Scary weekend for this vaper. Possible explosion?

[reprisal]

I wrote a detailed post about this a few min ago but in the time it took me to write it, I got logged out and it was lost Here's the shorter version:


So this past weekend my roommate and I are heading to an all-day concert and a few nights out at the bars. I brought my Provari, ego-t, Riva, 3 batteries for the provari, related chargers and 4 cartomizers. This was strange for me because bringing the Provari was a last-minute decision, it usually doesn't leave the house as I cannot afford to replace it. I brought it for car use only.


My roommate is driving and I open and fill a new carto (will not state brand). I attach it to my Provari and I get an error that the resistance is too low even at the lowest voltage on the provari. I have had this happen with these cartos before and I fix it by attaching it to the ego or riva and using it for a few seconds, this raises the Ohms enough to be used by the Provari. This time, I attempted to use it on the ego-t and the ego began to emit smoke (from the device, not vapor from the carto) and became very hot. My roommate noted "that smells like fireworks". I became concerned and threw the device out of the window.


When we arrive at our destination, my riva (which was pretty old) stopped working completely, it would not hold a charge. I became concerned because this would mean using my Provari while at the bars and at the concert. I was overprotective of my Provari throughout the weekend (I've had a riva pickpockted from me before), which detracted from the experiences slightly. However, I know that without that device, I'd likely have gone back to analogs and ruined over one year without a single one. I am so glad I made the last-minute decision to bring my Provari.

 

[mwa102464]

It's pretty well known that LR Carto's and Atty's can smoke an Ego or Riva, especially the Mosfet connection to the switch is usually what goes first, and when chain vaping them and it getting hot is when it happens. It's best to use 2 of them and rotate if your gonna use LR stuff on Ego/Riva Batts or give a solo one a break in between vapes.

 

[reprisal]

The carto's specified ohm is 1.7 (within .2). These cartos usually work flawlessly on all of my devices, and in the past I have encountered some in the 1.3 range that fixed themselves after a few seconds of use on an ego or riva, raising them to 1.5 or so. This particular carto registered at 1.1 ohms, I honestly should have disposed of it but decided it could be fixed in the same way. As I said, I was on the road with limited supplies so I really didn't want to just let it go, but now I realize I should have. Hindsight it 20/20

 

[dragonbone]

Please state brand!! What's the secret? Anyway, check out this thread.

 

[reprisal]

Ok, I'll state the brand. They were the resurrectors (smoktech 1.7 ohm) from CCV. I didn't want to tarnish their reputation, as I still love the product and will continue to purchase them. Every now and then there's a slight defect, and honestly, I've felt it's been happening more often recently. I feel their quality has declined recently to be honest (even when working perfectly), but are still the best carto's I've found to be available atm. I really wish I could buy the resurrectors of 8-9 months ago.

 

[trepalium]

What kind of ego-T did you have? I hate to see a fellow vaper lose equipment. I have a gently used ego-T battery I'm not using you can have if you want to PM me your shipping info. It's only 650mah though. I think i've got a 900mah smoketech around as well if you'd rather have that.

 

[hairball]

Best advice I can give it to check the ohm rating of every one of the resurrectors that you purchase before filling and using. If you get any super low, set them aside the file a ticket to get them replaced. NEVER use something that is way off on ohms on any type of PV...it can cause major damage.

 

[reprisal]

Thanks for the offer Trepalium but I'll manage. Hairball, with the extremely low ohms of this particular carto, I'd probably have tossed it. Because I was out of town with limited equipment, I went against my normal judgement and attempted to fix the problem. Obviously a mistake.

When I saw it was 1.1 ohms on my Provari I did a double take. It was well below any carto I'd received before. Oh well, sucks to be my poor ego-t

 

[gjshaw29]

How do you check the ohm of the cart before filling?

 

[reprisal]

Also, I know this is my fault because I had checked the ohms of the carto on my Provari, but what if I hadn't owned such a device. If I were a new vaper and this were my first carto, I wouldn't have known any better and thought that this is how vaporizers are supposed to function/smell/heat (it wasn't too hot to hold). I'd previously enjoyed the unregulated nature of the industry, the wild west feel, but I'm beginning to think that proper manufacturing regulations might be in order.

