What is the correct procedures to fill and refill a griffin?

[Redblack]

Hi guys, I'm desperately needing help here.

I'm having a huge wicking problem with the griffin and the newly arrived griffin 25.

I have gone through 6 packs of cotton bacons to try to get it to work, I have also tried rayon and now is using koh gen do.

I have probably tried all thickness of wick, cutting, thinning the tails, stuff it inside the channel, or float it on top of the channel, not a damn thing worked consistently.

I have watched numerous wicking videos and envied how they just pull the cotton through, cut the ends, and vape!

The symptom is always the same, vapes great at first, probably vaporizing the juice I primed, insanely intense flavor. Then it goes south, no flavor, dry hit.


I have arrived at the conclusion that the tank is not maintaining a proper pressure, instead of the wicking(I'm sure I have got to done it right at least some of the hundreds of times...)Since opening the top cap allows the juice to go in and I can have 2 more pulls before it goes dry.


So, how do you fill and refill your griffin without messing up the air pressure? For people without any wicking problems, could you please detail how you do it, step by step, including position of air flow control and juice flow control?


Thank you so much!

 

[GeorgeS]

There are multiple opinions on this, mine is to have the wick FILL the juice channels but not "stuff" it in there. (fluffy but not packed) It is easier for me as I use Silica rope. 3mm works good for me. In my mind cutting the wick off at the top of the deck might wick better but often leads to leaks when tank is sat on its side or refilled.

The other thing to consider is if your "overdriving" your build. If your vaporizing faster than your wicking your bound to get dry hits.

The Griffin's JFC is not as good as some others so it will leak even when shut off. The "trick" (if there was one) is to close the JFC and then fill like there is no JFC: have your bottle at the ready when removing the cap, fill to the top of the glass (leaving an air pocket), replace cap and INVERT the tank so the air bubble reaches the JFC holes. Do this fairly/very quickly. The longer the cap is off the higher the odds of leaking. Likewise the longer the juice is in the tank with out negative pressure at the top, the greater the odds of leaking. Open the JFC while the tank is inverted and then set upright. I rarely get any leaks if I do this.

 

[rice721]

material of the wires you're using? whats your build? what power/temp are you vaping at?

Did you accidentally close the JFC? I know the one on the Griffin spins freely.

 

[TVC70]

I haven't really had issues with either Griffin, 22 or 25, in this regard. I pull the wicks through, trim them, and stuff them down into the juice channels so they are visible through the jfc holes when assembled. When I fill for the first time, or refill, I just close off the jfc, pop the top off, fill, replace the top, and then open the jfc back up. I did get a hint of a dry hit one night on the 25 while chain vaping, but it was more of a faint burnt taste, rather than a full-on flamethrower-in-the-throat dry hit. It only happened that one time, and it seemed somehow to rectify itself.

edit: Another thought: what sort of juice are you using? A thick, syrupy juice will obviously have a harder time soaking into the wick than a thin, watery one. My juice is a DIY mixed 90% VG, 5% PG, and 5% distilled water, so it's sort of a medium consistency, I'd say-not syrupy for sure, but also not exactly watery.

 

[Redblack]

material of the wires you're using? whats your build? what power/temp are you vaping at?

Did you accidentally close the JFC? I know the one on the Griffin spins freely.

Mostly kanthal and ss316 clapton, also tried a lot simple single and parrelle coils. Usually 3mm ID. Always made sure JFC is open. Vaping between 40 to 70watts depends on the coil.

There are multiple opinions on this, mine is to have the wick FILL the juice channels but not "stuff" it in there. (fluffy but not packed) It is easier for me as I use Silica rope. 3mm works good for me. In my mind cutting the wick off at the top of the deck might wick better but often leads to leaks when tank is sat on its side or refilled.

The other thing to consider is if your "overdriving" your build. If your vaporizing faster than your wicking your bound to get dry hits.

The Griffin's JFC is not as good as some others so it will leak even when shut off. The "trick" (if there was one) is to close the JFC and then fill like there is no JFC: have your bottle at the ready when removing the cap, fill to the top of the glass (leaving an air pocket), replace cap and INVERT the tank so the air bubble reaches the JFC holes. Do this fairly/very quickly. The longer the cap is off the higher the odds of leaking. Likewise the longer the juice is in the tank with out negative pressure at the top, the greater the odds of leaking. Open the JFC while the tank is inverted and then set upright. I rarely get any leaks if I do this.

Leaking is my least concern, my problem has always been juice not wicking at all. For some reason it doesn't even leak when my cotton are not even touching the juice ring. When I take the base out, the juice doesn't rush out until I unscrew the top cap, is this nornal?

