the Vmod

[Doorknob]

Well I finally bought one during the recent sale. I own a VV Tank and love it, but 3.7v on a Riva seems to be the sweet spot for me, so I figured that the Vmod would suit me well. I like it's form factor but the thing leaks like a sieve and doesn't hit and taste as well as a Riva with a 1.7 ohm resurrector. I have tried the silo and an atty and still flavor is weak and airy. That I can handle but the leaking is driving me insane, I can't figure out where it is leaking from.

I clean it inside and out, squeeze the bottle with the cover off and no signs of leaking, put the cover on and take a few puffs and next thing I know there is juice around the bottom of the mod and all over my hands....take the cover off and still can't find the exact location of where the juice is coming from but some on the "wall" between the battery and juice bottle running down and out the bottom and along the back wall where the battery is located. I checked all the seals and everything seems to be in the proper location, Rather annoying to say the least.

This is why I didn't buy one before, but i thought they had these issues fixed. I was not happy with Vapage before when the kept sending me the wrong items over and over again, but I figured I would give them another chance and so I did, well again really not impressed.

 

[tearose50]

The Vmod requires a more delicant hand than the reo. No squonking allowed! That's the only time I've had a big leak -- when I squonked like a BF with a tube in the bottle.

Tilt the mod -- notice the bubbles (or shake a tad). (This allows juice to get in the feed chamber) Turn it upright and give the bottle a gentle push. (Sometimes you can hear a bit of squoosh). One dry pull, if you desire. Vape.

To find out where it is actually leaking you should vape it naked -- then you will be able to see what's going on.

If these things don't work -- please call customer support at Vapage.

Using these methods I occasionally get a bit of a weep only -- and I have models before the catch cup came pre-installed, which aids that quite a bit.

 

[Doorknob]

That is what is driving me nuts, I have tried it naked, squeezing the bottle like I would do with the cover on and I don't see any leakage. It seems to only appear after I put the cover back on...crazy right lol

One thing I have noticed when putting on the upper cap and tightening that even when it is on all the way without over tightening that there is still some play between the cover and chassis, don't know if that has anything to do with my problem or not.

I just gave it a good washing to remove all the juice, after letting it dry I am going to try a new un-used bottle and see what happens with it naked, maybe I am squeezing to hard and not realizing it.

 

[tearose50]

Sounds like a good idea --- It it stays dry after vaping naked --- it might be somethng with the seal--possibly pushed too far down, covering the feed holes. I'm no pro at sorting that out===but some of the posts listed below talk about it.

Also try feeding with the trip tip off -- so you can see what's going on.

Maybe after the bath the shell/body will fit better. Occasionally I have had them not seat quite right---but I fiddle & then it does! It is just so much nicer when it does seat properly.

Oh -- one trick that has been successful is turning the upper seal inside-out. The more I ponder the more I think it's the seal. It's easy to overfeed, if it really isn't feeding! It has been extremely rare for anyone to have the outside of their Vmod wet---so I do believe this will sort out quickly.

Have faith -- this adorable little mod will get de-bugged!

Anyone out there with any other ideas?

 

[ordepinc]

@proax - Losing it really sux, for what it's worth, have you checked under/around the car seats. I usually find stuff that disappears there a few days later.

 

[Doorknob]

Ok I put on the extra shell I bought along with the package, check all my seals again and everything looks good,tried feeding the way you described and it seems to not leak as much. But it really seems to not feed too well so i am trying different methods. As for the upper seal you speak of, which one is that the one on the juice bottle or the one that goes on the carto/atty?

 

[GobblerHunter]

Sad day here.....
my VMod simply disappeared- ("like a fart in the wind")

I was putting some air in my car tire at home- hopped in the car, drove 1 block and realized my little guy wasn't in my pocket.... searched every step I took while putting air in the tire (garage, car, driveway etc), and even a few places I wasn't at- and it is no where to be found.
I know the VMod is small, but to vanish without a trace!?!

Just ordered a replacement, let the stalking begin.....

