killing a cartomizer: The experiment

[jebey29]

Ok, im so tired of constantly having to change out carts for "fear" of burning one out or killing it. But then i thought, I have never done that and I dont know what the limitations of a cartomizer really are. So, im about to find out.

Im going to fill up a new cartomizer, just put the condom on and vape like crazy until it dies or burns up. I will let you know how long it lasts or if it just keeps on going. I will keep the cartomizer wet by topping off every 5 or 6 drags.

The equipment.

1 Cartomizer
1 Bottle liquid
1 SB vaping at 6V

 

[NightNurse]

Ok, im so tired of constantly having to change out carts for "fear" of burning one out or killing it. But then i thought, I have never done that and I dont know what the limitations of a cartomizer really are. So, im about to find out.

Im going to fill up a new cartomizer, just put the condom on and vape like crazy until it dies or burns up. I will let you know how long it lasts or if it just keeps on going. I will keep the cartomizer wet by topping off every 5 or 6 drags.

The equipment.

1 Cartomizer
1 Bottle liquid
1 SB vaping at 6V

Cool, I'll be interested to hear the result of your experiment

 

[Belletrist]

oh, interesting.

i actually have not managed to 'kill' a cart by vaping unless it dried out. i used one cart on my PT for the past 4-5 days (wish i'd kept track better, might have been longer) with topping off. last night it just got gunky, thick gummy juice in it, and needs to be washed, but i'm quite sure it's not 'dead.' maybe tomorrow i'll throw a blank on the PT and track how many days it takes. :hmm:

 

[crashtestjeep]

cool-mind giving us a daily update? kinda like a journal entry for u and info for us? Cool idea! I also use cartos on my SB at 6v!

 

[Houseofboys]

Right now I'm on day 19 of straight use with a cartomizer and it's still going strong. I top it off about 5 times a day. The only thing I've noticed is that it doesn't seem to suck up as much juice as it used too. We'll see how much long this one can go for.

 

[NightNurse]

oh, interesting.

i actually have not managed to 'kill' a cart by vaping unless it dried out. i used one cart on my PT for the past 4-5 days (wish i'd kept track better, might have been longer) with topping off. last night it just got gunky, thick gummy juice in it, and needs to be washed, but i'm quite sure it's not 'dead.' maybe tomorrow i'll throw a blank on the PT and track how many days it takes. :hmm:

What's the best way to wash out a cart?

 

[Adrenalynn]

I've killed one at 51 and one at 53 fills, each vaped down 3/4-ish (by weight - ie. I slap it on the balance before and after each fill).

In both cases, the Nitonol wire eventually oxidizes and snaps at just before the first bend in the atomizer - which kinda makes sense since that would be the weakest point in the formation of the atomizer itself.

 

[Belletrist]

depends on what you mean by best and how narsty the cart gets, nurse. if it's not too bad, just a rinse under a hot tap & blowing the water out (repeated till clean) will do the trick.

i personally have a much more involved method, because i am... that kind of person. i pour just-off-boiling water over a bunch of them, and then use a syringe slid down beside the batting (all the way to the bottom) to draw hot water through them while submerged, emptying the syringe in the sink after each draw. after two or three reps depending on the flav that was in them (some are stickier than others it seems) i blow it out, give it a sniff, and if it's clean, put it in the drying basket. i let them dry at least overnight before i refill.

yes, yes, it takes a while. but i only do it every couple weeks, and since i personally don't use many carts (the husband is another story) thanks to my PT/dripping while working habits, it's worth it to me for that brand-new-cart experience.

 

[Belletrist]

oh, and crashtest jeep, yeah, i'll definitely update, if that was directed at me, too. i'll start tomorrow morning, since i have some brand new blanks. my 5 dayer (which as i said, just needed washing) wasn't even a new cart to start with.

 

[jebey29]

Update:

I have been vaping for an hour now and have taken 45 drags. The carto is still going !! I have put 15 drops of liquid into the cart during this time with 30 drops on the initial fill.

The experiment is to see what i can do to kill it....im not really trying to see how long it can last during normal vaping. I want to abuse this cart and find out its breaking point. Im taking it on a short drive but should be back in an hour and if its still going then im going to just take drag after drag until it POPS.

When i do that i will not be inhaling but just simulating the draw for the experiments sake.

 

[jebey29]

Oh, and when i get back i will be putting new batteries in the SB so i know im getting the full 6V in the beginning.

 

[Adrenalynn]

Running them at 6v probably isn't that great a test, right? Nearly doubling the wattage will more than half the life.

 

[jebey29]

Running them at 6v probably isn't that great a test, right? Nearly doubling the wattage will more than half the life.

