SOLVED: Dry hits chain vaping Wotofo Profile RDTA

[Ionori]

Solution: make sure the steel ropes are installed the right side up (welding marks on the bottom, looks like a recessed circle around the central strand). Other good things to try: don't use more than half a cotton pad (before removing the skins) to wick the stock mesh. Cut the tails at a 45° or 30° degree angle (short on top worked for me) so that the tails don't choke the tank.

I'm having dry hits while chain vaping on my new Wotofo Profile RDTA. I like to go fog machine mode and vape on every inhale. I've been able to vape many RTAs from full to dry without issue this way, but the RDTA is giving me dry hits after about 10-15 inhales with a full tank and liquid dripped up to the air holes. I'm using it in RDTA mode with the clapton "mesh" currently, and I've had the same issue using the other 2 included mesh strips. I end up dripping as I being to feel the dryness, and the liquid in the tank seems to barely get used. I could probably get about 5 inhales every 12 hours at the rate it's wicking from the tank.

I've never really used RDTAs before, so I don't know if this is the kind of performance I should expect, or if I'm doing something wrong.

I've tried watching YT videos about it, but the reviewers are giving inconsistent directions regarding wicking (e.g. cut diagonally with the bottom longer, cut diagonally with the top longer, etc). None of the wicking methods seem to be making much of a difference, so I'm inclined to blame the steel wicks. The reviewers also don't go nearly as hard on the chain vaping as I do when they do their chain vaping tests, usually stopping after 5-10 inhales.

I washed all the parts of the RDTA with soap when I got it, including the steel wicks, could this be the reason the steel wicks are failing to keep up?

 

[Ionori]

Installed 2 spare steel wicks without washing them first and decided to take some pictures of the new wicking.

Wotofo Profile RDTA before fluffling

• Ionori
• Nov 22, 2020

Wotofo Profile RDTA after fluffing

• Ionori
• Nov 22, 2020

Wotofo Profile RDTA after fluffing 2

• Ionori
• Nov 22, 2020

Wotofo Profile RDTA juiced

• Ionori
• Nov 22, 2020

 

[PeterKay]

I washed all the parts of the RDTA with soap when I got it, including the steel wicks, could this be the reason the steel wicks are failing to keep up?

I've not got the Profile but I have Vandy Vape Mato RDTA. Washed steel rods with dishwashing liquid after first cleaning, and with isopropyl alcohol/water yesterday, no change to performance
Can't really help with mesh as I never used mesh before... Maybe your juice is too thick if its high VG (you can add 5% distilled H2O to improve wicking) or maybe you need to thin out the tails, I really dunno. Wait until someone experienced with mesh comes around

 

[PeterKay]

Maybe the mesh itself is the issue with your style of vaping, watch from 8:15

 

[Ionori]

I've not got the Profile but I have Vandy Vape Mato RDTA. Washed steel rods with dishwashing liquid after first cleaning, and with isopropyl alcohol/water yesterday, no change to performance
Can't really help with mesh as I never used mesh before... Maybe your juice is too thick if its high VG (you can add 5% distilled H2O to improve wicking) or maybe you need to thin out the tails, I really dunno. Wait until someone experienced with mesh comes around

It's good to hear that you haven't noticed a change in performance from cleaning your steel wicks, hopefully that means I haven't ruined mine. Do you ever do nonstop chain vaping with steel wick RDTAs? Maybe I'm just expecting too much wicking performance from mine.

Maybe the mesh itself is the issue with your style of vaping, watch from 8:15

I've vaped my Geekvape Zeus X Mesh from full to try plenty of times with no issues in fog machine mode, so I don't think the issue is the mesh.

 

[PeterKay]

Do you ever do nonstop chain vaping with steel wick RDTAs? Maybe I'm just expecting too much wicking performance from mine.

Yes to some extent, like 10 hits in a row sometimes. But mine is in single coil configuration so I imagine the wicking needs are sligtly different to what you're using. Right now 0.14ohm triple fused clapton, at 70W, just did 10 hits, no problem at all just a bit dizzy haha (5mg I made for my gf, she vapes lower W than me).
Juice is 85/15 VG/PG, cut with 6% Distilled H2O. After adding the distilled water, I honestly see no difference in viscosity compared to 70/30
I had slight issues with dry hits with the first 2 wickings though as I left the tails slightly too long the first time which resulted in cotton too compressed in juice ports, the second time I used slightly too much cotton and didn't thin the tails enough. It was wicking but not fast enough.

One thing I had to learn was to tilt the mod horizontally every time I take a hit, it really helps with wicking. At first it felt weird, after a week it's just natural.

 

[PeterKay]

It's good to hear that you haven't noticed a change in performance from cleaning your steel wicks, hopefully that means I haven't ruined mine. Do you ever do nonstop chain vaping with steel wick RDTAs? Maybe I'm just expecting too much wicking performance from mine.


I've vaped my Geekvape Zeus X Mesh from full to try plenty of times with no issues in fog machine mode, so I don't think the issue is the mesh.

What's the diameter of these steel wicks in your Profile?

