Vortex 2.0 fix for leaking and dry hits

[darkpoet]

I'm not sure if this warrants starting a new thread... it's too simple.

When you place the cap on the tank, that tight seal pushes extra air into the tank, pushing the liquid into the atomizer area... this causes yucky leaks. And after vaping a bit, that tight seal creates a bit of a vacuum that keeps liquid from going into the atomizer. The solution? You need to allow air into the tank... and of course, the Vortex was designed so you could carry it without leaking...

First, remove the silicone seal... and invert the outside edge because you'll only need to cut a bit from the inside. What you're doing is creating a small vent that leads from the mouthpiece into the tank. Air doesn't need a lot of space to move, so probably the smaller, the better. I used a razor at first and finished with nail clippers. The silicone seal still fits quite well.

Unfortunately, there is a side-effect. Condensation from the mouthpiece no longer drips into the center tube... it drips into the tank itself. Actually, this isn't so bad... it's just water and burns up without any problem. But it does make the juice a bit diluted as you reach the end of the tank. Actually, I noticed a noticed an improvement in flavor. Heh. This also means you'll have to be careful when carrying tanks around. If it's upside-down, some liquid may escape through that vent. As I said, a smaller vent is probably better. Especially when the liquid starts to get diluted... but if it's thick, I doubt more than a few drops will escape, if any.

Anybody else want to try this?

PICTURES

After inverting the silcone seal, it should look like this. The red line indicates where I cut with a razor (twice). The diamond indicates where I cut a small chunk out.


The result... my two razor lines became triangle-shaped. Not sure what is the best shape here. Possibly two straight lines are better but the triangle acts as a kind of funnel. Take a close look near the bottom and note the tiny chuck missing... that seems to be the most important. I think I cut too much out. If you cut too little, though, the condensation will drip back into the center tube... so it's better to cut a bit, test it out, then cut some more if you're not satisfied.


I left it out last night, confident... but it leaked the last 1/2mL all through the connector. On the other hand, I've been using the same cap with a different cart all day and only a tiny leak. I'm guessing it still leaks a bit, but continual use sucks the leak back up into the atomizer.

So, it's great for daytime vaping... not so good to leave out overnight. I've only tested this on one cap with two carts. I'm very happy with the results, even if it still means having to leave it empty when not in use.

I have some suspicion that the bottom connector may be responsible for the overnight leak. Tightening it up and then adjusting the 901->eGo adapter might help.

Now, I just wish I would stop burning my lips on the hot mouthpiece. Maybe if I stopped enjoying the amazing flavor so much...

 

[vapidkitty]

I'd be happy to try and I get the principle of what you're saying, but I can't follow what you're doing where, sorry!
Are you cutting the silicone or the plastic?

 

[LordDavon]

I can't really follow either. All but 1 of my Vortex 2.0's leaked like a sieve. I did toss most of them, but do have 1 or 2 that I can try this on.

 

[gman1000]

Here's another suggestion, use a carto condom on the battery end, fill the tank, cap it, flip the Vortex over, pull off the carto condom, wait 30 seconds for the tank to equalize. Get your PV and install it upside down. Flip over & vape.

 

[vapidkitty]

Here's another suggestion, use a carto condom on the battery end, fill the tank, cap it, flip the Vortex over, pull off the carto condom, wait 30 seconds for the tank to equalize. Get your PV and install it upside down. Flip over & vape.

Clearly I missed somethin here, 'cause I now smell like a Jaffa!

try again....

 

[darkpoet]

gman, the pressure at the beginning is not the problem... it's only during use, as the chamber heats up, that causes pressure problems. I'm not very good with science, so I can't explain why... but actually (unaltered) it hits awesome at first, and then starts to dry hit. Wiggling the cap around to allow some air to escape seemed to solve this... but as soon as you do that, bubbles start coming up from the filler... and it's then that it leaks the worst.

 

[gman1000]

Atmospheric equalization is the culprit here, they need to balance out somehow, and time to recover is what allows that, more so with different juices, which hopefully will be solved in the future, the Vortex strikes me as a timed clearomizer, meaning once you fill it, take a good long hit once, wait 3-5 minutes, repeat, till empty. Not knocking your solution but just explaining how I used mine.

 

[darkpoet]

"Atmospheric equalization." Thanks, gman... in simple terms, that means you have to wait for the air to cool down and contract again, right? Hmmm... same reason Apollo astronauts were not to open their hatch doors after re-entry...?

Tried this out a second time, and after some experimenting with shapes, it seems a triangle works best... though the chunk missing does need to be at least a certain size... too small and it doesn't allow air or liquid through.

