Wotofo Serpent Mini - Dry hits, where's the juice?

[SRVii]

Help! I've been a dripper for quite a while. Looking for a little stealthy rta, the Serpent Mini caught my eye. I'm constantly getting dry hits on this little thing. ..I don't think it's a wicking issue, it's simply not getting juice down the channels. I have to continually close off the afc and open the top cap to get juice to flow -- I unscrew the top cap, juice goes down the channels, big air bubble floats to the top of the tank, close the top cap, open the afc and I'm good for 2-3 hits (whatever the cotton can grab), then start over again. The juice channels on this thing are huge! Why am I having this issue? No tank vacuum?

Background: 316L 24g wire, 6 wraps, 3mm dia, .38ohms, 25.5watts. Short wicked to top of the build desk, heavy VG juice, direct lung, heavy hitter. Btw, this happens even if I run the cotton down to the bottom of the juice channels (I tried that also, and everywhere in between).

I'm hoping someone can help; I really want to like this little be'otch.
-Steve

 

[Andromendous]

Try this, I just tried it the other day, seems to be working well, I think the key with this tank is to get just the right amount of cotton in the channel, and also keeping it fluffy while not compressing it too much when you "mold" it.

 

[SRVii]

Ah! Excellent tube! Thank you very much, Andromendous! I'll certainly give it try.

 

[Jim_ MDP]

I'm hoping someone can help; I really want to like this little be'otch.
-Steve

Posting for the Alerts.

Keep us updated. I love mine, though I think they're a bit too sheet metal industrial. No real beauty. The performance though... that's a thing of beauty.

I've run a variety of SS, usually 24 or 26 316, but some 430 and right now a 316 Clapton that's at 0.4 and 40W (though I'm usually in TC) and I haven't had any wicking issues... and I know I overwick.
So I'm interested to see how that vid's technique works.

Speaking of...

Love the porny Motown Soul... have to do a YT ramble soon and see what memories I can dredge up.

Can't say I've ever tried, or seen, that flat-top haircut he gave the wick. Curious.

And I've never seen someone build on the base, then attach the glass, chamber, chimney and top-cap as a unit. I guess I've usually got some juice in the tank when I rebuild/re-wick.

So it was a surprise when that whole assembly came into frame.

 

[Andromendous]

Posting for the Alerts.

Keep us updated. I love mine, though I think they're a bit too sheet metal industrial. No real beauty. The performance though... that's a thing of beauty.

I've run a variety of SS, usually 24 or 26 316, but some 430 and right now a 316 Clapton that's at 0.4 and 40W (though I'm usually in TC) and I haven't had any wicking issues... and I know I overwick.
So I'm interested to see how that vid's technique works.

Speaking of...

Love the porny Motown Soul... have to do a YT ramble soon and see what memories I can dredge up. [emoji14]

Can say I've ever tried, or seen, that flat-top haircut he gave the wick. Curious.

And I've never seen someone build on the base, then attach the glass, chamber, chimney and top-cap as a unit. I guess I've usually got some juice in the tank when I rebuild/re-wick.

So it was a surprise when that whole assembly came into frame.

I'm the same way, I usually break the tank down and give everything a good rinse then re wick/build, pretty much the same build, fused 26g 316l, claptoned with 38g 316l 2.5mm. The wicking seemes to vary with me, it seems like if I pack to much cotton in the channels it doesn't wick. But then again I could have just been compressing it too much, im not sure.

I just happen to come across this video the other day and thought I'd give it a try and seems to be working[emoji106]

 

[Eskie]

Interesting video. Seems like more cotton than i usually use, and yeah, that reassembly with the top and glass together seems odd. But as long as it works, right?

 

[Beeker25]

I'm kinda surprised it works. My first reaction is that it's going to damn. But hey, if it works, it works! BTW, I think this tank works great with rayon. Less picky on the wicking you just need to snip/thin the tails. I was never able to 'heavy hit' this one though without risking dry hits.

 

[illitirit]

i've been using my serpent mini for months. The tank since day one has always wicked like crazy, even with max vg juice.

I would make sure all your o-rings are in good condition (having a bad o-ring might screw with your tank vacuum for it to wick) and make sure you do not jam pack the juice channels.

Good luck!