Leaking Subtank mini

[Gillistration]

hi everyone,

So I recently received my new Subtank mini and so far I am loving it. I wanted to try and clarify what is likely happening to all those people who claim the tank leaks.

After I washed my tank out thoroughly, I let it dry for about ten minutes before reassembling it. When I filled it up with juice I, I was disappointed initially because I saw it leaking from the bottom of the tank. I did however realize what what happening.

When I initially cleaned the tank, I didn't let it dry enough. So when I reassembled it, there was still some water on the glass tank which compromised the seal (wasn't much). Once I cleaned out the moisture with a paper towel, no more leaking!! I'm just hoping it stays that way.

Lesson of the day: make sure the tank is 100% dry after cleaning and before reassembling.

 

[pappcam]

I always use paper towel and q-tips to clean and dry my tanks when I'm cleaning them. I also move the air control ring around and blow into the spot where the coil screws into to get any stuck water out of the air holes. I've never had a problem using this method.

 

[anthonyjl]

I have also noticed my tanks leak when they are dirty. I give them a nice soapy bath once a week. Never leaks when i keep that routine.

 

[gadgetkeith]

hi there if that works for you fine

i have 3 subtank minis and none of them leak and i recomend lube the o-rings and seals with your juice

after cleaning and before reassembly as this makes it a lot easier to take them apart for refill and future cleaning

if you try and fit the glass section over the dry o-rings it is pretty tight and i have broken one in the past when trying to remove it from dry seals

also if you have a little smear of juice around the base seal this will help reduce friction and allow you to tighten it down easier and a little more if needed

as said i have 3 and got them from different places at different times and no problems with any of them

enjoy they are great tanks with plenty of flavor and airflow

 

[SteveF90]

Mine used to leak. But in my experience, that was attributed to the tank being horizontal. If I keep it standing most of the time then it doesn't leak.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dbrandt01]

I never understood the subtank mini leaking complaints. I never had mine leaked. Whether it's over filled, standing up or laying on it's side for a couple hours. When I wash mine, I wipe it with a paper towel and blow through the top where the coil screws and let the water come out the airholes, it seems to work fine that way.

I even have a chip in the top of my subtank mini glass, I've continued to use to see if it would leak. Despite me having a spare glass, I wanted to experiment. 2 weeks now with a chipped tank at the top of it and it's still flawless and no leaking from anywhere.

 

[SteveF90]

Interestingly my tank leaked while I was using a thin e-juice. Since I switched to a thicker max VG juice it hasn't happened. Either the verticality or the juice. Or you must just be very lucky haha

 

[Kellyrob1uk]

Right guys I have 2 subtank minis and one of them leaks badly through the air holes. Today I have took both apart changed o rings on both put them both back together and the same one is leaking badly. I have the rba in both. It's doing my head in. Anyone have any idea why it's leaking. Thank you

 

[RandyF]

I never understood the subtank mini leaking complaints. I never had mine leaked. Whether it's over filled, standing up or laying on it's side for a couple hours. When I wash mine, I wipe it with a paper towel and blow through the top where the coil screws and let the water come out the airholes, it seems to work fine that way.

I even have a chip in the top of my subtank mini glass, I've continued to use to see if it would leak. Despite me having a spare glass, I wanted to experiment. 2 weeks now with a chipped tank at the top of it and it's still flawless and no leaking from anywhere.

I with you, I have a few STm's that I have been using for months and I have only had one of them leak once, and that was my fault. When I reassembled it I unknowingly kinked the bottom o-ring. I currently use the RBA in all of them, but went through a short period where I only used the OCC heads, used anywhere from 50/50 to 80vg, had them fall over and be on their side for a half hour at least, never had any leaks.....not even gurgling.

