What's Your Technique For Cleaning Cartos?

[the_vape_nerd]

been doing this a long time and i dont use cartos anymore for the very simple reason that you cannot clean them very effectively or easily...get some clearos either a bcc or a vivi nova type if you dont want to fool with rbas....those are super easy to clean and the heads can be made to last a long time

there are videos on youtube of taking everything apart and cleaning out and dry burning

 

[irwink]

Once again @ the op I say read all of the cleaning recommendations and try for yourself. Report your results.

 

[lightandmind]

Once again @ the op I say read all of the cleaning recommendations and try for yourself. Report your results.

I absolutely will!

 

[Shy One]

I have been experimenting with cleaning my boge cartomizers with mixed results. They NEVER taste as good as a fresh one, but I've had some pretty good results. I put them in a turkey baster, (saw the utube video) and rinse it 3 or 4 times with lukewarm water, suck in, out, repeat a few times. I add about 10 drops of alcohol, don't know if this is a good idea, but it seems to get rid of residual flavors. Then I blow it out. I have a small desk fan and I literally stick it in the fan - I can do it where the fan blades do not hit the cartomizer but it gets blown on. I usually let go for 24 hours as I have no idea how long it takes to truly dry out. Some of them taste ALMOST NEW, SOME taste ok, and some I have to toss, because somehow in the process they "broke".

I always test it with some juice that is not expensive (but still good to start with) so that if it is one that didn't work I haven't lost $$$. But there are a lot of great deals on cartomizers so I really prefer to use a fresh one. I think I am doing this more out of curiousity than anything else, but it is pretty neat when I load one up and I can barely taste the difference between it and a virgin one.

I tend to drip lots of different juices, I am not a one juice person, so I suspect the outcome may have something to do with which juices I used. I haven't figured that part out yet, just a gut feeling.

 

[serenity21899]

I just trash them, not worth the effort for a dollar or two.

 

[Alchemy]

I just trash them, not worth the effort for a dollar or two.

Same here. I usually get a good week or two out of one carto anyways so for $1.50 it's a good deal

 

[echofinder]

I just trash them, not worth the effort for a dollar or two.

Them dollars add up... there are easier delivery systems to use but I just can't stay away from carto-tanks.

I like the paper clip method - it works well when done properly & can double the life of the carto. Yes, flavor & hit may be muted a little more each time you clean it, but I have a wide tolerance for this.

 

[Shy One]

I agree - cartomizers are not that expensive compared to cigs and all the other stuff we buy to vape.....I think for me it is more of a curiosity factor - can it be done?

However - I am perplexed by people who can use them for 3 weeks. I am lucky if I can get a week out of them. And I am careful to blow them out regularly, keep my equipment clean, etc. But when it starts getting hard to draw and I lose the great TH and flavor I am done with the cartomizer. Either I toss it or try my new cleaning technique. What am I missing? Do people just not mind that you have to draw harder and it just doesn't taste as good?
That is why I don't use clearomizers and I have pretty much tried them all - for some reason the flavor just doesn't taste as good from the get go. JMHO I know there are people who feel the opposite!

 

[Plumes.91]

There are carto cleaners for sale on the market. Or you could just run it under a faucet if its just the juice you want out. I have had success and failures when boiling. Sometimes they just dont come back to life unfortunately. But if your doing a bunch all at once, you'll have a few that come back good as new, or, 1/4th used at least. That is why I use clearos with wicks, you can clean them and repair/replace the wicks if they burn a LOT easier. Plus if you burn a carto, it is DONE. No more carto. (the design doesn't allow for accidental burning for the most part. Even the 1st burn significantly reduces the cartos lifespan.

 

[Alchemy]

I agree - cartomizers are not that expensive compared to cigs and all the other stuff we buy to vape.....I think for me it is more of a curiosity factor - can it be done?

However - I am perplexed by people who can use them for 3 weeks. I am lucky if I can get a week out of them. And I am careful to blow them out regularly, keep my equipment clean, etc. But when it starts getting hard to draw and I lose the great TH and flavor I am done with the cartomizer. Either I toss it or try my new cleaning technique. What am I missing? Do people just not mind that you have to draw harder and it just doesn't taste as good?
That is why I don't use clearomizers and I have pretty much tried them all - for some reason the flavor just doesn't taste as good from the get go. JMHO I know there are people who feel the opposite!

