These reactions are too much

[InTheCity]

About once a month with PG, I react very badly to it.

I'd assumed for a while that I was getting really nasty heartburn, but no amount of medication will cure it. Then I realized that it's really not my esophagus, but my lungs. It feels as though somebody poured hot liquid into them and the lingering pain is awful.

Then I noticed a pattern. These reactions, which also include a fair amount of mouth irritation, a swollen, half closed throat sensation like globus, only seem to occur when I have a poorly performing atomizer.

I'm a 510 user and the atomizers are hit and miss, I'll get a new one and it performs like a champ for 3-4 days. Then the thing clogs up and the taste is more like hot PG, metallic on occasion and just kind of dirty tasting. It's this that triggers the reaction and causes me all this pain.

I like to chain smoke my 510 when its good shape, I buy 5 attys and cycle them pretty good. But chaining smoking on a half functioning atomizer is seriously not recommended.

Mostly I'm curious if anybody else has symptoms such as these.
I'm 114 days in and thinking about quitting entirely at this point.

 

[cassavetes]

There's always VG.

Do you blow out your attys/drain them?

 

[InTheCity]

I follow the 510 instructions.

Start with blowing, tissue drying, rotating, not abusing one atty.
Was cleaning with Everclear every 2 weeks, but ran our and now use rubbing alcohol.
Trying to get rid of that taste in the atty gives me an awful headache, but they eventually get clean enough.

Although, nothing beats a new atty.

 

[KathyD26]

I thought using rubbing alcohol for cleaning was a no-no. Maybe that's part of the problem ?

 

[InTheCity]

Apparently you're correct..

What Are the Dangers of Inhaling Rubbing Alcohol? | eHow.com

I got one working this way, 2 give me a head even when not inhaling - just to burn off the excess alcohol.

That's 8 atomizers I'll be throwing out tonight. Damn.

 

[Wireguy]

I think I would switch back to Everclear or even cheap vodka.

From Wikipedia. Symptoms of isopropyl alcohol poisoning include flushing, headache, dizziness, CNS depression, nausea, vomiting, anesthesia, and coma.

You may not be getting much but.

Opps to slow.

 

[InTheCity]

It's crap though, that people on here recommend these methods for cleaning.
In fact, I did my research and came across some success stories recording isopropyl (rubbing alcohol)

At least with the Atty I'm using, I believe it has no more chemical residue to speak of.

No to find a local supplier.

 

[Wireguy]

Don't throw them out. Repeated soakings in Everclear or vodka will fix the rubbing alcohol problem.

I made the same mistake once. I just rinsed once with water and soaked the atty in vodka for a few minutes to displace the water. Blew it out, let it sit draining for a few, toasted it till the crackle subsided (a few seconds at a time), re primed and went for it. Worked for me.

As far as the repeated soakings I only did it once. Just depends on how paranoid you are.

 

[InTheCity]

In the end, and I appreciate your advice, I'd be willing to bet that even everclear is not something you want to be inhaling

 

[Wireguy]

Didn't say it was. Just the much lesser of two evils. If I had to vape something I would prefer the one that was manufactured for human consumption as opposed to the one that was made not to be ingested.

 

[cheymat]

You can still clean them with ETHYL base rubbing alcohol.
Copied from the link

Background
Alcohol can consist of three types of chemicals: ethyl, isopropyl and methyl. Isopropyl, the chemical used to produce isopropyl alcohol, is manmade and does not have a natural source. Isopropyl and methyl are both considered poisonous; ethyl is not. The lungs and other systems and organs of the body can tolerate ethyl.

You can get in the the first aid section in any store. Mine is 75% Ethyl Alcohol solution and 15% purified water.

 

[frazzledglispa]

Personally, I wouldn't use Ethyl based rubbing alcohol either. They are required to put other chemicals in them to make them undrinkable. Now, technically you can use something like lavender essential oil to accomplish this, but the only company I know of that does that is Dr Bronner for use in their lotions.

The chemicals used to denature ethyl alcohol aren't anything you want to be ingesting/inhaling either. I would stick with Everclear, and if you can't get it, or are in an are where it is illegal I would use 100 proof vodka

 

[happily]

I personally pull out one atomizer, run it for a month or so and if it starts to die off...........toss it. $5 or 10 a month is not worth the fuss and fight. Everclear will evaporate by the way

 

[InTheCity]

So would you recommend tossing the 8 atomizers cleaned with Isopropyl?
It's disgusting, trying to vape the excess off (even after boiling for 30 mins)

For the price, I should just buy say 50 of the damned things and call it a day

 

[Vapen8]

I have had 1 of my attys for a lil over a month now. I just blow it out from thread end every so often and it has no problems.
The mettalic taste you mentioned is familiar though. I think it is the batteries. If you get htat taste try a different battery and see if it helps.
also, heartburn only happens for me when I get juice in my mouth.

 

[Vapen8]

also, MY girl has cleaned out her 510 atty using super hot water then letting it dry upside down and blowing it out.

 

[Kurt]

I have had 1 of my attys for a lil over a month now. I just blow it out from thread end every so often and it has no problems.
The mettalic taste you mentioned is familiar though. I think it is the batteries. If you get htat taste try a different battery and see if it helps.
also, heartburn only happens for me when I get juice in my mouth.

How would batteries give a metal taste? The metal taste is usually from a dry atty bridge. If it is from the batt, there is something seriously wrong with that batt. They are sealed completely.

Using first-aid ethanol/water is not wise at all. They are denatured as a previous poster stated. Actually so is IPA, and sometimes the denaturant is pyridine, which will give a NASTY taste that does not flush well with water. 100 proof vodka is the cleaner I use, but even then only rarely and for attys that do not blow out well manually. Chronic clogging is a sign of over-filling the cart and/or cart filler material that is not working properly.

As soon as I get some time, I'm getting some everclear over the river in NJ (not legal in PA).

Inthecity, your reaction to PG is the same that mine was. After switching to VG, I can vape like a crazy thing without any side effects at all. Now all my juices are VG, and I use disposable facial sponges for cart filler...match made in heaven, IMHO.

Good luck! Finding the right vaping system for you is not ingeneral a quick job...takes some time, as there are several variables.