Check under your seats real good. I dropped mine between the center console and drivers seat. I about wrecked reaching for it, feeling around right where it fell. Couldn't find it any where. Once I stopped I had to use a flashlight to find it. It's so small it can really get into and under things you wouldn't believe. Don't give up.........

 

[tearose50]

@ doornob -- the upperseal is the one that goes on the atty -- looks like a cut off carto cover (condom).

@proax -- I feel your pain! Gobble has a good point -- I found a missing mod in my car--well hidden. Doubt that will happen with my smiley (yellow) vmod. I'm loving the feel of that type of shell/body, btw.

 

[GobblerHunter]

Well I finally bought one during the recent sale. I own a VV Tank and love it, but 3.7v on a Riva seems to be the sweet spot for me, so I figured that the Vmod would suit me well. I like it's form factor but the thing leaks like a sieve and doesn't hit and taste as well as a Riva with a 1.7 ohm resurrector. I have tried the silo and an atty and still flavor is weak and airy. That I can handle but the leaking is driving me insane, I can't figure out where it is leaking from.

I clean it inside and out, squeeze the bottle with the cover off and no signs of leaking, put the cover on and take a few puffs and next thing I know there is juice around the bottom of the mod and all over my hands....take the cover off and still can't find the exact location of where the juice is coming from but some on the "wall" between the battery and juice bottle running down and out the bottom and along the back wall where the battery is located. I checked all the seals and everything seems to be in the proper location, Rather annoying to say the least.

This is why I didn't buy one before, but i thought they had these issues fixed. I was not happy with Vapage before when the kept sending me the wrong items over and over again, but I figured I would give them another chance and so I did, well again really not impressed.

If I get a leak it's the same spot. A little smear where juice ran down the plastic between the battery and bottle. It seeps out where the cover meets the chassis and it's only a drop or two on the bottom lip of the chassis when I take it apart. Usually washing it in warn water and making sure I let plenty of water run into the juice catch cup. I think this happens when the juice catch cup gets full and over flows. For me it will happen after a couple or three bottles have been run through mine since I last washed it out. Another cause may be tilting the Vmod up too far when taking a draw. I try to keep mine close to straight up and down when I use it and set it upright when not in use........

 

[Fernand]

@Doorknob - It's indeed unusual to get liquid outside the unit. They do seep a bit around the bottle neck, but it's like a smear when you take off the cover. Something is really wrong. There are 3 general areas for leaks. The upper, middle and lower.

The upper includes any thin gasket around the 510 threaded neck at the the bottom of the "heater" (carto or atty), and the vertical slice o' condom type gasket. That vertical gasket must be high enough on the barrel not to block the feed holes/slits , so I start out with it sitting on the heater barrel well above slits/holes at the bottom of the barrel, and slowly screw in the heater with the gasket on it. Then when you put the cover on and start to carefully screw in the cone (so as not to strip its threading), you will feel the resistance of the vertical gasket being pushed down. The cone pushes down the vertical gasket and seals this area, but also holds the cover in place. Let it rattle a bit for now, it's more important not to push the vertical gasket so far down that it blocks the feed slits. Some people add an O-ring on the cone, lodged above its threading, to prevent the cover rattling. The feed channel side hole opens into the small sealed "chamber" formed between the bottom of the well screwed-in heater and the bottom of the vertical gasket, with the cone pushing down on that. That "chamber" is less than 1/8" high. A squeeze should push juice into that chamber and through the slits up into the heater -- check that you have no leaking above the vertical gasket or down into the catch cup area.

The middle area is a bit of a mystery as we don't have a diagram, but it includes the feed plumbing on the side, and the catch cup down below. The vertical hole is only for air. Any juice that leaks down into the catch cup is normally coming down the heater's air shaft, and if the heater is well screwed in, there shouldn't be any unless you over-squirsh and the excess in the heater is coming down its central air-shaft.

The bottom area is around the threading of the bottle neck. There's a little gasket up in the threaded metal that the bottle neck pushes against. Make sure it's there and well-seated, maybe take it out and re-seat it. Screw in the bottle gently. The neck-body junction easily splits, and it's invisible until you realize it's leaking.