Same here I usually get a week out of a carto then it's done. No amount of cleaning will fix that Tight draw. I also see the value in cleaning em in some circumstances like if I just want to switch flavors on a new carto tossing it is such a waste even if they are dirt cheap.

 

[bobbyh3342]

449 for 5 pack of boge 510 catapillarvapes cartos our dirt cheap I don't clean anymore cuz it is a waste of time, most cartos don't come back and the ones that do are "sub par"

 

[james chapman]

I have a Mr coffee Espresso machine,with a steamer tool. I take a cup of distilled water,as our water is very hard. I put all my tank parts in the cup to soak. I fill the coffee tank with distilled water and wait till it is ready for steam and steam them. You have to use a pair of pliers to hold the Carto,so not to burn yourself. I steam both holes and the notch holes. You can see all the gunk being blown out. I have tried the boiling,turkey baster,but prefer this method. I agree that they are cheap,but I'm retired with too much time on my hands,too I'm a cheap bast I spent 250.00 a month on cigs and never flinched,now 50.00 or less on vape and I squeak. I get about 2 weeks,out of each carto and clean them on Wed & Sunday. I do use 3 tanks at a time,so that I do not have to vape the same flavor all day. I follow the flavor in the tank,by a like flavor,so say I am vaping strawberry lemonade,I will follow it with bluberry lemonade. If it is my chocolates I follow with chocolates. I have heard of cheap steamers people buy,at Home Depot,but I like my Espresso and my 40.00 machine does just fine,for Cafe and cleaning the Cartos

 

[awsum140]

I never thought of steam cleaning them. I don't use cartos any more, but I will give it a try on my T3 and Protank heads. I gave my wife a fancy cappuccino machine and it has a steam pump on it. That may work out really well. Great idea, james!

 

[Ramjet]

Orderd some with my last delivery just to give them a try. Not all that impressed. Seems you may toss out a bunch of spent liquid if it fails abruptly. Kinda like...Hmmm, just filling the car only to have the timming belt break 5 minutes later

 

[Ramjet]

I agree that they are cheap,but I'm retired with too much time on my hands,too I'm a cheap bast I spent 250.00 a month on cigs and never flinched,now 50.00 or less on vape and I squeak.

That was good! It's funny how tight we all get after being pimped for sooo looong. That was a breath of fresh air/honesty to be sure

 

[james chapman]

I never thought of steam cleaning them. I don't use cartos any more, but I will give it a try on my T3 and Protank heads. I gave my wife a fancy cappuccino machine and it has a steam pump on it. That may work out really well. Great idea, james!

not my idea,I actually read it on here,but I like it. I have some cartos that never quit and then some that fail after a few uses. I am not really happy with the laser punched cartos,but I have a carto puncher. I now have seen these new "SLOTTED" cartos and want to try them. I recently bought a vivi nova and like the ease of cleaning and filling,but it does not thread well,on my Vamo. Its beginning to look a lot like Provari. You can't beat a good Cappucino machine and I have been through a lot of them. I figure if I buy the cheapos,I can go to Spain and enjoy the best. Nothing beats good beer,wine,food and Vape.

 

[awsum140]

Get an air controller for your Vamo, save its' threads and have variable draw all at the same time. I can't say I like the Vivi Nova, but a Raven tank is very good. Actually, it's the carto, fillerless and slotted, basically a bottom coil tank but with a difference. It doesn't gurgle like Protanks, T3s and so on and the cartos seem to last a long time. I've got ten or fifteen refills on the one I started with and it's still going as strong as day one. There is a break-in with it though. If they add a bottom lack for the carto it would be perfect, at least to me.

 

[Visus]

some flavors will linger even if you do everything everyone has said
ppm of some these flavors is astronomical

try candling then pull the wax out
best to tilt your head while doing this procedure

once you have clean ears then you can buy another cart

 

[john333]

This just came to me and it might work. I vape unflavored eliquid off and on. It's only PG and VG with nicotine. It never clogs a coil at all. I've used the same cartomizer for several months a couple times. The only reason they finally died was because I added flavored juice. It might work in reverse if you add unflavored eliquid to your waning cart. Unflavored has a little natural sweetness and is the closest I have come to a real cig since cigs don't have much flavor. If I give it a try in the next couple days will report back on the results. After all its the coil you're trying to clean and what better way than firing it up with something that wont add any additional clogging agents.

 

[Caridwen]

Moved to cartomizer discussion