NooB Question..

[bmw0825]

i am only a few days vapin and i am wondering how you can tell if a carto has gone bad? i am switching between them because i am trying different juices, and i am adding a few drops every 20 hits or so.? what if any are the signs of my carto being bad?

I know its probably one of those things that i will figure out once it happens.. but any help would be great.


thaks,
bobby

 

[Alex74]

They change the flavor (more burnt) and the vapor production are losing density

 

[MajorRocker]

What Alex said. Also they may "pop" and then nothing else happens. I accidentally took a toot on a dry carto. That killed it instantly and had to go in the trash.

 

[hairball]

It gets hard to draw through is a good indication that it's getting clogged and going bad.

 

[Renzuli]

Welcome bmw , just as the others said . They either lose vapor and taste , or get a hard draw , but you can try cleaning them . There are several videos on this subject . You may also want to pick up a few Atomizers , for testing juices , rather than committing a carto to a juice your not sure of . JMO .

 

[bmw0825]

thanks for the advise..

 

[HeadLikeOrange]

It's really 2 questions. It needs to be topped off/refilled with juice when you notice the taste of the juice is gone and replaced with a burnt cotton taste (almost like burning the filter on a 'log). Best to top off before it gets to this point, if possible. I just top off after 3 or 4 sessions (I vape like I smoked, 3-4 minutes straight once an hour).

It's time to toss it when it gets too hard to draw through, and it starts negatively affecting your enjoyment. I've never yet had a cartomizer actually die on me. I just toss them when they get too hard to pull through. At $1.25 per, I don't bother trying to wash them.

 

[dormouse]

I never run a carto down to dry because it will singe and get bitter taste. I also don't use thick juices or juices that drop flavoring sediment - I stick to fairly thin clear 80PG/20VG or less VG juices. On stuffing cartos I use a drip tip instead of the end cap so I can look in and see if the stuffing has gone white in which case it could use some juice - I check before putting a fresh battery on, before leaving the house, and any time I think I've vaped a lot without adding juice. In addition, if any of these happen I see if it can take some juice - vapor or flavor get light or wrong, any hint of bitterness, if the carto is getting unusually warm.

I can get 7 days use out of a KR808D-1 carto as about 2ml per day, and 10+ days out of a Boge 510 carto at about 2ml per day.

And I have never had a carto "pop" (something atomizers may do). A cartomizers performance, flavor, vapor degrades until you want a new one.

 

[chevelle]

Never had a carto go completely dead either. Attys, yes. On cartos, draw become tight, flavor or vapor production goes bad or gets a somewhat burned taste. I have cleaned and degunked many of them and can typically get several weeks use out of a Boge standard resistance 510. LR cartos tend to burn more easily if I don't pay attention and keep them wet or take too long a draw. They typically don't last as long for me. Once a carto is burned to the point you taste it all the time, its best to just throw it away. You'll never get that taste out completely no matter how well you clean them.

Having said that, I have to admit that I'm tossing cartos more quickly now as my vaping costs have dropped dramatically. They are almost the only thing I regularly need to buy anymore.