replacing a lemo drop wick with the provided cotton balls.

[erictho]

hey guys.
last saturday i decided to try out the new rba's. i've bought things like the aga t2 and a couple hybrid genesis atomizers in the past that i've never ended up using. went to a b&m and chose the lemo drop.
i've never rebuilt before and when cotton balls first started being used i never paid attention to any how-to's. when i need to rewick i have been pulling apart the cotton as best/consistently as i can and have been feeding it through the coil until it looks similar to the pre-built wick and then pull it apart from the rest of the cotton ball. i also wet the wick after attaching the chimney (unlike how the man at the b&m put it together).
i don't know why, but after i replace the wick it leaks a significant amount of liquid each fill. doesn't matter how full i fill it at least a third of the tank will leak through the bottom. i'm not sure if it is the fill hole or the air way. i tighten the fill hole quite well.
when the guy at the b&m set up the lemo for me there must have been something wrong with the way he put it together. it was leaking from the top as i was using it and on my way home the entire tank emptied into my pocket. i reassembled it myself and the lemo was pretty much leak free. i've been reassembling it the same way each time so that is why i think it is my wicking method at fault.
so what about my wicking process is causing it to leak? are there any good resources showing me how to use the cotton balls provided in the lemo kit for wicking? everything i am watching or hearing about is dealing with japanese cotton.

also, after the initial 1/3 of however much of my liquid leaks i experience no problems. i expected to have problems with re-wicking but other than this issue it seems to work/taste fine.

 

[thomas l]

i've never used cotton balls. just Japaneses cotton in mine if it not wick right it will leak ,maybe this will help https://youtu.be/fuW9s-tjQjY

 

[roxynoodle]

I was afraid of the cotton balls They don't exactly look organic. You can get organic ones from CVS.

I usually wick all my RTAs with rayon. A 500 foot box from Sally's Beauty Supply is $11.49.

With rayon, you have the right amount when you hear a little squeak. With cotton, its looser, and just a little resistance sliding through the coil.

You wick should be just touching the deck right behind the juice slots.

I also want you to check the gaskets for the glass tank aren't torn or deformed. And that there is an o ring at the top of the chimney, just below the threads.

 

[narrdarr]

i hate when people recommend rayon. as people may not support the chemical process it takes to make it.

i find that instead of unrolling the cotton, if you push/pull from the center of the cotton ball(teasing it along the way). it make a long narrow cone sharp that is constant in density. then you can pull it through the coil till you hit it sweet spot( just tight enough to start having friction. trim the end of the cotton just long enough to to reach the bottom of the deck.

i also like to add bridge wicks in my lemo. i cut two pieces of wick that are the same length as the one running through the coil, but only half as thick. place them so they run over top of the screws and parallel with coil. then i tuck them down to hold the coils wick out of the way the juice channels and tuck them over in the corner.

 

[JohnnyBlue]

If you like using cotton I would recommend buying some good quality Japanese cotton such as Koh-Gen-Doh or Cotton Labo Organic cotton. It's expensive for cotton but a $12 box should last you for years.

Here's a link to the one I bought from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cotton-Labo-ORGANIC-Puff-120pc/dp/B000TCEXOS

Works excellently and has really good reviews. I chose one of the shippers that were in the US, paid $10.78 with shipping and got it in about 4 days rather than waiting weeks for it and paying a little bit less.

 

[roxynoodle]

i hate when people recommend rayon. as people may not support the chemical process it takes to make it

Was that directed to me? I'm pretty sure if you read my post again, you will see I gave him directions for both, and where s/he could get either quickly. I didn't bring up Japanese organic cotton as I figured s/he wants to get it going quickly, and its not easily sourced locally for most people.

If it wasn't directed to me, please accept my apology.

 

[narrdarr]

Was that directed to me? I'm pretty sure if you read my post again, you will see I gave him directions for both, and where s/he could get either quickly. I didn't bring up Japanese organic cotton as I figured s/he wants to get it going quickly, and its not easily sourced locally for most people.

If it wasn't directed to me, please accept my apology.

yea, it was. and yes you did explain both, but setting up the cotton ball to be used as a wick is important too. i just wanted to expand on the process.
i still don't like the idea of recommending other wicking materials as erictho specifically asked about the cotton balls that come with the rta. anytime people start recommending wicking materials it turns into the battle of the wicks instead of addressing the issue at hand. i just wanted to help stay on track.

 

[VaPreis]

This problem doesn't sound like a wicking issue to me, although wicking could still be an issue...

