Problem with the 808 carts I cleaned

[757girl]

I used a turkey baster to clean them and I let them dry in front of a fan for 2 days. I would think with 2 days in front of a fan the insides would be completely dry. I filled up 3 with juice and they warm up and suction is great, but no vapor what so ever. Is there a possibility that they are not dry inside all the way? Should I have put them in the oven? Also, all 3 of the carts did the same thing and I cleaned 15 of them I want to salvage them if possible. Help please

Also, I am using the same juice in those cartos as I used in my 808 passthru and my 510 and the vapor is great, so I know it's those carts.

 

[LesStrater]

Try blowing really hard through them and see if any water comes out the battery end. This will let you know if they are full dry inside.
You can also try this with the three you filled. If there is water inside them, blowing on them will cause the juice you put in to displace the water. Keep blowing until nothing comes out the battery end, then add a little more juice and try them again.

 

[deback]

Did you flush out (with the turkey baster) and blow out the excess water when you cleaned them? If so, it takes 3 to 4 days for the filler inside to dry completely (when the filler is only damp to begin with. If it's soggy wet, it will take longer than 4 days). I did an experiment with a defective carto, took out the filler, wet it real good, squeezed it a little, put it back into the carto, and set it in front of a fan. After two days, it was still damp.

It sounds like the fillers are still wet, and I'm sure they are if you only dried them for 2 days. You could try LesStrater's advice (although some water will remain in the fillers), but if that doesn't work, you could try my method, which does work, as long as you leave them in front of a fan for at least 3 1/2 days. The key is to flush out the excess juice and water using a syringe and rubber cone, then blow out the excess water, and allow to dry for over 3 days.

I have a blog that describes how I clean and flush out cartos. The link is over at the left under my avatar.

 

[deback]

I used a turkey baster to clean them and I let them dry in front of a fan for 2 days. I would think with 2 days in front of a fan the insides would be completely dry. I filled up 3 with juice and they warm up and suction is great, but no vapor what so ever. Is there a possibility that they are not dry inside all the way? Should I have put them in the oven? Also, all 3 of the carts did the same thing and I cleaned 15 of them I want to salvage them if possible. Help please

Also, I am using the same juice in those cartos as I used in my 808 passthru and my 510 and the vapor is great, so I know it's those carts.

No, I wouldn't put them in the oven, although some people do (usually newbies). I wouldn't. Drying them as quickly as possible using a natural method, like a fan, makes more sense to me -- without subjecting the cartos to the heat of an oven. Also, don't ever boil cartos, because the hot boiling water will shrink the fillers and degrade the future performance.

 

[irwink]

I used a turkey baster to clean them and I let them dry in front of a fan for 2 days. I would think with 2 days in front of a fan the insides would be completely dry. I filled up 3 with juice and they warm up and suction is great, but no vapor what so ever. Is there a possibility that they are not dry inside all the way? Should I have put them in the oven? Also, all 3 of the carts did the same thing and I cleaned 15 of them I want to salvage them if possible. Help please

Also, I am using the same juice in those cartos as I used in my 808 passthru and my 510 and the vapor is great, so I know it's those carts.

Hey neighbor!

I used to use the same turkey baster method when cleaning filler cartos. I dried them in the oven. I suspect that putting them in front of fan hasn't dried them completely. Twist up a bit of facial tissue, force it against the filler and observe whether or not it absorbs any moisture. Then you'll have a better idea of what's going on.

That said I never had real good luck with the 510 Boge and SLB filler cartos after cleaning. Some sorta worked, some didn't. They were rarely good as new. I've since moved on to E2's and will never go back to filler cartos.

 

[Katya]

No, I wouldn't put them in the oven, although some people do (usually newbies). I wouldn't. Drying them as quickly as possible using a natural method, like a fan, makes more sense to me -- without subjecting the cartos to the heat of an oven. Also, don't ever boil cartos, because the hot boiling water will shrink the fillers and degrade the future performance.

