Residue inside tank after cleaning? Anyone experienced this?

[MarlyandMe46]

Hi everyone,

I did a search of the forum and didn't see anything like what I'm experiencing... I'm hoping you can help! There is a residue inside of my tanks. On my EVOD it is a brownish color, and on the ismooka tank, hard to tell because of the pink color (see pics below).

Both tanks were purchased recently, and have only been in use for maybe a week, only one fill on the pink, and maybe 3 or 4 in the silver of the same liquid. I washed both of them with hot water first, then, when I noticed the residue for the first time, again with warm water and a drop of dish soap. Rinsed thoroughly, and it's still there! I use VG juice, but haven't had any problems with gunking up the coils/head -so far! Knock on wood!

Has anyone experienced this before? What's it from? Is it harmful to keep using them this way? Can I fix it? Any advice and experience is very much appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[Baditude]

What flavors have you been using in the tanks? Any Cinnamon or Citrus Flavors?

 

[MarlyandMe46]

In one of them was a sour skittles flavor, so that might have some citrus in it (the EVOD), in the pink tank was a fruit flavor. No cinnamon for me

 

[Baditude]

The reason I asked is that some flavors can have a chemical reaction to certain plastics, namely polycarbonate, which most of the tanks use. This reaction can cause etching, cracking, or even melting of the plastic.

SOMETHING SAFE FOR CINNAMON & CITRUS FLAVORS

 

[HughDaHand]

Sour flavors will eat away at tanks too sometimes. Alot of times they use citric acid to get the sour and that will eat away at plastic tanks. This is why I only use glass and metal tanks now so I don't have to worry anymore. These these should be trashed now as vaping plastic can't be good for you.

 

[MarlyandMe46]

The reason I asked is that some flavors can have a chemical reaction to certain plastics, namely polycarbonate, which most of the tanks use. This reaction can cause etching, cracking, or even melting of the plastic.

SOMETHING SAFE FOR CINNAMON & CITRUS FLAVORS

Yikes! I wouldn't be so concerned if it was purely cosmetic.. but with plastic melting, I definitely don't want to ingest any of that!

Do you know if it could be anything else? Only one of the flavors I used may or may not have had citrus... I thought it was so weird that it happened to 2 tanks using different juices, from different vendors..

 

[MarlyandMe46]

Feeling inside the pink one, it definitely feels "etched", can't get my finger inside the EVOD... looks like I'm on the market for some new tanks! Thanks for the info!!

 

[Baditude]

I'm pretty sure the tanks have been trashed unfortunately. I don't know what else it could be. You already washed the tanks in soapy water and it didn't remove the etching.

To use those flavors you'll need one of the glass tanks mentioned in my link.

 

[crxess]

If they are not leaking, you may still get some use with other - Fruit type flavors.
Best to always use Glass tanks - Protank/Nautilus/etc. for Sour or Acidic flavors

List compiled by Viking65

List of e-juices known to crack polycarbonate tanks
Any sour flavours
Any flavours that contain malic acid.
Any e-liquids that contain essential oils
E-liquids that contain triacetin, used in vg liquids to carry flavour more effectively
Cinnamon like "atomic cinnamon" types, not warm cinnamon like cinnamon coffee cake, this is OK
Wintergreen juice or flavouring
Mimosa
Cola
Nutmeg
Clove oil
Sassafras
Pineapple is known to have caused cracking in polycarbonate tanks. Use with glass, metal, or polypropylene tanks only as a precaution
red bull flavor one, power cow

TPA Ripe Banana flavouring
TPA Honeysuckle flavouring
TPA Maraschino cherry flavouring
TPA Cherry Blossom flavouring
TPA Root Beer flavouring
Mrs. T's strawberry shortcake, Snickerdoodle
KBV Hummingbird Nectar
Vapor Renu Teaberry, Cherry Vanilla (possibly most of their flavours)
Vapor Renu Mountain Dew, Baha Blast and Strawberry Limeade
Vapalicious Gooey Butter Cake
TPA Mountain Dew flavouring
TPA Cinnamon Danish flavouring
Rawrvapor Hawaii Sunrise
TPA Vanilla Custard flavouring
Tasty Vapor Cherry Cola
Vixen Vapor Rootbeer
TPA Pineapple flavouring
TPA Granny Smiths Apple
TPA Vanilla Bean Ice Cream flavouring
Vaporgod Licorice
Salmiak Salty Liquorice (probably most licorice flavours)
VAL Goddess
Some Vermillion River fruit e-liquids (the kentucky applewood, peachwood etc are OK, as are the cherry, hawaii pineapple or malibu pineapple)
Health Cabin Spearmint (essential oil?)
Health Cabin Chocolate Nut
Vaporzone Butterscotch flavouring
vapour juices spearmint leaf
Mount Baker Cherry Balsam Tobacco
Healthcabin butterscotch concentrate
dekang havana cigar bm2
Vapor Jam - Beatle Juice

From Atmos Lab's flavours only these below have reported problem with clearomizers:
Coffee
Cherry
Strawberry
Mastic
Ouzo
Kaimaki
Peach
Chestnut
Cola
Banana
Orange
Apple
Honey Moon
mount baker vapour
The following e liquids may break your plastic tank based system:

