Vivi Nova Leaking Mystery! Anyone care to solve it? :)

[daniele25]

Hi Guys! So I'm still loving my Vivi Nova minis, but the oddest thing has happened the last 2 nights in a row with 2 different vivi nova minis. When I lay on the couch at night, or watch tv before bed, I've always got my Twist in hand, with the Vivi Nova attached. (ridiculous, I know)

Anyway...2 nights ago, I kept feeling like there was juice everywhere. All over my Twist, on my hand, the outside of the vivi nova, etc. I could not identify where the leak was coming from...except that is not coming out of the bottom where threads connect to the battery. When I unscrewed it from the Twist, there was no juice on the threads or near the battery connector. So I decided to switch to a different vivi nova, I thought maybe where the tube screwed to the bottom metal piece was loose or something. So here I am, different vivi nova, and same thing last night. I filled it up before I laid down, woke up to hardly any juice left in the tank, and had juice all over the place. Where on earth is the leak coming from? I can't see it anywhere...and I have no idea why it just started out of the blue...I have been using both of these with no problems for the last 2 weeks or so. (The first one that leaked 2 nights ago is actually a newer one, little less than a week old)

Has anyone else experienced this? could it be from not having it standing straight up, maybe because it's laying on its side a bit when I lay down? I'm at a complete loss...because I don't see any cracks or places where its not put together tightly.

I'd appreciate any insight!

 

[Davenkay]

That is a real headscratcher???? I haven't noticed anything like that with my minis. As a matter of fact, I'm afraid to say anything because they have performed flawlessly for the past 2 weeks I have been using them.

 

[daniele25]

That is a real headscratcher???? I haven't noticed anything like that with my minis. As a matter of fact, I'm afraid to say anything because they have performed flawlessly for the past 2 weeks I have been using them.

It's so bizarre and driving me crazy! Mine have been great since day 1 too. I have been using the same one that leaked every last night all day today, just keeping it up right, and no leakage. So it's definitely appearing to have something to do with having it laying on its side....but even still, where is the leak coming from!!?? That part I have yet to figure out!

 

[nursechristiern]

I dont understand it either, but Im using the VNmini too and I woke up 2 mornings in a row and all the juice had leaked out. I agree with you....It doesnt seem to be coming from the center post area. IDK

 

[daniele25]

I dont understand it either, but Im using the VNmini too and I woke up 2 mornings in a row and all the juice had leaked out. I agree with you....It doesnt seem to be coming from the center post area. IDK

OMG..that is so weird that you woke up to the same mystery! Well...if it helps, I think i found it. It's BARELY noticeable....but where the tube screws into the bottom metal piece, there is one small area where its not totally flush. I checked to make sure the threads connected evenly and it was screwed in properly, it just looks like either a very small defect in the metal bottom, or the tube. I plan to try and attach that same tube to a different metal bottom and see if it happens again...so I can at least toss whichever piece is causing the problem. You have to look very closely to find it, but you can see a tiny bit of space above that bottom metal piece. (if the issue you are having is in fact the same as mine)

 

[mostapha]

There are 2 pieces of metal on the mini vivi nova's base. I dropped one and they kinda came apart. It still fired and vaped, but I got rid of it because I prefer the full size ones anyway. It could be from there, or that could be the source of the defect.

AFAIK, the full size do not have that flaw.

 

[classwife]

Moved to Rebuildable Atomizer systems from Clearomizers

 

[money4me247]

perhaps your juice is leaching the plastic... are you using a cinnamon, acidic/citric, or spicy e-juice?

other than that I have no idea. maybe a hairline crack in the plastic. try replacing the plastic tube and seeing if the same results occur.

 

[PepNYC]

I've got the SAME EXACT problem. I just bought a 3.5 ViVi Nova from MyFreedomSmokes yesterday. Works like a champ. However, I noticed some slight leaking around the bottom threads twice already. Now keep in mind I made sure everything was nice and snug before I filled it and I haven't removed the bottom so cross threading is not a possibility unless they did it at the factory. So here's what I did. I took the whole darn thing apart. Cleaned everything and reassembled it. I literally just finished putting it back together so I don't have any news yet as to weather or not it's fixed but I just wanted to let everyone know they're not nutso. These things leak. Maybe not all of them but I guess we're just the lucky ones who got the select few. I'll report back when I see if the disassemble/clean/reassemble fixed the issue. If it doesn't, back to MFS I go...

