Leaking Like Crazy

[Wolf308]

OK... I'm using an eGo, and the issue is with the dual coil cartomizer and tank. I'm using the recommended parts because I don't know enough to do otherwise (LOL!). Anyway. The last cartomizer I had lasted about three days and began to flood the battery. Not just a little... enough that it began to pour out all over my shirt and I had to pull over on the side of the road to clean it and myself off. It kept flooding the battery at random for the next day, so when I got home I threw the cartomizer out and changed to a new one. It was alright for about three days. This afternoon, at work, it flooded the battery. Not the leaking down the sides flood, but it filled up the top of the battery and I had to clean it up (I apparently caught it early). It hasn't done it since then, been a few hours (I did replace the juice with VapeDudes 95% VG, so I don't know if that would effect it or not).

So... since it involves two cartomizers and not just one (I'd assume it was just a dud if it was only one), I assume I am doing something silly. Any ideas on what could cause this?

 

[Baditude]

This seems to be a common issue with carto tanks. It's rarely easy to figure out exactly why this happens. We can discuss some theoretical causes. Basically a leaking carto does so because of a poor seal between the carto and the end caps (meaning inadequate o-ring sealing), or, oversaturation/flooding of the cartomizer itself and leaking juice down the air hole. Let's look at these two possibilities separately.

Damaged or poorly fitting o-rings inadequately seal the juice between the cartomizer and the end cap, allowing the juice to spill from inside the tank. O-rings can become damaged by being being torn by the sharp edge of the carto as it is being passed through the end cap. Improper positioning of the o-ring can occur by the friction of the carto by the same action.

Prevention is the best course of action in these situations. Lubricating the carto with a little juice before assembly helps prevent too much friction on the o-ring. Use of a tank filling tool such as the slap-yo-mama or phiniac tool protects the o-ring by eliminating the carto's sharp edging. Also note that slotting cartos adds another potential sharp edge that can damage an o-ring.

While replacing an old carto, always do an inspection of the inner o-rings on the end caps for any tears, irregularities, or improper position. Damaged o-rings must be replaced. Buy replacements either from the vendor/manufacturer or from the plumbing department at a hardware store. Lubricate the outside of the carto with a little juice, and use a tank filling tool.

Ok, that was the easy part.

It's always been sort of a mystery to me why some cartos work great in a tank, while others either cause dry hits or flooding/leaking issues. There are so many factors involved:

Proper prepping of the carto, either before or after assembly into the tank. (I place a tooth pick in the airhole while dropping juice in until the wicking material looks like a slushy.) The relative thickness or viscosity of the juice. The number, size, and even placement of holes in the carto. The frequency and technique an individual vapor uses may play a role, as well as the brand of cartomizer and its wicking material, to the wattage being used to vaporize the juice.

I'm not going to tell you that I know why your tank was leaking. Why? Because it has happened to me, despite following the above techiques. I do believe that a large percentage of the issues are due to poor construction/manufacturing of all the carto brands that are currently available to us. They all come from China. Chinese manufacturers are probably under pressure to increase output due to the increased demand of a fast-growing industry, at the expense of quality control of their products. These devices are put together by hand, so human error or just plain slopiness affects the quality of their product.

It's late and I've been rambling. Excuse me. I'll just finish by saying that we all go thru this learning curve with tanking. Learn what you can here and in demo videos. I've gone from buying pre-punched cartos, to punching my own, to slotting with a dremmel, and now I am back to purchasing pre-punched cartos. I've switched from dual coil to single coil. For the time being, I'm satisfied. Do I have it all down pat? Hardly.

 

[Wolf308]

It appears the issue is over saturation. I can see it when I pull the tip off. Been blowing out the extra fluid, even shoving a tissue in there and soaking up some of the excess getting ready to come out. But the cartos seem to just pull in too much. And nothing has changed. Same style and make cartos, same juices, my vaping hasn't changed, etc. I can't figure out what changed to cause this. I'm on a third carto in about a week and a half, this one, so far, seems to be alright, but we're only on day 2.

