With a filled tank, how long should you be able to hold the fire button until the coils get red?

[JuniorNA]

I finally got rid of my hot spots, and i'm still watching tons of videos a day and learning about wicks and coils. I loaded my tank up with 100VG (i know, not the best liquid to test), and i'm using 325 mesh.

No hot spots and its flowing and popping like crazy which is nice!
My only question is, if i hold the fire button down for about 4 seconds - 1 of the coils get red, which could come along with a burnt taste. I havent tasted it yet, and ive been vaping on it for 4 hours, but i decided to pop the top off and look.

so while i'm holding it sideways and fire, after about 4-5 seconds it gets red. Not all coils, just 1 or maybe 1.5 coils in the wrap get red.
is this normal? I'm assuming its because the wick needs to re-saturate but what is the average time you can hold the fire button on a good wrap? I know these are not chain vaping atties and the wick needs time to saturate but i need a good benchmark to compare my wraps too. Do you guys only take 3 second pulls? or do you do longer?

My wrap is pretty tight so i don't think its due to lack of the coil getting the fluid, i just think its burning off the juice more than it can get, which might be normal after a 4 second burn.

Thanks!

 

[Algernon]

Sounds pretty average to me for 325 with 100% VG.

I would consider making the switch to 400, it appears to be the standard for all types of juices, though I'm sure the next guy who replies will praise 500.

 

[JuniorNA]

Ok that's fine If it gets hot and it's normal. I just wanted to make sure I didn't do something wrong. So I guess the RBa gurus know its not a chain vaping device and Time is needed to rewet the wick


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[Algernon]

Ok that's fine If it gets hot and it's normal. I just wanted to make sure I didn't do something wrong. So I guess the RBa gurus know its not a chain vaping device and Time is needed to rewet the wick


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IF you're into 100% VG, then yeah I suppose so.

Personally I find medium tightness wicks work the best. Too thin and the juice starts boiling inside the wick tube. Too tight and thick liquid has to fight its way up.

Somewhere in between is where I like mine. It has enough mass to prevent the juice from flooding like mad and giving me ... hits and enough space inside to allow juice to flow somewhat.

 

[CountSmackula]

If it's the top coils that are glowing & the bottom coils aren't, then that's an indication that your juice isn't wicking all the way up during extended firing.

 

[StaircaseWit]

My only question is, if i hold the fire button down for about 4 seconds - 1 of the coils get red, which could come along with a burnt taste.

Your coils aren't adjusted properly. Even if the wick is bone-dry, you shouldn't see one coil get red -- you should see them all get evenly red. I don't know how you aren't tasting it (maybe a strong juice flavor is masking it) but you should be if you're glowing coils. If the 100% VG isn't wicking quickly enough, I suppose it's possible that only the top coil is starving for juice, but I still wouldn't vape on a red coil. It should have that standard burning-coil taste, which is nasty and usually very noticeable.

To answer your question, I can run my 500 mesh solid wick with 4/3 32ga wrap at 2ohms for the 15 second Provari cutoff at 4V without any red coils. I'm using 70/30 PG/VG.

 

[st0nedpenguin]

I'm running a solid 500 mesh U wick with pretty much 100% VG and I can sit and fire until either the tank runs empty or the battery dies without any glowing coils at ~20w.

 

[vapdivrr]

i agree with the last 2 answers, i can sit there with my provari and no coils glow until the shut off, 15 seconds/ with my mechanical mod my wick will be wet with no glowing coils for ever, well i havent really tried that, but i have tried 30 seconds, and nothing but vapor. if your getting a red coil no good, your genny isnt reaching its potential

 

[JuniorNA]

There in lies my problem them. I've wrapped this wick maybe 10 times with Nichrome 32 and kenthal 32 and I'm at 5/6 wraps for 1.7 to 2.0 ohm. My wick fits through the wick hole nicely - firm but not too loose. I'm using a 70/30 mix now and 325 mesh. When the tank is dry I get a nice even burn and all coils in the wrap are firing nice.

Then I fill it with liquid and out a few drops on the coil and it hits great. I let it sit for a little - and remove the top cap and test. I can hold the fire button down for about 6 seconds and then the bottom coil and some middle coils get re and that's where I get the burn taste . It's not really a hot spot - its more of a dry coil. I even tried the drill bit method and tried wrapping the coil outside of the tank and inside the tank

I don't think it's wicking properly because when the tank is empty all coils fire perfect .

My dilemma is also I'm told to remove full screw for better wicking but then once I do that I can't put the did clone on its side to saturate or it will spill all over.

Honestly I don't think I have the patience for this .

I'm mad because I ordered an aga T + also and I know that will drive me insane when I can't set it up right.

I'm really trying to stay off analogs and this is stressing me out .

