Totally New at this!

[Deja]

Hello, I am brand new at vaping; I went to a local store a few weeks ago and the guy showed me the basics. I got a starter kit that doesn't say a brand, just CE5+, a spare atomizer (?) and 10 ml of "menthol high 50/50 24 mg" juice. I'm just now starting to use it more... learned how from a "how to inhale" guide I found on this website somewhere. Thanks to following those directions, I'm now getting more of the menthol flavor and throat hit than I was at first, and probably more nicotine too. I'll be using this as an alternative to smoking; I have a quit date set for Monday Dec. 1st and am on Bupropion for that purpose as well.

I am a very experienced smoker, averaged a pack a day since 1978, menthol full strength.

So.... some things the guy at the store probably told me and I forgot.... how do I know when it's time to recharge the battery, does it just die without any warning? It charges through a USB port, how long does it need to charge? How do I know when it's time to change the atomizer? If that's based on taste, I might have a problem; I have anosmia which is the total inability to smell anything, and that has affected my ability to taste to some degree, too.

My e-cig is activated by a manual button, what does it mean when it starts blinking?

Thanks for any help!

 

[The Ocelot]

Hi and welcome!

When the light blinks the battery needs to be charged.

I have a very weak sense of smell too, but when the "head" (the replaceable atomizer/heating element in a clearomizer tank) needs to be cleaned or replaced, it will start tasting off/yucky and/or you will notice a decrease in vapor.

How long it takes to charge can change from battery to battery. Hopefully someone more familiar with that style will chime in with an approximation. It's true you can charge it with the USB connected to your computer, but it's better if you use a wall adaptor. If one didn't come with your kit, they aren't expensive.

 

[cru0319]

Most batteries start blinking at the button you press to smoke it with whenever the battery is low. It usually takes a couple of hours for it to charge. as far as the atomizer goes even if you can't taste as good tastes so horrible i'm pretty sure you'll know. if not than you will start getting less smoke if your atomizer is getting bad. but you also get a lot less smoke if your battery is close to dying. Congrats on quitting by the way

 

[readeuler]

Way to go taking the first step into vaping, and welcome to ECF!

For your ego battery, yes, it will just die unexpectedly. Well, once you get used to it, you'll probably have a good idea about how much battery life you have left, just from familiarity. It shouldn't be noticeable when the battery is almost dead, but you might be able to tell (I never could).

The standard ego battery is 650 mAh, milliAmp hours; more mAh means more vape time, and more recharge time. In a USB port in a computer, my egos took 2-3 hours to charge, maybe 1-2 (it's been a while!).

When it's time to change the atomizer/coil, generally all the things you like about vaping will be diminished: less (or an unpleasant change in) flavor, less vapor, or the airflow can get a bit restricted.

The blinking button means one of 3 things, if I recall:

You've either just turned it off or on (5 quick presses),

The battery died,

Or the short-circuit protection was activated (too low of resistance in the atomizer, this is quite rare unless you're building your own coils, and even then...)

Have fun vaping, and stick around the ECF!

 

[edyle]

As for when to change the atomizer; yes it is based on taste, but as a ballpark figure, you can change it every 3 days or after going through 10 ml of liquid on it.

The used coil can be cleaned for reuse.
Two basic methods of cleaning are:
1: soak in something: maybe hot water; alcohol; or use denture cleaner
2: dryburn - see youtube 'dryburn coil'

 

[Deja]

Thanks for the Welcome and the good information! I just refilled my e-cig with juice and it looks like I have about 5 ml still left in the bottle. I'll plan on expecting to change the atomizer when I start a new 10 ml bottle. Sounds like it might be smart for me to get a second one for backup so I'm never stranded when the NEED hits. That way I can also get the guy to show me again how to go about changing it I like the idea of cleaning it for reuse, thanks! For the alcohol, do you mean Isopropyl alcohol or the kind you drink, or does it matter?

My battery is 900mAh.

 

[edyle]

Thanks for the Welcome and the good information! I just refilled my e-cig with juice and it looks like I have about 5 ml still left in the bottle. I'll plan on expecting to change the atomizer when I start a new 10 ml bottle. Sounds like it might be smart for me to get a second one for backup so I'm never stranded when the NEED hits. That way I can also get the guy to show me again how to go about changing it I like the idea of cleaning it for reuse, thanks! For the alcohol, do you mean Isopropyl alcohol or the kind you drink, or does it matter?

