Oot Glit

What's the latest wisdom on safe cleaning of atomizers? This seems to be a moving target and I'm sure this is covered somewhere on Vapeatron. I ask because I got started using the original Volcano eCig which was a wimp with its standard battery. I got their Magma USB pass-thru which improved things a lot as far as getting a good hit. Then I got some of their Magma atomizers which are Joye 510 knock-offs. They worked much better but seemed to clog up quickly using Vermont Vapor juice which is VG or a mixture of VG/PG.

The forum at Volcano used to recommend hot water flushing and then burn drying. In the past few weeks, they began saying very vehemently that the only approved method is to drop the atomizers in a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes and to agitate occasionally. This is followed by shaking it dry and then letting it dry overnight with no forced air heating allowed to speed this up. They say to avoid any solvents like alcohol or vinegar.

I had 2 almost-new Magma atomizers which I cleaned this way and they both quit working within a few puffs. They are dead with an open coil reading on my meter.

Since most of the forum members at Volcano seem to be fan-boys who know nothing about the rest of the industry or other brands, I bring this question to the forum here at Vapeatron with its eclectic mix of long-time vapers and DIY enthusiasts.

BTW, now they are recommending "dipping" after cleaning. I'm not sure what they mean by this but it sounds even messier than dripping.

Steampunk

Oot. Where the heck ya been?

I for one have given up on atomizers and switched to cartomizers. I don't know if you recall my miserable luck with atties, but if a cartomizer goes 10 days, Yay!

Dipping refers to dipping the wick of the atomizer into the juice and letting the mesh soak it up and then taking 3-5 hits (er, puffs?) before dipping again. Personally, I can't see how you 'dip' a 510, dripping makes a lot more sense. That's where you take you Vt Vapor eyedropper and drop 3-5 drops directly onto the mesh, and then vape, and repeat. It really brings out the flavor.

How long are you using an atty before they go TU?

Oot Glit

Back at 'ya Steampunk! I've been sandbagging here, but I think I've joined too many forums and need to cull the litter.

To answer your question, I had one of the Magma atomizers go for 3 weeks. Then I cleaned it using Volcano's 15 minute boiling water routine and it burned out on the third puff. I have some "real" Joye 510 atomizers that I'm trying out right now but they seem to clog within a day using Vermont Vapor juice.

I just got a 5-pack of standard cartomizers and they seem to be working okay. Do you recommend cleaning them or just refilling them till they croak?

Steampunk

You've been PM'd...

I tried cleaning a couple of them (cartos) and it was like vaping a wet Sheepdog...for $1.75, I open a fresh one! I usually get about 10 days, sometimes less, oftentimes more. The ones with filler don't taste as good as the CE2s don't taste as good as a real atty, but at $7-8 each, blowing them up after three days isn't cost effective...

What are you using for a power source, a Volcano?

Rose

Yep, just like batts. After awhile you have to let them go.

Oot Glit

I have the pass-thru and a large manual Magma battery. The battery is roughly equivalent to the pass-thru but doesn't last as long as I thought it would. You may have the right idea about cartomizers. (What's CE2 stand for?)

40bikes

Steam, the magma is a 510 clone and the batts are 3.7. The Volcano is a Blu/Eluma clone.
Their Inferno is an e go clone.
Apparently OGs atties aren't very hardy. Hot water wash is kind of my baseline followed by dry burn and another wash down.

Oot Glit

The large Magma battery (manual) reads 4.1 Volts when fully charged. The Magma USB pass-thru reads a full 5 volts unloaded.

Do you use hot water from the tap or use boiling water?

Steampunk

CE2 uses a ceramic cup and slica 'threads' rather than any filler to wick the juice to the heating coil. A lot more like an atomizer than the filled cartomizers. These are the clear ones, so you can see:

They're pretty good, they run well at 4.3V but don't hold up well at 5V. They are a pain to fill, but worth the effort, and you can take your VT Vapor eyedropper and drip right onto the coil for an extra 'hit'. I don't use them a lot because my office in an '89 Mazda and syringes are illegal in Mass, but when I do take them out I fill them first and bring 2. Fore what you're running I would get 2.5 ohm; I like more throat hit and a lot of vapor, and I have 2 eGos, similar to a Magma, and they work well on that.

berger

Hey Oot, good to see you back again,
I agree with Steam..CE'2s and dont bother to clean them, just dump them when they get crappy.
I'd like to say 2.5 or 2.8 ohm are better but it kinda depends on the flavor and mix. Some stuff seems to clog them much faster then others. I highly recommend the mod to open up the notches on the inner most washer especially if your going to use high vg % mixtures

40bikes

OOT, I just run under hot tap water.
The ModSquad is right the CE2s rock.
I do sense a common thread, the VtVapor juice does seem to be common for you both with atty problems,hmmm.

Steampunk

But Adam says he gets a couple months use from an atomizer, and I'm betting he uses his own juice!

40bikes

Ok,it IS you.

berger

Yep..

Steampunk

Who'd you thin it was?

berger

Sorry.... but been holding that one for a long time and just wanted to use it somewhere

berger

And this:
Masshole.com

quasimod

I use all-VG juice most of the time, and "mostly" VG the rest of the time. I drip on a Joye 510, usually the ones from Cignot. I vape @ 6V, so they last anywhere from 3 days to a month, depending on how careful I am and luck of the draw.

If they start tasting bad, I soak them a few minutes in hot tap water. Then I cover the big hole in the thread end, fill with hot tap water, and then (quickly, before the water drains out the small holes) I blow the water through forcefully with my lips on the open non-threaded end. I do that several times. If they weren't putting out much heat, I do a careful dry burn and clean them again. Then I blow air through them until they "sound dry".

I also use bailing wire and duct tape to fix stuff, so take that for what it's worth. XD

HiRezL

All the great ones do! Don't forget the value of bubble gum or JB Weld, either

berger

and silicone tape...the NEW duct tape... that stuff is cool!

40bikes

And the odd broken bra strap(the kinder gentler inner tube elastic)

LeCig

Have you tried soaking with diet coke? I've always heard that works great ...

quasimod

I've heard of the diet coke soak, and a few other things. I've got a pile of attys that I'm keeping just in case, one day, I feel like working on them. So far I haven't felt anything like that, though. I mostly just feel like throwing another one in the bag if a quick cleaning doesn't perk it up.
XD

berger

If your going the diet coke method I suggest adding mentos to it.

quasimod

Har! "Scrubbing Bubbles".