Shortened Atomizer on Smok Alien 220

[Chall98]

Yesterday while my smok alien vape was in my pocket smoke started billowing out of the mouthpiece, the temperature was constantly on full volume and the coil was bright red and burning. I tried turning it off and all the screen portrayed was a message that said "atomizer shortening". After this the coil was completely burnt to nothing so I bought a new one. However even the new coil I have tastes horribly burnt and is completely unhittable. Anyone know any way to fix this? or is there something wrong with the vapes hardware itself and I need to get a new one.

Thanks for the help!

 

[MrStik]

You may need to do a deep clean of the whole tank. There may be burnt juice residue all over the whole tank. Take it apart as far as you can, and clean it in alcohol. I recommend vodka. Let it soak for a while. IF you have an ultrasonic cleaner, even better.

 

[Walee]

You may also want to figure out why it did that. Probably don't need to repeat that.

 

[Ralph_K]

Vodka is usually 40-50% alcohol. Grain alcohol is 88-95%.

 

[bombastinator]

Your atty shorted. This shouldn’t have done what it did though. A short shouldn’t produce a power on situation. If it happens again pull the batteries immediately. The alien has a rep for manufacturing defects. You may have a bad mod as well as an atty full of burnt residue.

 

[Ralph_K]

Yea a short should have to opposite effect. I have the alien also and if there is a short it won't fire. If I was going to put in my pocket I'd lock the screen

 

[sonicbomb]

As suggested you will need to completely strip (even screws and o-rings) and clean the tank using hot water dish soap and an old tooth brush. Multiple cleans and rinses might be required to get the burnt taste out.
You need to have a very long think about what your mod fired like this. Was the button pressed in your pocket, did it fire on it's own, would it not switch off?

 

[Bunnykiller]

buy another atty, its not worth the effort to clean it

 

[DaveP]

I'd go back on the seller for that issue. If they won't replace it, contact Smok. I have the Alien 220W and have had no problems with it.

IMO, it should have simply said "Shorted Coil" and refused to fire. Minimum resistance is .1 ohm. I'd check the atomizer coil resistance on another mod or a meter. There's also a chance that the center atomizer contact doesn't protrude from the threaded part enough to contact without shorting to the outer ring.

That's not usually adjustable anymore. The screw is directly connected to the positive terminal block. Loosening the screw will usually cause the positive block to rotate and short out against the negative terminal. It's spring loaded to make contact. If you've tried adjusting it already, tighten it back while ensuring that the space between the positive and negative blocks is parallel and not touching the other block.

SMOK Alien 220W features

• Zinc Alloy Construction with Spray Painted Finish
• OLED Display
• Stainless Steel 510 Connector
• Spring-Loaded Brass 510 Pin
• Size: 85x44x28.4mm
• Power Range: Max. 220W
• Resistance Range: 0.1ohm-3.0ohm (Variable Wattage) / 0.06ohm-2.0ohm (Temperature Control)
• Temperature Range: 200-600°F / 100°-350°C

 

[OlderNDirt]

Yesterday while my Smok Alien vape was in my pocket smoke started billowing out of the mouthpiece, the temperature was constantly on full volume and the coil was bright red and burning. I tried turning it off................

That sounds to me like the mod was on while in the pocket and not firing due to a defect. Probably why op is inquiring about getting rid of the burnt taste rather then why it fired. But I could be wrong.

 

[zoiDman]

You may also want to figure out why it did that. ...

That would be the 1st Thing I would want to do.

 

[stols001]

Yes, it kind of doesn't matter what your vape tastes like if it blows up in your hand when you vape it.

Do you know why it misfired and was it left unlocked in a pocket? Was this user error or some type of defect? It's very important to know as if user error, maybe the mod will be okay. If it was some sort of electrical defect, you'd probably need to warranty the mod. I'd also be looking at your batteries very careful and inside the mod for any signs of heat/burning etc.

Anna

 

[Chall98]

Thanks for the help all, still no clue as why the mod did this and what caused it, it was unlocked in my pocket but to my knowlage was not being pressed on so shouldn't have caused this. Ill clean it completely out with rubbing alc and see if that helps the taste also.

 

[OlderNDirt]

Sorry, but I just can't turn away and ignore your post!

still no clue as why the mod did this and what caused it, it was unlocked in my pocket but to my knowlage was not being pressed on so shouldn't have caused this.

I'll just STRONGLY suggest, no matter the brand, please do not put a mod, on and unlocked into your pocket, purse, or any confined space, period! Simultaneously pressing the up/down buttons or 5 quick clicks of the fire bar locks the Alien. That feature is there for a reason.

Please stay safe!

 

[stols001]

@OlderNDirt is correct, and it hasn't been mentioned yet. Putting an unlocked vape in your pocket can cause repeated or right one after another accidental pushing of the fire button, leading to exactly what you experienced. You really NEED to lock or turn off your mod when it goes in a pocket or you could have the exact same thing happen again (or worse). Repetitive firing is also really bad for the mod and batteries as they get to very high temps, and can put stress on the mod, causing mod death, mod explosion, and stress on every piece of electronics in the mod. They aren't designed to reach temps like that.

Anna

 

[DaveP]

I haven't tried the Alien 220W for this, but my Eleaf Invoke shuts down after ten seconds with the fire button pressed. You have to do the 5 click turn on to get it back in operation. I found that out by mistake when I toked too long. It's a great "fire in the pocket" safety feature.

 

[stols001]

I've seen that feature on many mods and it's good to have. Not sure if the Alien has that feature, but regardless, sometimes that feature won't always work, so best practice is to turn them off prior to carrying them around. It's a habit that I have MADE myself get into, as my mods go in my purse and almost everything I need to function in this world is also in there. Consistency isn't something that I'm great at, but when it matters, I try really hard.

Lots of things can happen besides autofiring.... You can accidentally change your resistance (a lot) leading to unfortunate burnt coils and etc., and over time I've gotten this to a habit and I think everyone should.... I mean, to the best of one's ability but since I've found myself consistently able to press a fire button, I decided I could learn to consistently lock or turn off a mod (the steampunk nano is so great for this, simple on/off switch I wish more mods had it.

Anna

 

[Eskie]

Even with a 10 second safety cutoff it can be repeatably pressed. The wattage buttons can also be pressed resulting in discovering your mod is now trying to fire at 220W. I would say the mod is toast and maybe you can get a replacement from the vendor or warranty by Smok (good luck on that). The tank should certainly be be salvageable other than the coil you can toss. Wash the tank well, put in a new coil, and enjoy it on a different mod. At least there’s something you can salvage.

And as already stated, if the mod fried, I wouldn’t trust those batteries again regardless of their appearance.

 

[papergoblin]

I'm thinking he moved mod fired til safety stop, moved again which released and repressed the fire button. Probably even got turned all the way up and kept running until it finally cooked the coil.

Always lock out the fire button and the adjustment buttons/screen when pocketing or bagging a mod. Nothing like the sensation of a 100 watts or more when you're expecting 30 to 45.

 

[OlderNDirt]

I haven't tried the Alien 220W for this, but my Eleaf Invoke shuts down after ten seconds with the fire button pressed. You have to do the 5 click turn on to get it back in operation. I found that out by mistake when I toked too long. It's a great "fire in the pocket" safety feature.

Given this thread, I was wondering what the Alien would do after the 10 second cutoff? Turning off the mod sure seems like the best fail safe, but have no idea how many mods do that. And I'm not comfortable testing my Alien or any other mod.