Slow Wicking Problem. Please help!

[Rots8t]

Hello fellow vapors, I heard this is the best vape forum so I hope you can help.

I have a new vape which is wicking very slowly, I can leave it for over 10 mins and only be able to take 2 hits before i start to get very hot throat hits. The only way I can really use it is to open the vape where you fill it. I've been told that this let's air into the tank relieving the vacuum created when using the vape and thus pushing liquid into the wick. After this I am able to get much better hits. Is there anything else I can do for it to wick better because id rather not have to open it each time as I can imagine this breaking it much quicker.

 

[Dudeman]

What device are you using? What's the PG/VG ratio of your liquid?

 

[Rots8t]

I'm using a voopoo mojo box mod with the tank that came with it. The pg/vg ratio is 30/70

 

[YorkMan]

Welcome! Answers will be forthcoming.

 

[Baditude]

I have that mod, but I don't recall what tank that came with it, or if it came with one.

What is the resistance (ohm) of the coil you are using. What wattage setting are you using? This information will be displayed in the display window when you press the fire button on the mod.

Did you properly prime and break in the coil before you filled the tank with e-liquid? The following video shows how, although you probably are using a different tank.



If your tank has an airflow adjustment ring, have you played around using different adjustments? Make sure the airflow ring is not completely closed off.

If this is your first sub-ohm tank, you will probably want to use a lower wattage setting than what is recommended.

If you can identify specifically which tank you are using, we may be able to offer additional troubleshooting tips. Also, if you have inadvertantly "burnt" the coil, you'll probably need to use a new coil. Follow the prime and break in method above.

 

[Rots8t]

It has the original u2 tank which is 0.4 sub ohm and I use it with the airflow full for direct lung vaping. I was wondering if it could possibly be a bad wick

 

[Eskie]

It has the original u2 tank which is 0.4 sub ohm and I use it with the airflow full for direct lung vaping. I was wondering if it could possibly be a bad wick

That's always possible. Proper priming and break in are key. If you start out with a poorly primed coil the cotton will always be a little singed and taste lousy wit continued use. I do not have the tank and drop in coil you mention. As a generic rule, drop in subohm coils have fairly tightly packed in cotton. That's why full y saturating with drops inside the coil before assembly, letting it sit for 10-15 minutes to soak in a full tank, taking some unpowered draws on the tank before use help draw more juice into the cotton, and starting out with a low wattage and slowly raising it up to your preferred power level are helpful. The links and video Badititude provided are all good places to start.

Some coils are just known to have issues with drawing in sufficient juice fast enough to keep you from having a dry hit. Some folks will poke holes in the cotton with a small needle/pin through the side juice holes to aid in liquid flow. It's something else to consider if the priming and break in steps aren't enough.

 

[Vapemesilly]

You don't say what wattage you are running. That .4 coil is rated at 40-80w. It doesn't mean you have to run your wattage that high.

 

[Rots8t]

It says it works best between 40 to 60w and I run it at 50.

I didn't prime it myself , but when I first filled the tank I did let it sit for about 30 mins before using it and it did seem to be fine for a few days, so this does suggest that the problem may be the wick (I do think my younger brother had tried using it once or twice as he didn't leave it where he found it so he may have burnt the wick) . Do you really think that poking holes with a needle could help, as I'm happy to try this.

 

[Baditude]

@Rots8t , I've never personally needed to do that. If you do prime a new coil, you can easily determine how tightly packed the cotton fibers are and how absorbant they are. It probably won't hurt anything to poke holes in the cotton, but like I said I've never had to resort to that myself. I like to take my time dripping drops on the cotton; I know it takes some time but I'm a firm believer that the wick needs to be totally saturated...glistening like a slushy drink when finished. The wick goes bad way before the wire coil does, and if it starts life only half saturated then the entire coil head's life expectancy drops off and you'll get dry hits.

I also rarely use the "recommended" wattage range. I usually use something a bit lower and it works just fine...probably extends the life of the coil by using a lower wattage. As long as you get enough vapor production, you don't need all that power. I get 3 - 4 weeks use on a coil. Some folks say 2 weeks is average. With the flavors I use I get better taste using a lower wattage setting.