This sounds more like a vacuum leak in the tank from a sealing issue. There are 3 seals in play here, and they all need to be in place, and installed correctly.

First and foremost, there should be a clear seal installed in the base section and in the top cap for sealing the glass tube. Don't leave these stuck to the glass as they sometimes do. If they are stuck to the glass, carefully removed them and install them to the top cap and base before reassembly, making sure they are fully seated.

There should also be a small black o-ring installed beneath the threads of the upper chimney section where it threads into the top cap. One of my Lemo's came with this seal missing. A spare is included in the goody bag. Make sure it's in place and not damaged.

Proper assembly is important too. Both upper and lower chimney sections should be fully installed to the base before installing the glass tube and top cap. Don't thread the upper chimney section into the top cap first or it may not fully tighten against the seals for the glass tube.

I just finished posting some photos of how I wick the Lemo in the Lemo thread if you are interested.

 

[erictho]

thank you everyone. i have checked the top cap and bottom cap seals, but i will have to check out this chimney seal once the tank gets low enough again. i thought it was strange it may be tied to my wicking method (or lack thereof), so i may have been missing out on this seal.
i also accidentally picked up a lemo when i tried to pick up another lemo drop from a b&m. it is weird that the kits are different? they were both installed differently and i got a totally different screw driver thingy. oh well. no use "complaining" over a larger tank.
thanks for the resources, i will be checking them out.

 

[roxynoodle]

I didnt know they had different kits as I only have the fullsize, but they must have the same 3 gaskets/o rings. Just the other day we had someone with a leaking Lemo and one of the gaskets for the glass tank was torn.

In the beginning, several of us were missing the chimney o ring. I haven't seen that reported for a long time, but its always possible they could miss one here or there during assembly.

Its worth inspecting the glass, too. Even a tiny chip can cause a leak.

 

[erictho]

it's so freaking weird. i invested in vivi nova's when they were cool and they had the same sensitive issues. it came to wrapping the threads in teflon which is just a dealbreaker. i just don't get why it would only leak so much and then be ok after? whatever. i will obviously do some inspecting once i gather the courage to deal with it.
the same set of gasket and screws came with each kit, but the lemo drop had a star tip screwdriver while the lemo had a flat screwdriver. i don't get it but i was glad to have the extra today when i set up the lemo.
it's funny how something can be virtually leakproof or be ridiculously leaky. it is probable that i lost the o-ring on the first clean. i just did it in the kitchen sink and was unaware so i figured that i wouldn't lose anything down the drain thinking it was just the larger ones. the two did have completely different assemblies though.

 

[VaPreis]

it's so freaking weird. i invested in vivi nova's when they were cool and they had the same sensitive issues. it came to wrapping the threads in teflon which is just a dealbreaker. i just don't get why it would only leak so much and then be ok after? whatever. i will obviously do some inspecting once i gather the courage to deal with it.
the same set of gasket and screws came with each kit, but the lemo drop had a star tip screwdriver while the lemo had a flat screwdriver. i don't get it but i was glad to have the extra today when i set up the lemo.
it's funny how something can be virtually leakproof or be ridiculously leaky. it is probable that i lost the o-ring on the first clean. i just did it in the kitchen sink and was unaware so i figured that i wouldn't lose anything down the drain thinking it was just the larger ones. the two did have completely different assemblies though.

My Lemo's each came with one of the key chain screwdrivers that have both style tips. Unscrew the cap on one side for Phillips, unscrew the other side for flat tip.

 

[erictho]

psh. i should have tried that. what a silly mistake.

 

[erictho]

so i rebuilt the tank today. all of the o-rings were in place and in good condition. the chimney had no o-rings and had threading on each end. if you were to attempt to place an o-ring at the base of the chimney it would just fiddle with air flow and be too close to the coil. i checked the kit and there were no o-rings of an appropriate size to fit into the chimney.
making sure the o-ring wasn't fixed to the tank was good advice. it leaked a lot less this time. when i figure this out i will consider making a tutorial bc i am getting nothing about using the stock material to rebuild, really.

 

[narrdarr]

so i rebuilt the tank today. all of the o-rings were in place and in good condition. the chimney had no o-rings and had threading on each end. if you were to attempt to place an o-ring at the base of the chimney it would just fiddle with air flow and be too close to the coil. i checked the kit and there were no o-rings of an appropriate size to fit into the chimney.
making sure the o-ring wasn't fixed to the tank was good advice. it leaked a lot less this time. when i figure this out i will consider making a tutorial bc i am getting nothing about using the stock material to rebuild, really.

there is only one o-ring on the chimney and it at the top.

as far as building with with materials that come with lemo. i tried explaining it with my previous post. sry things are not working out for you. maybe i'll do a video for you when my tank empties.

