Prime you're Carto's!

[jwag1973]

Hello all, this post is primarily for those new to Cartomizer's. I've recently switched over to Cartotanks and wanted to share what I believe is the most common mistake made by those new to carto's. Make sure to completely prime the carto before attempting to use it. Last week I replaced a couple carto's and didn't prime them fully. What I got was dry-burnt hits! I also noticed they didn't wick properly, and failure was inevitable. I was comfortable using them and in a hurry, failed to completely fill them. When the liquid comes out of the feed holes on the side, IMO its still not full. Give the liquid time to soak all the way to the bottom. I hope this helps.

 

[Baditude]

I've always maintained that the most important step in setting up a cartotank is the proper filling of the cartomizer, before putting it into the tank. How well you do this will determine how well that carto will perform for the rest of its life in the tank. Take your time and do it right. Your time and patience will be rewarded.

I really believe that most people new to cartotanks fail to do this correctly and do not use enough e-liquid. Using only 15 - 20 drops in a standard carto may very well not be enough. Only 20 -25 may not be enough for an XL carto. I actually do not count drops myself. How compact/dense the filler material is may affect the carto's liquid capacity. Different types of juice droppers may create different size drops to throw off the quantity of juice actually delivered.

I judge how much juice is enough by observation of the appearance of the filler in the carto. I add juice to saturate the carto. Then I flick the carto hard like a thermometer. Then I add some more liquid to saturate the filler. Flick it again. This two-step method is repeated until the filler will accept no more e-liquid. The filler will have the appearance of a slushy drink -- completely saturated yet with no pooling of juice on top of the filler. CARTOTANK SETUP GUIDE

There are many proven methods to fill a carto. One is not necessarily better than another. The best method is the one that works best for you. Condom method, drip & flick, injecting the filler with a long needled syringe, or fiddling with your thingy will all work if you learn to master it. There may be some trial & error involved. It's not uncommon to waste a few of your first cartos in a cartotank before you learn the artform.

 

[jwag1973]

Baditude said it the way I meant to, lol. I believe most of us that have carto trouble is self created. I know you can get a bad one, but not priming one completely can guarantee poor to no performance everytime.

 

[spaceballsrules]

When I fill a new carto, I always start by putting 3 drops into the battery end, so that I know there is juice in the wick. This also helps attract more juice as it works its way down the filler.

 

[EL Pistoffo]

Anyone know where to get Smok single coil SR cartos at a good price?

 

[mobocracy]

I find a syringe with a long needle is the fastest way -- the added pressure really seems to force the juice into the filler, avoiding the runoff I get with dripping. It's the method I use for Smoktech cartos that don't come with caps. Plus the needle is great for filling tanks where you don't have a lot of gap between the top of the carto and the tank opening, and you can prime AFTER you fill the tank which is a little less messy than filling before, especially if you punch big holes for dark, thick juices.

Condom/push filling works pretty well if the cartos have good fitting silicone caps. I still use the caps when filling 808s.

Drip filling seems to work for some people, but I think you need a lot of patience. It seems like if you go to fast, the top and outside of the filler gets saturated and additional juice just runs around the saturated filler and out the bottom. If you're willing to spend the time dripping, waiting for absorption, etc then I think it would work. I'm too impatient.

 

[Baditude]

Anyone know where to get Smok single coil SR cartos at a good price?

I generally buy from Smoktek (not Smoktech). Prices are reasonable, they usually have a wide selection of resistance and hole options.

Vendor List for Pre-Punched Cartos