 

[GeorgeS]

Leaking is my least concern, my problem has always been juice not wicking at all. For some reason it doesn't even leak when my cotton are not even touching the juice ring. When I take the base out, the juice doesn't rush out until I unscrew the top cap, is this nornal?

Most of my builds are optimized for <=30W so leaking is a MAJOR concern for me (I carry mine in my office shirt pocket - leaks are a show stopper for me). To little wick and it might leak when laid on its side, to much and the vape fades from when you primed it. Since you don't have leak issues all I can think of is to much wick. Is it nice and 'fluffy' from end to end?

Considering (I recall) that the deck needs to be installed to compete the JFC, I'm not surprised that your tank emptied. I always install/remove the deck with the tank inverted.

 

[Redblack]

I haven't really had issues with either Griffin, 22 or 25, in this regard. I pull the wicks through, trim them, and stuff them down into the juice channels so they are visible through the jfc holes when assembled. When I fill for the first time, or refill, I just close off the jfc, pop the top off, fill, replace the top, and then open the jfc back up. I did get a hint of a dry hit one night on the 25 while chain vaping, but it was more of a faint burnt taste, rather than a full-on flamethrower-in-the-throat dry hit. It only happened that one time, and it seemed somehow to rectify itself.

edit: Another thought: what sort of juice are you using? A thick, syrupy juice will obviously have a harder time soaking into the wick than a thin, watery one. My juice is a DIY mixed 90% VG, 5% PG, and 5% distilled water, so it's sort of a medium consistency, I'd say-not syrupy for sure, but also not exactly watery.

Unaltered 80vg from mt baker vapor.

 

[IrkMe]

Here's how I do mines.

2.5 -3 mm coils ( TBH I have no preference but use mainly 2.5 for SS temp builds)
Peel the outer layer's from the cotton ( Muji)
Once I've pulled them through, fold them over & cut them so there about 2mm below the juice ring, thats measure over the outside of the juice ring.
Lightly pack them down the hole, you'll just see the cotton under the ring.
Everything assembled, close the juice feed & the air slot.
Fill, open the juice feed, couple of quick primer pulls.
Open the air & off you go.

To refill, close everything, fill & do the same as when It's just built.

Not a great picture but you get the drift.

 

[TVC70]

Unaltered 80vg from mt baker vapor.

No exp. with that, but you might try diluting a small amount with a tiny bit of distilled water and see if that helps. If you put some in a 10ml bottle, for example, you'd literally only want a few drops of water out of an eye dropper. Water thins VG quite dramatically. Your juice may not even be the issue, but it's worth a try.

 

[VaPreis]

I have had tanks in the past that were sensitive to overfilling, although I haven't experienced that with my Griffin 25. If there isn't a big enough air bubble, the wicking may not overcome the vacuum in the tank.

For the 25, I only fill mine till it gets to the bottom of the fill slots. This also keeps it from making a mess when you screw the cap back on.

 

[Redblack]

Most of my builds are optimized for <=30W so leaking is a MAJOR concern for me (I carry mine in my office shirt pocket - leaks are a show stopper for me). To little wick and it might leak when laid on its side, to much and the vape fades from when you primed it. Since you don't have leak issues all I can think of is to much wick. Is it nice and 'fluffy' from end to end?

Considering (I recall) that the deck needs to be installed to compete the JFC, I'm not surprised that your tank emptied. I always install/remove the deck with the tank inverted.

It actually does not empty until I unscrew the top cap. Like, it retains juice without a base.

I never do that on purpose, though it surprised me.


And I feel your pain on leaking, i was fighting that before I switched to griffins ;p



I thin my tails with the tip of a precision scissors slightly opened, basically pulling unwanted thickness away.

The thing is I never see any wicking video messing the tails too much...



Here are my latest wicks, not a sign of wicking...

 

[Redblack]

Received another griffin 25, wicking fantastically..

Same exact build and wicking as the other one, I have no idea...

 

[VaPreis]

The wicking looks a little skimpy, especially in that first pick. Not enough wicking means not enough reserve, which eventually leads to a dry or flavorless hit.

 

[Redblack]

The wicking looks a little skimpy, especially in that first pick. Not enough wicking means not enough reserve, which eventually leads to a dry or flavorless hit.

The first pic was a desperate try, I made a half way cut on the tail where it meets the coil, leaving only a tiny bit of cotton left. Still zero sign of wicking.


I have been wicking like the 3rd picture with my new unit, wicking like a champ.

I have no idea what is wrong, both are authentic units with no sign of manufacturing flaw.