I look at it like this - I spent 50$ to learn that rebuildables aren't really for my vaping style. I'll stick to vivi novas

I've watched 200 you tube videos and I have the wrap and hot spot down right but if I can't take a 4 second drag why bother

Rant over


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[vapdivrr]

i never had the results with 325 like i do with 500mesh, the 500 mesh wicks the best period. if you want better results try the 500 mesh. the 325 mesh is more ment to be vaped holding the mod very upright, using a gravity sort of vape, so when you put it down the juice just goes back down. the 500 mesh uses more of a capillary type of vape, the wick stays wet even in a vertical position. so if you use the 325 make sure you have a kind of big hole in it and vape it horizontal. also try taking the fill hole screw out, just to see if theres a difference. i use the ceramic wick now and think they are awesome.

 

[StaircaseWit]

Agreed; the mesh seems to be your issue. You need some 500 mesh -- it just wicks better.

Avoid the nichrome if you can. It's fiddly and much easier to pop a coil when trying to eliminate hotspots. Use the 32 Kanthal, or 30 if you can get your hands on some, because it's not as temperamental.

You're in NJ -- don't you have a few vape shops near you? I wonder if you could pick up mesh at any of them? Or just call pbusardo.

 

[boxley]

Agreed; the mesh seems to be your issue. You need some 500 mesh -- it just wicks better.

Avoid the nichrome if you can. It's fiddly and much easier to pop a coil when trying to eliminate hotspots. Use the 32 Kanthal, or 30 if you can get your hands on some, because it's not as temperamental.

You're in NJ -- don't you have a few vape shops near you? I wonder if you could pick up mesh at any of them? Or just call pbusardo.

Actually, Zen is in the area too. I hear he might know a thing or two about genesis RBA's. Speaking of which, he also expressed that the difference between 325, 400, 500 mesh isn't the wicking, it's the throat hit. I'm still fairly new and haven't experimented with all the mesh out there, but I thought it was interesting to hear him make a contradictory statement to what I see all over here.

In response to the OP, try not to get frustrated. Experiment with different wicks and setups and vape what you're used to in the mean time. Now that I've started using U-wicks in my AGA-T+ and twisted 32 kanthal I'm in heaven. Never a dry hit until the tank runs out...which it just did...off to refill!

 

[JuniorNA]

In Nj there are a lot of places that operate from here but no store fronts - I think a small store is about 2 hours away from me but it's got the basic stuff. No RBA accessories.

I thought Phil bursardo was in NY ? Like Rochester or something ? Thats about a 10 hour drive from me lol .

I have different types of mesh and okc vapes ships fast - they are my primary for wire and mesh .

Right now I'm using 100% cotton wick on did clone with drill bit method and working great. I'll continue to test on the aga .

I also saw a site for ceramic wicks that require no seasoning or priming - but that's expensive right now - 20$ for 3 1.5 inch wicks and they break so easily .

I just have to go back to the drawing board in terms of the mesh bc that's my issue right now which sucks


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[StaircaseWit]

In Nj there are a lot of places that operate from here but no store fronts - I think a small store is about 2 hours away from me but it's got the basic stuff. No RBA accessories.

I thought Phil bursardo was in NY ? Like Rochester or something ? Thats about a 10 hour drive from me lol .

I was kidding about Phil, but I did think he was near Manhattan since he's talked about going into the city a couple times, but they may have just made the drive.

Glad you have something to vape in the meantime. I broke down a few setups when my AGA-T2 was running well and then went to re-wick and re-coil and was struggling at 1am with nothing else to vape -- always good to keep a backup running.

 

[Rymarski]

I had the same problems with my RBA. Really I think its the juice your using. I went through 3 different wicks: 325, 400, and 500. I now have 500 on and really didn't notice a huge difference between wicking. Key is the juice. My 100% VG is as thick as maple syrup, but what I ended up doing is putting in a little bit of distilled water with the juice. Now it wicks amazingly. Just toss in some distilled water and your wicking issues should cease.

 

[JuniorNA]

i think it also might have to do with the oxidation, i'm not sure. I tried 100% VG and 100% pg, and a 50/50 mix, and i still got red coils (not hotspots) after holding the fire button down for 2 seconds.

I oxidized using a blue flame jet lighter - until it was red hot. (i only did the part where the coils wrap). I quenched, then burned again, then quenched and burned. SO 3 times i did that, then i did a juice burn on the entire length of the wick 2 times with a regular lighter.

SO i think that should be enough, since people are using unoxidized wicks without even juice burning, i'm assuming that i didnt over oxidize and no such thing as under oxidizing, my coils were nice and touching the wick, but still getting red too soon which gave me a burnt taste.

Also, the from post to the coil and from ground to the coil were not red at all, so i literally had a coil only glow and it was glorious, but once i included the wick in the combo, it was helll. I guess thats why they say it has a steep learning curve.

I watched a video (toddecigreviews) and did the silica through 1 hole then wrapped and down the other hole and it's wicking and plumes better than any tank system i have (map tanks/DCT tanks/VIVI tanks), so i guess i can live with that until i get more time to work with SS mesh

 

[st0nedpenguin]

Quenching and juice burning just results in a solid crusty wick that wicks badly, in my experience.

