Sparks from PT

[MrSmokinToad]

I was using my PT (which I love!) I had a blank carto that I filled and a spark shot into my mouth and burned my tongue. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this. I could not find a thread on it. It kind of freaked me out. It burned out my cart too.

Hot juice caused the cart to burn out....too....?????
Did you inspect the guts of this cart? Maybe this cart had a defect and the resistance was out of specification.
It's not impossible that the wire element likely failed "open", it is unlikely a actual spark was ejected through the mouth piece, more likely hot metal wire bit. Is it so unrealistic to have a one in a million element failure happen? IMHO it's unlikely that the PT was the issue unless it's happened to multiple carts.

 

[lairkeeper]

I've had the hot juice drops hit the tongue too and it does feel A LOT like getting shocked..I'd put money on this being what happened....

 

[Jbarbaro32]

Jbarbaro32 could you tell us which cartomizer you were using? Regular or Premium and flavor?​

Whatever went wrong I don't want to burn my tongue also. I am sorry this happened to you.​

I was using the regular cartomizer with tequila juice.

 

[Jbarbaro32]

And you're sure it wasn't super-heated juice from refilling or drawing too hard? How certain are we that it was a "spark" when the entire process was enclosed?
I described it as a spark because it shocked my tongue and then I pulled out 2 brown/black rock like material.

 

[Jbarbaro32]

It was probably some way I filled it wrong or maybe I used it too much yesterday (the same carto, refilling) I haven't taken it apart cause I don't know what to look for. I will try my PT again tonight. Thank you all for your advice and comments.

 

[lovingit]

sorry to hear that, hope its all worked out now.

 

[Jbarbaro32]

I rushed through my post earlier cause I had to go to work. I just re-read all the comments.
I just want to say I LOVE V4L. I am not complaining just bummed cause I have always used the VK XL and just started using my PT and I am hooked. (except for the small part of what I think is a shock on my tongue) I say this because of the feeling of getting shocked along with the rock like grain that comes out and the feeling left on my tongue (the same as burning with eating or drinking something way to hot.) I tried it again tonight with a different carto and it happened again.
Thank you Michelle for your posts. I am sure it is just a 1/100000 thing and will not happen to you.
Thanks all for your input.
On a better note, I received my chrome reg. battery today and my favorite Cognac juice!!! Yummy

 

[Adrenalynn]

That "rock" is dried juice from inside the airway.

Generally caused by over-filling, then leaving it unvaped overnight [give-or-take]

 

[Jbarbaro32]

That "rock" is dried juice from inside the airway.

Generally caused by over-filling, then leaving it unvaped overnight [give-or-take]

I had just filled it. It was a new blank carto and fresh juice. I started vaping in the morning and it happened at night. I had refilled it about 3 times since the morning.

 

[Adrenalynn]

So likely from the morning fill.

Just dried liquid and a drop or two of hot liquid. Nothing to be terribly concerned about, and going to happen more than you'd like with a PT and a premium carto. Just something to accept.

 

[jazzguy]

I had just filled it. It was a new blank carto and fresh juice. I started vaping in the morning and it happened at night. I had refilled it about 3 times since the morning.

Hi Jbarbaro!

I'm glad you are enjoying the VK!

I just saw this thread and thought I'd chime in... I have had that happen to me a few times as well. The premium cartos are pretty sweet, but they are designed to run at a higher temp than standard cartos on a given voltage. Using them on a PT at higher voltage makes them even HOTTER. In my opinion, prems aren't a good match for the PT because of this. This is relevant in your situation for a few reasons: 1. Although you had been topping off regularly, the juice near the coil can dry fast. The temp at the heating coil can cook it before it all gets vaporized, and it makes those little rocks you are talking about. (This is less of an issue at 3.7V). 2. Another thing that happens when they run so hot is that they can boil the juice at the coil and 'spit' it out the mouthpiece at your tongue, along with those juice rocks.

It sounds like this is exactly what happened, and my experience matches yours closely. This is relatively rare, but as pointed out it happens A LOT more often when using a premium on a PT.

I find that the premium cartos shine their brightest on a battery, and the standard cartos work best on the PT. Since I've been using them this way, I haven't had that happen again and my overall experience has been fantastic. As an aside, I also think the flavor gets destroyed a bit when using high voltage in conjunction with a premium carto (which after all was designed to give you that higher volt 'sensation' when you use them on a battery).

Anyhow, enjoy the cognac and watch out for those tongue scorchers!!!

 

[Jbarbaro32]

Hi Jbarbaro!

I'm glad you are enjoying the VK!

I just saw this thread and thought I'd chime in... I have had that happen to me a few times as well. The premium cartos are pretty sweet, but they are designed to run at a higher temp than standard cartos on a given voltage. Using them on a PT at higher voltage makes them even HOTTER. In my opinion, prems aren't a good match for the PT because of this. This is relevant in your situation for a few reasons: 1. Although you had been topping off regularly, the juice near the coil can dry fast. The temp at the heating coil can cook it before it all gets vaporized, and it makes those little rocks you are talking about. (This is less of an issue at 3.7V). 2. Another thing that happens when they run so hot is that they can boil the juice at the coil and 'spit' it out the mouthpiece at your tongue, along with those juice rocks.