 

[Baditude]

Well, let's go with your hunch that the issue is a flooded carto, and not leaking from a bad seal.

I assume your brand of cartos is Smoktek, being that they are dual coiled. Right off the bat, it's probably the wrong carto for an Ego, but that's another story. Smoktech cartos are rather notorious for leaking issues; a generalization easily picked up from being on the boards for some time. Despite that generalization, I use them in my tanks, although I have switched from dual coil to single.

Are your cartos pre-punched, or do you punch/slot them yourself?
How many holes are in the carto?
What kind of juice are you using?
What PG/VG ratio?
Do you pre-fill your carto before assembling your tank?

 

[Wolf308]

Are your cartos pre-punched, or do you punch/slot them yourself? Pre-punched
How many holes are in the carto? 3. I just got a delivery of 1 hole cartos, so they'll be going in next.
What kind of juice are you using? Oh boy. I've been using juice from Ms. T's Bakery, Vape Dudes, Dekang, and Juicy Vapors. And yes, all four were tried during this situation.
What PG/VG ratio? Various. The Juicy Vapor stuff is listed as "mixed." Not sure what that means. Vape Dudes: 95% VG, although one was 95% PG. Ms. T's is also a mix. And I am never sure with Dekang.
Do you pre-fill your carto before assembling your tank? No. I assemble, fill the tank, and then if the carto is new I put some in there and then suck some in. If it's been used, I let it flow in naturally.

 

[Baditude]

You may find that 3 holes might be a little too much. Could be the reason for your flooding right there. I've found that one pre-drilled hole is great for the thinner juices, and two generally is adequate for the thicker juices.

The one juice you said was 95% vg, would be good for the three hole, theoretically. All-pg juice just needs a single hole,it would be thinner.

When using a new carto in a tank, most people say you should top the carto with juice either before assembly or after. The polyfill should look like a slushy drink. I put a tooth pick in the air hole to keep juice out of there.

I have a hunch that your problem was using too many holes in the carto for the juices you were using. Since you didn't totally pre-fill your carto assembling the tank, it took a couple of days to saturate the polyfill to the point where it began flooding.

 

[bnrkwest]

I only get 3 days out of a smokteck in a tank. They need replaced but never had one flood like you have but I don't use mine on egos, I use them on a provari. I only use single coil cartos on egos. Good luck! bnrk

 

[Baditude]

I've recently switched to these: Single Coil XL Tank Cartomizer for the SmokTank XL
I got the 2.0 oHm in both single and double holes.

I was getting frustrated with punching my own dual coil cartos, and slotting with the dremmel resulted in the same problem you had, Wolf. I had had good experiences with pre-drilled cartos in the past, they were just hard to find in the two holed choice online consistantly. Just choose the number of holes to match the viscosity of the juice you will use.

I had also read some threads here in the forums that dual coils maybe should not be your first choice to use with 3.7v devices. Theoretically, a dual coil doesn't fire both coils most efficiently until supplied with 4.8v. Plus, they are an extra drain on batteries. There's a few threads discussing this idea here on the forums, but I don't feel like looking it up to supply the link. It was logical enough to convince me to give the single coils a try, tho.

 

[Wolf308]

Well, I partly fixed that problem this afternoon. One of the batteries that got flooded died on me, so I only had one battery of a decent size left and it is getting old. I went to the local shop and they talked me into the eGo Twist. LOL! So I bought two of those and have the tank up there. Have only been using it about an hour, seems alright so far, but now I have a new toy to learn.

 

[Baditude]

Love new toys. I can't seem to stop ordering new stuff to try. Quitting the ciggies only got me into a new hobby, but I'm not complaining.

Let us know how the tank works out on the Twist. Also how you like higher voltage. I'm planning on making another big purchase this Wednesday when Provape releases the new colors on their Provari's.

 

[Wolf308]

Yeah, my local guy apparently started carrying Provari. I can't afford one yet, but I actually got to handle one. Will let you know about the Twist. Thanks for the help!