My battery is 900mAh.

I hear denture cleaner works real good.
For alcohol, I wouldn't want to use isopropyl; that's supposed to be toxic, so if you use that you'd need to make sure to rinse with hot water; but check out dryburning

 

[Metis]

Hi Deja,

Welcome to ECF and congratulations on kicking the cigs!

I noticed with my battery it starts blinking if I tighten my atomiser to tightly or it has low battery.
So make sure it's not too tight and you have a charge on the battery - You should then be good to go for puffing the day away!

 

[joesquid]

Welcome to ECF and congrats on setting a quit date. I strongly suggest a back up for everything, tank, charger, battery. I'd recommend a batery with pass through charging so you can vape while it's charging.

 

[ignotus]

Ego batteries will also blink if you exceed the cut-off time, i.e. take a drag longer than about 10 seconds.

I never found that soaking my Nautilus coils in alcohol (Everclear) did anything to revive them. Ego atomizers can be easily dry-burned though and that does work.

 

[LondonGirl]

I'd definitely recommend getting a spare battery to make sure you are never without. Well, a spare everything.

The light will blink when you have held it down for 10 seconds, but once it stops blinking you can use it again as normal. It will also blink when it has run low and needs to be charged. Some batteries, the light changes colour as it runs down, but for most there is no warning - it simply stops working. Charging will probably take 2-3 hours.

Your vapour will taste nasty when the atomiser needs to be changed. There will be a burnt flavour. It's pretty strong so I expect you will notice it.

Menthol is naturally quite a strong flavour, but if you want to try other flavours then I would look for brands that offer extra strong flavours, as you may want extra flavour if your sense of taste is limited.

Personally I just rinse it out with hot water, I do not use anything else. You'll want separate toppers if you use various flavours, as certain flavours really cling (menthol is one of them).

 

[wasteyrself]

I'd definitely recommend getting a spare battery to make sure you are never without. Well, a spare everything.

I think we all remember feeling panicky when we'd run out of analog cigarettes, but the first time your battery dies on you while you're out and about is a whole different beast. I always have backup now because of it.

Your vapour will taste nasty when the atomiser needs to be changed. There will be a burnt flavour. It's pretty strong so I expect you will notice it.

and a handy thing to also note about this is that your wick will eventually discolor your juice a bit if you leave it be for awhile, your juice will get a bit darker but that's not a bad thing, it can serve as a reminder to replace your coils.

 

[twgbonehead]

Hi, Deja, welcome to ECF!

Even if your anosmia really hampers your sense of taste, you can still use taste to determine when to clean the heads. After all, if it's still putting out decent vapor, and it tastes good to you, that's all that really matters.

The heads won't get damaged, or put out bad stuff if you go too long without cleaning; it's really all about the taste.

 

[wshanncap]

Welcome aboard. Sounds like you have an Aspire Starter kit. Being that I'm not familiar with their batteries I can't say much for sure. But based on my experience with other batteries I would have to guess that the blinking button is an indicator that it's time to recharge. How long it takes depends on the battery. One thing I can say for sure is that vaping got me off cigarettes. I was 2 packs a day for 20+ years. And I too smoked menthol. I tried all the over-the-counter stuff and nothing worked. Then my wife suggested I try the cigalikes at the drugstore and here I am. So good luck on your quit date. I'm sure you will succeed. Happy vaping.

 

[Steven G]

Greetings Deja and Welcome to the ECF..................Can't really add to what has already been said other than to repeat always have a backup and when you can a backup to that..................Enjoy

 

[Deja]

I appreciate the very good advice you all have given me.... I'm going to assume I did indeed get an Aspire starter kit. I've been using it more and more as I taper down the amount of cigarettes I have each day; I have a good feeling about it working to help me break free from smoking! First thing Friday morning I plan on going and getting duplicates of everything I got originally, plus a car charger and maybe a couple more vials of juice. I'm not sure how long 10 ml typically lasts, but I DO know running out would be Bad. By time Monday Quit Day rolls around, I'll be Ready!