Little niggling tank questions

[Beowulf]

SO I have a Bolt and a Smoketech DCT setup. This is the third or fourth day using the DCT on my first carto.

One: How do I maintain the carto in the tank? I have heard of "dry-hitting" the carto once in a while. So this is taking a puff or two on it without power, this rewets the carto "fluff"? I have also heard (I think) of dripping additional juice into the carto-fluff. I am guessing this does the same thing, yes? I am occasionally getting the beginnings of the "dry" taste I got from my 510's cartridges, though with the 510 carts it quickly turned into a nasty taste that made me toss the cart. With the 510 I was refilling the cart in a futile attempt at keeping away the nasty "home insulation" taste. I could only refill twice on a 510 cart before tossing it.

Two: Are there glass tanks available that will fit any existing non-glass tank setups? As in, could I buy a replacement glass tank (just the walled bit, keeping the stock end caps)? Seems to me that if I had a glass tank I could vape fruit and mint juices without etching/cracking my mystery-plastic tank. Then I could descend screaming into the world of Self Carto Slotting and therefore create many more questioning posts on the ECF.

Three: What are the perfect symptoms of having an old carto, ready to replace? I know people complain about having difficulty drawing through it, but is that the primary point of interest? Might the fluff darken? Bad taste?

Thank you for your replies!

 

[Kay1959]

1) Yes, 'dry hitting' is taking a puff without any heat. Doing this is only necessary if you need to prime the tank. Adding more drops to the carto is also an option when having issues with first getting it primed. After it's primed you shouldn't have to do this any more, atleast I never have, but I guess it's possible. You'll know for sure that it's primed correctly, if after you first take a draw, little bubbles come out of the hole in the carto.

2) I have not seen anywhere yet, that sells just the glass walled tubing part. All the glass tanks I'm familiar with come with the end caps also. Maybe someone else will come on here and know of a place. I know Phiniac sells just the end caps, but they don't sell just the glass tubing.
But yes, I use glass tanks, and I really love them! I think it not only helps with the chemical reaction of juice with plastic causing cracking, but also the general chemical reaction between juice and plastic, causing my juice to have an 'off' flavor.
Phiniac Rugged Pyrex Glass Tanks

And before you go off kicking and screaming into the carto slotting world, you might be interested in the carto punch Phiniac has. It's reasonably priced, and it works alot easier than slotting your own with a dremel. Less of a learning curve= fewer questions, not that they aren't welcome, you can just ask different questions now!

3) The 'perfect' symptom? Well, everything you listed is a possibility. I'd have to say that muted flavor should be at the top of the list. When you start tasting a really muted flavor, you need to start thinking about changing to a new carto.

 

[AuBadge]

I wouldn't be too concerned about buying a Phiniac (or any tank) which comes without caps; the day may come when you'll need a spare cap.

Case in point: A few weeks ago, I was popping the cap off the end of a tank, it slipped from my hands and apparently, at that exact moment, a spontaneous Black Hole opened in my house. I haven't seen that cap since. I'm glad I had spares.

 

[Huffelpuff]

Big Daddy 5ml Tanks & Tubes : Big Daddy Vapor

The Big Daddy and Lil Mamma tank tubes are sold separately in stainless steel but I don't know if these will fit your existing caps.

Re: Carto life - some cartos IMHO are better than others and some juices work better with cartos than others. Juices that are high in VG are thicker and tend to kill off your cartos more quickly. For cartos or attys, when the flavor is lost, draw changes or it becomes difficult to draw I discard them. There are also a lot of ways that you can clean them (boiling, ultrasonic cleaners, compressed air) that you may want to try. Utube has a lot of information on methods for cleaning cartos.

 

[bluemantid]

Case in point: A few weeks ago, I was popping the cap off the end of a tank, it slipped from my hands and apparently, at that exact moment, a spontaneous Black Hole opened in my house. I haven't seen that cap since. I'm glad I had spares.

I am so glad i am not the only one.... lost a complete clearamizer... have no idea where it went - rolled off my endtable and into that abyss that such things dissapear to... wonder if that is where all my missing socks are too... hmmmmmm

 

[yankeebobo]

Priming works with both options. I'll usually just add a couple drops to the carto rather than dry puff. But generally once it goes it goes well.

Glass tanks....it's been mentioned here. Phiniac tanks indeed. Nice styles and if you want plain, they have it. Spare end caps, yup keep a part supplies box.

And also as mentioned, I slotted a few. Using their carto punch is really easy. Much easier and works quickly. I'd actually carry a punch with spare cartos rather than pre slot a few.

Taste is subjective. My wife will know her carto is ready before I will. BUT cartos will also last longer in a tank because it's always wet.