Newbie question about DCT Carto

[pir123]

Hi All,

I've got this DCT carto:

Dual Coil 510 Tank Cartomizer 3.5ml - White Stag Vapor

and I've been liking it quite a lot, but noticing (on my second fill) that the juice has gone from a light amber color to a much darker, almost dark brown... is this normal? It still tastes good. Is it time to clean or replace the carto after only two fills?

Thanks!

 

[The Hill Giant]

What flavor is the juice?

 

[pir123]

It's "organic tobacco" from vaperite. It's a 50/50 mix of "naturally extracted" tobacco.

 

[The Hill Giant]

Hmm. Might be the acidity of the juice causing the tank plastic to melt a bit and discolor the juice. I don't know how acidic natural extracts are, though.

You might want to see if the same thing happens in a polypropylene tank, which is much more durable.

 

[pir123]

Ah, that makes sense actually, since I noticed the darkest liquid forming at the bottom, right next to the black plastic. Hmm. So I guess I'm vaping some of the black coloring from the plastic... that's kind of nasty. Though it doesn't taste bad, so maybe it's not as nasty as it sounds... I guess I'll try a different tank system for my next buy. Thanks for the advice.

 

[The Hill Giant]

Also, hello neighbor. I'm in RI

 

[pir123]

Hey! Yeah, us New-Englanders gotta stick together

 

[Baditude]

Hmm. Might be the acidity of the juice causing the tank plastic to melt a bit and discolor the juice. I don't know how acidic natural extracts are, though.

You might want to see if the same thing happens in a polypropylene tank, which is much more durable.

This could be the problem. I decided some time back to stop using almost everything made with polycarbonate plastic (clear) and e-juice. Issues of cracked/melted clearos, reports of possible chemicals leaching from the plastic into the juice, etc. I've gone polypropylene in all of my DCT tanks. Not only are they safer with all e-juices, but it is a stronger material mechanically, also. It's only downside is it is not totally clear like polycarbonate, but opaque or frosted. You can still easily see your juice levels, tho.

Another thing that the OP might be observing is that many, if not most, e-juices tend to darken naturally over time. Part of this is the natural steeping (maturing, settling) of certain flavoring agents. Also, it is Steeljan's theory that some of the larger/heavier particles in e-juices don't get vaped in a cartomizer or cartomizer/tank setup, so over time this stuff accumulates to darken the juice.

Many of the distributors have been converting their tank systems from polycarbonate to polypropylene. If not mentioned specifically in their product discriptions, you can usually tell from the photos. Polycarbonate is clear like glass; polypropylene has a frosted appearance. If you already own a polycarbonate tank and want to make the switch to polypropylene, many of the distributors sell just the replacement polypropylene tube in their accessory area.

 

[79Silo]

i got the same question from my colleague today. I notice only hangsen liquid is the fasters to be dark brown in color. It's a reaction from the liquid to the heat and sun. Like Baditude mention about the poly, that is also one of the cause. But still you can vape it, no issue on that.

 

[pir123]

I can pretty confidently say now that, at least with the juice I'm using, that it's NOT the plastic dissolving and discoloring the juice, it's the juice itself darkening inside the carto and back-flowing out into the tank.

I pulled the carto out, cleaned the tank, refilled it, and have kept a careful watch, and I can pretty definitely tell now that the darker juice is coming out from the punched hole. So it's likely the heat from the coils that's blackening the juice, and not the plastic parts in the tank, which is a relief. I've noticed dark juice in all other clearos and cartos I've used, though it's usually "out of sight and out of mind" -- it's just that much more dramatic in the clear poly tank, especially since the dark juice was stratified on the bottom of the tank.

Just to clarify, I've got a polycarbonate DCT carto -- it was the black plastic end caps that I was suspicious of. I have a polypropylene clearo as well (wick type) and I notice the juice darkening there too, but more gradually, and it's not stratified like in the DCT carto, so it's less dramatic.

I'm still liking the DCT carto a lot, though I just tried a 2.5 ohm carto in it and had to go back to the 1.6 it came with, since on my leo battery, the 2.5 ohm device hardly produces any vapor or flavor, and gets frightfully hot. I'm guessing the battery doesn't supply enough power to drive it properly, though I'd bet it would be fine on a VV battery. I suppose it's possible that it's bum carto, but I'll be sticking with the LR devices with this tank on the leo batteries.

I think my next buy will be a vivi nova. I see a lot of buzz about it, and I like the idea of a rebuildable system.