If the vertical gasket is far down enough to close off the slits on the heater, when you squirsh you are pushing against a brick wall. You start to get juice in the middle section, or above the vertical gasket, and then the bottle develops a crack at the base of the neck, so you think you're feeding OK, but it's now leaking in the bottom section too. So go through the description above, see if it makes sense, and be especially careful to screw in the heater with the vertical gasket on it, initially some 1/8" above the slits.

This sketch shows a vertical coil carto, but the layout is the same for any heater, you can see how the cone threading pushes the vertical gasket down and the little chamber where liquid enters the heater.

Once you get the leaking under control, you can think about the heater. I love the Vmod but find the Hybrid attys I received don't buffer enough juice, so it's feast or famine, flood or burned taste. I don't like the Silos either. There are plenty of people here who do like them, but those who don't modify standard atties or cartos to bottom feed from the "chamber". Others use unmodified units, but loose in the threading so it feeds from below. You can find postings about how to do all that, here and in the "Vmod impressions" thread.

 

[jazzguy]

Now that there is a quality post, thanks Fernand. Those are the most common leak points to try and troubleshoot. But I will echo that it's WAY unusual to have enough liquid leak that it comes outside the mod. There is one more leak I've seen happen and it could theoretically be big enough to produce that kind of leak. Check your bottle carefully. I have heard reports (although it's yet to happen to me personally) of the bottle cracking at the top near the threads. Could be almost invisible, but that would give juice a way out. You might try another bottle to see if that's the problem. Also check to make sure the bottle is seated well into the seal that it screws into (but not overtight!). Good luck, and let us know what you find!

 

[Emris]

View attachment 66525[/QUOTE]


Haha, great minds think a like. That is exactly what I did to a 510 atty.

 

[Doorknob]

Thanks for the tips. I think i have the leaking under control. I am unsure which actually stopped it but using a new fresh bottle and shell the leak appeared to stop, although I still get a little i am certain it is do to not feeding properly. I love the HB attys on my Tank but they are being a hassle with giving me the same amount of flavor on the Vmod and I find the Silos a tad to airy for me. I may cut a 1.7 ressurector and give that a spin, like I said before I love them on a Riva and they are the only cartos I buy any more.

I may also buy some batteries to stack, maybe the 4500s are just too weak to give the atties that extra umph that I am looking for.

Either way I am not giving up yet, this is a nice little package and I am determined to get it working for me lol

 

[Fernand]

@Prophetz, I found a different way with 510 Joye atties. If you wiggle and work the atty in an old eGo battery, the barrel starts to loosen. Then you can work it up like 1/16 or a bit more. There's fluting on the connector that's there so the barrel can be pushed down on it during assembly. If the barrel is lifted, juice can feed through the fluting under the barrel, it acts much like the Vapage slots. Juice goes up into the steel mesh around the cup that buffers juice for the wick. So on the atties you can avoid slitting, and slitting even has the drawback of channeling juice in below the coil instead of more into the steel mesh around it.

For very thick juice, like the 100% VG I use, the fluting's grooves are not quite deep enough, so I lift the barrel a little more and grind down an area to create a deeper channel, then push the barrel back down. That allows even the most viscous juice to feed easily (see small ground flat area on photo). In either case, the standard atties feed fine, and buffer up way more juice than the Hybrids I have: no need to squirsh as often. The cartos seem to work best with a slit, as that feeds right into the filler without flooding the airtube and coil.



@doorknob, I have some "Resurrectors" on order that I will try. They should work well. So far I had tried Kangers, Joyes and several no-names, and Boge 2s that I found the cleanest of the bunch. The 14500 is not a big battery, it sags under load and also runs down fairy quickly. The stacked batteries are popular, you get an initial 6 volts, but they last even shorter. Your best luck may be with the 1.7 ohm "Resurrectors" on the standard batteries.

