Newbie. Some help please!

[SahilJ]

Hello everyone,

I started vaping a couple weeks back. I started off with a Vaporesso Drizzle as I am a smoker and prefer the MTL vape.

I wasn't very happy with the battery live and flavour produced with the Drizzle so I decided to upgrade. I got myself an Aspire Zelos kit with a Nautilus 2 tank. I had a read so many good things about the Nautilus that it seemed like the best bet.

From the first day itself, the Nautilus was leaking and leaking and leaking. I read as much as I could. Watched all YouTube videos as I could. But to now respite. I thought it was the stock coils. Got my hands on more coils - both 1.8 and 0.7 coils. But the leaking continued. Then I decided to change my 70/30 juice to a 50/50 juice. The leaking reduced a great deal, but the dry hits started. Frustrated, I got my self an IJOY ELF tank.

It was great for the first few hours. No leaking. Decent flavour with the 70/30 and the 50/50 juice. Then on the 2nd day, the dry hits started with the ijoy.

I am baffled. I don't know what to do. Right now my Drizzle seems like the best device ever.

I've tried everything. I've primed the coils, let me sit for 2 hours before I started vaping. I've turned the tanks upside down while closing them. Nothing seems to solve the problem.

Whenever a dry hit occurs, I open the top fill cap on both the tanks and I can see tiny bubbles rising from near the bottom on the coil. That solves the problem for 7-10 puffs,. But then it starts all over again.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Letitia]

Welcome to the community. Try not tightening the top cap. Put it on and go back a quarter turn. The Nauti 2 sounds like you have it too tight as well. Trial and error. Part of learning to vape. Hang in there.

 

[SahilJ]

Welcome to the community. Try not tightening the top cap. Put it on and go back a quarter turn. The Nauti 2 sounds like you have it too tight as well. Trial and error. Part of learning to vape. Hang in there.

Sure thing. I've had such bad experience with the N2 leaking and spit back, always thought that it'll leak more if don't keep it tight.

 

[Letitia]

I was the same way with my first tanks. Very frustrating. @stols001 has experience with Nauti 2 and is also a mtl vaper. She is better equipped to help you out here.

 

[stols001]

Check all your O-rings and seals. You may want to look at a demo/review to make sure you have everything in the right place.

With the N2, you really can't go over the fill line, or it can leak. Juice can get trapped between the tank and the metal sleeve. Close off your airholes in transit, and possibly while filling. Make sure the coil is screwed down tightly (just a little more than finger tight).

I haven't found my N2s to be huge leakers. If none of the above works, I might take it to a knowledgeable vape store to see if they can help isolate the problem. I'm going to GUESS it's an O-ring, but you may have just gotten a bad tank. If the vape shop can't fix the issue (or you have all your O-rings and everything in the right place, I might try warrantying it, just rule out user error or something simple first.

Good luck! I really think there's something weird going on with your tank. Any leaks I've had have been minor dribbles not serious leaking.

Anna

 

[Eskie]

When you prime your coil, let it sit for ~15 minutes and then take several unpowered draws. That helps draw juice into the wick. Then start low, maybe 5W then go up a 0.5-1 W until the vape seems just right to you. That will help with avoiding dry. The leaking does seem odd as those are not exactly known to leak. Do you get any spit back like from a flooded coil?

 

[SahilJ]

Check all your O-rings and seals. You may want to look at a demo/review to make sure you have everything in the right place.

With the N2, you really can't go over the fill line, or it can leak. Juice can get trapped between the tank and the metal sleeve. Close off your airholes in transit, and possibly while filling. Make sure the coil is screwed down tightly (just a little more than finger tight).

I haven't found my N2s to be huge leakers. If none of the above works, I might take it to a knowledgeable vape store to see if they can help isolate the problem. I'm going to GUESS it's an O-ring, but you may have just gotten a bad tank. If the vape shop can't fix the issue (or you have all your O-rings and everything in the right place, I might try warrantying it, just rule out user error or something simple first.