But this time, it doesn't leak. As I said, I tried tightening the connection on the bottom of the Vortex. It doesn't match my 901 batteries anymore, but I just let out the adapter a bit and use it on my eGo batteries.

I think I might have been playing with it too much, though... I'm starting to get some burnt taste.

 

[gman1000]

You got it, same as a deep sea diver coming up to fast. If they had opened the hatch, their bodies would've imploded. I'm sure the Vortex will be improved, but right now, I'm waiting on the X7, I've already had great success with the CE3 I have, making it work without leaking, using my suggestion above. If the CE3 was open topped and you used a Vortex mouthpiece so you don't have to use a syringe to fill it and use that little plug to prevent it leaking out the top, you have a very consistent clearomizer that needs just a little more refinement.

 

[darkpoet]

I can't edit my 1st post anymore. But I just did a teardown of a dead Vortex 2.0 and discovered something that perhaps should have been common sense. I killed the atomizer by "tightening" the center post of the battery connector. It doesn't tighten (and this probably explains a cartomizer I killed, too). By twisting that center connector, I twisted the internal atomizer wire and broke it.

So, the best way to tighten the seal on the bottom appears to be pressing up on the center post. An adapter that expands (using a screwdriver) should work perfectly... or a battery that has the same ability (I know of no battery that can do this, though). I'm wondering if I could just use some silicone seal around the post instead... the little rubber insulator between the post and outer connector doesn't seem to do its job 100% of the time.

Sidenote: A decent way to clean a Vortex 2.0

One of mine was was turning black inside. I filled up the tank with lukewarm water, stuck my cartomizer-cleaning-syringe over the top (with a rubber cap to seal between the two) and my thumb over the bottom and pulled and pushed the water out and into the tank several times... the water bubbled and agitated the filler until it was almost white again. Repeated twice. Then finally emptied the water and stuck the syringe and thumb back on and pulled the syringe to make a vacuum... then pulled my thumb away... this sucked a bit of water out of the filler. Repeated twice. Looks good as new... I'll test in a few days to see if it vapes good as new, too.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Even if your Vortex goes south, don't toss the mouthpiece! They work great on standard metal cartos! (...at least ones that the filler and tube are not too high.)

 

[LordDavon]

I use them in my Fluxos. They fit perfectly.

 

[vapidkitty]

Even if your Vortex goes south, don't toss the mouthpiece! They work great on standard metal cartos! (...at least ones that the filler and tube are not too high.)

Thanks for the tip, Cool_Breeze..... as a relative newb to Got Vapes products, I'm still trying to work my way through all the old posts to make sense of the shorthand that's used and pick up these sorts of tips that are taken as given by the 'old hands'. So 'ta

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Thanks for the tip, Cool_Breeze..... as a relative newb to Got Vapes products, I'm still trying to work my way through all the old posts to make sense of the shorthand that's used and pick up these sorts of tips that are taken as given by the 'old hands'. So 'ta

Yes vapidkitty, I understand about the shorthand. It would be helpful if for each abbreviation/acronym that a person used the full term once early in each post or chat conversation.

 

[darkpoet]

I've been testing out my silicone sealant dumped into the space between the battery post and edges. Perhaps the original seal isn't so bad... because I didn't stop the leak... it seems to leak less when detached from the battery but what's the point of that?

I'm guessing the liquid continues to wick until the silica wick is over-saturated, then drips downward... and I guess that is why liquid is often sucked up the center tube, too. It seems a lot like the problem with leaky ego-T's and perhaps any bottom-wick atomizer... I'm guessing that I use PG is why mine leak so fast. VG probably leaks slower?

Is this an unsolvable problem? I'm debating whether or not to shove something into the little hole... what could prevent leaking but still allow air to pass through? That's why most atomizers have a nickel bridge over the coil/silica? Hmmmm...

But first, I'm going to try capping the top... perhaps an airtight seal around the mouthpiece will help.

 

[LordDavon]

I was sent a sample Vortex 2.0, with my last order. I found that if I didn't fill it all the way, it didn't seem to leak. It did still suck up a bit of juice. Since receiving my Vision Extremes, I just don't think the current Vortexes are on my radar anymore anyway. I am looking forward to whatever is the Vortex 3.0 though.

 

[darkpoet]

I capped the top with a cartomizer condom from a dual coil. It had a weird effect. Instead of leaking, liquid was pulled up through the center tube instead... it kept my battery clean... but of course, there was too much liquid in the tube so as soon as I pulled the cap off, it leaked. Heh, air pressure is fun. This isn't a bad solution but... my guess is that if you want to carry around a cartomizer... this is not the one. I still love my Vortex around the house... but... *sigh*