Vivi Nova wicking issues?

[pir123]

Hi All,

I've been playing with a vivi nova (the box says v2, but it has long silicone(?) wicks and a long 510 connector, so I think it's v2.5) for a couple days now, and no matter what head I use on my LT I cannot get consistent performance from it. The issue seems to be wicking.

If I drip onto the coil it tastes pretty good, but then after a few hits the flavor gets spotty. Sometimes I get a very minor plastic taste. It doesn't seem to matter how long I let it rest between hits, or how high the level in the tank is, sometimes it tastes good, and other times there's that hint of something off. It's never terrible, just less than ideal. If I let the tank sit upside-down for a couple minutes I sometimes get a couple good hits, sometimes it doesn't do anything different.

I tried it at first as-is, and then after lackluster flavor, I unbraided the wicks, and that seems to have made no difference at all. I get the same basic issues with both the 1.8 and 2.4 ohm heads (I haven';t tried the 2.8 yet)

I'm using a 50/50 mix. Are there any other tricks for better wick performance? Or am I looking at having to get wick and wire to roll my own? I kind of want to do that anyway. Any recommendations for what kind of wire and wick to get? I care most about flavor. TH and amount of vapor are secondary for me.

I see other posts where people are saying the vivi nova works great out of the box, and others saying it works great after "fluffing" the wicks. I wish I could say that

 

[KForrester86]

been reading up on the Vivi alot lately because I am interested in one.. try trimming the wicks so that they just touch the walls of the tube.

 

[pir123]

I had trimmed the wicks a bit, after fluffing them, but not quite that much, I'll try that with the 2.4, and post my results.

I've read (and watched) a bit more on the nova, and it seems like people that are using really strong flavored juices aren't reporting the "silicone" taste -- the juice I'm using is a tobacco extraction, so it's pretty subtle in flavor, so it's possible that's part of what's going on. I think I'm just going to keep vaping on it for a while, and see if it "breaks in".

I have a feeling I'll be ordering some wick and wire soon...

 

[KForrester86]

interesting. I might avoid the Vivinova then, not sure I'm comfortable rewicking the thing. especially on something that should work 100% out of the box without having to tinker with it.

 

[otrpu]

I wish they'd leave the wick length alone. Mine were all working fine, then someone convinced them to shorten the wick. Now I have to tip the PV to get anything to the wick. Before, the liquid would constantly wick when in solution. Someone had a better idea and we took a giant step backwards. JMHO

Cheers,
otrpu

 

[latnem]

Hey OP I rewicked my nova head and got better preformace. I used the same wicks that came with the heads but unraveled them and trimmed them. You can find videos on youtube how to rewick. I also removed that small cotton thing thats in there - that may have also helped. I find it wicks best when the juice level is about even with the wick hole. This is using 70/30 juice and it still hits harsher than my other tank - I have some 100%PG juice on order hopefully that will wick better.

 

[pir123]

otrpu, the version I have (which I think is 2.5) has the long wicks. I think the first batch of V2s had short wicks. I just noticed there are some sites now advertising a "V3" of the Nova.

I may keep the wicks long after all, since It does seem to be working better now, maybe it heard me complaining on the forum

I think it's helping to keep the PV horizontal when vaping. I vaped on it for a while at 3 volts, and then slowly increased the voltage up to 3.7, over a few hours of vaping. I don't know if that had anything to do with why it's working better now.

It's still not as good as dripping on an atomizer, but it's getting there, and the silicone taste seems to have faded. I'll post an update after I've played with it some more.

I think I still like the DCT carto better, but I like the IDEA of the nova more, so I'm going to keep at it.

 

[pir123]

Thanks latnem. I may try some juice with a higher PG content, though most of the juices I've found that I like are only sold as a 50/50 mix. I'm interested in building my own coils at some point anyway, so hopefully that path will bear fruit for me. What did you use for coil wire?

 

[JAY73]

i have had my nova for two weels now and just love it things get better on the second tank i also hold it horizantle i do that with most every thing i have used if you do not have one get it and try it out they do work pretty good out of the box just need to break the heads in a bit jmho...

 

[pir123]

Yes it does seem that the heads have a "break-in" period. For me it was about two days. It's continuing to improve, even as I type this!

 

[NC_Fog]

I cut the wicks on my 2.5 and gained a big improvement in flavor. Something else that I learned on accident while playing around with it...there is a little tube inside of the drip tip. Take a Q-tip and push it down onto the head/atomizer after the top cap is screwed on. I couldn't believe the difference in vapor production and slight improvement in flavor. Very satisfied with my Vivi Nova's. I currently use the 1.8ohm heads...

