Removing flavor wick on a Protank

[shangula]

My main setup is a Protank 1 with air flow valve with a Sigelei Zmax v3 roundtop. I'm not sure if it's bad Kanger heads or some juices but I get a dry/chalky/rough taste, someone on a chatroom told me to remove the flavor wick and try it, so with a little work I got the atty post off and took the flavor wicks off and reassembled. At first, I was amazed at the taste of the vapor (I vape anywhere between 6.5 to 8 watts on a 1.8 or 2.2 ohm kanger coil) then I realized I was getting juice on my tongue (eek!) I set my setup down and a short while later noticed the whole tank had leaked on my PC desk (darn!). I washed and dried out the tank, used a different head and filled 'er up with 18mg cherry cola (mmm) and it was back to vaping great and tasty again. So I was wondering a few things:

1. Is that common for a Protank to leak when the flavor wicks are taken out?
2. Which pg/vg is good for a Protank (and in the future maybe I should just dilute it?) I ask this cause maybe the juice was too thick?

or

3. I have read Kanger heads aren't all made equal in terms of quality, hence that might have been why I was getting dry/chalky hits

 

[djsvapour]

1. Is that common for a Protank to leak when the flavor wicks are taken out?

Yes.

Whoever started the "remove the flavour wick" has got a lot to answer for. Maybe if you use high % VG then OK.

I would never remove extra wick. In fact, I sometimes put more in.

My smok AROs (useless tanks i.m.o.) had 2 extra wicks in the end, just to stop them leaking.

 

[SleeZy]

Yes.

Whoever started the "remove the flavour wick" has got a lot to answer for. Maybe if you use high % VG then OK.

I would never remove extra wick. In fact, I sometimes put more in.

My smok AROs (useless tanks i.m.o.) had 2 extra wicks in the end, just to stop them leaking.

If you're using higher VG it's pretty much needed. Before when i was using stock coils i had to remove them due my 50/50 couldn't wick enough. And it mutes the flavour.

Nowadays i rebuild them so it's not needed either way.

And ONT: Yea kangers head are a mess...

 

[The Ocelot]

Kanger also "improved" the Protank heads a few months ago, making the quality even more inconsistent. Taking the heads apart often causes more problems than removing the "flavor wick." Keep in mind that we are dealing with little tiny what-its mass-produced in China that technically aren't designed to be taken apart in the first place.

I was one of the first people in the US to get a Protank when it was released. We had a rocky start, but after a few heart-to-heart talks we worked out our relationship and I bought more. It's still my favorite tank to take out with me, since I'm not bothered when they get broken.

The PT has had some interesting events in its history.

• Some of the original PTs leaked at the seams (about 25 out of the 1st 400). Those were replaced by Sun Vaper (Edward, the owner, helped Kanger design the ProTank).
• Then there was the issue of the airy draw (I figured out how to fix that).
• There was also leaking/sputtering if the ambient temperature was too hot or cold. When I initially commented about that everyone was so in love with their new toy they weren't pleased with my remarks. One would have thought I was bragging about strangling kittens. Later, other people started noticing that the same thing. It sometimes doesn't like altitude changes either.
• It later became apparent that the 510 connector on the base was weak. It would bend or snap off easily if dropped when attached to a battery device.
• In response, Kanger started selling bases separately.
• Then the new heads came out and now the airflow was often tight or even blocked, especially with the replacement bases.
• In response, Kanger started selling "airflow controller" bases ({cough} Areo bases {cough}. Just so you know, the AFC bases do work on a PT1, although it's said they don't.
• The problem? The airflow controllers bend or snap off easily if dropped when attached to a battery device. I just had my 3rd one snap off - while in my purse! Another fell from my lap onto a carpet. It's such a pain to dig out the broken piece stuck around the pin.

I'm curious if Kanger is even going to address the current problem or just focus on different tank designs. Meanwhile, I wonder if I can mod the base &/or the AFC so I can stack them.

rawr

ETA: I know I can rebuild the heads. I have rebuilt heads. I find it about as interesting as watching grass grow. I'd rather buy heads and build more interesting coils, although I have saved all my old heads in case I get snowed in and the power goes out.