@Jazzguy, thanks. Yes, the neck-body junction on the bottle is where it always cracks. I'm working on fixing them, as I have several leakers. Super-glue is not effective.

 

[Doorknob]

@ Fernand , yes the Resurrectors rock at 3.7 - 4V I find anything above that and they will burn or mute your flavors depending on pg/vg percentage.

I think I may have solved some of my initial problems. The leaking seems to have diminished with some tweaking of my technique, I was using some Gorilla juice and I think the fact it is 100% VG it doesn't go through the plumbing well so I was feeding harder than I thought. I switched to a bottle of Vermillion River KY Premium and feeding is a lot easier but flavor is still a tad muted using a Hybrid atty, which I don't understand since on my Tank mod the Hybrids are awesome even at the lower volts.

 

[jazzguy]

Hey Doorknob - glad to hear you are getting it ironed out. I think you will find that once you really get to know the VMOD, you will be able to go back your 100% VG and it will work for you. I know the gorilla juice is exceptionally thick, but as you are probably well aware, each mod behaves differently and technique gets subtly tweaked as you use them and learn their personalities. I've been able to use everything from straight PG to super thick VG successfully, just slightly different feeding methods. For me at this point, it's just instinct since I've been using VMODS exclusively for a while. Just remember it's much easier to overfeed this little guy than most feeder mods - it doesn't take much!

On the muted flavor - sounds like you have a pretty good handle on things, but just in case.... Make sure on new ones and after cleaning, you let some juice sit in them for at least a half hour (longer is better). That SS mesh needs to soak really well or it can change the flavor. It is very odd though that you are finding the taste different on the VMOD that on your tank at the same voltage. The VMOD has very low internal resistance, so it should be passing just as much (if not more) voltage than another mod. I am at a loss as to why it would mute the flavor in comparison to another mod given the same atty, battery, and juice... Just off the top of my head, it could be that it's less saturated on the VMOD (walking the line between saturation and flooding has a learning curve to be sure)....

Anyway, lots of people here happy to help you get it all figured out and working. Enjoy!

 

[proax9]

Thought I'd share this if you haven't seen it already:
From deals & Steals Thread:


"Due to current uncertainty in the Electronic Cigarette industry SmartVapes is moving away from selling Ejuice and focusing on what we do best, the hardware, parts and accessories, therefore we are having a huge %20 off all ejuice sale for the next couple weeks until we have depleted our Ejuice Supplies! Stock up on your favorite SmartVapes Ejuice because we are not sure when it will be back at this time! Future sales of Ejuice after the 28th of December will depend largely on the direction the FDA takes in the near future. We have a large following of our Ejuice line however after December 28 you will not be able to order our Ejuice through the SmartVapes website. No coupon codes are needed for this sale and we will still be the place to go for all your Electronic Cigarette replacement parts, Mods and accessories in the future."

Thanks!
Allan Bullock
SmartVapes Electronic Cigarettes and Ejuice

Also see the "URGENT - FDA needs comments!!" thread.

 

[Emris]

Remove the upper seal, the one that is on the atty and give it a vape. I had an issue with mine not getting enough air flow through the atty. After you try it let me know.

@ Fernand , yes the Resurrectors rock at 3.7 - 4V I find anything above that and they will burn or mute your flavors depending on pg/vg percentage.

I think I may have solved some of my initial problems. The leaking seems to have diminished with some tweaking of my technique, I was using some Gorilla juice and I think the fact it is 100% VG it doesn't go through the plumbing well so I was feeding harder than I thought. I switched to a bottle of Vermillion River KY Premium and feeding is a lot easier but flavor is still a tad muted using a Hybrid atty, which I don't understand since on my Tank mod the Hybrids are awesome even at the lower volts.

 

[AlmightyGod]

Vapage E-Cigarettes Orbits gum SPOOF parody Dirty Life? Clean it up with Vapage - YouTube

 

[Pepe Le Vapse]

Vapage E-Cigarettes Orbits gum SPOOF parody Dirty Life? Clean it up with Vapage - YouTube

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