Wicks & carmelization

[EIHYPI]

Obviously one would say that this is a normal thing that happens with ejuice. But I find that it mostly happens when I don't vape the last remnants of the juice that's on my wicks of my rda and the rda sits overnight. Also it's possible that a wick that is tighter in the coil, particularly a large coil will enable you to suck out all the juice till the cotton turns white. Then over night there will be less carmelizing because there's no juice for it to do that. But I also started doing the Scottish Roll and juice can possibly be on the inside of the wick without me seeing causing it to carmelize overnight.

These are just my experiences that seem the way they are. I need tips and tricks to help keep my wicks nice for a while before I need to rewick again and to avoid carmelization. I'm not using very dark juice in particular.

 

[SupplyDaddy]

While you might keep it down, it's still going to happen.
Your coils are hot when you pull that last vape out if it and set it down.
The less items in your eliquid, the less there is to caramelize.
However, even straight VG or PG has "some" impurities that heat will affect.

If the color of your wicks is your thing, you will probably have to rewick often. No real way around it.

 

[stols001]

Yes you can certainly try things but a wick is going to caramelize eventually, and you'll have to replace it. How often is up to you...

 

[EIHYPI]

Yes you can certainly try things but a wick is going to caramelize eventually, and you'll have to replace it. How often is up to you...

But I just replaced it last night. Oh well

 

[bombastinator]

Carmelization is the burning of sugar. Sounds like the solution is correctly made juice. Sugar is not a good thing to have in ejuice

 

[Bonskibon]

Sometimes I'll rewick everyday depending on my juice.

 

[Marc411]

Like bombastinator mentioned sugar is a component that contributes heavily to the problem. If you DIY the flavors themselves can be a problem. Brown Sugar, Caramels and some fruits will gunk up coils too. I find that DIY liquids with a lower percentage of flavors gunk coils at a much slower rate, you can't do much if you buy liquids.

I used spaced coils and continue to take a drag for a couple seconds after I release the fire button, heat is also a problem. Spaced coils help dissipate heat more quickly and continuing to hit the device after you release the fire button will help cool the coil. If you are purchasing you liquids the only option you have is to control the heat of the coil.

 

[Bunnykiller]

if its happening overnite, your probably seeing oxidation... carmelizing requires heat...

 

[bwh79]

if its happening overnite, your probably seeing oxidation... carmelizing requires heat...

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's caramelization or oxidation or what it is, but mine do something similar. Overnight, my wicks will start to turn a rusty red color (juice is a strawberry-vanilla DIY; pale-to-dark yellow in color, depending on how "fresh" it is). After a couple more days of dis-use, the color gets deeper and more saturated. Also, for the first couple of hits afterward, the coils will sort of "foam up" and produce very little visible vapor, and if I vape on them at that point it tastes kind of bitter. I used to let it bother me, but the taste and foaming goes away after a couple of hits, though, and the color doesn't stain the wicks; after a few more hits, and a couple run-throughs of fresh juice, they go back to being snow-white. So anymore, I just check my wicks in the morning and cold-fire them until the foaming stops, then it's business as usual after that.

 

[EIHYPI]

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's caramelization or oxidation or what it is, but mine do something similar. Overnight, my wicks will start to turn a rusty red color (juice is a strawberry-vanilla DIY; pale-to-dark yellow in color, depending on how "fresh" it is). After a couple more days of dis-use, the color gets deeper and more saturated. Also, for the first couple of hits afterward, the coils will sort of "foam up" and produce very little visible vapor, and if I vape on them at that point it tastes kind of bitter. I used to let it bother me, but the taste and foaming goes away after a couple of hits, though, and the color doesn't stain the wicks; after a few more hits, and a couple run-throughs of fresh juice, they go back to being snow-white. So anymore, I just check my wicks in the morning and cold-fire them until the foaming stops, then it's business as usual after that.

I usually avoid that problem by making sure I vape all the juice that's left in the wicks. I never leave my rda with juice left in the cotton that is vapeable.

 

[Marc411]

What kind of wire are you using?

 

[EIHYPI]

What kind of wire are you using?

Fused claptons made from kanthal and nichrome.

 

[Alien Traveler]

Caramelization is a wrong world (it was discussed earlier, the world applies to culinary sugars). It is thermal decomposition of all things in a juice. With high enough temperature you can even decompose VG and PG and get formaldehyde in your vapor. It looks like all sweeteners (even if they are not sugar) are major wick offenders. So, keeping sweetness and temperature down should increase lifespan of wicks.
Keeping coils at room temperature will increase wick life indefinitely.

 

[vapdivrr]

So is your wick turning red and caramelizing or the coil? Using just regular ... cotton?

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[Marc411]

Fused claptons made from kanthal and nichrome.

Thanks dethmedalmuziq, I haven't used Kanthal in quite a long time and have haven't experienced foaming. Have you every tried SS316? It can be used in VW mod. If you want to give it a try, just as a test let me know and I'll send you some of my clapton wire.

 

[bwh79]

So is your wick turning red and caramelizing or the coil? Using just regular ... cotton?

If you're talking to me, I presume it's the actual juice reddening, since it clears up on application of some fresh juice. But the color, I notice on the wicks moreso than on the coils themselves. I suppose it could be happening there, too, it's just harder to see when it's not against a white backdrop. I switched over to rayon pretty early on, but I'm sure it used to happen with my cotton wicks, too. I'm sure it's something in the flavors, since it doesn't happen with my unflavored mix.

 

[EIHYPI]

Thanks dethmedalmuziq, I haven't used Kanthal in quite a long time and have haven't experienced foaming. Have you every tried SS316? It can be used in VW mod. If you want to give it a try, just as a test let me know and I'll send you some of my clapton wire.

Thanks a lot. But I think I need to face the facts that unless I'm using clear flavorless liquid I'm gonna experience the cotton changing colors from the juice no matter what. Nothing stays perfect all the time and especially wicks at higher temperatures. Whether it's carmelization or oxidation, I'm gonna experience these things when vaping and that's why many change their wicks pretty often. I change them every three days average even though sometimes I don't need to. Here's the setup-

 

[vapdivrr]

If you're talking to me, I presume it's the actual juice reddening, since it clears up on application of some fresh juice. But the color, I notice on the wicks moreso than on the coils themselves. I suppose it could be happening there, too, it's just harder to see when it's not against a white backdrop. I switched over to rayon pretty early on, but I'm sure it used to happen with my cotton wicks, too. I'm sure it's something in the flavors, since it doesn't happen with my unflavored mix.

Oh it was to the OP.....edit...I guess I got mixed up, I thought the OP mentioned the red stufff...sorry

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[EIHYPI]

So is your wick turning red and caramelizing or the coil? Using just regular ... cotton?

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It is the wick, not the coil. The only time I see a tint of redness on my coils is when I dry burn them after they are gunky (I mean the gunk looks reddish). I use regular Japanese organic cotton pads and started to always do the Scottish roll.

 

[vapdivrr]

It is the wick, not the coil. The only time I see a tint of redness on my coils is when I dry burn them after they are gunky (I mean the gunk looks reddish). I use regular Japanese organic cotton pads and started to always do the Scottish roll.

Gotcha.....so I guess it's just something in the juice

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