very confused!

[McJade]

Been vaping for about a month now. Have done HOURS of googling and YouTubing. Still confused. I have two e-cigs now - eGo-T (i think its called a clearomizer - the one with the tank where you can actually see the wicks and the liquids); and the Joyetech eGo/eGo-T one - i think its called an atomizer - you can't see the wick and the liquid goes into the mouthpiece part.

So, I have a clearomizer and an atomizer? What is a cartomizer? Where do the words "tank" and "cartridge" come in?

The cartridge/tank that i fill on my atomizer - once there is liquid in it, you're stuck with it, you can't empty it? whereas, with the clearomizer, you can pour the liquid out.

every YouTube video i've watched talks about a little "cap" on the atomizer cartridge/tank that you have to physically pull off with your nail, before filling it. Well, mine don't have that cap - i've used my teeth, even, to try and pull "something" off it.

But my MOST important question is this: my atomizer (the one where you can't see the wick and its filled through the mouthpiece part) gets very hot after 2 minutes of vaping - i can't hold it. Why is this?

Going to try and post a pic of my two e-cigs....."clearomizer" and "atomizer" .... i THINK thats what they are? the one on the right is a clearomizer and the one on the left is an atomizer? its the one on the left that gets so hot after 2 minutes i can't hold it.

 

[The Ocelot]

Hi

This can all be a bit confusing at first. One of our members put together a short overview of some of the devices: Baditude’s Blog: Is it a carto? atty? clearo?

 

[AttyPops]

But my MOST important question is this: my atomizer (the one where you can't see the wick and its filled through the mouthpiece part) gets very hot after 2 minutes of vaping - i can't hold it. Why is this?

Welcome. Atomizers DO get hot. However:

OK, vaping works like this:
A) You have e-juice and a device with a coil
B) The juice is delivered to the coil via wicking material.
C) You vaporize the e-juice...it cools making a condensate...it is the vapor.
D) After a time, the coil develops "gunk" (The technical term ) and it basically is wrapped in a blanket of gunk around the coil. Same with some % of the wicking the coil is wrapped around.
E) It gets harder to vaporize the juice. And people overcompensate rather than clean the coil. So it.....gets REAL hot real fast.
F) Bad vaporization of juice means that the juice can't carry away the heat too. Evaporative cooling is interrupted.

So...the solution is to clean the coil and wicking if you can. Search for atomizer cleaning methods here on ECF.

 

[McJade]

Okay thanks. I only bought this new one on Friday, so i doubt that it's gunked up. However, i discovered that when i vape in "short" bursts/puffs (as opposed to long, 3/5 second draws), I'm keeping the button depressed instead of releasing it. It's this that's causing the burnt taste - my thumb has to "release,press,release,press" with each short puff. Know what I mean? Anyway, now i'm (rather) using longer draws instead of short puffs.

 

[AttyPops]

I must have forgotten:
G) Don't hold the button down between vapes. Or it gets hot......................................................

 

[McJade]

Another really STRANGE question - when you vape, does the back of your tongue lift up and 'close' your throat? mine does. skyping my friend the other night, we were comparing LOL. she says that her tongue remains flat/level, it doesn't lift up. you have to use a completely different technique to not let that happen (tongue lift up) - seems to "take more effort" - more of a long, hard pull/suck motion to keep the tongue down .... difficult to explain; made myself dizzy, trying!!

 

[BuGlen]

Another really STRANGE question - when you vape, does the back of your tongue lift up and 'close' your throat? mine does. skyping my friend the other night, we were comparing LOL. she says that her tongue remains flat/level, it doesn't lift up. you have to use a completely different technique to not let that happen (tongue lift up) - seems to "take more effort" - more of a long, hard pull/suck motion to keep the tongue down .... difficult to explain; made myself dizzy, trying!!

Actually, it's pretty common to draw into your mouth first (as you described) and then inhale the vapor. That's the way I smoked traditional cigs, and that's the way I vape. I also use the same technique to double-draw on my e-cig as well, so after I inhale my first drag, and draw into my mouth again while simultaneously exhaling that first drag out my nose. It's not pretty, but I do get a lot more flavor that way.

 

[Litta'sGabby]

Good answers to your questions. My tongue does that lift in the back if the throat hit on the liquid I am vaping is too much, and I don't find it enjoyable. I have never dripped liquid directly onto an atomizer, I use clearomizers, (like in your picture on the right) and I do experience this. I wonder if your throat hit is uncomfortable to you and that's why it's happening?? You might want to change your eliquid (some have a peppery taste/feeling in your mouth if they burn too hot. Or it might be the pg/vg ratio in your eliquid.

 

[McJade]

when you say "coil", do you mean the white wick, or a wire within the mechanism? and a question about dry burning - why do that? doesn't it just make the wick black? it did with mine, and i got that awful burnt taste - had to put a new wick in. can't see the point of dry burning??

 

[iceman68]

when you say "coil", do you mean the white wick, or a wire within the mechanism? and a question about dry burning - why do that? doesn't it just make the wick black? it did with mine, and i got that awful burnt taste - had to put a new wick in. can't see the point of dry burning??

Good questions. Same thing happened to me. I'm in the dark with the whole dry burning thing too.

 

[Mercurial_One1]

Good questions. Same thing happened to me. I'm in the dark with the whole dry burning thing too.

I don't get it either. I just got my first mouthful of real smoke from a burning carto and I'm telling you now, that won't happen again.. I'll let my clearos sit for a *week* before I risk a dry burn on something.