Ehem, not true. Many experienced vapers do that. [You may not be aware of that because you have not been here long enough yourself. ]

757girl, preheat your oven to 175 degrees and spread your cartos on a heavy cookie sheet. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, no longer than that.

Having said that, you have to realize that they are disposable. I don't wash them, and I feel that if I put 5-6 ml of eliquid through a carto, it's done its job. Sometimes I fill the carto with PG, let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight, blow out the excess (repeat if necessary) and refill with my juice. It tastes funny for a while, but PG is a very effective cleaner. And no drying required.

Good luck. And don't overcook them!

 

[757girl]

Thanks for all the suggestions!!! I will try leaving them in front of the fan for another day or 2 and if all else fails...I will do the oven (can't hurt to try). I know they are disposable but this is the first time I tried to clean them and if I can save any money by cleaning them at least more than once then I'm happy


*Waving at Irwink* I love seeing people from Hampton Roads on the forum!!!

I will update in a couple of days to let everyone know how it went *crosses fingers*

 

[Katya]

Thanks for all the suggestions!!! I will try leaving them in front of the fan for another day or 2 and if all else fails...I will do the oven (can't hurt to try). I know they are disposable but this is the first time I tried to clean them and if I can save any money by cleaning them at least more than once then I'm happy


*Waving at Irwink* I love seeing people from Hampton Roads on the forum!!!

I will update in a couple of days to let everyone know how it went *crosses fingers*

Hairdryers also work. Low setting.

 

[Pokeygizmo]

Another oven "trick" is to preheat to 170, put your cartos in the oven on a cookie sheet (with raised edges is better ) Turn off the oven after 10 minutes and leave the cartos in there overnight.

Been doing this for months with great success, always dry in the morning, never over-baked.

BTW, Pie pans work well, also.

 

[arjay55]

A few other methods I have used with some success are . .
1. The reverse Taryn Spin. Empty Carto condom goes on mouthpiece end. Spin like crazy - empty water from condom - repeat.
then
2. I bought a very cheap plastic two-way bicycle pump for $2. I use a (soft) kids pencil grip (also use this for my Taryn Spin) between the pump and the threads and pump gently, forcing water vapor out the mouthpiece end (tip removed of course).

or
3. Leave outside in the sun and wind with the tip removed for a day.

These work for ymmv

 

[LesStrater]

2. I bought a very cheap plastic two-way bicycle pump for $2. I use a (soft) kids pencil grip (also use this for my Taryn Spin) between the pump and the threads and pump gently, forcing water vapor out the mouthpiece end (tip removed of course).

I never thought about a bike pump, but I was thinking about getting the cheapest fish tank pump (about $7) and trying it.

Note that if you have an older stove (with pilot lights instead of electronic ignition) you don't even have to turn it on. The stove is always around 100 degrees just from the pilots, which make it a great place to dry wet shoes and cartomizers overnight...

 

[deback]

Hey neighbor!

I used to use the same turkey baster method when cleaning filler cartos. I dried them in the oven. I suspect that putting them in front of fan hasn't dried them completely. Twist up a bit of facial tissue, force it against the filler and observe whether or not it absorbs any moisture. Then you'll have a better idea of what's going on.

That said I never had real good luck with the 510 Boge and SLB filler cartos after cleaning. Some sorta worked, some didn't. They were rarely good as new. I've since moved on to E2's and will never go back to filler cartos.

Using a tissue to test for moistness won't work very well, because you can't get the tissue up inside the filler by the threaded end. That's where the filler remains wet for a longer period of time before it all dries completely.

 

[deback]

Sometimes I fill the carto with PG, let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight, blow out the excess (repeat if necessary) and refill with my juice. It tastes funny for a while, but PG is a very effective cleaner. And no drying required.

Good luck. And don't overcook them!

Did you mean PGA (pure grain alcohol) or are you referring to PG (polythene glycol)?

 

[deback]

Ehem, not true. Many experienced vapers do that. [You may not be aware of that because you have not been here long enough yourself. ]

757girl, preheat your oven to 175 degrees and spread your cartos on a heavy cookie sheet. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, no longer than that.

Good luck. And don't overcook them!

