Wick/cotton turning dark after very little use.

[Justin L]

Im not sure what’s going on but it’s been happening ever since I started using rdas. The wick turns dark brown after literally half of a day of use. I don’t drip a lot either maybe 5ml or less. It happens on any type of coil i use and even clear liquids (dark does make it worse) but still happens with clear as well. I usually vape between 60-70W. I’m using the drop rda so I know airflow can’t be the problem. The build in the picture is with aliens from Advanced vape supply (SS) pretty sure they only have SS though. But it happens with EVERY coil even on just a simple 26G round wire build. Any advice is greatly appreciated I’m sick of rewicking EVERYDAY.

 

[Don29palms]

First thing I would say is move your coils closer to the middle of the RDA to get more airflow over the coils.

 

[suprtrkr]

What you are seeing is the sweetener in your juice caramelizing from the heat. This is inevitable in all sweet juices. FWIW, I don't rewick from color (unless it looks like coal) but rather pull a new one when the taste goes off. You might want to switch to rayon wicks. The still get dark, but-- MHO-- hold flavor better.

 

[Darko]

This has happened to me also but only with one particular atomiser and never with my other atomisers, same wick, wire and juice.

 

[kajfun]

To me it seems like maybe your wick is too loose. In my experience that will contribute to off color and bad taste. And just like others said color is from various ejuice ingredients.

 

[Mr. Relentless]

Caramelized

 

[DaveP]

The section of the wick that's on either side of the coil should only change color from the juice. If the juice is caramelized from heat, it turns darker. If it's crusty at the edge of the coil and on top of the coil, that's probably a more serious case of juice changing color from heat. That can be a natural occurrence or a sign that your wattage is too high for the wicking and airflow.

All coils eventually get a crusty coat from the heat of atomization, anyway. How quickly it occurs is a reflection on wattage and airflow. As supertrkr said, sweeteners can speed the formation of coil crud.

 

[Mr. Relentless]

I try to run my RDA's till the wicks are almost dry. This will use up the juice and keep whatevers on the bottom of the well from thickening up. If you always top off rda's the heat from the coils will start to cook your old juice to jelly. You cant get around carmelized coil and wick but you can prolong it from happening.

 

[DaveP]

I rewick at least once a week, frequently twice. I like new Rayon wicks. I change coils 2 or 3 times a month.

 

[vapdivrr]

In my rtas, I sometimes get a dark tail just on one side which does affect flavor. This dark side, from I believe, is one side of wick is a bit more dense then the other and is usually from sliding the wick thru. As one slides in their wick, the trail side becomes denser, more tightly packed, therfore probably doesn't wick as efficient. I try to eliminate this by using a longer wick piece and bring it all the way to the end, then back to the right spot. Or once wicked, try prodding the trail side with a needle to loosen it up to match the other side. So imo, your cause can be from that , also trimming tails and lenght to a minimal can help. Try thinning tails a bunch and trim the lenght to a bare minimal, just to barely reach where you need them. Although I don't own that rda or know for sure, it looks like the coils are really high? How are they set up in relation to the af?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[stols001]

Could be your juice, your wicking style a lot of things including high wattage, letting the wick get too dry, etc.

I will second the suggestion to use rayon it's far more durable even with higher heat, and I find it an easier wicking material overall to be honest. This may help you some.

https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/threads/rayon-wick-better-flow-flavor-longevity-and-nic-hit-pt-2.706948/

Good luck,

Anna