Leaking issues with eGo-T tanks?

[shade82000]

Ive had my T for 2-3 weeks now and it's started leaking.

It leaks when I use it a lot and it gets hot, but I also noticed that it leaks when it's in my pocket while I'm walking.

I go to work by train and it doesn't leak at all when I leave my house, drive to the station or get on the train. But when I get off the train I walk a couple of miles the other end and if I keep the T in my pocket then it will leak badly.

On my attys, the wick is just inside the piercing spike, maybe 1/2-1mm down. Is that too far in?

I'm sure I read somewhere about atty maintanance and was wondering if there is a way to pull the wick back out if it is in too far?

I bought it as a T and I was told I can convert it to a regular Ego if I buy the right parts, so I might do that if it would just be a case of pulling the cart out and dripping a bit of liquid in, like the T. I can't really see the difference to be honest and I'm a bit disappointed because I thought the T was meant to be a better product.

 

[Embryodad]

Ive had my T for 2-3 weeks now and it's started leaking.

It leaks when I use it a lot and it gets hot, but I also noticed that it leaks when it's in my pocket while I'm walking.

I go to work by train and it doesn't leak at all when I leave my house, drive to the station or get on the train. But when I get off the train I walk a couple of miles the other end and if I keep the T in my pocket then it will leak badly.

On my attys, the wick is just inside the piercing spike, maybe 1/2-1mm down. Is that too far in?

I'm sure I read somewhere about atty maintanance and was wondering if there is a way to pull the wick back out if it is in too far?

I bought it as a T and I was told I can convert it to a regular Ego if I buy the right parts, so I might do that if it would just be a case of pulling the cart out and dripping a bit of liquid in, like the T. I can't really see the difference to be honest and I'm a bit disappointed because I thought the T was meant to be a better product.

I think you can just drip into the innards, and use it that way. A type "A" drip tip fits on the trickling atty.
I was just enjoying doing some lawn tractor maintainance on this sunny day, and Working more than vaping, I didn't take notice on the exhausted amount of liquid. I came up to the kitchen to wet my whistle a bit with some bubbly, and low and behold...I picked up my Vaping Device, and as I pushed the button to activate the atty...there was leakage all over the battery threads.
It seems that the leakage, (again) occurs at the last 1/8" of remaining fluid in the tank.

It does not appear to create drippage / leakage with a full tank. ? ? ? ? ? ? ...I would assume the wick adjustment is not a factor in my experience of leakage.

I at first thought, that excessive vaping, (chain vaping) was a reason for leakage due to overheating the tank orifice connection to the pierce tube; so I filled Identical tubes with the same juice I was vaping...and then I alterrnated between the two as I occationally vaped. As they got to the 1/8 level...They BOTH had evidence of excessive leakage.

To summarize, in MHO, heating of the tank is not the problem.

My test at this time..is trying to not draw so hard on the device. it may ver well be that a hard draw, just may pull too much liquid (juice) unto the attomizer area; which in effect will eventually cause leakage! / ? ? ? ...I shall See!

 

[shade82000]

I burnt out one of the attys that came with my T so I bought a couple of LR replacements and they are working fine.

No more leaking!

I think the wick piercing tube is a bit wider cos its much more difficult to spin the tank around in the new atty, even with tanks that were leaking after being used 15 times with the old attys.

 

[Embryodad]

I burnt out one of the attys that came with my T so I bought a couple of LR replacements and they are working fine.

No more leaking!

I think the wick piercing tube is a bit wider cos its much more difficult to spin the tank around in the new atty, even with tanks that were leaking after being used 15 times with the old attys.

shade82000 ...Quite a great notice there. Now that you mention the easy to rotate the tank (presumably to arrange the push button in a ergonomic position) I noticed that my tanks (14) had been a little resistive to turning; but after a few plug and unplug operations to fill the tank...it had been noticably easier to rotate the tank: almost to the point it was sloppily fitted.

The serious problem in my situation, and with 5 atty's...was the fact that after disassembly of the atty, the wick including the little metal cap on top, was either low in the pipette pierce tube, or had fallen into the atty completely.
To summarize my particular findings and situation with massive leaking and stickyness...I would say there is no quality control in the manufacture of the completed atty in the area of stabilizing the proper position of the wick in a steadfast position.