Lightly torching before and after rolling results in a nice flexible wick that works great from the get-go.

 

[Rymarski]

i think it also might have to do with the oxidation, i'm not sure. I tried 100% VG and 100% pg, and a 50/50 mix, and i still got red coils (not hotspots) after holding the fire button down for 2 seconds.

I oxidized using a blue flame jet lighter - until it was red hot. (i only did the part where the coils wrap). I quenched, then burned again, then quenched and burned. SO 3 times i did that, then i did a juice burn on the entire length of the wick 2 times with a regular lighter.

SO i think that should be enough, since people are using unoxidized wicks without even juice burning, i'm assuming that i didnt over oxidize and no such thing as under oxidizing, my coils were nice and touching the wick, but still getting red too soon which gave me a burnt taste.

Also, the from post to the coil and from ground to the coil were not red at all, so i literally had a coil only glow and it was glorious, but once i included the wick in the combo, it was helll. I guess thats why they say it has a steep learning curve.

I watched a video (toddecigreviews) and did the silica through 1 hole then wrapped and down the other hole and it's wicking and plumes better than any tank system i have (map tanks/DCT tanks/VIVI tanks), so i guess i can live with that until i get more time to work with SS mesh

My oxidization process is the same way you did it, except I oxidize the whole wick. Nothing crazy, just a light butane torch burn. I had the exact same problem with a perfect coil setup and each of the mesh sizes, and still got the red coils when not properly saturated.

I'm pretty sure if you have very thick VG juice wicking becomes tougher for the mesh. I had the exact same setup as yours and when I used very high PG liquid I had no issue with wicking. Only with very very thick VG juices is where the problem arose.

Again, I have been putting in a little distilled water and it's working fantastically. Try it out and see how it goes.

 

[junkman]

i think it also might have to do with the oxidation, i'm not sure. I tried 100% VG and 100% pg, and a 50/50 mix, and i still got red coils (not hotspots) after holding the fire button down for 2 seconds.

I oxidized using a blue flame jet lighter - until it was red hot. (i only did the part where the coils wrap). I quenched, then burned again, then quenched and burned. SO 3 times i did that, then i did a juice burn on the entire length of the wick 2 times with a regular lighter.

SO i think that should be enough, since people are using unoxidized wicks without even juice burning, i'm assuming that i didnt over oxidize and no such thing as under oxidizing, my coils were nice and touching the wick, but still getting red too soon which gave me a burnt taste.

Also, the from post to the coil and from ground to the coil were not red at all, so i literally had a coil only glow and it was glorious, but once i included the wick in the combo, it was helll. I guess thats why they say it has a steep learning curve.

I watched a video (toddecigreviews) and did the silica through 1 hole then wrapped and down the other hole and it's wicking and plumes better than any tank system i have (map tanks/DCT tanks/VIVI tanks), so i guess i can live with that until i get more time to work with SS mesh

Might want to be careful about over heating the wick. I have switched to only juice burns on mine as a result of this thread http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...08-stainless-steel-mesh-oxide-discussion.html

 

[vapdivrr]

i think it also might have to do with the oxidation, i'm not sure. I tried 100% VG and 100% pg, and a 50/50 mix, and i still got red coils (not hotspots) after holding the fire button down for 2 seconds.

I oxidized using a blue flame jet lighter - until it was red hot. (i only did the part where the coils wrap). I quenched, then burned again, then quenched and burned. SO 3 times i did that, then i did a juice burn on the entire length of the wick 2 times with a regular lighter.

SO i think that should be enough, since people are using unoxidized wicks without even juice burning, i'm assuming that i didnt over oxidize and no such thing as under oxidizing, my coils were nice and touching the wick, but still getting red too soon which gave me a burnt taste.

Also, the from post to the coil and from ground to the coil were not red at all, so i literally had a coil only glow and it was glorious, but once i included the wick in the combo, it was helll. I guess thats why they say it has a steep learning curve.

I watched a video (toddecigreviews) and did the silica through 1 hole then wrapped and down the other hole and it's wicking and plumes better than any tank system i have (map tanks/DCT tanks/VIVI tanks), so i guess i can live with that until i get more time to work with SS mesh

you know in one of your examples it sounds like a short and in an other example its sounds like a wicking issue. if you dont oxidize properly you will have a short, unless you do the peter-k method. you can use an un-ox wick or a lightly ox wick with his method, which involves more than just what you are doing. so i would say that you need to use his method by the letter or if you are not using his method exactly, then oxidize you wick much better than what you are doing. if going the non peter k method then oxidize your wick all the way down the lenght of the wick, and make the flame touch every part of the wick, not just heating up a section of the wick to get it to glow, glow every part of the ss. do this a couple of times, and take your time, but i would still do this with 500 mesh, rolled very tightly. if you have concerns about oxidizing the wick then do the peter k method which involves a perfect wick with the right size drill bit with perfect contact with the coils. i think its one or the other, combining both might not cut it.