Strange issues with kanger subtank mini & occ coils

[KattMamma]

My first st mini just refused to wick - tried tons of stuff, finally decided it had to be a defective tank and got a new one. Now I'm wondering if it was defective after all... or if it was, maybe my new one is too (what are the odds?)

Definite improvement with the new one. But still has wicking issues. I average about 2 or 3 days on an OCC coil. Twice I've gone through 3 coils in roughly 24hrs. And twice I've had a coil last a full week (interestingly enough, both were from the same 5pk). Most of the time though, it's about 2 days. Then it just stops wicking.

Once it stops wicking, if I give it several hard primer draws (and I mean HARD), it will pull juice through and show me some bubble love. A couple of times I have set it down after getting a good draw, picked it up 30 minutes later and got a dry hit, so not only did it stop wicking it actually seemed like the wick continued to get drier while it sat in a tank full of juice!

The coil that's now in the tank stopped wicking yesterday (day 2) but I have been priming it before nearly every draw to force another day out of it. Then earlier today, when the tank was nearly empty, it suddenly started wicking again!! WTH? I was sure when I refilled it, it would stop wicking, but several hours later and it still seems to be wicking like a champ.

I have tried sooooo many things, I keep thinking it's got to be the coils - they seem to be inconsistent anyway, and I'm not changing any other factors. Nothing else makes sense. But then my experience today doesn't make sense either - after 24 hrs of not wicking, it just mysteriously starts wicking like a champ?

If it matters, it's DIY juice, a vanilla custardy cakey flavor, with 2% sweetener, 70vg. About a week ago I started carrying a bottle of PG with me and using it to thin the juice down to roughly 50vg (and also thinning the flavors and sweetener) just to see if it helps. If it's made a difference, it's negligible, because I'm still averaging about 2 days on a coil. The 2 times I got a week out of a coil were before I started thinning the juice.

I seriously have thought "it's got to be me - nobody else is having this problem!" - but I have an Atlantis, a Delta 2, and now an Ego One, and none of them give me any trouble. It's only the st mini that gives me wicking trouble - and I really enjoy it a LOT more than the others WHEN IT'S WICKING RIGHT lol.

I'm baffled, and I doubt anyone can help, but it can't hurt to ask. Thanks for reading!

 

[Rixsta]

I had the same problem with them too, it's pretty common with the Kanger OCC coils, they can be a little hit and miss, if you have a high vg juice that can contribute too, I've found, if you get a small needle, make some tiny holes in the cotton on each juice hole, this has worked well for me and allows the juice to seep into the cotton more. Your coils should last longer though, mine last around a week, sometimes two, if you get dry hits from not wicking, this doesn't mean the coil needs replacing, usually the burnt taste will go when the juice soaks back into the cotton again. I'm pretty sure, the coils you threw away would of been OK..

EDIT, Sorry I missed that you had tried a lower VG juice, maybe try building your own coil with the RBA deck..

EDIT 2, don't make the holes too big in the cotton though or you will have the reverse affect and flood the coil.

 

[stormjib]

you can try this: pull the old cotton carefully out of your coil, cut a small strip of new cotton, and thread it through the coil, trim close to the head, fluff the remaining cotton and gently push it back into the coil head. the problem is that there is a little too much cotton in the occ

 

[KattMamma]

Thanks guys!

if you get a small needle, make some tiny holes in the cotton on each juice hole

I've done this. I tried poking through just enough to start going into the coil, and also tried poking all the way through the coil and coming out the other side. Neither seemed to help much, maybe just a little on a few of the coils. Other coils, I kept poking and poking until I made it start flooding.

pull the old cotton carefully out of your coil, cut a small strip of new cotton, and thread it through the coil, trim close to the head, fluff the remaining cotton and gently push it back into the coil head

I've kept them, and finally got the nerve to try this yesterday. I rewicked 3 of them (I still have a bunch more I can do, but wanted to make sure I got my technique down, plus I am using the cotton that came with the tanks - I have wondered if kanger cotton just sucks so I plan to buy some quality cotton).

I haven't tried one of my rewicked ones yet, but that will be the next thing to go in my tank.

I have read a lot of people saying theirs won't wick, but thinner juice or poking holes seemed to fix their problem. It didn't fix mine.

Any guesses as to how my current coil could stop wicking, then 24 hrs later start wicking again? That's what really has me puzzled. Unless somehow my constant priming with hard draws finally did something to the wick (moved it?)

 

[Rixsta]

Any guesses as to how my current coil could stop wicking, then 24 hrs later start wicking again?

Vaping Poltergeist ???

Oh I dunno Katt, I don't really use my Subtanks much, now I have the Starre tank, they are DVC coils and soon DVC nickel temperature coils, I can honestly say, I have never had one flood, I had never had a dry hit and the coil lasted 25 days, vaping on 70vg ,at 0.25ohm, 62w, absolutely fantastic..

DVC Four massive juice holes, medical grade organic cotton, parallel kanthal wire.

 

[KattMamma]

Vaping Poltergeist ???

LOL I think you're right!!


OOOOOH! Vertical coil - I like!! Kanger is putting out vertical coils for the subtank now but I haven't been able to get my hands on any yet - I have high hopes that it might be better. I also read they're a lot harder to rewick, but that would be ok with me if they would last a week or two.

 

[Rixsta]

LOL I think you're right!!


OOOOOH! Vertical coil - I like!! Kanger is putting out vertical coils for the subtank now but I haven't been able to get my hands on any yet - I have high hopes that it might be better. I also read they're a lot harder to rewick, but that would be ok with me if they would last a week or two.

Yeah lets hope the newer ones fix your problem as its a great, well made, good looking tank.. Best of luck, sorry I couldn't help, have you asked in the Subtank Mini thread, there are some knowledgeable members in there..

 

[KattMamma]

I just read up a bit on the Starre tank - looks very promising, but I tend to go with lower wattages (I run the st mini at around 20-22w with a 0.5ohm coil), so I am worried that it may be "too warm" for me? Dunno. I will keep my eye on it - if people say it runs well at around 25w it may be worth my $$.

 

[KattMamma]

have you asked in the Subtank Mini thread

I've read most of that thread, but didn't post there because they seem to mostly talk about rebuilding, which I'm not quite ready to jump into. Although rewicking turned out to be easier than I thought (although I don't know yet if I did a good job LOL) so maybe rebuilding won't be so bad either... I have bad hands and bad eyesight, that's why rebuilding intimidates me a bit.

 

[V43L1N]

I just read up a bit on the Starre tank - looks very promising, but I tend to go with lower wattages (I run the st mini at around 20-22w with a 0.5ohm coil), so I am worried that it may be "too warm" for me? Dunno. I will keep my eye on it - if people say it runs well at around 25w it may be worth my $$.

My other half used a subtank mini with the .5 coils up until a month or so ago, and she had the same concerns about switching. She loves the Starre at 30w! With a .25 coil it easily runs at lower wattages, and is a very cool vape around 35w.

 

[Rixsta]

Yup, also uses 0.5ohm coils too, wait for the Starre Pro though katt, mines on pre-order

 

[stormjib]

i used a total of six coils in two subtanks for four months, just kept rebuilding them...never had one 'stop wicking', however, usually they'd just get funky or i'd get bored and rebuild them. my guess is what i said before, there is just too much cotton in the occ for the vg ratio you're using...they're designed for 'all juices' which means they do best with 50/50 blends, as you up the vg the extra cotton really hampers your wicking.