Ok so i've been using the kanger sub tank mini for almost a week and have had good and bad times with the vapor i've been getting. Let me start from when i first picked it up to now so you can get an idea of what my problem is. So i started using the occ coil heads it came with. I was overall enjoying it but the hits were really harsh. Not burnt, just that harsh scratchy feeling in the back of the throat when inhaling. This usually went away after 10 hits into a vape session. So i eventually put in the rba to try it out. Now it had a pre built, 0.6 ohm coil already installed so i just put in the cotton and screwed it in. I was VERY impressed by the flavor as i had never used an rba before, it was like a whole 'nother vaping experience. I did still have some harsh hit issues although not as bad as the occ coil heads. So after a day or two i decided to build my own coil using 30 gauge kanthal. I was ultimately successful after some trial and error, however the flavor was just not there like before. So i dumped it and put in the other pre built 26 gauge coil it came with. This time it was absolutely perfect. No harshness, huge clouds, best flavor yet. But after a couple hours it went back to ok flavor, not bad just ok. Also the vapor production was diminishing. So i went back and built another coil and ever since then i cant replicate that perfection. I keep getting a combination of either low vapor production, not so great flavor, and harsh hits. Sometimes one issue, sometimes all at once. I cant figure what the hell i'm doing wrong. I've tried making sure the coil is perfectly over the airflow hole, using different lengths/thickness of cotton but cant seem to get it right. I should note that i am using an 80 vg juice and have heard that in this sort of rta, this could be a wicking issue (although when i open it up after vaping the cotton seems to be soaked in juice so idk).
noobie coil builder having trouble getting it just right
- Thread starter adgalati
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If you go from 26 gauge to 30 gauge you are reducing the surface area of the coil quite a bit which tends to = less vapor/possibly less flavor (unless the power output to the coil is adjusted with it) It will also raise the resistance of the coil. I'm just gonna throw out a coil scenario, lets say you have one 26 gauge coil (7 wraps) and one 30 gauge coil (7 wraps) The 26 gauge coil will have significantly lower resistance at the same time requiring more more power to run it and have a greater surface area. The 30 gauge coil will have significantly higher resistance, requiring less power to run it but less surface area as well. A very nice person on this forum directed me to this coil calculator (link below) that helped me get a better understanding of coil building/heat efficiency. I would adjust the voltage/wattage output of your device to the suggested values in the calculator then go up or down from there. Also, search you-tube for coil building, the vids will help alot more than a written explanation.
Scratchy hits = I would go down in power a bit incrementally (making sure the wick is properly juiced)
Same if you get weak vapor production (try going up incrementally)
It's probably not a wicking issue unless you are using too much or too little cotton (should be snug in the coil as the cotton will expand when it absorbs the juice)
Steam Engine | free vaping calculators
Scratchy hits = I would go down in power a bit incrementally (making sure the wick is properly juiced)
Same if you get weak vapor production (try going up incrementally)
It's probably not a wicking issue unless you are using too much or too little cotton (should be snug in the coil as the cotton will expand when it absorbs the juice)
Steam Engine | free vaping calculators
an example>> if you are used to vaping 18mg nic in a ce4 type tank and then started vaping it in a differant tank/rda etc that has more airflow you will likely get scratchy/sore throat becouse you are able to draw more vapour as a result of the extra airflow you now have.
some reasons for lower flavour than normal:
having the sore/scratchy throat
wick to tight
coil not close enough to airhole
not enough airflow getting all the way around the coil
loss of power which could be a loose coil or and rda(or tank)
some reasons for lower flavour than normal:
having the sore/scratchy throat
wick to tight
coil not close enough to airhole
not enough airflow getting all the way around the coil
loss of power which could be a loose coil or and rda(or tank)
thanks for all your input. I have definitely been playing around with the wattage on my eleaf but to no avail. I'm also soon getting a lower nicotine and higher pg juice so hopefully that will help. I do know all about ohm's law and stuff as I am actually a physics student. Based on my knowledge, i thought lower resistance means less power to fire it. I mean there's less resistance for the current to flow, so if it's flowing easier less power should needed. Also higher wattage setting on a sub ohm coil needs less voltage then the same wattage on a say, 1.6 ohm coil, which means the battery is doing less work for a sub ohm coil. That's besides the point though as I don't think it's a power setting problem. I'm going to keep playing around with it but i'm really tempted to get an rda since they apparently have the best flavor. Also another thing to add is that on both different gauge coil builds, i've been having the exact same problem, although the lower resistance builds were the ones that initially gave the best performance, yet still soon degraded
If anyone is interested i pretty much got it down now. it seemed to have been an issue with the cotton. after re wicking coils various times i have found that to eliminate the harshness and produce smooth good vapor and flavor, its all about how that cotton sits in the coil (assuming the coil is good in the first place). i noticed how important things like the amount of cotton (length and thickness) and how tight it sits in the coil are extremely important in producing that smooth, thick, tasty vapor. hopefully this helps any other new coil builders out there with the same problem!
Whay are people always trying to fix what isn't broke?
Why are you rebuilding coils every time vapor deminishes??? IMO you have been fixing the wrong problem... Sounds to me like you juice is fouling the coils and the wicking. Sure getting the wicks right is a must.. But you describe ahaving a good vape going then it tapered off, this is NORMAL.. your solution tear out the coil and replace it .. Instead of clean the coil and change the wick, so you can get that good vape again. Nope you start over and wonder why you can't get that good vape you had before.
I think your main issue is that your juice is gunking up your coils and this may require more frequent rewicking. maybe even multiple time a day. But the coil if providing a good vape, when clean and well wicked, can last MONTHS.
Why are you rebuilding coils every time vapor deminishes??? IMO you have been fixing the wrong problem... Sounds to me like you juice is fouling the coils and the wicking. Sure getting the wicks right is a must.. But you describe ahaving a good vape going then it tapered off, this is NORMAL.. your solution tear out the coil and replace it .. Instead of clean the coil and change the wick, so you can get that good vape again. Nope you start over and wonder why you can't get that good vape you had before.
I think your main issue is that your juice is gunking up your coils and this may require more frequent rewicking. maybe even multiple time a day. But the coil if providing a good vape, when clean and well wicked, can last MONTHS.
Fwiw... The battery works harder to feed most sub ohm coils that it does to feed most high ohm coils. Yes the sub ohm coil will have a higher watts at a lower volts but at a much higher amp rate than a higher ohm coil. The higher the amp draw the lower the battery life. battery life being measured in Amp hours and such.
yes you're right. I was just thinking in terms of energy and didn't consider the actual current. However that person that i was replying to about that said it took more power to run a low ohm coil which isn't necessarily true. Power is just the rate at which work is done, which means the battery gives off the same power for different resistance coils but with different voltage levels (potenial). What I didnt consider was the amount of current flowing because of that low resistance. So all in all, the battery loses its charge faster, it doesn't necessarily need more power to run a low resistant coil. Just a confusion of electrical terms.
Also, yeah i realize that the coil wasnt always the problem. That's why in my last post, i said it was all about the wicking for me. I don't replace coils often now unless i'm trying a new build.
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