An analogy would be easily addressed as, and as like turning the wick too low on a hurricane oil lamp, and having the wick fall back entirely into the fuel tank.

 

[shade82000]

I understand exactly what you mean about the wick. I have set aside my burnt out one and soon as I figure out how to disassemble it I will take a closer look.

You're right about the ergonomics though! On the two batteries that came with mine the buttons are in completely different positions so I have to spin the tank round when I do the daily battery swap. I like the button underneath, a little bit to the right so that I can operate it with my right thumb. I should start a "Thumb or Finger" thread!

I hope it's not a QC problem though - I haven't yet opened the second LR atty that I bought so I hope it's as good as this one. Soon as I have some info I will post here.

Are you using LR attys as well? If not then it might be worth a try because as I said I am re-using the old tanks that leaked many times with the standard atties. Also, do you remove the plastic that gets pierced when you put a new tank in? I don't know if it really makes any difference but I remove it with some grips.

Now that I have my first reliable e-cig, I have not smoked all week. I used to keep a pack of tobacco handy for when something went wrong but I don't feel the need to now.

 

[unkstur]

Any reason this won't work? Looks like the battery should block this hole anyway.
I don't see any way it can leak now but I'm still testing.

We'll call it the nail mod lol

 

[Embryodad]

Any reason this won't work? Looks like the battery should block this hole anyway.
I don't see any way it can leak now but I'm still testing.

We'll call it the nail mod lol

Neat closeups, and great idea with the bung hole plug.

Looks like you set up a microscope to take the pics. Great pics.
I had a Gilbert Microscope kit when I was a kid in the early 50's... All my friends, and friends of the friends were facinated LQQKing into the scope...and it was great.....

It all wore off, and a week later..we all came down with a case of conjunctivitus... (Pink Eye)..

What a crusty eye situation that was...

 

[lilady]

Great mod unkster. I tried the "T" type atomizer & like it. I just don't have the time & patience to mess around with this stuff. I have the Echo cartomizer and it seems to be working great for a week so far.

 

[unkstur]

Canon A620 macro mode
I have experienced a few leaks when I get to 1/4 tank or less.
People I have recommended the eGo T to have had leaks.
It is annoying. I thought the notches on the battery end of the atty
were for air. Shouldn't a manual battery block the hole?
With the hole plugged even if the seal of the tank leaks the
fluid shouldn't get to the battery this way.

Wish I could see what's going on in there lol

 

[Mindfield]

I've been considering this problem -- I don't have the "vomiting" issue of the liquid leaking out through the air intake holes, but I have had a problem with the liquid pooling under the needle plate creating a hard draw and leaking down the inside of the atty and down the air channels in the cart if I tip it vertical (cart down). The problem was either liquid leaking down the outside of the needle, or leaking down the needle itself and into the atomizer coil under the plate.

If the problem was leakage down the needle itself then there's an issue with the wicking allowing liquid to literally pour down the tube and into the coil, flooding it and pooling under the plate. That would require adjustment and fluffing of the wick, or perhaps a wick mod.

If the problem was leakage down the outsides of the needle -- which is the more likely scenario as the holes do work themselves wider with use -- then what we need is a gasket or O-ring to keep the liquid travelling down the tube, not outside of it and maintain a proper seal.

Ideally, my solution would probably involve a tiny O-ring fit snug around the needle and maybe a small piece of heat shrink tubing to keep it in place. But I thought about it and realized I may already have a solution that didn't require anything but what I already have on hand. Specifically, the silicone cart caps that come fitted over top of the carts.

So I took a cart cap from an A-type cart and sliced off a small square piece from the thinnest part on the side wall. I roughly cut a small hole in the center that's smaller than the needle so as to create a snug fit, then worked it over the needle and trimmed any excess around the needle or hanging over the air channels on either side.

So far it's working extremely well. There is no leakage to speak of even when I stand my eGo on end. The draw is still hard (I may be blocking the air channels, and the atty wasn't totally clean when I tried this -- I've just done a really rough job on this first attempt) and the cart doesn't quite fit all the way in (there's about a 1/2 to 1/3mm clearance from the lip of the cart where it meets the bottom of the atty) but it's very snug, and I'm now getting consistently strong, flavourful draws again.

