Life after the Refill?

[MsWit]

Greetings! I have been vaping for about 6 weeks, and overall, am pleased with the experience. Being new, my brain is flooded with a lot of information. Here is where I would like some guided assistance:

Decided to try to refill my cartomizers. Great. I have removed the top and refilled with a syringe. I have also tried, what I call, the soaker method - sorry, can't remember the technical term/acronym.

I usually do 10 - 12 at a time, and put the covers back on. Store in a cool, dry place until I'm ready to grab one to use. Seems one out of 3 is bad.

All instruction is great for the refill process, I just need to know what to do after. Should I NOT leave them sit so long? I know many refill and use them immediately. Some say let them steep. Okay, how long? I hate wasting the juice, of course, but I realize I'm in learning mode.

Your suggestions are appreciate. Thanks!

 

[malyden]

When you say bad - what do you mean exactly? If they're not vaping properly you either over filled or under filled. If you use the condom/spin method you shouldn't have to let them sit so long
As for my self when I use a cartomizer I just put a drip tip on and drip as I go although I usually don't do cartomizers much. Hope this helps.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

It's fine to fill or refill mulitple cartos and let them sit. Lots of us do it that way, so that's not the problem. When you say they're bad, do they have a burnt smell or taste? Are they not producing vapor? If they have a burnt smell or taste then the filler is probably burnt and they should be tossed. If they aren't producing vapor, then they might be overfilled. Try blowing a little bit of the juice out of the threaded end into a paper towel and see if that fixes it.

I don't use a syringe or the condom method for filling my cartos. I just hold the carto at a slight angle (think filling a mug of beer or soda) and drip juice on to the filler while slowly rotating the carto. I'll put 20-25 drops into a new standard sized carto. Which kind of cartos are you using?

Steeping applies to the juice itself and not the carto. Some juices will taste better if you let them sit for a few days so the flavors can develop.

 

[Stownz]

Blow through them when your done. Only time I fill them with a condom is when they are brand new, otherwise I just drip down the side.

 

[haft2doit]

The standard cartomizers will lose performance with each fill. I never got them to last more than a few days before they would taste bad and not produce much vapor. There are other options on the market like ce2's that last much longer and perform much better for me. There aren't any real tips I can give you for regular cartomizers. They are what they are as far as I'm concerned. I recommend finishing off what you have and try some ce2's. Some on the forum like filler cartomizers. I'm not one of them.

 

[MsWit]

Thanks All! Sorry; I knew I wouldn't mention something important; Bad = no vapor. Needless to say, since I am in learning mode I am fairly consistent with the process. I used the same amount when refilling, although I'm sure between the two methods, there were some differences.

The cartos, I believe, are for KR808s. (Now, this is were my inexperience shows; I don't know for sure what kind of cartos, so I do not know what ce2's are.) I realize they are not designed to be refilled forever, but I was hoping for at least two or three refills. (Funny, when I started this new adventure it wasn't about saving money! Ha!)

I'm hoping to try the beer pour method, but I knew I needed general practice before trying to refill freehand. lol

I will try to blow them out next time. If that is a fix, then problem solved.

Otherwise, I will just buy filled cartos. I thought it would be fun to try some different flavors that just aren't available from EVERY vendor. And quite honestly, I want a back-up for the next time we get 12 inches of snow and the mailman doesn't show up with my stuff!!!

 

[nerak]

I have the cartos for the KR808 and fill myself. I have tried the syringe and straight drip from the bottle. It does take some time to fill either way. Always blow out any juice from the hole in the battery end. Make sure there is no juice on it before connecting to the battery.
When you get no vapor do you notice any noise like gurgling or popping? Is the carto heating up while you are trying to vape after filling and you don't get vapor?

 

[NoRain]

I too have suffered from this. The condom refill trick works ok on kr808 cartomizers, but it is lacking. I've fallen in love with clearomizers. A see thru cartomizer so you can see when its low and refill via syringe. It works great, but it isn't without its flaws. They are made of plastic on the outside and are fairly easy to break. Once you get the hang of it thou, you won't want to use anything with a filling material again. I was doing what you were doing buying filled cartos refilling once or twice and it was costing too much money. Now that I found clearomizers I'm pretty much using a pack of those a month and 30-50ml a juice a month. Bringing costs way down. 10 bucks for cartos + 15 ish on juice a month is win.

 

[MsWit]

I have the cartos for the KR808 and fill myself. I have tried the syringe and straight drip from the bottle. It does take some time to fill either way. Always blow out any juice from the hole in the battery end. Make sure there is no juice on it before connecting to the battery.
When you get no vapor do you notice any noise like gurgling or popping? Is the carto heating up while you are trying to vape after filling and you don't get vapor?

Hi nerak! No, I don't usually hear anything. I'm not sure that I would know if the carto is heating up or not! How sad is that? Perhaps I have gotten juice where it doesn't belong, although I've been "told" by Dr. Vapor that it should not be a problem. I will keep trying! Thanks for your input.

 

[LadyWeeps]

I bought some unfilled 808 cartos, the premium ones. So far, after filling, I haven't been impressed with their vapor production. At least compared to the 510 cartos and ego tanks.

Do you use a manual battery? If so, put your "dead" carto on and hold it up to your ear. You will hear it sizzling if it's still good.

 

[MsWit]

Hmmm...interesting. I will have to check them out. I haven't been all that satisfied with the refilled cartos anyway. They just don't seem to have the umphf to them, if you know what I mean. Thanks for the info, NoRain!

 

[MsWit]

I bought some unfilled 808 cartos, the premium ones. So far, after filling, I haven't been impressed with their vapor production. At least compared to the 510 cartos and ego tanks.

Do you use a manual battery? If so, put your "dead" carto on and hold it up to your ear. You will hear it sizzling if it's still good.

No, I don't use a manual battery. I'm with you on the vapor production. Still trying to find the one that's perfect. Half the fun of the adventure, I guess. Can get a little pricey, though! The forum helps a lot. Thanks!

 

[melder215]

dont ever let a carto run dry. allways refill them before they start to dry up. take apart one of your broken cartos. you will see blacked cloth, right near the coil. the liquid keep the cloth from being able to heat up enough to burn the plastic. but if there is no liquid touching the coil than the plastic will burn. also crust on the wire. then the wire breaks.
refill often. switch cartos or have a work cig, car cig, home cig. that way they have time for the juice to work its way closer to coil. get one apart, and youll see.
i cant get a metal carto apart without ruining it. i also cant get an atomizer aprt without ruining it.