UPDATE 11/17/12

I found the cause. It was the silicone o-ring on the bottom where it screws into the tank. Not sure if it was just compressed or had a nick I couldn't see or what. My buddy came over and gave me one from an old nova he had and it hasn't leaked since. I haven't found a place that sells just the o-rings but I'm thinking it might be a good idea to have a few of these on hand.

 

[Heavyrocker]

I have seeping problem with mini nova,its the threading or the orings,i cant see it leaking but a can feel the juice all over my hand,like a thin layer.I thnk i have solved the leaking problem,if i screw the tank on too tight,the bottom of the tank presses against battery post threading and distorts the bottom of the tank which also causes the rubber seal too squeeze too flat,but on the nova 3.5 it dont matter cause the bottom of the tank has a thicker metal,also the threads are on the inside of the 3.5, and on the mini, the threads are on the outside,which dont help anyway.

 

[dragonfly72]

I am having this exact problem also....its driving me crazy. Cant see anything wrong. Has to be that o ring on the bottom.

 

[Stringer63]

That's what it was with mine. Pull the o-ring and check it out.

I am having this exact problem also....its driving me crazy. Cant see anything wrong. Has to be that o ring on the bottom.

 

[Rule62]

The neoprene o ring in the metal base, which the plastic tube is supposed to seal against, is paper thin, and distorts easily. It can slip out of place, or get wrinkled, and will cause a leak.

 

[mostlyclassics]

I wound up getting a roll of plumber's teflon tape for my couple of "problem" Vivi Minis. (I lost the O-rings while cleaning.) Two wraps around the threads, then trim a bit of the extra at the bottom to allow the center post to fit, assemble, and everything's copacetic.

 

[Biziou]

The neoprene o ring in the metal base, which the plastic tube is supposed to seal against, is paper thin, and distorts easily. It can slip out of place, or get wrinkled, and will cause a leak.

Yep. I pulled out the ones that started wrinkling up, and I've never had a leak going without them.

 

[IMWylde]

The metal base on the minis are two pieces press fit. It has to be leaking there.

 

[Berylanna]

I've seen several different problems, all of which need to be addressed to prevent leakeage.

1. When replacing a head, make sure your fingers are dry when tightening the head. Slippery fingers lead to having it not
screwed-in anywhere near enough.

2. If the mini is dropped and the press-fitting gets out of whack, it will leak. It is really easy to fix with a pair of pliers, just
snap it back into place so it looks the same as one that has never been dropped.

3. Each other thing needs to be screwed in tightly but not over-tightly -- you get a feel for it. Bottom of tube to base, top of tube to
lid.

4. I mop up the little cap at the top and blow through the Nova and clean the bottom after filling, especially if I overfilled it. Once the
juice starts leaking it can kind-of get a siphoning effect going that you can stop just by getting it good and clean.

5. Be very slow and careful each time you screw it together. It is trivially easy to cross-thread while assembling, and that cuts the threads which seem to be part of the seal. I was wondering if I could have used plumber's tape on the ones I got second-hand that were cross-threaded, now maybe I'll try it.

6. While I can often lie down with my novas, some days I cannot. Air pressure, how thin my juice is, how old the wick is, whether it is an odd-or-even-numbered day, all seem to play a part. So I got Blaster drip tips that I can tilt so that I can recline without having to tip up the PV. I like it. It works. (It also makes it easier to find the button, and prevents rolling on the days I *can* safely set it down!)

 

[Heavyrocker]

I think you may be able pick up better orings in a hardware store,but i like the teflon tape idea,strange thing is today its not "seeping"

I did this and seems too work:

4. I mop up the little cap at the top and blow through the Nova and clean the bottom after filling, especially if I overfilled it. Once the
juice starts leaking it can kind-of get a siphoning effect going that you can stop just by getting it good and clean.

 

[Berylanna]

I think you may be able pick up better orings in a hardware store,but i like the teflon tape idea,strange thing is today its not "seeping"

I did this and seems too work:

4. I mop up the little cap at the top and blow through the Nova and clean the bottom after filling, especially if I overfilled it. Once the
juice starts leaking it can kind-of get a siphoning effect going that you can stop just by getting it good and clean.

I'm trying to figure out which o-rings. I suspect they might be missing from the ones I got used. But I can't SEE them. Where are they?

 

[Heavyrocker]

I'm trying to figure out which o-rings. I suspect they might be missing from the ones I got used. But I can't SEE them. Where are they?

There are 4 total,2 on the plastic tube at both ends just near the threading and 2 inside the top /bot metal caps,very hard too see,they are same color as the metal,stick a safety pin in the metal caps and you can feel them.