The only possible issue is making sure it doesn't come out, especially as there's a slight curvature to the side section of cap I used. (The top is too thick.) It should be okay if place the curved side down toward the bottom. I'll try another mod using a larger XL cap (less curvature for the surface area used) and make it a little neater (and rounder) to see if it works as a more semi-permanent solution. But for now, at least the leakage has stopped.

I'm going to try another one for my second atty and take some pictures of the process.

 

[Embryodad]

I've been considering this problem -- I don't have the "vomiting" issue of the liquid leaking out through the air intake holes, but I have had a problem with the liquid pooling under the needle plate creating a hard draw and leaking down the inside of the atty and down the air channels in the cart if I tip it vertical (cart down). The problem was either liquid leaking down the outside of the needle, or leaking down the needle itself and into the atomizer coil under the plate.

If the problem was leakage down the needle itself then there's an issue with the wicking allowing liquid to literally pour down the tube and into the coil, flooding it and pooling under the plate. That would require adjustment and fluffing of the wick, or perhaps a wick mod.

If the problem was leakage down the outsides of the needle -- which is the more likely scenario as the holes do work themselves wider with use -- then what we need is a gasket or O-ring to keep the liquid travelling down the tube, not outside of it and maintain a proper seal.

Ideally, my solution would probably involve a tiny O-ring fit snug around the needle and maybe a small piece of heat shrink tubing to keep it in place. But I thought about it and realized I may already have a solution that didn't require anything but what I already have on hand. Specifically, the silicone cart caps that come fitted over top of the carts.

So I took a cart cap from an A-type cart and sliced off a small square piece from the thinnest part on the side wall. I roughly cut a small hole in the center that's smaller than the needle so as to create a snug fit, then worked it over the needle and trimmed any excess around the needle or hanging over the air channels on either side.

So far it's working extremely well. There is no leakage to speak of even when I stand my eGo on end. The draw is still hard (I may be blocking the air channels, and the atty wasn't totally clean when I tried this -- I've just done a really rough job on this first attempt) and the cart doesn't quite fit all the way in (there's about a 1/2 to 1/3mm clearance from the lip of the cart where it meets the bottom of the atty) but it's very snug, and I'm now getting consistently strong, flavourful draws again.

The only possible issue is making sure it doesn't come out, especially as there's a slight curvature to the side section of cap I used. (The top is too thick.) It should be okay if place the curved side down toward the bottom. I'll try another mod using a larger XL cap (less curvature for the surface area used) and make it a little neater (and rounder) to see if it works as a more semi-permanent solution. But for now, at least the leakage has stopped.

I'm going to try another one for my second atty and take some pictures of the process.

Good to see your post mindfield...

I went the same route with the small "O" ring. I placed a small thin O ring of silicone High Temp Red over the pipette. It worked for two fills 1/2 way in the tank..and on the third fill, It massivly leaked.

lrd3 was over, and he cut a thin slice of the silicone cap we had of the thinest material..That failed on three of the atty's / tank systems I swapped around as a test.

The problem I found...was wicks that pushed through and just laying on top the atty coil.
My conclusion was a tank that dripped onto the atty insted of a tank that wicked. Two of the wicks were only one thread. Two were missing the metal cap hats. I gave up, and am doing 510 starter atty's and cartridges.

Let us know the results... Interesting experiments on your end.

 

[Mindfield]

Good to see your post mindfield...

I went the same route with the small "O" ring. I placed a small thin O ring of silicone High Temp Red over the pipette. It worked for two fills 1/2 way in the tank..and on the third fill, It massivly leaked.

lrd3 was over, and he cut a thin slice of the silicone cap we had of the thinest material..That failed on three of the atty's / tank systems I swapped around as a test.

The problem I found...was wicks that pushed through and just laying on top the atty coil.
My conclusion was a tank that dripped onto the atty insted of a tank that wicked. Two of the wicks were only one thread. Two were missing the metal cap hats. I gave up, and am doing 510 starter atty's and cartridges.

Let us know the results... Interesting experiments on your end.

