Well, what ARE the facts then?
Here is what I have learned from reading this forum constantly for almost a year now, combined with my own experience, and combined with a sprinkling of logic...
1) Yes, atomizers should be cleaned for best results
2) No, cleaning an atomizer should not kill it, dpending on what you use of course
3) If you think you killed an atomizer by cleaning it, you probably didn't let it dry enough
4) The atomizer wick fibers do not burn
5) The atomizer wick fibers do not melt
Let me start with some background on atomizer construction.
The atomizer has a wick made of some kind of fiber that DOES NOT BURN and DOES NOT MELT so forget all about that. This is important to understand, because that burnt taste is NOT the wicking strands burning or melting.
The atomizer coil sits in a little ceramic pot that is surrounded by metal mesh, probably the same mesh that covers the atomizer bridge but I'm not sure.
Why should you clean an atomizer?
1) Because the coil mesh can get clogged with dried juice
2) Becase the coil itself, or the wicking strands, absolutely WILL get built up baked on gunk
Cleaning Method (1)
When the coil mesh gets clogged a bit, you should simply clean it using any of the hundreds of methods discussed here. But simple hot water works just as well as anything more complicated. All you have to do is free up the dried out juice, and hot water seems to be enough to do that.
Just make sure you dry it long enough though!
1) I'm thinking around 36 hours
2) Or throw it in the oven at 150 degrees for 20 minutes
3) Or use a blow dryer
4) Or use the Highping dry burn method discussed below
Cleaning method (2)
When the coil itself needs cleaning, to get off baked on gunk, that is a different story. Nobody has really found any cleaning substance that I am aware of other than ice machine cleaner to get that stuff cleaned off from the coil and wicking material. BUT, and yes, this is a big BUT... a dry burn does that, and does it extremely well.
So, this is why the Highping dry burn method is superior to everything else.
It addresses both reasons an atomizer should be cleaned.
And here is the link: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/69834-my-atty-resurrection-method.html
How do you know your atomizer needs cleaning?
Well, the first reason to clean the atomizer is because it gets hard to draw on, even after you have blown it out in case it was simply flooded.
This points to cleaning method (1) due to clogging from dried juice.
The second reason is that the vapor production has dropped, or it starts to taste burnt even when you know you have good flow of juice to the atomizer.
This points to cleaning method (2) due to baked on gunk.
Here is what I have learned from reading this forum constantly for almost a year now, combined with my own experience, and combined with a sprinkling of logic...
1) Yes, atomizers should be cleaned for best results
2) No, cleaning an atomizer should not kill it, dpending on what you use of course
3) If you think you killed an atomizer by cleaning it, you probably didn't let it dry enough
4) The atomizer wick fibers do not burn
5) The atomizer wick fibers do not melt
Let me start with some background on atomizer construction.
The atomizer has a wick made of some kind of fiber that DOES NOT BURN and DOES NOT MELT so forget all about that. This is important to understand, because that burnt taste is NOT the wicking strands burning or melting.
The atomizer coil sits in a little ceramic pot that is surrounded by metal mesh, probably the same mesh that covers the atomizer bridge but I'm not sure.
Why should you clean an atomizer?
1) Because the coil mesh can get clogged with dried juice
2) Becase the coil itself, or the wicking strands, absolutely WILL get built up baked on gunk
Cleaning Method (1)
When the coil mesh gets clogged a bit, you should simply clean it using any of the hundreds of methods discussed here. But simple hot water works just as well as anything more complicated. All you have to do is free up the dried out juice, and hot water seems to be enough to do that.
Just make sure you dry it long enough though!
1) I'm thinking around 36 hours
2) Or throw it in the oven at 150 degrees for 20 minutes
3) Or use a blow dryer
4) Or use the Highping dry burn method discussed below
Cleaning method (2)
When the coil itself needs cleaning, to get off baked on gunk, that is a different story. Nobody has really found any cleaning substance that I am aware of other than ice machine cleaner to get that stuff cleaned off from the coil and wicking material. BUT, and yes, this is a big BUT... a dry burn does that, and does it extremely well.
So, this is why the Highping dry burn method is superior to everything else.
It addresses both reasons an atomizer should be cleaned.
And here is the link: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/69834-my-atty-resurrection-method.html
How do you know your atomizer needs cleaning?
Well, the first reason to clean the atomizer is because it gets hard to draw on, even after you have blown it out in case it was simply flooded.
This points to cleaning method (1) due to clogging from dried juice.
The second reason is that the vapor production has dropped, or it starts to taste burnt even when you know you have good flow of juice to the atomizer.
This points to cleaning method (2) due to baked on gunk.
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