It sounds like this is exactly what happened, and my experience matches yours closely. This is relatively rare, but as pointed out it happens A LOT more often when using a premium on a PT.

I find that the premium cartos shine their brightest on a battery, and the standard cartos work best on the PT. Since I've been using them this way, I haven't had that happen again and my overall experience has been fantastic. As an aside, I also think the flavor gets destroyed a bit when using high voltage in conjunction with a premium carto (which after all was designed to give you that higher volt 'sensation' when you use them on a battery).

Anyhow, enjoy the cognac and watch out for those tongue scorchers!!!

Thank you very much for your input. I do appreciate it and will keep that in mind. I did mention in one of my post however that I used a regular blank cart with regular liquid. I actually prefer the regulars to the premiums due to the difference in flavor.

 

[Joe Camel]

Maybe if you have a tongue ring it would contribute to the shock heh. In all seriousness I blame global warming.

 

[jazzguy]

Thank you very much for your input. I do appreciate it and will keep that in mind. I did mention in one of my post however that I used a regular blank cart with regular liquid. I actually prefer the regulars to the premiums due to the difference in flavor.

Oops! I'm sorry, I missed that detail somehow! Even better then, that should be a pretty rare thing with a regular carto.

 

[Kings35]

Someone asked "How do you turn on an auto battery without drawing on it?"

You can turn on an auto battery with a magnet. I found that the magnet on my name badge for work can turn on my auto batteries.

 

[Michelle43]

Can someone please explain what these "hot rocks" are and how they form from liquid.

Also would one of these hot rocks feel like an electrical shock?

 

[Adrenalynn]

I think the second question has been adequately answered. I'm not sure how to clarify that more.

The hot droplets will feel, to those that have never had their tongue shocked for real, like a shock. Why? Because the heat activates the nerve endings causing THEM to shock the brain.

As far as the first question: Have you ever left tap water out long enough for it to evaporate? See that crust on the bottom of the glass, pan, whatever? Those are the minerals that were in that tap water.

The flavorings are just like that. They're solid particles held in suspension by the PG. When you evaporate the PG (by exposing it to heat), some of the solid particles are left behind - generally caught-up in the batting. Nothing is ever vaporized completely at the temperatures we're talking about. Now and again we get a hard little "rock" of particles that have joined together under the heat and don't evaporate. As luck would have it, they end-up through the hole and in your mouth.

Incidentally, this is the same stuff that clogs the battery holes and discolors the batting.

 

[Michelle43]

I think the second question has been adequately answered. I'm not sure how to clarify that more.

The hot droplets will feel, to those that have never had their tongue shocked for real, like a shock. Why? Because the heat activates the nerve endings causing THEM to shock the brain.

As far as the first question: Have you ever left tap water out long enough for it to evaporate? See that crust on the bottom of the glass, pan, whatever? Those are the minerals that were in that tap water.

The flavorings are just like that. They're solid particles held in suspension by the PG. When you evaporate the PG (by exposing it to heat), some of the solid particles are left behind - generally caught-up in the batting. Nothing is ever vaporized completely at the temperatures we're talking about. Now and again we get a hard little "rock" of particles that have joined together under the heat and don't evaporate. As luck would have it, they end-up through the hole and in your mouth.

Incidentally, this is the same stuff that clogs the battery holes and discolors the batting.

Okay, thanks for explaining that. I can understand it a bit more. And I guess the PT at higher voltage could cause this to happen faster.

 

[Belletrist]

generally, that's what i'm talking about when i say it's time to wash regular carts (i don't rewash the hard cap prems cause imo they vape so well for so long that they aren't... worth rewashing at that point. whey they kick it they kick it. )... when i say they get 'gunky' inside, it's the residue left (i am assuming) from flavoring ingredients that didn't effectively vaporize.

 

[Adrenalynn]

Belle - yes, exactly. Along with some nicotine staining that may or may not effectively come out.

Michelle - I'd expect to see it more frequently with premium cartos, and even more frequently yet with a PT. The flavoring agents don't necessarily vaporize at as low a temp as the PG/VG. If we remove the suspension before we remove the other particles, we risk "gluing" them together. Also, I expect a very complete examination of the topic would show some flavors doing it more frequently than others.

Right now, I think there's a lot more "art" and a lot less "science" to the construction of vaporizing flavors and what mixtures work best.

And I don't believe it will ever be without its flaws, gotchas, and issues. This is a decision for responsible adults to make for themselves. If the option is "vaping or nothing" then certainly choose "nothing". It's the safest option. If the option is "smoking cigarettes or vaping" then this appears at this time to be a great big "duh" where vaping wins in the safety department hands-down. This is "calculated risk", and requires some critical reasoning skills.

As an intermediate - there is the option of using unflavored nicotine + PG. That would appear to be a middle-ground of "safety" for what we know today, removing the flavoring component entirely from the equation.