Questions about safety

[barkside]

I'm using an eLeaf iStick 40W (a so-called regulated mod?) and a Joyetech Delta II RBA tank. I have been using the pre-built coils for a while, but I don't like spending money on them, so I've started building them myself instead using the RBA head.

I am now using 24g kanthol, in a 9-wrap. This gives me .43 ohms, 3.59V and 30W. The hits I get from this are very pleasant. The factory-built coil used a 26g kanthol at 10 wraps (1 ohm).

• Question 1: Is it safe to use the .43 coil I have built with the 24g wire? According to eleaf's product info-page, the rated resistance range is between 0.05-1ohm in TC mode and 0.15-3.5ohm in VW mode.

In addition, I have ordered an Godzilla v2 RDA. It has not yet arrived.

• Question 2: Is it safe to use this rda on my istick? Is there anything I should be particularly aware of in this regard?

Any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[Scy123]

Regulated mod are pretty safe. They will not let you fire anything that is not safe and will cut off the power if your batteries sags below the cutoff.

 

[suprtrkr]

In general, with a regulated mod, if it will fire the coil, the coil is safe. You should have no trouble with the RDA as well. About the only way to get in trouble with a regulated is for the electronics to fail or use the wrong batteries.

 

[sofarsogood]

I'm using an eLeaf iStick 40W (a so-called regulated mod?) and a Joyetech Delta II RBA tank. I have been using the pre-built coils for a while, but I don't like spending money on them, so I've started building them myself instead using the RBA head.

I am now using 24g kanthol, in a 9-wrap. This gives me .43 ohms, 3.59V and 30W. The hits I get from this are very pleasant. The factory-built coil used a 26g kanthol at 10 wraps (1 ohm).

• Question 1: Is it safe to use the .43 coil I have built with the 24g wire? According to eleaf's product info-page, the rated resistance range is between 0.05-1ohm in TC mode and 0.15-3.5ohm in VW mode.

In addition, I have ordered an Godzilla v2 RDA. It has not yet arrived.

• Question 2: Is it safe to use this rda on my istick? Is there anything I should be particularly aware of in this regard?

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Higher ohm coils turn power into heat more efficiently so may be less watts are required. If you can get the vapor production you want from lower watts then less amps are drawn from the battery so less battery stress, safer from that point of view. Better efficiency should also improve endurace and extend the useful life of the battery.

Higher ohm coils may warm more slowly in power mode. If you increase the watts to overcome that may be the coil gets too hot sometimes. Temp control finesses this nicely. I don't go above 20 watts in power mode to avoid overheating a 1.5 ohm coil but with temp control I push max watts to 30. This heats the coil faster but temp control kicks in, reducing watts, to avoid overheating.

I vape 7 ml per day at 25-30 max watts and 400 degrees max temp. A single 3000 mah LG HG2 will last me an entire day at those settings so I don't need to carry a spare battery out and about most of the time. Also, at 30 max watts the mod is never drawing more than 7-10 amps, one third to 1/2 of the rated capacity of the battery. The difference between rated capacity and actual draw is called head space, more head space is good for endurance and safety.

 

[BrotherBob]

Welcome and glad you joined.

 

[LittleBird]

Welcome to ecf, Barkside! I think you'll be fine, as others have said. I would suggest that you check out Baditude's blog on batteries, and, perhaps Battery University. Both are a wealth of information on battery safety. Vape on!

 

[rice721]

unless your chip malfunctions (in that case the mod probably won't fire anyway) it should be ok

 

[barkside]

I'm overwhelmed by your all you guys' input. This is very useful to me! Will check out the further sources of information provided above when I have the time. Pages are already bookmarked.

Further, I would like to share my experiences in building of the Delta II RBA tank, because I have been experiencing a LOT of problems when following Joyetech's (and most youtubers) advices on how it should be done. The main problem has been immediate and constant dry hits - I did perhaps 12 or 15 builds before realising that this common method (f.i. this video ) is no good. The problem with this method is that the wicking effectively blocks the flow of juice to the atomizer.

Yesterday, I stumbled across the "Pancake wicking method" in this video: . With this method, the juiceflow to the atomizer works perfectly! I have been vaping on it all day yesterday and this morning. No dry hits at all (except one time when I had to adjust the wick, after which it's been working fine since)! If the Delta II has its own thread somewhere, this advice would indeed be very helpful in that thread. I thought I had to buy a new tank before discovering this. Now I don't have to!

 

[MyMagicMist]

Higher ohm coils turn power into heat more efficiently so may be less watts are required. If you can get the vapor production you want from lower watts then less amps are drawn from the battery so less battery stress, safer from that point of view. Better efficiency should also improve endurace and extend the useful life of the battery.

