Who doesn't clean their atomizers?

[Slea]

I don't clean the atty, BUT I do change out the stuffing in the cart I am using every other day. I also quit mixing VG or glycerine with my juice. No LorAnns for me either. Clean stuffing and clean juice is the answer for me. Since I started doing this I haven't had any failures. From my DIY days, I've got five or six attys that I will have to try a hard clean on.

K, not only do I never clean or blow out, but I never clean my cart stuffing, although I do occasionally fill a new cart to change flavors. Which is rare. And I usually drip anyway.

And I use VG.

I seriously take no care of my ecig at all.

Atty has now been going for 2 months.

 

[DrGabber]

Sorry to be an idiot, but can someone describe exactly how to "drain" an atomizer? Is that literally just leaving it upside down, battery side up, overnite? or am i missing something? thanks!

That's all there is to it.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

K, not only do I never clean or blow out, but I never clean my cart stuffing, although I do occasionally fill a new cart to change flavors. Which is rare. And I usually drip anyway.

And I use VG.

I seriously take no care of my ecig at all.

Atty has now been going for 2 months.

Slea--Could you please advise use as to what type of atomizer you are using? Thanks in advance------Sun

 

[DrGabber]

I also noticed that some "repack" their cartridges?? What's up with that and what would I use, if I felt so inclined to do that?

Here is a good thread and video on restuffing - Fluval cartridge restuffing video instructions

 

[ditc]

Ok, I was gonna post this question elsewhere, but now that I'm following this topic, this seems as good of a thread as any to ask. I was given a tip from a seller on how to clean my atomizer to rid it of the burning taste, which this seller seems to think is from whatever machine primer is used at the manufacturing unit. He said to submerge the atomizer in hot or boiling water, leave for awhile, then run hot or warm water thru it over and over again, blowing out thru the atomizer side, until the water is clear. At that time, leave the atomizer overnite, battery side up, to dry. This should help to both clean the atomizer and try to rid it of the awful machine primer oil taste.

I did just what he suggested, but here is my problem. The atomizer was working perfectly yesterday, before cleaning. I followed the instructions above, and now, today, about 24 hours later, the atomizer seems to be very weak. Vapor is still being produced, but not as much. The flavor dies out very quickly both when dripping and refilling a cart. The throat hit has weakened majorly as well. Have I done something within this cleaning process that I mentioned above to weaken the atomizer? Could something I have done in this process have hurt the atomizer? Are the symptoms I'm explaing above a result of an atomizer that is dying? I have never had an atomizer die on me, so I'm not even sure if these are the signs! If these are NOT the signs, will the atomizer go back to normal within a time period? As I did only just try this exercise mentioned above, last nite. Thanks in advance!

 

[pepruth]

I have a DSE901. I've been using the same atomizer now since April 23rd. I marked the date because I was curious to see how long it'd last. The only thing I've done to it is blow it out about once a week.

I wouldn't consider myself a heavy vapor - prob 10-15 cigs a day worth. I do mix my juice with VG and some flavoring. I also only change my cartridge out every couple of weeks.

Before that I would rotate them, blow them out and drain every night, and they lasted about 3 weeks.

Hope I didn't jinx myself. (Knocking on wood as I type.)

 

[ubiratamuniz]

Just to let you know.

I decided to try using isoprophylic alcohol to clean the Health atties that lasted for two months (since I was going to retire them anyway, I would lose nothing if anything went wrong). Here´s the result:

1 died
1 now gives a horrible burning taste (yuck)

RIP Health e-cigarette from DealExtreme... (and I love my BE901 so much I can´t stop vaping lol).

 

[kevinallen]

does anyone have any idea of roughly how long a 510 atomizer works before dying?

 

[Glock]

I did just what he suggested, but here is my problem. The atomizer was working perfectly yesterday, before cleaning. I followed the instructions above, and now, today, about 24 hours later, the atomizer seems to be very weak. Vapor is still being produced, but not as much. The flavor dies out very quickly both when dripping and refilling a cart. The throat hit has weakened majorly as well. Have I done something within this cleaning process that I mentioned above to weaken the atomizer? Could something I have done in this process have hurt the atomizer? Are the symptoms I'm explaing above a result of an atomizer that is dying? I have never had an atomizer die on me, so I'm not even sure if these are the signs! If these are NOT the signs, will the atomizer go back to normal within a time period? As I did only just try this exercise mentioned above, last nite. Thanks in advance!

Yeah, IMO cleaning them and boiling them can ruin them. There are rubbber o-rings etc. keeping the polarity from shorting. IMO boiling them, etc can ruin those. Just blow out the primer or just burn through it. If you use it for maybe 20 or so draws (don't inhale) that should clear the primer. Or just blow from the battery side and shake over a sink or paper towel, but then make sure to add a couple of drops directly to the wick inside the atty and a full cart to re-prime.

You might have overheated (if you ran it dry not primed) or there could have been some water left in it, etc. Try blowing (with your mouth) and drain any fluid out of it including water then try to prime it with a couple of drops and a full cart (that first cart will get sucked up fast so top it off after a few draws).

I don't know why you would boil a perfectly good atty or any atty for that matter. I don't even blow out the primer fluid anymore. I think it is just pure PG not oil or anything... I had one that was very low vapor out of the box OR just by blowing out the primer and then burning off the rest (i.e. USB on dry atty) before priming might have killed that one before I ever got any real use out of it.

