The Great AGR Tank Mystery-- help?

[fourthrok]

I got my new AGR tank yesterday, and initially I thought it was GREAT. I've been using carto tanks for over a year, and I thought this thing had addressed just about every issue and would be perfect. Indeed, it vaped great. For about half a tank.

I know how to prime my cartomizers and fill. I've been doing this awhile now, and love carto tanks. I did exactly as PBusardo told me to do in his review to assemble and fill the AGR. I followed the tip given by another reviewer on the DV site (video) talking about removing the screw and filling by removing the top cap, then replacing the cap and then the screw. Did everything exactly as instructed, and utilized my previous experience with carto tanks, too.

Okay...all that is out of the way. WHAT IS GOING ON? I do everything right...and vape for about half a tank worth, and the thing starts gurgling like no other. Like it's flooded. How? Everything was perfect...then WHAM! Uber fail. I didn't try to prime by dry puffing. I didn't mess with the screw or the threads. It's just spontaneously went wonky. I carefully take the tank off, remove the end support piece and blow out the juice. Hardly anything comes out, but when I put it back together and try vaping again...it's okay. For about 5 puffs...then gurgle gurgle! I tried changing cartomizers. That wasn't it. I tried taking everything apart and cleaning it and drying it carefully. Didn't help. I put a couple of the cartomizers that were gurgling in the AGR into one of my other carto tanks. They vaped perfectly. No gurgles. Just good vape. I worked 'em too! I'm a heavy vaper and had been punching two holes in my cartos. I thought "maybe this AGR thing feeds so good that two holes is too much. Let me try one hole!". My juice isn't thick...in fact it's pretty thin menthol with only 15% VG. So I tried another cartomizer with just one hole...positioned correctly. Again...everything was fine for about half a tank...then Gurgle City. I put the cartomizer in a cheap Smok tank...and it's fine again.

I give up. There is a mystery going on here. Or else the AGR hates me. Anyone have any input? Please note again: I am NOT a noob with carto tanks. I do know what I'm doing with every other tank. Just not THIS one. Help anyone? This has been driving me crazy since last night!

 

[fourthrok]

I think I"m going to cry! So...guess there isn't any possible answer? Nothing?

Boo hoo!!!!

And I went and ordered a second AGR before I'd even gotten the first one. I can be such a doofus.

 

[StealthyTX]

My problem was the exact opposite....almost no airflow and a tight draw. Loosening the tank from the PV a bit did no good. Fortunately I only bought one of these, so I'm not out much.

 

[dchest02]

I also am not a n00b, and am having problems with the AGR. I recommended these to a couple of guys at work because it seemed to be noob friendly. My problem is juice leeching out of the air channels in the base that connects to the carto. At first I thought it was the way that he filled the carto (did you know that the Smoktech cartos don't come with condoms?) so I punched an ikenvape carto, the way I do with my j-tanks, filled it using the condom method, installed it in the AGR, vaped it, after you stop vaping, it leaks. I bought 5 of these for people, and so far two leak like a sieve, and one is doing great. I have an e-mail in to Eric at DV to see if he has any ideas.

 

[Vash]

Find Batitude! He might be of some help

 

[KeithB]

I have seen a similar thread that suggested that maybe your o-ring in the top cap has been damaged and is letting air in which then lets juice flow out. Perhaps your fill screw isn't sealing properly with the same result.

 

[fourthrok]

I have seen a similar thread that suggested that maybe your o-ring in the top cap has been damaged and is letting air in which then lets juice flow out. Perhaps your fill screw isn't sealing properly with the same result.

I'll check into that...although the screw seems perfectly secure. I didn't look at the O ring in the top cap, however. I'll do that. Thanks.

 

[Baditude]

Find Batitude! He might be of some help

No experience here with the AGR tanks. I only watched the PBusardo review.


By the way, it's BaDitude, not BaTitude.

EDIT: Just saw this thread in the new members forum. Apparantly the flooding issue is a common one with the AGR tanks:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/392841-agr-carto-tank.html

 

[Vash]

Sorry bout that

 

[dchest02]

The PBusardo review is the reason I recommended it to the guys at work. I got a reply from Eric stating that you should not fill the carto before installing it in the tank????? At this point I am going to call it a wash, and buy they guys at work a couple of j-tanks at my expense. If there is one thing I hate it is recommending something to someone and have it end up being a piece of you know what.