 

[EBates]

Right guys I have 2 subtank minis and one of them leaks badly through the air holes. Today I have took both apart changed o rings on both put them both back together and the same one is leaking badly. I have the rba in both. It's doing my head in. Anyone have any idea why it's leaking. Thank you

The leaky st most likely has an air leak. Try this:
Swap the base and atomizer from the good tank with the bad tank. If the good tank leaks then you've got the culprit isolated to the base seal or atomizer head.

 

[Kellyrob1uk]

The leaky st most likely has an air leak. Try this:
Swap the base and atomizer from the good tank with the bad tank. If the good tank leaks then you've got the culprit isolated to the base seal or atomizer head.

Ok thanks will swap them over

 

[gadgetkeith]

Right guys I have 2 subtank minis and one of them leaks badly through the air holes. Today I have took both apart changed o rings on both put them both back together and the same one is leaking badly. I have the rba in both. It's doing my head in. Anyone have any idea why it's leaking. Thank you

if its leaking through the air holes in the base as you say it could be either

the small o-ring on the base of the rba section / occ coil or its not tight when screwed in to the base

also there is a small o-ring in the top where the chimney pipe enters this is normaly where the coil will flood and spit juice if it has a nic or tare in it

and last but not least you may have a wicking problem and its flooding due to juice seeping past the wick either due to not enough wick or incorrectly wicked coil or rba

these are the only parts that juice can get through to enter the base section and then proceed to leak out of the AFC (air flow control)

how i fill and lubricate my subtank mini,s and not a leak from any or any of my friends tanks

when filling my tanks after a clean i always put a dab of juice on the cage seals that the glass slips over and give it a twist just to make sure it turns easy

then i screw the coil section into the base checking lower seal first the small o-ring on the bottom of coil itself or rba deck another tiny dab of juice and nip it down tight with my fingers

the i will rewick it if its one i have rebuilt or not if its a new one the next step is to prime the coil with juice and while doing this i will drip juice on to the side holes in the coil body and wait and watch it get sucked in to the middle do this both sides and then a couple of drips through the top directly onto the coil and wick to either side while doing this i always get a little juice around the top opening on the coil and this is where the chimney o-ring is so that is automaticaly lubed while priming the coil

next is time to fill the tank with it upside down on the desk with drip tip removed i will fill it right to the tip of the chimney careful not to over fill and flood juice down the chimney pipe while doing this i will put another tiny dab of juice in the top edge of the glass section this is where the glass will make a seal to the base section o-ring and doing this allows you to screw the base section on that little bit tighter if needed with less friction due to the juice and thus creating a better seal where glass meets base

once screwed back togeather i will use the paper towel it was all sitting on while rebuilding and filling and wipe any excess juice off before placing it on my mod

when screwing it down to the top of my mod i will do this by holding the top of the tank and nip it down snug and because i like to see the wick holes in my coils i will nip it a little tighter if they are hidden by the metal cage frame or even back it off slightly just to align the holes so they are easily visible maybe a little (ocd) for some but thats how i like it

when i need to refill through the day i just remove the drip tip and turn it all upside down and unsrcew tank and refill then replace no need to lube any seals now as they are already done and no need for the paper towel as its clean and easy replace drip tip and carry on vaping

simples

sorry for the long post

but i see read so many just give up to quick and just chuck them in a draw and blame it on the tank itself any tanks not just the kangers

hope this helps you or someone else out there

 

[Kellyrob1uk]

if its leaking through the air holes in the base as you say it could be either

the small o-ring on the base of the rba section / occ coil or its not tight when screwed in to the base

also there is a small o-ring in the top where the chimney pipe enters this is normaly where the coil will flood and spit juice if it has a nic or tare in it

and last but not least you may have a wicking problem and its flooding due to juice seeping past the wick either due to not enough wick or incorrectly wicked coil or rba

these are the only parts that juice can get through to enter the base section and then proceed to leak out of the AFC (air flow control)

how i fill and lubricate my subtank mini,s and not a leak from any or any of my friends tanks