 

[Ionori]

Diameter is 3mm, length is 26mm. 4 wicks total.

 

[PeterKay]

Diameter is 3mm, length is 26mm. 4 wicks total.

My atty also has 4x 3mm and I'm using it for a single coil...

 

[PeterKay]

I would personally try your wotofo in dual/single coil configuration and see whether performance changes. The mesh might just be too much for this tank when combined with your chain vaping style. But lets see what other say, like i said before I've no experience with mesh

 

[stols001]

I don't use that tank but if I'm imagining the kind of temps your are using and etc., I might try rayon if you haven't.

I think you plain and simple may be asking too much from that tank and it simply may not be able to deliver. But rayon wicks efficiently and I could also be totally wrong on that (the expecting too much thing.)
Anna

 

[Ionori]

I don't use that tank but if I'm imagining the kind of temps your are using and etc., I might try rayon if you haven't.

I think you plain and simple may be asking too much from that tank and it simply may not be able to deliver. But rayon wicks efficiently and I could also be totally wrong on that (the expecting too much thing.)
Anna

That's an interesting suggestion. Do you mean make a big rayon wick that goes all the way from the mesh to the bottom of the tank? I always assumed rayon only came in the form of ropes, but after searching it seems I was mistaken.

It seems I may have been asking too much all around, as even with a longer drip tip, the top cap gets almost unbearably hot, and it feels like I've burned the roof of my mouth a little while testing the RDTA in fog machine mode.

I usually vape the Profile RDTA with mesh at 50-60W, the Geekvape Zeus X Mesh at 40-50W, single coil RTAs at 30-40W, dual coil RTAs at 40-60W.

I was thinking about getting a regulated squonk mod and running it in BF RDA mode (the flavor is that good when the wick is really juicy), but it almost seems impossible to get a good 3/4 battery sqounk mod, and even most of the 2 battery ones are out of stock.

I would personally try your wotofo in dual/single coil configuration and see whether performance changes. The mesh might just be too much for this tank when combined with your chain vaping style. But lets see what other say, like i said before I've no experience with mesh

I may do that in the future, but I don't really need another atomizer that takes coils at the moment. The quality of the vape is better than anything I've tried with mesh and a really juicy wick on the Profile RDTA.

 

[stols001]

Honestly I have no idea how to tell you to wick that sucker, I don't have one. My thought is perhaps you are overstuffing your wick, and cotton expands while rayon shrinks and it will handle higher temps which you will get with how you are vaping better.

But, no specific suggestions I guess other than if you try to wick it like you were wicking your cotton maybe it would work out. Dry hits often mean TOO MUCH wick so the juice gets choked and can't travel through it.

Anna

 

[PeterKay]

That's an interesting suggestion. Do you mean make a big rayon wick that goes all the way from the mesh to the bottom of the tank? I always assumed rayon only came in the form of ropes, but after searching it seems I was mistaken.

Rayon shrinks when it gets wet so you'd have to pack it really well not to get any hollow spots under the mesh. You could use it just like cotton with steel wicks, but it has different properties than cotton. It wicks much faster but retains less liquid at the same time. Hard to tell if it would work you'd have to try

 

[Ionori]

Honestly I have no idea how to tell you to wick that sucker, I don't have one. My thought is perhaps you are overstuffing your wick, and cotton expands while rayon shrinks and it will handle higher temps which you will get with how you are vaping better.

But, no specific suggestions I guess other than if you try to wick it like you were wicking your cotton maybe it would work out. Dry hits often mean TOO MUCH wick so the juice gets choked and can't travel through it.

Anna

I tried using half as much cotton (normally I use 1 pad with the skins removed, this time I cut it in half and removed the skins), and the result was the same, so I don't think that's the issue. In case some are wondering how it's possible that a wick with half the amount of cotton to work the same, the Profile RDTA has a spring-loaded block that pushes on the wick from the bottom, so a larger wick can be accommodated by the spring.

 

[Ionori]

Put the RDTA upside down on the table with juice in the tank for 10 minutes to see how well it would wick that way, got about 1.5 hits before I started feeling the tell-tale flavor of a semi-dry wick. No liquid on the desk. It seems the steel ropes act more like a cork than a wick.

 

[Superuser187]

How much vg juice u vape??

Maybe you are too Savage and the wick can't keep up with you
But really I know u said u tried half the cotton but try even less...like I guess wtf it should wick better if not cause leak something will happen

 

[Ionori]

How much vg juice u vape???

DIY I do 50/50, I think the store-bought ones are 70% VG. No appreciable difference with wicking performance.

 

[Superuser187]

Dam

DIY I do 50/50, I think the store-bought ones are 70% VG. No appreciable difference with wicking performance.

Dam..even 70vg is normal it's not that thick...hmmm...50/50 is very easy to wick that at least should work good like wtf

 

[Superuser187]

Man really like if u fluff the tails as much as possible like to be able to make them kinda see through to the steel wicks ahhahaha
Like then won't wick better???
If that won't work maybe it's the tightness of cotton into the mesh...and that must be tight to avoid hotspots...u can't change that...maybe u are vaping to hard then bro and this atty can't keep up