The Hygiene of Rebuilding

[GreekLion]

Just a bit curious, but how does hygiene play into rebuilding as far as clean juice/wick/hands/etc...?

Rebuilding bar none seems to offer the best flavor and experience, for either flavor or cloud volume, but bringing in more direct vapor must increase the chances of exposure to infectious bacteria/viruses. I would think that coils would kill all bacteria/viruses, but the condensation makes me wonder otherwise.

I considered putting this in the health forum but I believe rebuilders ultimately have the most experience due to exposure.

Thanks

 

[Rat2chat2]

What a very interesting question. I tend to worry more about keeping drip tips rinse out myself. Nothing like a good drip tip dip (say that 3 times fast) in Everclear to make me feel better. Look forward to reading the answers here and seeing what others say. Love you avatar. I really enjoyed Californication.

 

[93gc40]

I would be more worried about chemical contamination than viral or bacterial. Just remember than anything on anything the touches the coil and wick will end up on the coil and wick. Some things like oil (all oils), can be bad for your health and can hamper wicking and contaminate coils. Clean hands, tools and work area, Isn't that hard to achieve. As far as bacteria and viruses go I would be more worried about those living the juice that collects in the drip tip than that which comes off the wick.

 

[Raguvian]

I try and keep my wicks clean but don't really worry about germs or bacteria while building coils. I figure pretty much anything on the wire will end up being burned/killed when firing the coil for the first time and dry burning it.

 

[Verb]

No worry about pathogens, but I always wash very well before rewicking. A little skin oil or other foreign liquid can really faul a wick something nasty.

 

[rogergendron1]

Well if i let my wicks go for more than 2 days i can taste a major flavor change and that is due to gunk / carbon buildup on the coil and gunk in the cotton ...

For health sake change your cotton out every night and dry burn off the coil

What i do to keepy zenith double cross clean is
1 pull out cotton
2 run under warm watter
3 dry burn coils till red hot
4 run under water
5 dry burn
6 run under water
8 clean out and dab dry with lint free cloth
9 install new wick / cotton
10 reload with juice

If you do this you can continue to use the same coils for months with no problem at all simply by just swapping wick material! !!!
This saves a lot of time and effort javing to build perfect micro coils at just the right ohms over and over again !!!
Just build it right once and forget it ... however this only works well with durable heavy dutie thick wire like 28g kanthal.

Do not use gunked up coils for long periods of time it seems as though the gunk could pose a heath risk if inhaled

 

[rogergendron1]

I have been using the same. 8 ohm double coil for almost 2 months now with no problem simply because every night I pulled a wicking material and dry burn and wash and then install a new wicking material even after all this time the coils themselves which I made from 28 gauge wire still look good as new after a double dry burn and wash

 

[WattWick]

Anything that survives the rebuilding with a red glowing coil and wick - and can live in a concoction of PG and nicotine - is a worthy adversary for my immune system.

 

[Confuzzled1969]

Anything that survives the rebuilding with a red glowing coil and wick - and can live in a concoction of PG and nicotine - is a worthy adversary for my immune system.

I like this, absolutely true...

 

[thmstwwng]

I change my coil weekly. My coil will looking like rust (brown) after using for a week even when I dried burn & run water. I rewick every one or ten days. Normally I switch juice every one or two days.

 

[K_Tech]

Like others here, I will pull the wick, rinse, and dry burn every day or two (depending on e-liquid).

I have some coils that have been in place for months, and some rebuildables that get re-done when I feel like experimenting with a new coil. Those will get rinsed in hot water and soaked in alcohol overnight, usually. I'm a drip tip junkie, so sometimes I'm changing tips quite a lot. Those get washed/rinsed in hot, soapy water before an overnight alcohol bath.

 

[DaveP]

Vapor created by boiling the juice on a wick/coil combo doesn't worry me in the least. If you are worried about germs, dunk the parts in 91% alcohol from the drug store before you rebuild.

I just remove the wick from my Kayfun and douse the coil under a cold water tap. When I do a dry burn the water turns to steam before glowing cherry red. I do that about three times before inserting a new Japanese Koh Gen Do cotton wick. Don't share your mod with friends and you will only have to worry about your own germs.

 

[marc42]

my main cataminant risk is cat fur, white cat fur disguised as cotton fibres.
could start a new craze cat fur wicks.

 

[LaPascualita]

I fill my U Can (10ml) and once that's gone, I pull my wicks, clean gently with water and soft bristled kid's toothbrush, dry burn and rewick. 10 minutes tops. When I am done with an atomizer, I wash it in antibacterial Ajax dish soap, let it dry, and put it away.

 

[Paradicio]

I get a little sick every time I see someone cut their wire with their toenail clippers. All of my building/wicking tools are for vape gear only.

 

[K_Tech]

I get a little sick every time I see someone cut their wire with their toenail clippers. All of my building/wicking tools are for vape gear only.

Lol. Hopefully they use those clippers ONLY for rebuilding. Reminds me of some medical show I caught a while back, guy came to the doctor with "something" wrong with his nose, turns out he's been using his toenail clippers to trim his nose hairs and had given himself a fungal infection... eeeeeewwwwwww....

Athlete's nose?

(FWIW, I use a pair of Xcelite shear cutters. I've always been a "right tool for the right job" kind of guy.)

 

[Bunnykiller]

well considering PG pretty much mostly eventually kills bacteria and viruses and VG keeps them from multiplying, I seriously doubt there will be pathogens in any of the liquid... and any pathogens residing on the wick and coil will meet an unfortunately hot death ( vaporized PG/VG is at 230F+) most pathogens die off at 170+

the only thing that would make me a bit worried is letting someone else vape on my equipment when they are sick with something...

 

[Kanakala]

I re wick every couple of days, but I do a wipe down with baby wipes a couple times a day...I feel like it's something going into my mouth a lot, so I should clean it like my hands.

 

[Cearamm]

My previous co workers would make me sick with how they did things.

Not chNging cotton for 2+ months. Never rinsing or cleaning their atty or drip tip EVER! Ew. Theyd have me rebuild occasionaly and i would have to do the strip down cleaning treatment before a new coil even comes close to it. Only changing cotton when its BLACK and charred. Healthy? So much for harm reduction

If i get a hint of bad flavor...cotton comes out...rinse and sanitize and rewick. Usually every day or 3

 

[TorontoOntario]

I wear gloves when re wicking. I work with dirty, dirty materials daily and even though I SCRUB my hands I just feel better wearing gloves but I am a tad OCD. I personally think anything on that coil will be burned off the first time I fire it lol.