when filling my tanks after a clean i always put a dab of juice on the cage seals that the glass slips over and give it a twist just to make sure it turns easy

then i screw the coil section into the base checking lower seal first the small o-ring on the bottom of coil itself or rba deck another tiny dab of juice and nip it down tight with my fingers

the i will rewick it if its one i have rebuilt or not if its a new one the next step is to prime the coil with juice and while doing this i will drip juice on to the side holes in the coil body and wait and watch it get sucked in to the middle do this both sides and then a couple of drips through the top directly onto the coil and wick to either side while doing this i always get a little juice around the top opening on the coil and this is where the chimney o-ring is so that is automaticaly lubed while priming the coil

next is time to fill the tank with it upside down on the desk with drip tip removed i will fill it right to the tip of the chimney careful not to over fill and flood juice down the chimney pipe while doing this i will put another tiny dab of juice in the top edge of the glass section this is where the glass will make a seal to the base section o-ring and doing this allows you to screw the base section on that little bit tighter if needed with less friction due to the juice and thus creating a better seal where glass meets base

once screwed back togeather i will use the paper towel it was all sitting on while rebuilding and filling and wipe any excess juice off before placing it on my mod

when screwing it down to the top of my mod i will do this by holding the top of the tank and nip it down snug and because i like to see the wick holes in my coils i will nip it a little tighter if they are hidden by the metal cage frame or even back it off slightly just to align the holes so they are easily visible maybe a little (ocd) for some but thats how i like it

when i need to refill through the day i just remove the drip tip and turn it all upside down and unsrcew tank and refill then replace no need to lube any seals now as they are already done and no need for the paper towel as its clean and easy replace drip tip and carry on vaping

simples

sorry for the long post

but i see read so many just give up to quick and just chuck them in a draw and blame it on the tank itself any tanks not just the kangers

hope this helps you or someone else out there

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Any chance you could make a video doing it! Lol

 

[Paul lamb]

The mini v2 I think they put beefier seals on, but putting the components back together is essential I.e tighten but not too tight, and some times the juice change if RBA'ing can cause leakage

I was pure VG then topped up with 50/50 and got leakage from that, so now I always change wick when changing flavour

 

[gadgetkeith]

na sorry dont do videos LOL

just take ya time and check everything

most of the time leaking issues are down to human error something little that gets overlooked

and occasionaly machining issues on clones and knockoffs etc

just get to know every o-ring and part of ya tanks and attys

look on youtube also for solutions some are good and others are crap

as ebates mentioned swap out one part at a time with the other tank to try and pin point the culprit it could be a tiny nic or slice in an o-ring that may need a magnifiying glass to see it

if you read and follow my method it is a little messy the first few times but when you get it down its quick easy and foolproof

i am a little (ocd) as far as i hate sticky juicy fingers when filling tanks etc the only time i realy get any juice on my hands now is when i do a full rebuild after a wash and clean out for flavor change etc and that is only when i lube the cage seals for the glass which cant be helped but even that is very minor now very little

as for topping up and refilling i have done it so many times now i dont need the paper towels any more its just a case of getting to know what and where to hold each part when taking the tank section off to refill no more mess

just fine tune the process and enjoy it

 

[gadgetkeith]

I was pure VG then topped up with 50/50 and got leakage from that, so now I always change wick when changing flavour

wicking perfection on any tank or atty is an art form in itself due to so many things

and comes down to lots of practice once you get it right nothing beats the quality of flavor or vape density

i have my fav ADV in one particular tank and because i know its gonna get chain vaped a lot, i tend to wick it slightly tighter than my other normal wicks, due to knowing when the coil section starts to warm up its like a little heating element in its own juice tank and will warm and naturaly thin the juice, if the wick is ever so slightly lose it will start to flood, so getting to know and fine tune your wicking to your own style of vaping is an art form in its self

when you master it you cant beat it

i change my wicks every time i swap a juice or clean a tank and deffinatly when i notice flavor start to drop off it takes seconds to do and if you dont you are missing out on so much

also changing and cleaning coils when you notice a change in vape and flavor is just as important

your wicks and coils are the heart of your vape production

 