Good luck! I really think there's something weird going on with your tank. Any leaks I've had have been minor dribbles not serious leaking.

Anna

Thank you Anna!

I've done all that you have mentioned. I've reset all my o rings, even replaced some of them with the spares.

Since there aren't any vape shops I can go to here, I'm kinda at the mercy of the internet to figure out what is wrong. I have kind a come to the conclusion that this tank itself is an issue. Since I bought it online, I've tried to raise a return / replacement and decided to use the ijoy elf till the Nautilus 2 issue is solved. However the Elf just dry hits every 7-10 puffs. Maybe I'm over tighten the top cap while closing it. Will try and keep it snug and see if that helps.

 

[SahilJ]

When you prime your coil, let it sit for ~15 minutes and then take several unpowered draws. That helps draw juice into the wick. Then start low, maybe 5W then go up a 0.5-1 W until the vape seems just right to you. That will help with avoiding dry. The leaking does seem odd as those are not exactly known to leak. Do you get any spit back like from a flooded coil?

I prime it and let it sit sometime for an hour. There isn't any spit back. However then I encounter a dry hit, I just loosen the top cap a bit and see these numerous tiny bubbles escape from around the bottom of the coil. I'll try starting off at 5W and going up. Usually start out at 15W as the Elf coil says 15-25W.

 

[stols001]

I'd start below that. Recommended resistances on a coil are just that-- recommended. Particularly if you are having dry hits, I'd start at maybe 5 watts and work your way up, you may even find that you prefer the vape lower, a lot of folks do (I am usually below the coil's recommended resistance). Best of luck getting the Nautlius tank replaced (it does sound like a tank issue) and with avoiding dry hits in the meantime.

For smooth wicking, I tend to inhale a few seconds after I stop the fire button, seems to consistently wick juice up into the coil, and that has worked pretty well for me and I use max VG (sensitive to PG) in MTL tanks, so I've had to figure out ways to make that work.

Anna

 

[Eskie]

I prime it and let it sit sometime for an hour. There isn't any spit back. However then I encounter a dry hit, I just loosen the top cap a bit and see these numerous tiny bubbles escape from around the bottom of the coil. I'll try starting off at 5W and going up. Usually start out at 15W as the Elf coil says 15-25W.

Yeah, don't listen to the manufacturers when it comes to "recommended wattage". They're invariably inflated. Now you might start low and find that 15W is really best for you, but you might surprised that it vapes lower, which decreases the risk for a dry hit. As to the bubbles thing, that sounds like an air lock is occurring for some reason. It's possible if you chain vape several draws and the wick is having trouble keeping up it might contribute to an air lock as well. Remember the air has to equilibrate with the internal pressure, and if it's a really tight wick that's nt broken in, you can get enough air though the coil wick.

Start off low, try not to chain vape until the coil is all broken in and happy, and you should get this to settle down.

 

[suprtrkr]

You're getting good advice, so I'll just add try fluffing wick at the coil ports with the tip of a needle before you install the coil into the Elf. Sometimes this helps it wick better. Other than that, back off the watts a bit maybe, and let go of the button a second or two before you end your draw. Both of those can help dry hits.

Welcome to the board.

 

[SahilJ]

You're getting good advice, so I'll just add try fluffing wick at the coil ports with the tip of a needle before you install the coil into the Elf. Sometimes this helps it wick better. Other than that, back off the watts a bit maybe, and let go of the button a second or two before you end your draw. Both of those can help dry hits.

Welcome to the board.

Thank you.

Yes I read about fluffing the coil. But I was a little apprehensive about doing that as I don't have spare coils (they are in transit). Maybe will try when I have them at hand, in case I end up breaking them completely.

I've started the lower than recommended vaping now and it seems to be helping.

 

[suprtrkr]

Thank you.

Yes I read about fluffing the coil. But I was a little apprehensive about doing that as I don't have spare coils (they are in transit). Maybe will try when I have them at hand, in case I end up breaking them completely.

