Squirt

What is the best way to clean them. How do you know when it is your battery or the Atomizer that is bad?

xMarlboroMan

Hey Squirt! Welcome to the forum.

To be perfectly honest, I've never cleaned my atomizer, nor have I had any hardware failures. The closest thing I have done for preventative maintenance is to blow the atomizer out from the battery end into a tissue or paper towel; removing the cartridge first of course. This gets any liquid out that may have seeped down further into the atomizer eventually making it's way into the battery.

From what I have read, however, the best thing to do is make sure you atomizer never gets too dry or too wet. If you start having a burning taste, its probably time to add a few more drops of liquid to the cartridge and/or atomizer; or replace the cart.

If you are dripping liquid into the atomizer directly, you want to be sure not to add too much. If, when you inhale, you get a gurgling sound, you added too much liquid. This extra liquid can seep into the battery and (over time) it builds up on the pressure switching causing it to fail.

If you think liquid may have gotten into the battery, put a tissue down in the bottom of a cup and put the battery in the cup upside down overnight to drain. You can do the same thing for the atomizer just making sure you store it cartridge side down.

I would not recommend using water to clean any part of an ecig; with the exception of the cartridge/wool. If you do wash your carts and filters out, be sure they are completely dry before reusing them.

A good way to test a battery is to remove it from the atomizer and suck into the connector end. If it lights up, the battery is good. If you have to suck really hard to get it to light, the switch could be getting sticky. If the light stays on after you stop sucking, you got a stuck switch. Store it upside down in a cup as described above. This may or may not solve the issue. It just depends on how much liquid has gotten into the battery (if any). Sometimes the switches in the batteries just wear out.

If you have a type of ecig where the atomizer holes are on the connector (typically penstyle), you can blow the atomizer out from the cartridge side into a tissue to dislodge any fluid or buildup.

As far as testing an atomizer, if you are not getting any vapor and the battery light is lit, drip a few drops of liquid on the atomizer and try again. If you still get no vapor, the atomizer is probably dead. On my ecigs that has atomizer that is enclosed, you can try puffing a few times on the atomizer without the cart on and see if you can get it to produce vapor.

A undercharged battery could also be the culprit. Make sure you leave the battery on the charger for at least 4 hours.

Well, that is all I can sugguest for now. Hope this gives you an idea how to do some PM on your ecigs.

Happy Vaping!

jamie

Another benefit to always keeping some spare parts is that you can use them to determine whether it is your atomizer or battery that is bad.

Primus

Yep. The tried and true method of troubleshooting. If you suspect a failed component swap it out with a known working unit to compare the results.

PureSmoker Rep

If I had to suggest 1 cleaning that is the least destructive and should get
the job done, that would be steaming. It doesn't even need to be a pressure
steamer. A teapot with spout should do the job. Grab some tongs, hold the
atomizer over the steam for 2-3 minutes, then take and blow out and best you
can. Repeat this process 2-3 times, than let sit and dry for about 2-3
hours. Once dry, add 2 drips of liquid directly to the atomizer with a
fresh/refilled cartridge, and after about 40-50 puffs, you should be good to
go

xMarlboroMan

I was going to point out that one seller mentioned steaming.

For me, I would probably only do this in a dyer emergency (everyone is out of stock, etc), or for experimentation. My cost savings over analogs makes it cheaper to just get a new atomizer every week if I wanted to

I've heard of people soaking them in caustic soda pop, boiling them, etc. That is a little extreme, if you ask me.

However, If PS mentions this, they know more than I do and it probably is safe .

Thanks for your tip PS!

ByteMe

Newbie here.. I've been reading some threads, and seen vids on Utube about cleaning atomizers. I was wondering if soaking a gummed up / clogged atomizer in 70%+ Rubbing Alcohol for about 15 minutes, then allowed to air dry before using, would work? Of course one must keep in mind that alcohol is flammable [i.e. POOF!! my hair, my hair...] so be careful..