Absinthe
Almond Amaretto
Amaretto
America
Apricot
Arnold Palmer
Banana Foster
Banana Split
Black Clove
Black Licorice
Black Rock
Blood Orange
Cherry Limeade
Cider Fire
Cinnamon
Cinnamon Hot Tamale
Cinnamon Red Hot
Cinnamon Roll
Cola
Clove
Creme De Menthe
Demon Energy
Double Apple
Doctor Soda
Dream Tea
Ecto Cooler
Extreme Soda
Farmers Market
Freckled Lemonade
GMT
Ginger Ale
Ginger
Green Apple
Hawk Sauce
Kettle Corn
Key Lime
Lavender
Lemonade
Lemon Breezy
Lemon Goddess
Lightning
Mango
Mango Tea
Maraschino Cherry
Melonade
Monster Bash
Morning Vape
Ocean breeze
Orange
Orange Ice
Pastel Sours
Peach
Peach Meltdown
Pina Colada
Pineapple
Pineapple Peach
Pineapple Upsidedown Cake
Pink Lemonade
Rad Energy
Raspberry Lemonade
Razzle Dazzle
Red Cream Soda
Rock Party Energy
Root Beer
Ruby Red Grapefruit
Salacious Strawberry
Sassafras
Shenanigans
Solar Flare
Sour Yum
Sucker Punch
Swedish Lime
Tangerine
Thug Juice
Twin Mint Gum
Venom
White Out
Yellow Ice
Zinger

 

[Ryedan]

Feeling inside the pink one, it definitely feels "etched", can't get my finger inside the EVOD... looks like I'm on the market for some new tanks! Thanks for the info!!

In order for plastic to be etched, degradation at the molecular level has to take place. I would not vape from that piece of plastic again. It could very well be leaching some pretty weird chemicals now and without knowing what they are they could be nasty.

It's a cheap item, specially when compared to your health. I would toss it and move on.

 

[edyle]

Yikes! I wouldn't be so concerned if it was purely cosmetic.. but with plastic melting, I definitely don't want to ingest any of that!

Do you know if it could be anything else? Only one of the flavors I used may or may not have had citrus... I thought it was so weird that it happened to 2 tanks using different juices, from different vendors..

Glass.
Get Glass.

And Get Glass.

One more time: Get Glass.

Miniprotank2; it's like the glass upgrade to the EVOD; same eGo threads, not 510 threads like most other tanks.
and get a 510 mouthpiece for it in case the metal tip bugs you.

 

[milescadre]

If hot water dont get it out or worst, the plastictank is damaged I say pitch it.

Evods are very difficult to thouroughly clean, tho I'm sorry to see your iclear go bad.

I'd say look into a glass evod or a kanger tank for the harsher juices (sour skittle would be a excellent example)

 

[Myrany]

Along with the get glass for the tank.

These same tank cracker juices will destroy plastic drip tips. Get metal, ceramic, glass or stone drip tips.

If you use carto tanks make sure the top and bottom caps are metal as well as the tank being glass.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

If you enjoyed the vape you got from the Evod, I also recommend the Mini Protank II as the next step up from the Evod. It'll take the same coils, so you don't have to ditch any spare coils you had for the Evod. The Davide and I think the Smoktech Aro are other glass and metal, bottom coil clearos with Ego threading. For dual coil, glass clearos with Ego threading, you may want to check out Aspire clearos. They have both plastic and glass versions though, so make sure you get the glass. I try not to recommend plastic clearos anymore, unless the person who is interested is only interested in trying a typical, tobacco flavored juice and is reluctant to spend a little extra money at first. Even so, as I am switching my husband from clearos to carto tanks, I may start just giving away his Mini Protanks to those who are interested. Those were all he used for a while, so he's got a bunch.

 

[MarlyandMe46]

Tinkie- if you do end up with mini protanks after your hubby makes the switch, please let me know!

Great info everyone! The more I read about plastic, I am just wanting to stop using it all together... it seems like even some juices, that may not be listed as 'known to ruin plastic tanks' could have suspect ingredients. It's a shame, because I felt like I did some research, and stayed away from citrus and cinnamon... but there's always more reading and information on here!

Last night, I ordered an Aerotank on ebay for a decent price because I wanted to get going on a quality tank that I wouldn't have to worry about my juices, or wonder if it would be happening soon. Hopefully I'll be able to acquire 1 or 2 more glass tanks, as I usually keep 2 or 3 in rotation with different flavors. Now that I have one on the way, I feel like I can take my time reading through the wealth of information on different brands and styles.

I'm just so glad I found and then decided to join this forum! I've read many posts with the same sentiment, but I seriously would be so lost, out WAY more $, and maybe even back to smoking cigs out of frustration/giving up, if I didn't have access to the information and helpfulness of the community. Thank you!!!

 

[MarlyandMe46]

Along with the get glass for the tank.

These same tank cracker juices will destroy plastic drip tips. Get metal, ceramic, glass or stone drip tips.

If you use carto tanks make sure the top and bottom caps are metal as well as the tank being glass.

That's a really good point, thank you! It's something I easily could have overlooked.. I don't like metal mouthpieces, so without thinking it all the way through, I could have stuck a plastic drip tip on a glass tank and ended up with the same problem.. or worse, ingesting some weird melting plastic chemicals without knowing it as quickly as the tank damage appeared!

 

[Mostwasted]

Yea that's definitely caused by the flavoring you had in the tank. Once you rinse them after having a oil based flavoring in it, it causes the plastic to etch. Learned this the hard way. If your using diy's avoid oil based flavorings.

I had a few do this, They looked perfectly fine until I rinsed them.