I've started the lower than recommended vaping now and it seems to be helping.

Well done. I'm glad something is working. Do try the fluffing trick when you have some spares.

 

[SahilJ]

Thank you everyone for all the inputs. India is currently a little messed up when it comes to Vaping. It's almost like an underground movement, thanks to the govt wanting to ban it completely. They've already banned vaping in some states. So all the knowledge and help comes from the forums as there aren't any vape shops around to seek this help.

I'll be travelling to Europe for 2 weeks. Hoping to visit some vape shops there to get some advice from people hands on.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[suprtrkr]

Thank you everyone for all the inputs. India is currently a little messed up when it comes to Vaping. It's almost like an underground movement, thanks to the govt wanting to ban it completely. They've already banned vaping in some states. So all the knowledge and help comes from the forums as there aren't any vape shops around to seek this help.

I'll be travelling to Europe for 2 weeks. Hoping to visit some vape shops there to get some advice from people hands on.

Thanks for all the help.

Sound plan. Do go and talk to them. And bring money. Just in case, y'know, you might see something you would want to buy

 

[SahilJ]

Sound plan. Do go and talk to them. And bring money. Just in case, y'know, you might see something you would want to buy

Oh absolutely, always up for getting my hands on some lovely kits and juices.

Thanks

 

[Brewdawg1181]

Hi Sahil, and welcome. Sorry you're having issues, I know that can be frustrating. I started with the Zelos/N2 myself. You don't say where the tank is leaking - is it seeping thru the air flow holes in the base? I pulled out my tank to look, and if it's kept upright, there's no real place for anything to leak, except thru the coil itself. There's the massive oring around the base, and you'd probably notice if that wasn't making good contact. But I'd still remove the glass, clean the ring & glass, lube the oring with juice, then replace. At first, I had issues with knowing how tight to screw in the coil. This may be your issue. But in my case, I didn't put it in tight enough, and it came unscrewed from the base when I removed the cap. You should screw the coil in firmly, but not overtight- it could damage the oring and cause leaks. But look at the little oring on the coil itself, to make sure it's okay. You said you replaced the coil, so that likely isn't the issue, unless it's overtight.

And it sounds like the wattage is way too high, in my opinion - I never went over 12W with a 1.8 coil. Higher wattages are going to quickly vaporize all the juice in that tiny coil, and lead to dry hits. And if you're chain vaping, that just won't work with the N2. Those small holes, with very compressed cotton in the coil just need time to recover - especially if you're not using PG dominant juice. I know when I first quit smoking, and using the N2, I really hit it way too hard & fast without giving it time to resoak the coil at times, when the cravings really hit. I found that using very low wattage, and "pacing" my draw to get a full hit actually improved the flavor and throat hit.

The N2 will definitely gurgle, even if you do everything right, including shutting the airflow when refilling. But it's an easy fix, either by twisting a paper towel and pushing it all the way down into the coil thru the mouthpiece, or just shaking it aimed downward. Even if you just ignore it, it'll quit in a couple of hits. I always kept the airflow shut when I let it sit, to minimize the gurgling.

Anyway, some of the best advice I've seen for tank issues is to take everything apart, clean well, lube well, and reassemble very carefully. It seems to fix many issues. And if, like me, you want a more "powerful" vape, you might consider going to rebuildables - you save a ton of money (about $10 will get you enough wire/cotton to last a couple of years), and can hit most of those as hard as you like, even with max VG. Good luck!

 

[Eskie]

Thank you everyone for all the inputs. India is currently a little messed up when it comes to Vaping. It's almost like an underground movement, thanks to the govt wanting to ban it completely. They've already banned vaping in some states. So all the knowledge and help comes from the forums as there aren't any vape shops around to seek this help.

I'll be travelling to Europe for 2 weeks. Hoping to visit some vape shops there to get some advice from people hands on.

