What atty-cloggers should I avoid?

[DancingHeretik]

I'm getting my flavoring order together today and will probably order late tonight or tomorrow. I have very little experience with DIY.

But, I have a lot of experience with pre-made atty-cloggers! The majority of the pre-made I've gotten from Gourmet Vapor has clogged my atties. I just had to throw an atty away last night. I don't care how good a deal their juice is on paper. It's not really a good deal if it's unvapeable, and especially not if it also costs me atties!

Does anyone know what kind of ingredients they use? I'ld like to know what to avoid.

And, what flavorings or type of flavorings tend to clog atties? Certain flavors? Certain types of flavors? Certain brands? I've heard coffee flavors tend to clog atties. But, I LOVE coffee flavors! Which sweeteners and thickeners are safest?

Any advice is welcome.

 

[favor1]

VG can build up in the atomizer or carto and shorten it's lifespan, but I like to clean my atty's with PGA once in a while to free up the residue and it noticeably frees up some airflow if you blow the atomizer out sufficiently. Some people have said that ultrasound cleaners can "revive" old atty's, although I'm assuming that your atty's are pretty new with clogging issues. I would recommend getting some bridgeless atty's if that is the case, it is easier to clean that way. For sweeteners, try to use as little as possible. I use a drop of EZ-Sweetz per 5ml (on average, for flavors that aren't inherently sweet) and it works fine for me although most good flavors won't need sweetener.

 

[salemgold]

Caramel is a big clogger as well as sweetener and creamy flavors. Avoid using too much flavoring and you will be okay. Also anything with caramel coloring seems to clog quickly.

Good luck.

 

[Bovinia]

Caramel is a big clogger as well as sweetener and creamy flavors. Avoid using too much flavoring and you will be okay. Also anything with caramel coloring seems to clog quickly.

Good luck.

Yes, all of my favorite flavors LOL! At least it's clogging my cartos and not my arteries

 

[DancingHeretik]

VG can build up in the atomizer or carto and shorten it's lifespan, but I like to clean my atty's with PGA once in a while to free up the residue and it noticeably frees up some airflow if you blow the atomizer out sufficiently. Some people have said that ultrasound cleaners can "revive" old atty's, although I'm assuming that your atty's are pretty new with clogging issues. I would recommend getting some bridgeless atty's if that is the case, it is easier to clean that way. For sweeteners, try to use as little as possible. I use a drop of EZ-Sweetz per 5ml (on average, for flavors that aren't inherently sweet) and it works fine for me although most good flavors won't need sweetener.

I generally use 70-80% PG, and I rinse my atties then soak in vodka regularly. (I used to use Everclear, but I'm too cheap to keep that up.) I might eventually check out the ultrasound cleaners, but am not inclined to have any more gadgets sitting around than necessary.

It's not a matter of atties getting slowly clogged so much as when an atty gets clogged almost instantly, like when I use the Gourmet Vapor coffee flavors. There's no excuse to sell something like that! There's nothing gradual or subtle about it!

I've heard about the sweeteners. Are certain ones worse/better than others so far as clogging goes? Is EZ-Sweetz sucralose? The sweeteners I know of are ethyl maltol, sucralose, and Stevia. And, of course, the flavors that already have sweetener in them, like Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. And, no telling what's in those flavors! Which sweetener or flavor containing sweetener is safer?

Caramel is a big clogger as well as sweetener and creamy flavors. Avoid using too much flavoring and you will be okay. Also anything with caramel coloring seems to clog quickly.

Good luck.

So I have to avoid not only sweeteners, but also creaminess? And, a question about caramel coloring: how do I know which flavors have caramel coloring before I buy them?

It looks like I may just be lucky. It's looking like I'm liking the flavors pretty mild and unsweetened compared to other people. So far anyway.

 

[favor1]

I've been soaking my atties in isopropyl alcohol but it doesn't seem to do much in regards to clearing up the atomizer in my experience. It took the paint off all of them though lol. I don't have the ultrasound cleaner but nothing has been working for me except flushing out the atomizer with some warm water (at a pressure, so that it squirts out the end of the atty) and then quickly drying it. It works to unclog the atty, but nothing seems to lengthen the life of my atomizers, at least nothing I've tried. I know that I tried some mixes sweetened with Stevia that sort of "built-up" in my atties more quickly than other liquids would, but it was very subtle, maybe it was my imagination I use EZ-Sweetz because it's very concentrated, so you don't have a lot of sugar molecules in your mix. I haven't yet tried a particular flavor that clogs my atty, but I'm sure some of the very sweet flavors will be able to do that.