Higher ohm coils may warm more slowly in power mode. If you increase the watts to overcome that may be the coil gets too hot sometimes. Temp control finesses this nicely. I don't go above 20 watts in power mode to avoid overheating a 1.5 ohm coil but with temp control I push max watts to 30. This heats the coil faster but temp control kicks in, reducing watts, to avoid overheating.

I vape 7 ml per day at 25-30 max watts and 400 degrees max temp. A single 3000 mah LG HG2 will last me an entire day at those settings so I don't need to carry a spare battery out and about most of the time. Also, at 30 max watts the mod is never drawing more than 7-10 amps, one third to 1/2 of the rated capacity of the battery. The difference between rated capacity and actual draw is called head space, more head space is good for endurance and safety.

Wow! Thank you for explaining that in a way that made sense, for me at least. I had read similar before, it had not quite sank in though. It helps explain why I get quick battery drop off using a mech and sub ohm coils.

 

[MyMagicMist]

... The main problem has been immediate and constant dry hits - I did perhaps 12 or 15 builds before realising that this common method (f.i. this video ) is no good. The problem with this method is that the wicking effectively blocks the flow of juice to the atomizer.

Yesterday, I stumbled across the "Pancake wicking method" ... With this method, the juiceflow to the atomizer works perfectly! ...

You may want to try using rayon as wick material, as well. It too can use the pancake method. The key to remembering in wicking the coils is to have it look like a waterfall, or cascade out of each side. Easy way to recall this is to keep in your mind, waterfalls let the river flow. You'll be meaning the river of juice in the case of vaping. Not tried cotton wick here, I leaped on to rayon and have been amazed that it offers a clean taste for vaping and do not want to try cotton. Wife found me around 5 foot of rayon for like $2 on ebay, it seems it'll last me quite a while.

 

[sofarsogood]

Wow! Thank you for explaining that in a way that made sense, for me at least. I had read similar before, it had not quite sank in though. It helps explain why I get quick battery drop off using a mech and sub ohm coils.

If you are using a mech mod you should already know how to estimate head space. I don't use them because they are unforgiving of mistakes that can have dire consequences and I prefer the experience with temp control.

 

[MoDmAnDaN]

I'm using an eLeaf iStick 40W (a so-called regulated mod?) and a Joyetech Delta II RBA tank. I have been using the pre-built coils for a while, but I don't like spending money on them, so I've started building them myself instead using the RBA head.

I am now using 24g kanthol, in a 9-wrap. This gives me .43 ohms, 3.59V and 30W. The hits I get from this are very pleasant. The factory-built coil used a 26g kanthol at 10 wraps (1 ohm).

Any input is greatly appreciated!

With regulated mods like your guy, I would probably use 26g with less wraps (like 5 or 6) to get you to .6ohm or higher and run at about 21 to 23 watts. You'll find you still get a really good vape and as mentioned, your battery will last longer.

 

[MyMagicMist]

If you are using a mech mod you should already know how to estimate head space. I don't use them because they are unforgiving of mistakes that can have dire consequences and I prefer the experience with temp control.

Having a fair idea is fine. Knew I needed at 2 high drain IMR batteries with discharge rating of 20A/35A from reading and research. This was the fair idea I arrived at in amalgamation of my thought and consensus advice. Knowing better the rationale behind that fair idea is better. You helped me grasp the rationale better. Some can write and do that, others try but can miss with some, hit with others. Your explanation hit the mark for me and helped clarify basic concepts. My comment was intended as a genuine expression of gratitude, not as an attack or derogatory sarcasm. If it read as that I apologize.

 

[sofarsogood]

Having a fair idea is fine. Knew I needed at 2 high drain IMR batteries with discharge rating of 20A/35A from reading and research. This was the fair idea I arrived at in amalgamation of my thought and consensus advice. Knowing better the rationale behind that fair idea is better. You helped me grasp the rationale better. Some can write and do that, others try but can miss with some, hit with others. Your explanation hit the mark for me and helped clarify basic concepts. My comment was intended as a genuine expression of gratitude, not as an attack or derogatory sarcasm. If it read as that I apologize.

People are getting hurt mishandling mech mods. Nearly all the 6 oclock news stories about injury accidents involve mechs. I wish that wasn't happening. Here is the math for what I was talking about which I learned from a previous post in the forum. Single cell regulated mods top out at 75 watts because 75 watts / 3.1 low voltage cut off = 24.19 amp rate of discharge, a bit below a typical high drain battery with a 25 amp rating. There is no head space left at the lowest voltage but at least it's below the max amp rating. Apply that math to my 30 max watts is, 30 watts / 3.1 low voltage cutoff = 9.67 amp. That is less than half the 20 amp rating of the LG HG2 battery I prefer to use. But if I use that battery and put the watts to 75 I'm exceeding the rated capacity of that battery by 5 amps, not a safe practice.