Thanks for all the help.

Enjoy your trip! And by all means get into some shops and hopefully good advice from folks in person. I'm sure you'll bring home a nice collection of "souvenirs" from the vape shops you stop at.

Given how strict regulation is in India, an you bring stuff back in with you through customs for personal use?

 

[SahilJ]

Hi Sahil, and welcome. Sorry you're having issues, I know that can be frustrating. I started with the Zelos/N2 myself. You don't say where the tank is leaking - is it seeping thru the air flow holes in the base? I pulled out my tank to look, and if it's kept upright, there's no real place for anything to leak, except thru the coil itself. There's the massive oring around the base, and you'd probably notice if that wasn't making good contact. But I'd still remove the glass, clean the ring & glass, lube the oring with juice, then replace. At first, I had issues with knowing how tight to screw in the coil. This may be your issue. But in my case, I didn't put it in tight enough, and it came unscrewed from the base when I removed the cap. You should screw the coil in firmly, but not overtight- it could damage the oring and cause leaks. But look at the little oring on the coil itself, to make sure it's okay. You said you replaced the coil, so that likely isn't the issue, unless it's overtight.

And it sounds like the wattage is way too high, in my opinion - I never went over 12W with a 1.8 coil. Higher wattages are going to quickly vaporize all the juice in that tiny coil, and lead to dry hits. And if you're chain vaping, that just won't work with the N2. Those small holes, with very compressed cotton in the coil just need time to recover - especially if you're not using PG dominant juice. I know when I first quit smoking, and using the N2, I really hit it way too hard & fast without giving it time to resoak the coil at times, when the cravings really hit. I found that using very low wattage, and "pacing" my draw to get a full hit actually improved the flavor and throat hit.

The N2 will definitely gurgle, even if you do everything right, including shutting the airflow when refilling. But it's an easy fix, either by twisting a paper towel and pushing it all the way down into the coil thru the mouthpiece, or just shaking it aimed downward. Even if you just ignore it, it'll quit in a couple of hits. I always kept the airflow shut when I let it sit, to minimize the gurgling.

Anyway, some of the best advice I've seen for tank issues is to take everything apart, clean well, lube well, and reassemble very carefully. It seems to fix many issues. And if, like me, you want a more "powerful" vape, you might consider going to rebuildables - you save a ton of money (about $10 will get you enough wire/cotton to last a couple of years), and can hit most of those as hard as you like, even with max VG. Good luck!

Hello @Brewdawg1181, thank you for the welcome and the ton of info. Really appreciate it.

I've taken the tank apart on more than one occasion. I've checked all o rings and placed then back carefully. The tank usually leaks from the air holes. If not that then there is juice on the outside of the glass.

I've reduced the wattage at which I vape, that has somewhat taken care of the dry hits for now. I usually vape with a 70/30 juice with low nic. I don't care about the throat hit too much because it's not about the craving for nic, it's about that oral fixation of reaching out for a cigarette when I'm bored.

I used one of the elf coils on the Nautilus 2 and that seemed to have reduced the leaking by a bit. I am assuming that the Nautilus coils I have are a problem. I'll replace the o ring at the coil base and try them.

I've been reading up on the rebuildables, but since I don't have anyone to discuss this in person with, I am apprehensive. I've tried looking up videos and stuff but haven't got an answer to what kind of coils to get and which tank will work best.

If you have suggestions on a tank and ready made coils, please share them so I'll order those and give that a shot too.

Thanks again. Cheers.

 

[SahilJ]

Enjoy your trip! And by all means get into some shops and hopefully good advice from folks in person. I'm sure you'll bring home a nice collection of "souvenirs" from the vape shops you stop at.

Given how strict regulation is in India, an you bring stuff back in with you through customs for personal use?

Usually carrying them in person hasnt been a problem. I've checked with people from local Facebook vaping groups. Importing becomes an issue. I'm hoping I can get my hands on some stuff, especially some nice juices.