Oh, just noticed something in your OP... You don't blow from the atty side, blow from the battery side and plug the air inlet hole(s) with you lip. Not sure but forcing water out the battery side might not be good for it. That hole is designed to let air in (to activate auto battery and is not the same air hole I mention plugging with you lip 901 have a small hole on the side of the atty models hae them inside the threads so no need to plug while blowing an 801 for example) albeit if you drip juice might come out of that hole, but that is not intended... It is intended to let air in, in the other direction.

 

[happily]

in 3 weeks vaping my wife and I have not lost an atty(501) if it feels sluggish I blow it out. The 2 times I tried to clean or burn them just dried the wick and coil and it took a lot of priming to get rid of that **** taste. I've had the best luck with doing absolutely nothing other than blowing battery side to cart side with maybe just alittle water rinse and blow. I also just top the same cart for about a week. Our first 2 worked great until my brand new ones arrived and I left the old ones laying around for 2 days. I am attempting a cola clean right now on the old ones and I hope I dont' regret it.


From all the reading I've been doing about cleaning I am coming to the conclusion. Run em til the wheels fall off and chuck em. 2-4weeks(or more) for $10 would not hurt my feelings any. I paid over $300 month for cigs.

edit: damn I wrote 501 atty.........and I know better (510 atty)

 

[RatInDaHat]

i don't clean mine either. I just use them as is.

 

[need_2quit]

I hate it when people tell you to clean your atty and give you instructions that involve a blow torch and rocket fuel,lol.

i love it!

 

[Slea]

Slea--Could you please advise use as to what type of atomizer you are using? Thanks in advance------Sun

RN 4072 and m401 (use the m401 more often) and occasionally the 901.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

RN 4072 and m401 (use the m401 more often) and occasionally the 901.

Thanks for the Reply Slea and I hope all would state what type of atomizers they are using and the average live span they get, as it does help us over in the experimenting section-----------Sun

 

[scintar]

To all of you saying you don't clean, do you mean that you don't even 'rest' it and let it drain out? or do you mean that you just don't boil/steam/pepsi bath/acid bath/denture clean/ultrasonic clean, etc?

I don't clean my addy and 3 months non stop vape ape here on a 901, 103 and Npro. Toke on them all day but 901 the main one, No problems. I only use tobacco flavor straight from china. Don't play with the DIY Lorranns stuff. I notice that most who do have problems. nothing wrong with it but then you may need to clean to get the residue off the addy. ?????

 

[seminolewind]

I dunno. My atty is over 8 weeks old. I think it works better and better. I'm getting wonderful hits on my 801 when new, it was alot of vapor, but no real hit. I don't clean them. I leave the cart on. I do blow it out if I flood it. I stop vaping it when it starts to get hot, and wait till it cools down. I avoid the burnt taste like the plague. I top off before that burnt taste comes. And I think that leaving the atty moist sort of loosens up the gunk if there is any, then it gets vaped away the next day.

 

[BigJimW]

I had an atomizer from Smoking Everywhere that died in 3 weeks after cleaning it the methods I read here. Whereas the same atomizer that came with the DSE103 kit I got from VaporOptions is still going strong over a month later when I only occationally drain it (blowing on the battery end to rid of excess juice) and let them sit overnight under a small desk fan. The remaining 4 atomizers I bought as spares thinking I'd need them are still in the bubble wrap packaging, with one as a spare in my carry case in case the primary one (nicknamed "Ol' Sparky") gives out.

The day it dies is a day of mourning for me.

 

[yknotagain]

I never do any maintenance on mine unless they start putting out low vapor. Last night I had 2 stop completely within 15 minutes of each other. One was getting warm but no vapor and the other stone cold. The one that was getting warm, I tried re-priming, different batteries and my PT to no avail - still no vapor.

I tossed both in a shotglass of pepsi for an hour then soaked in some Jamaican overproof rum (this stuff makes 151 taste like water). After a 2 hour soak I blew them out and attached one to a battery and primed - great clouds. The other I didn't try until this morning. GRRR must have been the cold one, since it was still cold.

I figured I had nothing to lose, so soaked it most of the day in some fresh pepsi followed by 3 hours this evening in the overproof. After blowing it out and priming - VAPOR! been using it on my PT for the past 2 hours and still getting great clouds.

Not sure what caused them to stop, but glad they came back to life.

 

[happily]

in 3 weeks vaping my wife and I have not lost an atty(501) if it feels sluggish I blow it out. The 2 times I tried to clean or burn them just dried the wick and coil and it took a lot of priming to get rid of that **** taste. I've had the best luck with doing absolutely nothing other than blowing battery side to cart side with maybe just alittle water rinse and blow. I also just top the same cart for about a week. Our first 2 worked great until my brand new ones arrived and I left the old ones laying around for 2 days. I am attempting a cola clean right now on the old ones and I hope I dont' regret it.


From all the reading I've been doing about cleaning I am coming to the conclusion. Run em til the wheels fall off and chuck em. 2-4weeks(or more) for $10 would not hurt my feelings any. I paid over $300 month for cigs.

edit: damn I wrote 501 atty.........and I know better (510 atty)

5 weeks in and no failures yet....I still refuse to clean them aside from blowing them out (or quick water rinse) if they get plugged up with juice. I have recently done the straw mod on the carts and it vapes so much better I haven't been topping off as much and flooding it.

 

[kobadog]

it seems to me that the people who don't do anything to their attys get months out of them, and the people that are obsessed with atty maintenance& clearning get 2 weeks tops. My philosophy: don't do anything to it unless it's clogged - then soak, rinse, and blow.