 

[MyMagicMist]

People are getting hurt mishandling mech mods. Nearly all the 6 oclock news stories about injury accidents involve mechs. I wish that wasn't happening. Here is the math for what I was talking about which I learned from a previous post in the forum. Single cell regulated mods top out at 75 watts because 75 watts / 3.1 low voltage cut off = 24.19 amp rate of discharge, a bit below a typical high drain battery with a 25 amp rating. There is no head space left at the lowest voltage but at least it's below the max amp rating. Apply that math to my 30 max watts is, 30 watts / 3.1 low voltage cutoff = 9.67 amp. That is less than half the 20 amp rating of the LG HG2 battery I prefer to use. But if I use that battery and put the watts to 75 I'm exceeding the rated capacity of that battery by 5 amps, not a safe practice.

Fair enough point and I got curious too. I have attached the specs of what I normally do using a mech. This is from SteamEngine.org doing the calculations. I followed what you were saying and used 18650 Battery Ratings -- Picking a Safe Battery to Vape With | E-Cigarette Forum as a reference to gauge the batteries I use. I use a single battery and rotate them out during recharges. From what this reads I have about 88% of headroom on a battery rated to do about 20A discharge. The 9 hour range sounds correct for the runtime. I don't set and continuously fire the mod, so it does let me go about 9 hours prior to recharging.

Just a note too, a lot of the scary media stories often involve people improperly handing batteries. For example one put an unprotected battery in his pocket along with his loose keys, loose change. There was no protection for the battery from bumping into other metal objects. When my batteries are not use or in a charger being charged, I put them into empty plastic pill bottles with childproof lids and then into the charger's pouch. If I need to carry an extra battery, I'll carry it in a pill bottle.

I am not responsible for stupid actions of others, only myself. I do the best I can and try remaining safe. I suggest and advocate others do so as well. Yet, what they do, or do not do is not under my control.

 

[sofarsogood]

Fair enough point and I got curious too. I have attached the specs of what I normally do using a mech. This is from SteamEngine.org doing the calculations. I followed what you were saying and used 18650 Battery Ratings -- Picking a Safe Battery to Vape With | E-Cigarette Forum as a reference to gauge the batteries I use. I use a single battery and rotate them out during recharges. From what this reads I have about 88% of headroom on a battery rated to do about 20A discharge. The 9 hour range sounds correct for the runtime. I don't set and continuously fire the mod, so it does let me go about 9 hours prior to recharging.

Just a note too, a lot of the scary media stories often involve people improperly handing batteries. For example one put an unprotected battery in his pocket along with his loose keys, loose change. There was no protection for the battery from bumping into other metal objects. When my batteries are not use or in a charger being charged, I put them into empty plastic pill bottles with childproof lids and then into the charger's pouch. If I need to carry an extra battery, I'll carry it in a pill bottle.

I am not responsible for stupid actions of others, only myself. I do the best I can and try remaining safe. I suggest and advocate others do so as well. Yet, what they do, or do not do is not under my control.

I don't use mech's so I'm not going to be advising people about specific situations. There are people on the board with years of experience that might be a better bet.

 

[MyMagicMist]

I don't use mech's so I'm not going to be advising people about specific situations. There are people on the board with years of experience that might be a better bet.

I was not asking your advise, rather I was demonstrating what I do. You're all over me about the maths. I let an independent source do that as I have a bit of trouble doing maths. You were discussing head room, I found that and convey it to you via methods if not exact as yours, similar. My apologies for making an effort to more or less agree with you, and to further demonstrate that. Please excuse me, apparently some slight misanthropy is creeping on me today.

 

[sofarsogood]

I was not asking your advise, rather I was demonstrating what I do. You're all over me about the maths. I let an independent source do that as I have a bit of trouble doing maths. You were discussing head room, I found that and convey it to you via methods if not exact as yours, similar. My apologies for making an effort to more or less agree with you, and to further demonstrate that. Please excuse me, apparently some slight misanthropy is creeping on me today.

Please, I'm not upset with you or anyone. May be we just misunderstand each other a bit.

 

[MyMagicMist]

Please, I'm not upset with you or anyone. May be we just misunderstand each other a bit.

Yep, we probably do. Easy for text to do that. *chuckles*