 

[edyle]

hey guys.
last saturday i decided to try out the new rba's. i've bought things like the aga t2 and a couple hybrid genesis atomizers in the past that i've never ended up using. went to a b&m and chose the lemo drop.
i've never rebuilt before and when cotton balls first started being used i never paid attention to any how-to's. when i need to rewick i have been pulling apart the cotton as best/consistently as i can and have been feeding it through the coil until it looks similar to the pre-built wick and then pull it apart from the rest of the cotton ball. i also wet the wick after attaching the chimney (unlike how the man at the b&m put it together).
i don't know why, but after i replace the wick it leaks a significant amount of liquid each fill. doesn't matter how full i fill it at least a third of the tank will leak through the bottom. i'm not sure if it is the fill hole or the air way. i tighten the fill hole quite well.
when the guy at the b&m set up the lemo for me there must have been something wrong with the way he put it together. it was leaking from the top as i was using it and on my way home the entire tank emptied into my pocket. i reassembled it myself and the lemo was pretty much leak free. i've been reassembling it the same way each time so that is why i think it is my wicking method at fault.
so what about my wicking process is causing it to leak? are there any good resources showing me how to use the cotton balls provided in the lemo kit for wicking? everything i am watching or hearing about is dealing with japanese cotton.

also, after the initial 1/3 of however much of my liquid leaks i experience no problems. i expected to have problems with re-wicking but other than this issue it seems to work/taste fine.

In the picture above, the third item from the right is the top of the chimney; it has a rubber ring to seal the top.
If the top is not sealed, air can leak in from the top, and liquid will seep below up through the juice channels then down the airhole. (the airhole right under the coil).

You have to maintain a sealed area for the liquid otherwise liquid leaks out.

 

[edyle]

so i rebuilt the tank today. all of the o-rings were in place and in good condition. the chimney had no o-rings and had threading on each end. if you were to attempt to place an o-ring at the base of the chimney it would just fiddle with air flow and be too close to the coil. i checked the kit and there were no o-rings of an appropriate size to fit into the chimney.
making sure the o-ring wasn't fixed to the tank was good advice. it leaked a lot less this time. when i figure this out i will consider making a tutorial bc i am getting nothing about using the stock material to rebuild, really.

If you don't already have one, I'd suggest you pick up a simple rda;
an rda is something you can just vape on when your tanks are having these sorts of issues, plus it's easier to practice coiling and wicking on an rda where everything is open access at anytime.

 

[erictho]

If you don't already have one, I'd suggest you pick up a simple rda;
an rda is something you can just vape on when your tanks are having these sorts of issues, plus it's easier to practice coiling and wicking on an rda where everything is open access at anytime.

i really would only drip at home or when stationary, but you are right. it is something to consider when i am feeling frustrated and need to favor one lemo over the other. i misplaced an order and landed with 25 cartos i've been thinking of using in the mean time. but they kinda blow outside of a tank.

there is only one o-ring on the chimney and it at the top.

as far as building with with materials that come with lemo. i tried explaining it with my previous post. sry things are not working out for you. maybe i'll do a video for you when my tank empties.

thank you for reminding me of your post. just at the moment i was really craving a video just to take the guess work out of it. i will try that with my next wick. also another thank you for really spelling it out for me with the chimney. i didn't realize it wasn't just one piece. i'm sure it's there, i just gotta check.

gotta report, last few times i filled, it was fine. i have no idea what i was doing when it was leaking.

 

[edyle]

i really would only drip at home or when stationary, but you are right. it is something to consider when i am feeling frustrated and need to favor one lemo over the other. i misplaced an order and landed with 25 cartos i've been thinking of using in the mean time. but they kinda blow outside of a tank.



thank you for reminding me of your post. just at the moment i was really craving a video just to take the guess work out of it. i will try that with my next wick. also another thank you for really spelling it out for me with the chimney. i didn't realize it wasn't just one piece. i'm sure it's there, i just gotta check.

gotta report, last few times i filled, it was fine. i have no idea what i was doing when it was leaking.

If you pad up your rda with a lot of wicking filler material, it becomes a really big carto

 

[erictho]

you sir, just altered my reality. of course it is!