Marty

 

[pir123]

I wondered about the tube in the drip tip. I just did that and didn't immediately notice any difference, but it makes sense that it's supposed to be at the bottom of the drip tip. It probably helps keep the juice where it's supposed to be.

 

[NC_Fog]

Also make sure that the drip tip is fully seated. It takes abit of force to properly seat it. Most are not from the factory.

Marty

 

[pir123]

Wow, I don't understand exactly why, but that seems to have made an immediate and noticeable difference in flavor! The silicone taste is completely gone now. I thought I had the drip tip all the way in, but after reading your post I really mashed it down, and it went in another 2mm or so. Thanks Marty!

 

[EGO-maniac]

there is a break-in period for them. You will experience dry hits and muted flavor for a few mls, then it gets much better! No need to trim the wick. Also, you are suppose to roll the vivi around and shake it after filling it. I even shake it from time while using it. Not violently though

 

[NC_Fog]

I have yet to experience a break in moment with the vivi. It is either is gonna work great from the start or it's not(once primed). I ran over 30ml through the 2.5(waiting for break in) before deciding to cut the wicks. It was a last ditch effort before giving up and throwing the thing into the trash. I now cut the wicks of a fresh head and they work excellent right from the start to finish. I have to say though that I've never gotten any dry hits from any version of the vivi once initially primed(long or short wick). Personal preference I guess.

Marty

 

[pir123]

I never got any dry hits, per se, just a slight "silicone" taste, and muted flavor, and only sometimes. Having the drip tip pushed all the way in seemed to really help. I've still not trimmed the wicks much, just a little off the ends so they're all even. Having the drip tip pushed in all the way and the fat silicone o-ring or whatever that is pushed all the way down seems to have made a tremendous difference.

If it continues to perform well, I'll be ordering another one, or two The 2.4 head seems to work well from 3.5 to just under 4 volts, so I'd think it will work well on my non-vv batteries as well at 3.7ish.

There are listings for Kanthal A-1 16 gauge wire on ebay... I'm thinking that's the right stuff, and there are e-cig vendors selling wick for other rebuildables (like the Odysseus) so once I get up the gumption (and my heads wear out) I'll be giving that a go.

 

[buddylee]

I've had my Nova for about a week now and I have had similar issues. It seems to wick fine at first and then tapers off a bit. I'm using a very light juice so as I go along I will notice it starting to darken and thickens up a bit. I'm using a 50/50 mix and think it may be burning off the thinner of the 2 first and then doesn't wick as well and the flavor is muted.

I started by just adding more to the darker thicker liquid and then just started emptying it out and refilling. Just to test this theory I poured the darker liquid into a clean carto and tried that. The flavor was muted there as well. I even dripped some straight on an atty and same result.

When I get home this evening I'm gonna put a new head on and only fill it half way and see if keeping the fluid below the coil will keep it from burning this way.

 

[pir123]

I've got darkening juice too. It's a 50/50 natural tobacco extraction. I notice the darkening juice on pretty much every device I've tried, and have learned to live with it, since it's my favorite juice.

The flavor does change, but it's acceptable for me. I'm just glad the silicone taste is gone in the nova. I'm still on my first tankfull and am vaping it right down to almost empty, just to see how bad it gets. It's gone from a light amber to a very dark brown, but still tastes OK, if a little extra "smoky" now.

I haven't tried this yet in the nova, but in with my delrin DCT, I sometimes add a couple drops of vodka to thin it out a bit when it starts looking dingy, and that helps keep things flowing.

 

[monkey13]

hei guys..
i have been running my Vivi v2.5 with a KGO pv and a SS drip tip for almost about a month now.it was great out of the box for about less than a week.after that the taste and hit just got worst.mine even leaks vapor into the tank and some juice in the cap.same thing happen with a new head even after i service it.
so i rebuild the head with a new wick and clean of debris on the coil. Hit was strong and tasty and there was no more vapor leaking. Besides this, i took the small silicone tube from the inside of the factory drip tip and trim it of a just a little. i then place it onto the metal retainer located inside of the silicone head. after screwing the cap back onto the tank,the small silicone just above the cap hole. this have prevent the juice from leaking out onto the cap.

regarding the darkening of the juice in the tank,i experience it to.what i notice is that the juice gets darker due coil and wick..so i dont mind it that much as it only affect the thickness and color of my juice but not the taste. but once a week i would clean my head by dry burning and scraping of the debris on the coil..