 

[aldenf]

1. Is that common for a Protank to leak when the flavor wicks are taken out?
2. Which pg/vg is good for a Protank (and in the future maybe I should just dilute it?) I ask this cause maybe the juice was too thick?

or

3. I have read Kanger heads aren't all made equal in terms of quality, hence that might have been why I was getting dry/chalky hits

Hi shangula,

I have found that Kanger heads are VERY inconsistent, including the original dual-coil from the PT3, EVOD 2, etc. One might vape with amazing results and the next one might leak like a sieve. The next might have horribly muted flavors but great vapor. My juices run 50/50 to 20/80 (PG/VG) and sometimes the flavor wicks have had to come out. Sometimes they didn't. Inconsistent! Arg!!!

I got supremely tired of dealing with heads and decided to rebuild them myself. $8 bought me enough kanthal, silica & organic cotton to rebuild for a couple of years. My tanks had never vaped so well and were finally consistent. It takes me 5 minutes to recoil a head while I'm watching the tube or listening to the radio. I rebuild with single cotton/microcoils to 2.0 Ohms (seems to be the sweet spot for my current devices). Works great on my ProTank 2 w/ airflow control.

Good Luck!

~Alden

 

[PaulBHC]

They call them flavor wicks because plugging the side holes to stop leaks was too long.

Bottom coil clearos work on vacuum. It holds the liquid back. You draw on the tip and overcome the vacuum enough to get liquid to the coil via the wick. Any of that gets out of balance and you have gurgles and leaks.

 

[DaveP]

The flavor wicks close the slots on each side where the air tube press fits into place. You can remove half of the flavor wick and still allow more juice into the coil without leaking and gurgling. Remove it all and you run the risk of leaving a hole where juice can pour in when you pull a vacuum in the air tube as you vape. If you overcome the vacuum in the tank by too much when you draw, here comes the juice.

When I rebuild a Kanger head I micro coil and use cotton for the wick. For the flavor wick, I use one length of 2mm silica rope wick. That closes off the holes on each side and works for me to feed the right amount of juice and produce good vapor. Once you have the air tube installed, use toenail clippers to trim off the excess even with the base ring under the slots.

 

[Singaw]

When I first got a PT2 the coils that came with it both shorted out when I screwed the tank to my mod. I then tried aftermarket heads which didn't short out and allowed me to flush mount the tank but gave me constant dry hits. I already rebuild my KFL and drippers so I have everything I need so I rebuilt the PT2 coil with a 28g micro coil and cotton. I leave the cotton wick long, wrap and tuck the excess around the base of the head blocking the holes. I also cut the silicon cup gasket into a flat washer and after all this I have no problem running a PT2 with aero base at 1.8 ohms and 15 watts. No leaks, no gurgling, great flavor and plenty of vapor with a 50/50 e-juice but it does burn through a tank full very quickly.

 

[b.m.]

I rebuilt the PT2 coil with a 28g micro coil and cotton. I leave the cotton wick long, wrap and tuck the excess around the base of the head blocking the holes.

That's similar to how i do mine.I leave the cotton a bit longer,but instead of wrapping it around,i bring it straight up so it is sticking up in the tank when screwed back together.It is only maybe a 1'4" sticking up on each side,but it works great,no leaks,no burnt/dry hits,and no need for any type of flavor wick.

 

[DaveP]

You'd think that the factory could produce a head that would last a week. If we can, they should be able to. It's the non resistive legs that are soldered onto the coil ends. The joints deteriorate from the heat and fail in a day. If you pull out the pin and the grommet one leg will fall off. That never happened before they started using R-NR-R segmented wire.

 

[PaulBHC]

I have some GS-H2 and Kumiho clearos that use kanger style coils plus 2 PT2s. I recoiled and rewicked almost 20 yesterday with 32ga for 2.1Ω and rayon wick. The new silicone grommets are hard to get out, the old rubber ones can split or break off. I ordered some empty coil heads from Lightning Vapes yesterday with silicone. A buck a piece, free shipping. LV15 for 15% off.

 

[CKCalmer]

I hadn't realized how fortunate I've been with Kanger heads until just recently, hearing of so many issues that people have with them. Out of some 30 Kanger coil assemblies I've used, I had one that was DOA. It was a T2 top-mounted coil, the one with the long wick. I think the coil wire was either broken or disconnected on one side. When I installed it, I let it sit for 30min to allow the wick to soak up juice. When I tried to fire it, I got nothing at all. I thoroughly cleaned the threads and connections on the tank and on my eGo, but no change.

All the other "29 or so" of my Kanger coils have always performed just fine for me. No leaks/flooding, no dry hits and all of them lasted anywhere from one to two weeks (going through about 3-4mL of juice per day).