 

[Rots8t]

Thanks guys, I will try what has been suggested, first running it at a lower wattage, if that didn't work I'll try the needle trick and see if that works. I'll update you on what results I get.

 

[Coyote628]

That's always possible. Proper priming and break in are key. If you start out with a poorly primed coil the cotton will always be a little singed and taste lousy wit continued use. I do not have the tank and drop in coil you mention. As a generic rule, drop in subohm coils have fairly tightly packed in cotton. That's why full y saturating with drops inside the coil before assembly, letting it sit for 10-15 minutes to soak in a full tank, taking some unpowered draws on the tank before use help draw more juice into the cotton, and starting out with a low wattage and slowly raising it up to your preferred power level are helpful. The links and video Badititude provided are all good places to start.

Some coils are just known to have issues with drawing in sufficient juice fast enough to keep you from having a dry hit. Some folks will poke holes in the cotton with a small needle/pin through the side juice holes to aid in liquid flow. It's something else to consider if the priming and break in steps aren't enough.

Ive used that set up before, the coil is really no different than any other drop in coil as far as priming and break in period are concerned

 

[Rots8t]

OK so I tried the low wattage and even though it let me take more drags it didn't change the issue with it Wicking to slowly, I went to try the needle and noticed that the cotton on the coil appeared very dark on the inside although it looked fine on the outside i don't believe it was burnt though as I never got the burnt taste. I have cleaned it just using hot water and it does look better. I am currently letting it dry, hopefully this will help.

 

[vapdivrr]

Cleaning a drop in coil? Not sure that's a good solution, as it never really works all that good. I think a new coil is the best option....also when filling, dont top it off, leave a space for air.....also if you tighten up the airflow a little it can bring up slightly more juice to coil

 

[Baditude]

You might try using a more gentle draw technique, to allow the wick time to catch up with your vaping. Could also do occassional primer puffs...taking a draw without power on.

The wick always looks dark after vaping. Normal.

 

[Rots8t]

I cleaned the wick out and it seems to be better, let's just see how it holds up, if I start getting issues again. I think I'll just swap it out and start again. Thanks for the help everyone, is appreciated

 

[Rots8t]

UPDATE

So it seemed to work, but when I woke up this morning it was back to not working right. At this point I think It's time to bite the bullet and just change the coil.

 

[Electrodave]

Cleaning a drop in coil? Not sure that's a good solution, as it never really works all that good. I think a new coil is the best option....also when filling, dont top it off, leave a space for air.....also if you tighten up the airflow a little it can bring up slightly more juice to coil

I wash coil heads in cold water frequently. Let 'em dry for a few hours, vape out the rest of the water. Works best with Kanger OCC or Nautilus BVC. I get 2-3 months out of an OCC coil. Not nearly that much from the Nautilus heads.
It probably helps that my juice is never more than 1% flavoring.

 

[Electrodave]

I don't know much about this coil head, but some coil heads just can't keep up with us DTL'ers, especially if you chain vape. I've had wicking problems with every SMOK coil head I've ever tried. OTOH, I almost never get a dry hit from a Kanger OCC series or Nautilus coil heads.

 

[DeloresRose]

UPDATE

So it seemed to work, but when I woke up this morning it was back to not working right. At this point I think It's time to bite the bullet and just change the coil.

I’ve never had luck with cleaning coils. But then, I like a sweetened juice that would be all but impossible to wash out. Also, once the cotton is cooked, it’s cooked. No amount of washing will un-cook it. It won’t be absorbent enough.

Proper priming techniques as already mentioned should give you much better performance and coil life. I suggest also allowing more time to let the coils soak before priming. Go as low with the watts as it can go and still fire at all, like around 15-20. Do a few no-fire hits

Also do a few half second clicks on the fire button. Just a few, leave a few seconds between them.

That may sound like over kill, but if I could show you when I juice up an RBA coil and quick fire it, you’d see how that little bit of heat draws liquid into the cotton.