In the interim I am going to make some 50/50 juice, and see if that helps. I have read a couple of threads here that stated the people were using 100% VG juice in these with a pre-punched carto with two holes in it. The juice we were using was 70/30. Maybe these tanks wick too well, if that is even possible. I may even try not filling the carto before installing it in the tank. (Again...???????) Frustrated beyond belief that is for sure.

 

[t0va]

Sorry to hear you're having issues. :/ I received my AGR today and no issues thus far.

 

[BlueSnake]

I haven't used one of these yet, but what I do know is that if the tank is not sealing properly it will flood the cartos. Sounds like an oring problem. I read in a co-op thread where people said they were having the flooding problems and they replaced the inner orings with the same inner orings from a regular cheapy DCT and that stopped the flooding. Unfortunately I don't know this from first hand experience.

 

[fourthrok]

I thought about trying to fill without priming the carto. Guess if Eric says to do that, then I'll give it a try. I've got over $26 plus shipping cost tied up in these 2 AGR tanks...

Worth a shot. I may even have some old DCT tanks I could rob the O rings from and try that. Sigh.

 

[albcig]

the liquid flow is controlled by inside vacuum. if the tank is to tight around the carto the liquid will not flow properly, if is too loose the carto will flood.

 

[Baditude]

PBusardo just released a cartotank tutorial which is excellent. He again discusses the locking tanks with a juice fill hole which may have issues with flooding if the wrong fill tool is used. Take notice at around the 30 minute mark where he discusses this issue.

 

[fourthrok]

Great video..thanks for posting that, Bad. Unfortunately...it's not helping with the AGR tank. I know about the pressure and about air having air to escape when filling and all that stuff. Still haven't found a way to get my AGR to work, but will keep plugging at it. There must be a fix somehow some way.

I did learn a fun new tip from the video I didn't realize (i.e. think about) and that was to blow out a flooded carto by holding the tank upside down and blowing UP. Interesting! Worked great with one. Next one I ended up with some juice in my mouth (might have been from the drip tip). But while a bit tricky to pull off...it does work. I figured to put a knucklehead drip tip on there so I could get an angle going while blowing up into the upside down cartomizer/tank like that...so if any juice/condensation was in the tip, it wouldn't drop right into my mouth (blech!)

 

[fourthrok]

Okay..I'm fighting the good fight with the AGR. I may have found some "solutions"...but the jury is still out. I DID find out why one of my two tanks won't draw for squat: The bottom supporting piece doesn't have grooves in it!!

The marks are there, but the surface is smooth as butter. No grooves at all. DOH! So I guess air can't get through there, huh? A manufacturing defect, obviously. The first AGR tank I have does have the grooves/notches. But not the second one.

Well, at least now I have 4 tubes, 2 top caps and 2 bottom caps. Just one bottom locking piece. But hey...at this point, I'm just scrambling for any up side with these AGRs!!!!!

 

[bmrdave]

If the marks are there you can take a Dremel to it, but being stainless you may go through a pack of cutting disks.

I'd also like to add as I did in the other thread that this tank seems to favor using only one hole in the carto. I had the flooding and leaking out the slots issue with mine when I used two hole cartos, but since going to one, no leaks and that's after several refills.

 

[Hordsak]

I just got this exact tank today. Floods like mad. I'm very experianced with Carto Tanks, and this is the first one I've struggled with. I've tried it with a self punched stubby boge, and a laser cut XXL boge, both flood and leak like nuts. I use 70-80% VG juice, so my juice is not thin by any means. I have noticed that when I insert the carto into the base, it does not seem very firm, in fact it seems quite lose. I'm not sure if it's a vacuum issue (I've filled it up using a needle through the fill hole, making sure not to cause any undue pressure)

Maybe I'll try some orings from another tank and see how it goes.

 

[Jerryo100]

Same leaky problem with my new AGR Tank and is definitely due to the sloppy fitting inner o rings. I left my tank upside down in a shot glass over night and all the juice leaked out right past the o ring. The spare o rings I have for my pyrex tanks are too thick and I'm not willing to purchase DCT tanks just to cannibalize them. Found this site: http://www.applerubber.com/products/o-rings.cfm. Anyone know which o ring material is the best/safest to use in tanks? And what size are the DCT tanks o rings or a size that gives a good seal?
The materials they have listed are Viton, Nitrile, Ethylene-Propylene, Fluorosilicone, Silicone, and Neoprene.

I went back to Applerubbers site and not sure if they sell retail. Maybe something from this site would be suitable http://www.oringsandmore.com/