I guess it might be worth a bit more time in the solvent then... nothing to loose.
The Cola Method Taken to Another Level That Works
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I guess it might be worth a bit more time in the solvent then... nothing to loose.
RSNGFRCE--give it another 24 hours easy since you have gone this far with it--also I found no residue in the solvent--are you finding the solvent is still clear also--thanks for your experiment report and be carefull!!!! Sun
Good gravy, you have to soak the atomizer in this stuff longer than it takes to gunk up the atomizer 
Two interesting things with the NuCalgon / phosphoric acid clean:
1) what causes that red color - must be some reduced compound with a distinct red color to make the whole thing red. Maybe Exogenesis will have some ideas on that
2) i can't understand how everything just 'disappears'; the carbon fraction at least should still be left as black bits, as seen with other cleaning methods. Where'd it go? Into what compound(s)? Maybe the bits are just too small to see; perhpaps that's the answer. In methods where expanding gas produces the results, the gunk is blasted apart more quickly and so the bits are larger and easier to see.
1) what causes that red color - must be some reduced compound with a distinct red color to make the whole thing red. Maybe Exogenesis will have some ideas on that
2) i can't understand how everything just 'disappears'; the carbon fraction at least should still be left as black bits, as seen with other cleaning methods. Where'd it go? Into what compound(s)? Maybe the bits are just too small to see; perhpaps that's the answer. In methods where expanding gas produces the results, the gunk is blasted apart more quickly and so the bits are larger and easier to see.
Good gravy, you have to soak the atomizer in this stuff longer than it takes to gunk up the atomizer
I think what we need is maintenance rather than recovery...
RSng--that is the goal--but it must be safe and work--none of this hokus pokus business. Just as we do not go 15000 miles between oil changes, we need to clean the atomizer regularly--but the key is with what--and that has yet to be found--Sun
Well, I don't want to divert this thread, and it has probably been discussed elsewhere here, but I am wondering about the importance of the "hated" cleaning cycle...
I am only dealing with M401 atomizers, which don't have a cleaning cycle; however, my wife (who does vape more than me) can totally gunk her M401 atomizers in about a week. I am still using the same atomizer for over a month now and the coil is slighly black, but no real buildup and I never clean or drain. One difference in our usages is that I often use mine in my car and the sensitive switch sticks on and heats the atomizer until it cuts off. I am thinking that this may well be keeping my atomizer relatively clean.
Maybe the cleaning cycles don't occur often enough on most atomizers... deal with the bad taste for a bit, or deal with dead atomizers?
I am only dealing with M401 atomizers, which don't have a cleaning cycle; however, my wife (who does vape more than me) can totally gunk her M401 atomizers in about a week. I am still using the same atomizer for over a month now and the coil is slighly black, but no real buildup and I never clean or drain. One difference in our usages is that I often use mine in my car and the sensitive switch sticks on and heats the atomizer until it cuts off. I am thinking that this may well be keeping my atomizer relatively clean.
Maybe the cleaning cycles don't occur often enough on most atomizers... deal with the bad taste for a bit, or deal with dead atomizers?
Quick update. I used the nickel safe ice maker cleaner on 2 more atomizers (one has never been cleaned and is months old) and both came out clean and are back to being fog machines.
Both atomizers were having performance issues prior to the cleaning.
Both atomizers were having performance issues prior to the cleaning.
Disclaimer: I don't even have an e-cig yet, just doing lots of research before I buy (hopefully next week!). So, all I know is what I've read and seen in videos.
Before my current career I was a chemist and have a MS in Analytical chemistry, but haven't' been using that for a while, so I've forgotten a lot. However, there's many a chemistry lab that resulted in burnt on black stuff on glassware and there's lots of ways to try to get it off, and different things work depending on what it is. Most of them have been tried on atomizers from what I can see, but here was the general order before giving up on getting it clean:
1. Water. Just wash it. Looks like limited use here. Mostly would dissolve salts and other stuff that is water soluble. The main problem seems more oily or solid.
2. Soap and water. Looks like it's had some success, and generally good for oils and things that dissolve in water.
3. Acetone. Nail polish remover. Will remove paint sometimes. Good for things that won't dissolve well in water, oils and heavier organic compounds. Nicely volatile and shouldn't leave a residue itself, though if it did dissolve something and wasn't washed away that will stay behind. Not much good for salts. Also seems to have had limited success.
4. Acid. The part that makes it acidic may react with the residue and make it something that will dissolve in water and/or the cation of the acid may react (possibly why phosphoric acid and trisodium phosphate coffee pot cleaner are both reporting success, and it's in most sodas as well). Good for some organics and many metals.
5. Acid with acetone. Combine reaction with better organic dissolving power. We usually used 10% acetone with 10% nitric acid in the lab, no idea if mixing acetone and vinegar or lemon juice, or citric acid for canning would do the job.
6. Base. Same idea as the acid, but different reaction that may make the stuff more soluble in water. Baking soda, coffee pot cleaner, some drain cleaners (especially lye, but bad for aluminum) would all be bases readily available, and look like they've been tried too, with the usual mixed success.