Well, unfortunately, the experiments didn't go well. The first (rough) one worked well for a while, but after I set it down for a little bit and picked it back up again the hits were inexplicably weak. For the second one, I seem to have some wicking problems as all I'm getting is a strong burnt taste, with or without the makeshift O-ring. The second one was very difficult to remove and re-insert, and bits of the wick had stuck to the coil (in both cases) and had to be removed. The second one's wick seemed a bit longer, so I suspect it's just sitting in the coil, burning. I'll have to adjust and/or trim it -- if I can get it out again. For now I guess I'm just going to have to make do with what I have and go back to the drawing board. Maybe I'll try a small sheath of heat shrink tubing around the needle -- but I'll have to go buy some first. I'm not sure how effective it will be though because it's not very elastic once it's shrunk, so I don't know that it would contribute much to the seal.

 

[Embryodad]

Well, unfortunately, the experiments didn't go well. The first (rough) one worked well for a while, but after I set it down for a little bit and picked it back up again the hits were inexplicably weak. For the second one, I seem to have some wicking problems as all I'm getting is a strong burnt taste, with or without the makeshift O-ring. The second one was very difficult to remove and re-insert, and bits of the wick had stuck to the coil (in both cases) and had to be removed. The second one's wick seemed a bit longer, so I suspect it's just sitting in the coil, burning. I'll have to adjust and/or trim it -- if I can get it out again. For now I guess I'm just going to have to make do with what I have and go back to the drawing board. Maybe I'll try a small sheath of heat shrink tubing around the needle -- but I'll have to go buy some first. I'm not sure how effective it will be though because it's not very elastic once it's shrunk, so I don't know that it would contribute much to the seal.

Good deductions there!
What I did finally do...was after the brain cells woke up on the right side...was I tested the fit of all the tanks when I had the pipette removed and in my hand. I looked with a eye magnifyer, and didn't notice any excess play at the seal ring of the tank.
There was a tight enough fit even as I rotated the tank 360º around the pipette. I did have one atty that the angle cut was a little lower than the others, but within tolerance that it should still seal sufficiently all around.

I did question the removeable cap with the orifice in it that I remove (with two broken finger nails) and pop snap back on after a fill... I took the leaking suspected tank, and I cleaned it in toulene solvent..and actually glued the snap cap in place with plasi-weld glue. I let it dry in a oven temp. of 125ºF for 5 hours...then I filled the tank 1/2 full with a syringe..and placed it on the pipette. Still no success. Leaked as usual. LOL

Its almost like having a toolbox with nice tools, and having a can of permatex #4 pipe joint thread sealant leak all over the tools. I call it "The Black Plague".. What a disappointing mess. It is a great idea with the tank system, but there is no happy medium with the amount of leakers. It's like walking around with a load in your pants..

 

[Mindfield]

Good deductions there!
What I did finally do...was after the brain cells woke up on the right side...was I tested the fit of all the tanks when I had the pipette removed and in my hand. I looked with a eye magnifyer, and didn't notice any excess play at the seal ring of the tank.
There was a tight enough fit even as I rotated the tank 360º around the pipette. I did have one atty that the angle cut was a little lower than the others, but within tolerance that it should still seal sufficiently all around.

I did question the removeable cap with the orifice in it that I remove (with two broken finger nails) and pop snap back on after a fill... I took the leaking suspected tank, and I cleaned it in toulene solvent..and actually glued the snap cap in place with plasi-weld glue. I let it dry in a oven temp. of 125ºF for 5 hours...then I filled the tank 1/2 full with a syringe..and placed it on the pipette. Still no success. Leaked as usual. LOL

Its almost like having a toolbox with nice tools, and having a can of permatex #4 pipe joint thread sealant leak all over the tools. I call it "The Black Plague".. What a disappointing mess. It is a great idea with the tank system, but there is no happy medium with the amount of leakers. It's like walking around with a load in your pants..

Yeah, unfortunately that seems to be the case. Which is a real shame because when new, this system worked absolutely perfect and was everything I wanted -- for the first few days. But it seems like the balance of seal and internal pressure is too delicate to deal with the normal wear of the equipment that creates it. Or, to be more specific, neither the atomizers nor the carts are built to consistent enough tolerances or with resilient enough materials to work well together for more than a few days. The concept is perfect and I think it can work with some modifications (slightly thicker silicone caps, slightly tapered or bevelled needle, more secure wick with higher heat tolerance) but right now it's problematic.

