in contact with it vaporizes at its boiling point, and as long as liquid is on the bridge, the coil will not glow red hot. It gets a few degrees hotter than the boiling point of the liquid. and because the liquid is evaporating, it is continually cooling the coil. Tests have shown no combustion products, which are from reactions with oxygen, at all in the vapor. There have been very trace amounts of some thermal products, but there is hardly any, and they are not harmful.

The "vapor" hangs around for a long time because it is not water condensate, it is PG or VG mostly, and behaves according to the properties of those compounds, not to those of water. They have higher boiling points than water, and so do not evaporate completely as quickly.

I also get irritated when mall vendors tell potential customers that it is just water vapor. It is not. You would not see water condensate for more than a second or so, like when it is coming up from boiling water.

Hope this helps! Vaping is all chemistry!

 

[oldtechno]

Don't worry, you aren't smoking when you get vapor out of your e-cig. On the otherhand...you DON'T want to vape that thing dry and melt or burn you filler material.

course, you already know that.