Actually i think the test is pertinent. I vape exclusively at 6V and i think there are more and more people doing the same thing. I have always been told/heard/read on these forums to be gentle with the carts and dont burn them. Well today was a rough day so there i was taking 2 drags and change cart, 2 drags and change cart, over and over again. Im asking myself why?

This test is to verify the validity of this prevailing thinking about carts.

 

[jebey29]

20 more drags.

I will top off the cart again, change batteries, and abuse this cart some more.

I have inspected the cart pretty well and so far no color changes in the cart and the filler looks just like it did when i took it out of the box.

Im using a clear liquid so a can detect even a small amount of discoloration but so far none.

 

[Adrenalynn]

As long as no one starts quoting those numbers as gospel... Nothing we would order from V4L today would come close to that. I'm just thinking of the dozens of "lifespan" questions we get from noobs, ya know?

 

[doots]

Please keep us updated daily.. thanks

 

[blondeambition3]

Ok, im so tired of constantly having to change out carts for "fear" of burning one out or killing it. But then i thought, I have never done that and I dont know what the limitations of a cartomizer really are. So, im about to find out.

Im going to fill up a new cartomizer, just put the condom on and vape like crazy until it dies or burns up. I will let you know how long it lasts or if it just keeps on going. I will keep the cartomizer wet by topping off every 5 or 6 drags.

The equipment.

1 Cartomizer
1 Bottle liquid
1 SB Vaping at 6V

I'm anxiously awaiting the outcome on this one!

 

[jebey29]

I just took 60, thats not a typo...60 drags in a 10 minute time period and the cartomizer is still alive. Im giving up on trying to kill it. Im sure if someone else tries this they may come out with a different outcome as all cartomizers could vary slightly. But for the purposes of my experiment and how i want to vape with a cartomizer I have achieved what i wanted to find out.

For any person new to vaping I would not advise that you follow what i have done here.

Summary of this experiment and my thoughts about the Cartomizer:

My objective was to find out if i could use the cartomizer in a way that was similar to smoking a cigarette. That being 12-18 drags in a relatively short period of time.I also wanted to know if i pushed past that point whether or not the cartomizer would hold up or burn.

I was able to achieve this outcome with some modifications and adjustment.

1. You have to use the condom modification. The cart does get very hot and if your not using the condom then i believe it would be to hot for you to put your lips to. But then again many people use the condom method anyway so this should not be any issue for many.

2. You have to keep the filler wet. This seems obvious but even at 3.7V if you let the cartomizer get dry then you are going to burn it up. I was able to get 20 straight hits and a couple of times i got 30 hits before having to top off the cart. I started at 20 but flooded the cartomizer the first time i topped off. I put just 6 drops in and it flooded out the bottom and into my beautiful SB. That was scary but after wiping up it was back to vaping like normal.

3. Because the cart is hot you have to have a juice that can hold up to the extra heat/voltage. I started with V4L cocunut but after about 12 hits the heat/voltage just killed the flavor. I switched to TV's Atomic Fireball (The new formula that is essentially clear) It held up thru out the rest of the experiment with no problems at all.

4. I for one am no longer going to be changing out carts any longer. Yes, it gets hot but it will keep going and keep producing flavor and vapor. This may be similar to dripping but I am confident that i can get a good 20 drags in a very rapid succession before having to top off.

5. This is not for everyone. Im semi-retired and what little work i do, I do from home. This could be inconvenient for a large number of people but for my situation, topping off every 20 drags is not an issue.

Thank you for your time and I hope this helps some of you.

 

[Adrenalynn]

Is it shortening the long-term lifespan do you think? Or is that something that doesn't concern you - ie. you're just going to toss it at the end of the day anyway?

 

[Belletrist]

good question, and i'm wondering if it'll be the flipside to the fact that on my end, i'm saving time and theoretically using up fewer carts by topping off on the 5V PT all day. dammit, now i'm going to have to put a little identifier on the cart i start tomorrow, so that i can track how many uses it goes through. and crap, that means i better start another one on a battery and use as directed... well, hell, science is complicated. nah, i think i'll take one variable at a time... for now. my brains is small and my ambitions is minimal.

seriously though, i would *suspect* that it would shorten the lifespan over a longer term. because when i rotate 5 carts they 'live' more than 5 days before needing a refill, whereas if i vape a cart constantly w.out topping off, it needs refilling about halfway through the day. but whether that's because of some alteration in my own behavior, or because heating the same cart repeatedly keeps it warmer for longer which means the liquid vaporizes more... i don't know. i'd think that whatever causes that effect would also have some detrimental effects on the equipment itself. i have about 10 more thoughts but they're on increasingly shaky ground.