[ThePulver]

Ran into this issue a couple times generally seems to happen when the threads of the base/the threads of the topcap have juice on them. Whenever I wipe both threads dry before reattaching them it never seems to happen

 

[David Wolf]

I never understood the subtank mini leaking complaints. I never had mine leaked. Whether it's over filled, standing up or laying on it's side for a couple hours. When I wash mine, I wipe it with a paper towel and blow through the top where the coil screws and let the water come out the airholes, it seems to work fine that way.

I even have a chip in the top of my subtank mini glass, I've continued to use to see if it would leak. Despite me having a spare glass, I wanted to experiment. 2 weeks now with a chipped tank at the top of it and it's still flawless and no leaking from anywhere.

And I never understood those who couldn't understand that some people did have leaks a lot of reasons could cause that - tolerances of manufacturer, thinner juices, defective coil seals, I can go on.

 

[David Wolf]

if its leaking through the air holes in the base as you say it could be either

the small o-ring on the base of the rba section / occ coil or its not tight when screwed in to the base

also there is a small o-ring in the top where the chimney pipe enters this is normaly where the coil will flood and spit juice if it has a nic or tare in it

and last but not least you may have a wicking problem and its flooding due to juice seeping past the wick either due to not enough wick or incorrectly wicked coil or rba

these are the only parts that juice can get through to enter the base section and then proceed to leak out of the AFC (air flow control)

how i fill and lubricate my subtank mini,s and not a leak from any or any of my friends tanks

when filling my tanks after a clean i always put a dab of juice on the cage seals that the glass slips over and give it a twist just to make sure it turns easy

then i screw the coil section into the base checking lower seal first the small o-ring on the bottom of coil itself or rba deck another tiny dab of juice and nip it down tight with my fingers

the i will rewick it if its one i have rebuilt or not if its a new one the next step is to prime the coil with juice and while doing this i will drip juice on to the side holes in the coil body and wait and watch it get sucked in to the middle do this both sides and then a couple of drips through the top directly onto the coil and wick to either side while doing this i always get a little juice around the top opening on the coil and this is where the chimney o-ring is so that is automaticaly lubed while priming the coil

next is time to fill the tank with it upside down on the desk with drip tip removed i will fill it right to the tip of the chimney careful not to over fill and flood juice down the chimney pipe while doing this i will put another tiny dab of juice in the top edge of the glass section this is where the glass will make a seal to the base section o-ring and doing this allows you to screw the base section on that little bit tighter if needed with less friction due to the juice and thus creating a better seal where glass meets base

once screwed back togeather i will use the paper towel it was all sitting on while rebuilding and filling and wipe any excess juice off before placing it on my mod

when screwing it down to the top of my mod i will do this by holding the top of the tank and nip it down snug and because i like to see the wick holes in my coils i will nip it a little tighter if they are hidden by the metal cage frame or even back it off slightly just to align the holes so they are easily visible maybe a little (ocd) for some but thats how i like it

when i need to refill through the day i just remove the drip tip and turn it all upside down and unsrcew tank and refill then replace no need to lube any seals now as they are already done and no need for the paper towel as its clean and easy replace drip tip and carry on vaping

simples

sorry for the long post

but i see read so many just give up to quick and just chuck them in a draw and blame it on the tank itself any tanks not just the kangers

hope this helps you or someone else out there

That was a really good post, good advice. I will point out that the original poster has two of them, one leaks, the other doesn't, so somethings likely wrong with the tank, not him.
Coming from a guy who has had a leak in his subtank mini, vaping thinner 70PG/30VG juice, and suspects that folks who have "never' had a leak are high VG vapers, a thinker juice, less likely to leak. Am I right or am I right.