When I started using Kanger coils, I noticed that my G50 - a Hypertank clone which uses the same single-coil units as the Protank II - was fussy with the way its coil was installed. I quickly discovered that the force with which the silicone gasket on the coil body pressed on the bottom of the air tube inside the tank affected whether the tank would perform well or have problems.

Pressing together too tightly would cause the gasket to warp, resulting in leakage. Pressing together too lightly would cause juice to seep between the weak connection between the gasket and the bottom edge of the air tube, resulting in leakage. I finally found that tightening the coil unit into the G50's connector/base snugly, then unscrewing it about a quarter-turn would prevent leaks every time.

On the other hand, my Protanks like their coils to be firmly screwed into the base cap without backing them off at all.

(I haven't yet encountered any significant dry hitting in any of my tanks, so I don't have experience with that as a "tank issue".)

Since I started vaping, I've heard numerous users of Kanger tanks report an early failure rate in coil units of somewhere between 20% and 40%. The failure rate I've personally encountered with Kanger coils is 3-4%.

Thirty coils, even though they were purchased from a variety of vendors all over the U.S., isn't quite a large enough sample pool to allow me to speak definitively about the reliability of Kanger coils. But I do think I've been very fortunate to date. I hope it holds on, because so far, my favorite tank of all I've tried is the Protank 3.

Regarding removal of flavor wicks in PT coils... I only tried it once, myself. Actually, I didn't do it on purpose. I was washing a tank and its current coil when I decided to open up the top (chimney) of a Protank II coil and get more flowing water onto the wick material. You know, keeping the coil assembly clean and all in hopes of extending its life. Well, as soon as the chimney came loose, two short, previously captive pieces of silica immediately jumped for their lives out of the coil body and down the sink drain. I didn't have any more loose silica bits lying around at the time, so I figured I'd test the "new configuration" to see if it could continue to function without its two little friends.

You know how they always say, "Don't drink the e-juice?" Well, now I know why.

 

[DaveP]

CkCalmer, I've been one who can't seem to get a decent Kanger or Aspire head for the last two months. I won't name the suppliers, but the local B&M gave me credit for 8 Nautilus heads that failed in a day each (after becoming accustomed to getting a week or more from a head). At that time I was done with the Nautilus until better heads came along, so I applied the credit to a Kanger Aerotank Mega. The heads that came with it were great. I bought some extras and they did the same rise in resistance until wire failure as the Nautilus.

I ordered several boxes of Kanger T3S heads from another vendor who is adamant that all his stock is straight from Kanger. I believe him. I also believe that Kanger has a coil head QC problem that hasn't been solved or there's still piles of bad stock all over the U.S. Since I can't find any pack dates on the boxes or the inner bubble packs, I don't know how they would be able to selectively recall the bad ones. I guess they figure the bad ones will eventually get used up and the problem will go away.

If they use their own product, it would be immediately apparent.

I'm thinking that there's a common contractor who makes segmented wire assemblies for both the companies.

 

[evan le'garde]

When i wanna have a smoke i'll roll 1 up. That's what i used to do when i smoked.

And now ?, If i want a decent vape i'll build another coil.

Building another coil isn't any more diffficult than rolling a cigarette !.

I use a Protank II with a Protank airflow controller base. The coils, or i should say wicks, only last about 5 days before they get so burnt the vapour suffers, or is significantly reduced, and it doesn't taste too great. It's no bother to spend 5 minutes building another coil. Plenty of flavour, plenty of vapour, until the wick gets all burnt up again. Or i maybe i'll just spend a couple of hours rebuilding all the coils i have.

So i'll use 3mm silica for the wick, and 2 1mm lengths of silica to go on top. Someone did describe on ecf a few moths ago how to rewick/recoil using silica without shredding the silica. Just get a q tip and cut out a length of the plastic tube about 1 cm long, slice it open long ways and trim off one of the edges, again long ways, to reduce the diameter of the tube. Then you can place your silica in that to cradle it, making sure the silica is long enough for some to stick out of the end of the tube, then wrap a coil around it whilst holding it tight. Slide the coil along the tube and onto the silica and your done. I'd start with the wire held on top of the tube with my thumb, then i'd use my other hand to wrap the wire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 times which should make just under 6 loops. You've just got to make sure you wrap it really tight. I cannot think of any other way to wrap a coil round silica. I think that's why most people use cotton wool when rebuilding coils for tanks such as the Protank. Once the coil is on the silica i'd pull both ends of the wire with one hand whilst holding the coil in the other just to make it a little tighter at each end.