UPDATE: Ok, given that I hadn't seen / heard of anybody using this idea, I bit my lip and tried it myself. I can honestly say that the results were nothing short of amazing.. My "Pilot 401 Hybrid" now has a far easier draw and the vape is the same or better then what I would get from an analog (it made my toes curl).

Directions.. Pour about 2 Tbsp (or enough to completely submerge the atomizer) of 70% Rubbing Alcohol into a small plastic cup. Place the atomizer into the cup and, being careful not to damage the coil, swirl it around in the alcohol for a minute or two, then let it soak in the cup for a few more minutes and swirl again. Remove the atomizer and dispose of the alcohol (not down the drain). Loosely roll the atomizer in some paper towels and lightly shake for about thirty seconds. Remove the atomizer and place it (coil up) onto a dry area of the paper towel. Allow to dry for 10 minutes or until it no longer smells of alcohol. Attach battery, place a couple drops of your favorite juice onto the coil of the now clean atomizer and use as normal.. Hope you find this tip helpful.

flavorcountry

From what I've read, baking soda mixtures seem to kill atty's. I haven't tried it myself, but thought I'd cuation any vapers considering that method. Maybe the folks using BS just didn't rinse enough.
Off subject, a moderate salt binegar mix kills weeds very well. They start to wither three or four days after being doused with it. However it didn't seem to work so well on the snake in the weeds.

tbud

The alcohol cleaning worked great for my NPRO atomizers. Thanks for the tip.

Hachiroku

Kills mine

EVERYTHING kills mine...

Dwellsouth

Closest thing that would taste good ~ Chenin Blanc wine ~ poured just a few drops onto the atty with tissue underneath ~ slowly roll around inside ~ blow till no more fluid came out ~ pour a few more drops in ~ roll ~ blow. Works better and not goopy anymore from the heavier veggie glyc. Also got out that nasty burnt flavoring I forgot I was supposed to mix with something like maybe nic juice...duh.

JohnnyJames

How you choose to clean depends on what exactly the problem is. Prevention is the place to start. Don't try to squeeze every last puff out of a fill. If the problem is a stiff draw, hot water will usually do the trick. If you've got a burnt taste more extreme measures are needed. Remember there is usually some adhesive in atties, long alcohol soaks aren't a good idea.

Dhileas

I recommend running your faucet until the water is scalding hot, or boil some water, then fill up a small bowl with the water. Drop your atomizer in there then let it sit for about an hour or until the water is room temp. Then rinse the atomizer under the faucet to remove anything that may have been loosened up. Blow into the small opening so as to force as much water out as you can (although I HIGHLY recommend using canned air for that). Let the atomizer dry for approximately 1 day to ensure that all water is gone.

That works for me every time these days.

Lhatese

I blew into the back of my atomizer to expel the liquid from the front of my prosmoke atomizer. Now the atomizer is dead- is it because I have to let it dry or add liquid to it? I'm really peeved, thought it would make it work better but it killed it.

ChRiS

dont know why thay would kill it, i've been rough on some of my attys while cleaning them and they keep on goin. does it sizzle or make noise when you try it? if it does its still good, just has water in it. switch out batteries and try it on somthing else. if it doesnt fire then its dead. dont throw it away, who knows it might work on somthing else down the road. next time blow the crap juice out the bottom into a tissue. of try flushing with distilled water. if you use tap water you run this risk of mineral deposits collecting in it and messing up the solder/wire conections inside. blow out the excess water and let dry. or do what i do to let them dry. i clean my air purifier or room fan and wedge my attys and cartos in between the slats and let the air dry um. hope this helps.

Steampunk

If you have an ohm meter check to see what the resistance is. If you don't have an ohm meter, take the small screwdriver you use for your eyeglasses and gently pull the center connector out of the 'shell' a little bit so it just sticks out. you may have inadvertently pushed the center conductor in too far to contact the conductor in the socket.