 

[Embryodad]

Yeah, unfortunately that seems to be the case. Which is a real shame because when new, this system worked absolutely perfect and was everything I wanted -- for the first few days. But it seems like the balance of seal and internal pressure is too delicate to deal with the normal wear of the equipment that creates it. Or, to be more specific, neither the atomizers nor the carts are built to consistent enough tolerances or with resilient enough materials to work well together for more than a few days. The concept is perfect and I think it can work with some modifications (slightly thicker silicone caps, slightly tapered or bevelled needle, more secure wick with higher heat tolerance) but right now it's problematic.

I totally agree with all you had just mentioned. It is my summary in my thoughts also X 100%.
Yes, it is a shame. That first time was sheer exstacy, and my first thought was,"I'm gonna retire all my previous impliments and just invest totally on these great T-Tanks!" No sooner said, and that all took a turn around........

Right now...I abandoned the eGo entirely...my kids bought me a early fathers day gift. And so far..this is the answer to all the frustrations of leaks and filling sillyness. It is a Reo Mini It is fabulous, and small enough to be unobtrusive. It works flawlessly, and it is the final answer to Vaping in my personal estimation.

 

[Mindfield]

I totally agree with all you had just mentioned. It is my summary in my thoughts also X 100%.
Yes, it is a shame. That first time was sheer exstacy, and my first thought was,"I'm gonna retire all my previous impliments and just invest totally on these great T-Tanks!" No sooner said, and that all took a turn around........

Right now...I abandoned the eGo entirely...my kids bought me a early fathers day gift. And so far..this is the answer to all the frustrations of leaks and filling sillyness. It is a Reo Mini It is fabulous, and small enough to be unobtrusive. It works flawlessly, and it is the final answer to Vaping in my personal estimation.

Looks interesting, though pricey, but I wasn't really satisfied with 510s. I'm not going to give up on this though. There are some things I can still try and see if they help matters any. I really, really want to make this work as I love the tanks. They're flawed but I think the flaws can be corrected with a little work and the right bits.

 

[mlinky]

I totally agree with all you had just mentioned. It is my summary in my thoughts also X 100%.
Yes, it is a shame. That first time was sheer exstacy, and my first thought was,"I'm gonna retire all my previous impliments and just invest totally on these great T-Tanks!" No sooner said, and that all took a turn around........

Right now...I abandoned the eGo entirely...my kids bought me a early fathers day gift. And so far..this is the answer to all the frustrations of leaks and filling sillyness. It is a Reo Mini It is fabulous, and small enough to be unobtrusive. It works flawlessly, and it is the final answer to Vaping in my personal estimation.

Excuse me for interrupting, but let me be the first to welcome you as a new REOnaut!! You have wonderful children who must have done some serious planning to be able to get you a Mini REO. The Mini is my personal favorite. Please drop on by the REO forum and say "hi" Reos Mods

 

[Embryodad]

Great...keep us posted..

 

[Embryodad]

Excuse me for interrupting, but let me be the first to welcome you as a new REOnaut!! You have wonderful children who must have done some serious planning to be able to get you a Mini REO. The Mini is my personal favorite. Please drop on by the REO forum and say "hi" Reos Mods

mlinky..Thanks! ... I will drop in on the REO Forum.

DD just got hers Reo's Mini..blk / red.. neat!! Thanks to DD and BF-( lrd3 ) for getting my ultimate gift for Dads Day!

 

[DaveP]

I have 4 A type and 2 B type tank attys. All have leaked slightly at some point, but it's controllable. My theory is that since I have no problem when they are above 1/4 full, the problem is related to the air bubble in the tank. The larger the bubble, the more it can expand under the weight of fluid when the tank is vertical (mouthpiece at the top).

As you vape and the tank gets close to empty, the large air bubble is able to expand more and feed more juice to the wick. The bowl overfills and juice runs out the cracks. Try filling before that point, maybe 1/4 or more left and see if you have fewer problems. Juice feed is accomplished through the vacuum created when you draw on the mouthpiece. Draw slowly and you will have fewer leaks. If the atty gets dry, try puffing a few times without pushing the battery button to reload the wick.

I try not to turn the tank after inserting. IMO, that just wears the edges of the tank and promotes leaks. The flap inside is just the chad from the initial punch and is not intended to be a flap that opens and closes.

If you carry any ecig in your jeans pocket you will see more frequent leaks, especially in hot weather. Body heat and ambient heat seem to promote expansion leaks.