This method works just fine. I am perfectly happy with the results and have been doing it like this for months.

In my experience pg doesn't work as well as vg in a tank such as the Protank. It's just too thin. Maybe add more 1mm silica on top to stem the flow of liquid a little.

I only use 100% vg and have no problems with wicking at all.

Taking out the silica that sits on top of the coil will make the tank leak. There are no modifications needed with the Protank II as far as i am aware. None, well, apart from getting a Protank airflow controller anyway.

So if it's leaking, add silica. If it isn't producing enough vapour, change the coil.

Works for me !

 

[DaveP]

When I coiled using a silica wick, I used a large sewing needle alongside the wick to stiffen it. Once I had the coil made, I'd pull out the needle.

Now, I use a coil winder and insert a twisted strand of cotton once the coil is mounted in the body of the Protank. After that, I put some 2mm silica rope on top for a flavor wick and install the air tube.

 

[shangula]

Thank you to all who took the time to reply. Lots of good info!

 

[epicdoom]

I always remove the 2 tiny wicks and install a piece of 2mm silica the same length the wick will help prevent flooding and leaking the problem is the factory ones are to small IMO the 2mm wick does a better job IMO

 

[herb]

Kanger also "improved" the Protank heads a few months ago, making the quality even more inconsistent. Taking the heads apart often causes more problems than removing the "flavor wick." Keep in mind that we are dealing with little tiny what-its mass-produced in China that technically aren't designed to be taken apart in the first place.

I was one of the first people in the US to get a Protank when it was released. We had a rocky start, but after a few heart-to-heart talks we worked out our relationship and I bought more. It's still my favorite tank to take out with me, since I'm not bothered when they get broken.

The PT has had some interesting events in its history.

• Some of the original PTs leaked at the seams (about 25 out of the 1st 400). Those were replaced by Sun Vaper (Edward, the owner, helped Kanger design the ProTank).
  [*]Then there was the issue of the airy draw (I figured out how to fix that).
• There was also leaking/sputtering if the ambient temperature was too hot or cold. When I initially commented about that everyone was so in love with their new toy they weren't pleased with my remarks. One would have thought I was bragging about strangling kittens. Later, other people started noticing that the same thing. It sometimes doesn't like altitude changes either.
• It later became apparent that the 510 connector on the base was weak. It would bend or snap off easily if dropped when attached to a battery device.
• In response, Kanger started selling bases separately.
• Then the new heads came out and now the airflow was often tight or even blocked, especially with the replacement bases.
• In response, Kanger started selling "airflow controller" bases ({cough} Areo bases {cough}. Just so you know, the AFC bases do work on a PT1, although it's said they don't.
• The problem? The airflow controllers bend or snap off easily if dropped when attached to a battery device. I just had my 3rd one snap off - while in my purse! Another fell from my lap onto a carpet. It's such a pain to dig out the broken piece stuck around the pin.

I'm curious if Kanger is even going to address the current problem or just focus on different tank designs. Meanwhile, I wonder if I can mod the base &/or the AFC so I can stack them.

rawr

ETA: I know I can rebuild the heads. I have rebuilt heads. I find it about as interesting as watching grass grow. I'd rather buy heads and build more interesting coils, although I have saved all my old heads in case I get snowed in and the power goes out.

That is imo, the best feature of the PT , love, love, love that super airy draw , the PT II is tighter but not by much but i still prefer the first released version .

 

[herb]

I always go with 50/50 on liquids and never get a leak and i don't use flavor wicks.

 

[Alter]

Removing the flavor wicks out of a stock protank head is the cause of the juice going up the mouthpiece and down onto the 510 connector. If your not going to rebuild the head with your own build, then you need those flavor wicks there cause stock heads don't have enough wicking inside the coil. You can take a pin, slide it through the coil and lift up the coil a bit. Take those 2 flavor wicks and offset them so some of each stick out of each groove. Buy yourself some 1 and/or 2mm silica wick and make your own beefier flavor wicks. Take a old top coil atty like a CE4, cut the wicking out of one of them and use that as flavor wick.
If your planning on using protanks on a regular basis, you'll going to have to learn how to DIY them through youtube and google, thus rebuilding them is going to your only true recourse to stop the leaking, spitting and gurgling. My protank rebuilds don't leak, gurgle and I can vape them right down to the last drop. Vaping is a learning curve and people think its plug-and-play then they are in for a rough ride and fooling themselves.