ChRiS

i totally forgot about that Hach. i guess because i somtimes have that prob with cartos and not attys, thanks.

Steampunk

I have two Atty Smashers at 4.2V, one with a battery connector from AltSmokes and one from MadVapes. I can't remember which is which, but one works all the time, and the other...if I use a carto of any type in a 510 battery, my eGo or a Joye passthrough then the center connector will not mate up with my home Atty Smasher. I have to take a hex wrench and pull the center connector in order to make it work. So far I haven't phuqued one up...

Next up: I have discovered the flavor of the juice is much better at 'battery' voltage than it is at 4.2V, so I am making a new Atty Smasher at 3.7~3.9V. Waiting for parts...

That is, using either the CE2 Carto or the 2 ohm carto...

ChRiS

that reminds me, i've been meaning to tell you about where i just bought my AW batteries. they are called ikenvape.com have you heard of them? they have HV attys rated around 3.5 for 510's and 4 & 5ohm for 901s. they also have XHV attys for 6volts and up, i wonder what would happen if you try one of those on your smasher. i dont think your having problems with the voltages, i think it has somthing to do with the amps or ohms. what type of batts you use?

Steampunk

Yeah....


I killed one of those, too....

It's in "The Atty Killer Is On The Loose"...


There is no battery. It's a TI PTH08080WA wired into the 12V of my computer's power supply and set by resistor to 4.2V @ 2A, for 8 watts. Or should be. Not far out of range from a fully charged battery. I'm going to make one set for 3.7~3.9V and see what happens...

http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pth08080w.pdf

ChRiS

maybe the resistor has gone bad, dont know why it would though. i have read threads on the flashlight forums of people running 6watt incandesant flashlights with two stacked 3volt batteries at 6volts and them blowing up in hand. maybe the wattage and voltages are not in par with eachother. i'm not savy on electricity so my knowledge on that stuff is little to none.

Steampunk

Nope, I thought so too, but every once in a while i whip out the meter and it's a steady 4.2V. I don't have Rocky's set up to measure it with a load on it, but I'm thinking since it's regulated and has some current to spare that it STAYS at 4.2V instead of experiencing a voltage drop like a battery does. When you hit a regular e cig the battery voltage drops a few tenths of a volt depending upon the load. Since this is regulated it would turn on harder to keep the voltage up. It's good for up to something like 18V.

I would never ever stack an unprotected battery, and even protected ones can go wonky, especially if they are charged while stacked. A single, large battery is fine for me, unless someone comes out with a 5V version.

ChRiS

i've seen a 5 volt batterie at electronicstix.com, but it looks like a bunch of cells stacked inside a shrink wraped body. plus i dont think it has very much MaH or if its protected or not. i would never stack unprotected either i've seen roberts pics lol

Rhino

Thought I'd bump this up b/c I found a method of cleaning my atomizers that has been working pretty good.

I take a clothespin and clamp the atomizer (so your fingers don't burn). Then let the faucet run until the water is nice and hot. Then I take the hose sprayer sink attachment and spray out the atomizer. It works good b/c you can line up a single little stream of water into both ends of the atomizer and the little air holes, almost like a mini pressure washer.

I run a stream in each of those for 30 seconds to a minute. After I'm done I just blow each end into a paper towel and let it air dry for 2 days. Seems to working great. Sometimes I'll also dry burn it first, making sure to let it cool down before hitting it with the water.

ChRiS

be careful, too much water or even air presure will blow your wick out of place or even break the coil if its on its last leg. a friend actually blew the wick out the bottom completely using a shop hose to dry them, i no longer use compressed air to dry mine. as for the dry burn....everyone has thier own opinions on the matter. i dont do it just because your weakening the coil more and more by doing so, pretty much shorting the life span of the atty. i'm no electronics expert or electrician, just a vaper like everyone else here