Don't take this the wrong way, I don't want big tobacco or big pharma involved, just a bit of industry standardization. The last thing we need for this budding industry is a series of disasters (some of which have already occurred).

 

[reprisal]

How do you check the ohm of the cart before filling?

As far as I know you can't before filling, as checking the ohms runs a current through the carto (which could dry burn). There are ohm meters, but my Provari has the ability to check ohms.

 

[gjshaw29]

That's it! I'm getting a provari lol! Been eyeballing it too long.

 

[reprisal]

That's it! I'm getting a provari lol! Been eyeballing it too long.

Worth every penny! Love my Provari, one of the best decisions I've ever made.

 

[woodsy]

First off, I think that we need to be careful about the word "explosion" around here. In this case I do not think it should be in the title at all as I do not see where your story warrants it. Second if the Pro-Vari throws a code on the lowest setting that should be a sign right there. Either throw it away or set it aside. Just wait until you can properly check the resistance on the cart or chuck it just to be safe. Lastly you can check resistance on any carto before you fill it, all you have to do is use a multi-meter. If you vape LR cartos on APV's you should look into buying one to prevent this situation.

I am glad you are alright though, Vape on...

 

[rolygate]

There is an argument that every ecig user should own a cheap multimeter as it makes it much easier to diagnose problems - or avoid them in the first place. Certainly every APV owner needs a meter because lithium ion cells demand respect, and not knowing what voltage they come off charge at, or what voltage a cell is after storing for a week, does not align with the 'proper care of batteries' that needs to be in place. Some APVs like the Provari have a meter built in but you could take the view that things ought to be checked before you attach them to it.

Don't use any head that meters out at under 1.5 ohms, it's not worth the trouble. All you will do is cause problems.

Your gear costs a lot of $$, if you can afford to break it and throw it away then don't get a meter.

• Get a cheap multimeter so you can identify issues before they become a problem
• Check battery voltages and carto resistances, learn what the numbers mean
• Get a Li-Po charging sack, and always charge any/every lithium battery in it
• Have two chargers, so if one becomes faulty in some way you don't have to keep using it
• Get more spares - you can't have enough
• If you don't have spares, you might risk using something that looks flaky - this is not good

 

[MickeyRat]

Sounds like the carto was shorted. That's something that can happen with any brand. You probably should have ohmed it with the Provari before using it on the ego.

 

[reprisal]

First off, I think that we need to be careful about the word "explosion" around here. In this case I do not think it should be in the title at all as I do not see where your story warrants it.

Sorry about the miscommunication, I said at the start that this was the shorter version so certain details were left out. At the time, with everything that had been talked about here regarding explosions, seeing my ego begin to smoke and heat up lead me to believe that an explosion was possible. I became worried and threw the device out of the window for this very reason.

 

[MickeyRat]

How do you check the ohm of the cart before filling?

The same way you would after filling. Take an ohmmeter and put one lead on the center and the other lead on the outside threads. Being wet doesn't make that much difference.

 

[donnah]

This has happened to me before.. with a boge carto.. filled it and put it on the provari without checking ohms first.. Got an error code, then I checked the ohms.. it said 1.1! That little incident right there made the Provari worth every single penny I paid for it!

Now, before I put any new carto on any of my other devices, I check the ohms first! I do have a multimeter but I left it "on" and now the 9v batt inside it is dead and I haven't gotten around to replacing it... much easier to use the provari especially since I usually have it with me and the multimeter stays at home.

 

[AttyPops]

As far as I know you can't before filling, as checking the ohms runs a current through the carto (which could dry burn). There are ohm meters, but my Provari has the ability to check ohms.

Just for reference, the multimeter uses a very low current to measure the resistance. It won't fire the atty/carto. Go ahead and check before (although it is possible the reading will change slightly) if you wish. Saves juice if it's a "just toss".

Also, always make sure the connector is wiped very clean and no liquid or "stuff" could be shorting the connector or reducing its resistance.