Could be true that baking cartos will work fine. I'm not gonna argue. I just won't put cartos in the oven. Prefer to use natural methods and common sense.

 

[deback]

I have lots of cartos. So I have plenty of time to allow them to dry naturally in front of a fan without needing to use them anytime soon.

I don't have time (or don't wanna take the time) to bake them (and having to make sure I take them out in a certain number of minutes), or spinning them, or holding a blow dryer to dry them, or pumping them. I just set them in front of a fan, write down the date and time, so I'll remember when I put them there, and go about doing whatever I was doing. Sorry, guys, but I'm the type who uses the quickest and easiest methods when doing something, when I get the same results.

 

[markfm]

I do the oven, at about 225, not much higher, but yes, above water's boiling point (if you go towards 300 you'll get shrinkage on the wrapper on the outside of the carto). I always use a piece of paper towel on the pan, and keep them separated.

About 50 minutes and I seem to get consistently dry cartos. They'll be hot -- don't touch them for a little while, let them cool.

This is for rubber-tipped ones, where I have removed the tips. A plastic tip will shrink -- either remove it before hand, by a short soak in hot water, else do the above, then pop the shrunken plastic tip off, reclean, and use with a rubber tip.

I get a pretty high reusable carto percent, though I don't sweat not reusing them loads of times. As previously noted these are disposable.

I'm absolutely not a fan of slow drying -- too many opportunities to get mold, the opposite of the goal.

 

[StormFinch]

This comes just from my experiences with life in general and the opinions of other ECFers, but I believe you want the water out of your carto filler as quickly as possible. The PG has been found to be an effective antibacterial, anti-fungal and mold inhibitor. However, water moisture trapping in cleaned batting for days at a time would be a perfect medium for mold to produce. Thus the reason for putting them in the oven. I've used cartos straight from the oven and allowed to cool that vaped just like they did the day I got them. Oven drying may cause the filler to shrink some, but a sewing needle can be used to carefully fluff it back up.

If you are not using filtered or distilled water to clean cartos with, boil your water for 10 minutes before using it. This will get rid of the chlorine.

 

[irwink]

Using a tissue to test for moistness won't work very well, because you can't get the tissue up inside the filler by the threaded end. That's where the filler remains wet for a longer period of time before it all dries completely.

The test is not absolutely definitive but it will tell if there is any moisture in the opposite end. If there is it naturally follows that mositure remains throughout.

 

[deback]

The test is not absolutely definitive but it will tell if there is any moisture in the opposite end. If there is it naturally follows that mositure remains throughout.

I don't really follow your theory. If the filler at the mouth end is dry, which it usually is, since that end dries very quickly when in front of a fan, how can you tell if the filler at the theaded end is dry when placing a tissue at the mouth end (which is dry). The part of the filler that takes the longest to dry is from the middle to the threaded end of the carto. I'd love to be able to do this, but it wouldn't work for me.

 

[Katya]

This comes just from my experiences with life in general and the opinions of other ECFers, but I believe you want the water out of your carto filler as quickly as possible. The PG has been found to be an effective antibacterial, anti-fungal and mold inhibitor. However, water moisture trapping in cleaned batting for days at a time would be a perfect medium for mold to produce. Thus the reason for putting them in the oven. I've used cartos straight from the oven and allowed to cool that vaped just like they did the day I got them. Oven drying may cause the filler to shrink some, but a sewing needle can be used to carefully fluff it back up.

If you are not using filtered or distilled water to clean cartos with, boil your water for 10 minutes before using it. This will get rid of the chlorine.

Amen.

That's why I only flush them with PG, but it's more maintenance than true cleaning.

If you use water, distilled water is preferred, especially if your water is hard, because you have to deal with much more than chlorine in hard water. A soak in vodka is preferred, and alcohol evaporates faster and kills all kinds of pathogens, too, just like PG.

As Finch pointed out, mold and bacteria growth is a risk when you leave a damp carto for days, especially in cooler temps. I've read several reports from people trying to dry their cartos submerged in rice only to find mold growth on the rice. Yuck!