7. Base with acetone. Same idea as acid with acetone, try to make it more soluble, but put some extra organic dissolving power in. Same proportions. I haven't seen this one tried and would suggest baking soda and hot water (near boiling) until no more soda will dissolve, add nearly equal amount of acetone, soak a few minutes, water rinse and dry. Lemme know if anyone tries it.
8. Lots of scrubbing. Just mechanically scrape the stuff off. For glassware, really part of every step. For atomizers, just not viable since the coil is pretty delicate and small and hard to get to.
9. Give up. Sometimes the time it takes to clean isn't worth the cost of a new one.
Just figured I'd toss that in the information pool.
Before my current career I was a chemist and have a MS in Analytical chemistry, but haven't' been using that for a while, so I've forgotten a lot. However, there's many a chemistry lab that resulted in burnt on black stuff on glassware and there's lots of ways to try to get it off, and different things work depending on what it is. Most of them have been tried on atomizers from what I can see, but here was the general order before giving up on getting it clean:
1. Water. Just wash it. Looks like limited use here. Mostly would dissolve salts and other stuff that is water soluble. The main problem seems more oily or solid.
2. Soap and water. Looks like it's had some success, and generally good for oils and things that dissolve in water.
3. Acetone. Nail polish remover. Will remove paint sometimes. Good for things that won't dissolve well in water, oils and heavier organic compounds. Nicely volatile and shouldn't leave a residue itself, though if it did dissolve something and wasn't washed away that will stay behind. Not much good for salts. Also seems to have had limited success.
4. Acid. The part that makes it acidic may react with the residue and make it something that will dissolve in water and/or the cation of the acid may react (possibly why phosphoric acid and trisodium phosphate coffee pot cleaner are both reporting success, and it's in most sodas as well). Good for some organics and many metals.
5. Acid with acetone. Combine reaction with better organic dissolving power. We usually used 10% acetone with 10% nitric acid in the lab, no idea if mixing acetone and vinegar or lemon juice, or citric acid for canning would do the job.
6. Base. Same idea as the acid, but different reaction that may make the stuff more soluble in water. Baking soda, coffee pot cleaner, some drain cleaners (especially lye, but bad for aluminum) would all be bases readily available, and look like they've been tried too, with the usual mixed success.
7. Base with acetone. Same idea as acid with acetone, try to make it more soluble, but put some extra organic dissolving power in. Same proportions. I haven't seen this one tried and would suggest baking soda and hot water (near boiling) until no more soda will dissolve, add nearly equal amount of acetone, soak a few minutes, water rinse and dry. Lemme know if anyone tries it.
8. Lots of scrubbing. Just mechanically scrape the stuff off. For glassware, really part of every step. For atomizers, just not viable since the coil is pretty delicate and small and hard to get to.
9. Give up. Sometimes the time it takes to clean isn't worth the cost of a new one.
Just figured I'd toss that in the information pool.
Well, the atomizers went in for another 48 hours (making 120 hours total on and off) and I still have the black gunk. Interestingly, I don't see the red color now... maybe the layer that was turning red from the previous soaks dissolved leaving a new lower black layer, but I can't definitively see a difference in the size of the deposit. The silver case of the atomizer is turning a slightly brass color though.
By the way, I use rubber gloves, eye protection, tweezers and a glass jar with cap for these experiments...
Reporting in on the Nu-Calgon -
I soaked three atomizers in it for about eight hours today. Two were cold/very weak vapor (I've tried soaking these two in things like lemon juice and coke with no success) and one was good but needed cleaning.
The liquid was reddish brown after the eight hours. It wasn't leftover liquid because I rinsed them thoroughly and blew them out before the soak.
After rinsing them well and priming them, the good one and one of the cold ones is working like new. The other cold one is definitely getting warmer now but still isn't making much vapor.
All in all, I call it a success. Nothing I tried on the (now working) cold one has worked up to this point.
EDIT: The other cold one is actually working too! I guess it just needed to sit and wick juice for awhile. It's not 100%, but I'd say it's back up to at least 60% of what it was.
I soaked three atomizers in it for about eight hours today. Two were cold/very weak vapor (I've tried soaking these two in things like lemon juice and coke with no success) and one was good but needed cleaning.
The liquid was reddish brown after the eight hours. It wasn't leftover liquid because I rinsed them thoroughly and blew them out before the soak.
After rinsing them well and priming them, the good one and one of the cold ones is working like new. The other cold one is definitely getting warmer now but still isn't making much vapor.
All in all, I call it a success. Nothing I tried on the (now working) cold one has worked up to this point.
EDIT: The other cold one is actually working too! I guess it just needed to sit and wick juice for awhile. It's not 100%, but I'd say it's back up to at least 60% of what it was.
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Good to hear.
I don't think we have a definitive solution with the Nu-Calgon IMC, but it appears that most people are having a good deal of success using it.
Did you use the regular IMC or the Nickel Safe IMC?
Do you plan on giving the weaker atomizer a longer soaking?
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Haven't read this entire thread (it's late) but am curious if anyone has tried an ultrasonic cleaner using Nu-Calgon as the solvent? Thought of this and did a quick search and found cheap ones in the $50 range although not sure if the cheap ones work.
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