CoffinLess

Off topic (a bit) but to keep the measurement on the outside of needle - maybe try clear nail polish! This has worked for years for my Pyrex measuring cups!

Off topic (a bit) but to keep the measurement on the outside of needle - maybe try clear nail polish! This has worked for years for my Pyrex measuring cups!

Hi fellow resident of PA, welcome to the forum.

Did you blow out the primer that is in the atty when you first get one? I'm not sure what the primer is. I am thinking it might be pg. What ever it is, blow it out. When you first use a cart and puncture the top. Take the cart back out and remove the top piece. Now take a pair of tweezers or needle nose pliers and twist off the plastic tab, put the top back on the cart and put it back in the atty. Make sure it is well seated in the atty. When using the tank for the first time, let it sit for a minute or two in order to allow the wick to get completely wet. When you are getting a burnt taste from the get go either the wick is not significantly wet or you are using a juice that is too thick and the juice can not flow into the atty. I have to use thin juice in a tank atty.

What I do for preventive maintenance: every few days I blow out the atty into a paper towel. I blow until no more juice comes out. Then I take straight pg, pour a little into the top of the atty and blow it through. Repeat this until the pg comes out clean. Blow it out real good, shake it out and then wipe out the connection end to get all the pg off. Now you age good to go. You can boil the tank atty, but you have to do the double boil method, and the boiling water will remove the rubber coating from the atty exterior. It doesn't harm the atty, it just won't look the same. Afterwards you have to make sure you get as much of the water out of the atty and then let it air dry for 48 hours. The natural air flow is restricted so it takes longer to dry out completely. Another way to clean out the atty if it is gunked up is to let it sit in ever clear for 15 to 30 minutes, swirling it around to get the ever clear to agitate in the atty. After the ever clear bath, rinse out with very hot water real good, blow it out and allow to dry for 48 hours. If I do preventive maintenance and don't use thick juice, dark juice, or extremely sweet juice, I don't have to give the atty a bath in ever clear or boiling water.

I love my tank even with its "not so good" points. The weak flavor and the condensation build up in the mouth piece and around the cart in the atty. For the condensation build up in the mouth piece, I remove the two little pieces on the top of the mouth piece. I have never gotten juice in my mouth either. For the condensation build up on the outside of the cart piece that is down in the atty, I take it out every so often and wipe it off and replace it.

Good luck and I hope this helps and you enjoy your tank as much as I have!

My husband vapes NOTHING but their Caramel Tobacco 16% and so obviously loves it!!! The scent in the air is pretty good too!

In the smoking (cigar)room on a cruise in August a young couple from Oklahoma said I was coughing too much!!! and out of her purse came a Joye510!! I was amazed that such a product existed - but living in the forests of Canada I do get behind knowledge of modern devices!!! To make a long story short - I researched and researched AGAINST my husband's opinion and found this wonderful,informative site. Thank-you Vapor Talk. I have been vaping since October 1st, no smokes since mid-October and believe it or not my husband is now vaping since mid-October!!! We are ages 67 and 74, both smoked for 50+ years each, saving about $600 a month!!! I do not count all my new products as a cost - they have changed our lives.

I think that the reason you see so many warnings out there about not using oil based flavorings is to keep newbie DIYers from trashing every atty they own before they realize they are in over their heads.

That statement was by no means meant to be derogatory, but a simple statement of fact.
At one time we were all newbie DIYers, and I'm sure most of us can remember some colossal failures in those early stages.

The fact is, with proper technique, using oil based flavorings are actually quite effective.

But you see posts all the time in DIY forums of folks talking about flavoring an ejuice at 25, 30, and even 40% flavorings. Doing this with an oil based flavoring is going to send you straight to your preferred atomizer supplier for a rush order of replacements.

Since a lot of beginning DIYers aren't even aware of the difference, it's easy to see why it quickly became common to say, don't use oils, they are bad. Many helpless atomizers were sacrificed as the price of the lack of knowledge, understanding, and technique. And oil based flavoring became the scape goat for those poor departed atomizers.

The trick in using oil based flavorings is in using much lower concentrations, typically starting at 1%, (some oils less, some oils more), and pre-mixing the oils with Food grade alcohol or PGA to help with dispersal.

And while it may be true that long term use of oils will slowly degrade the performance of your atomizer, if you have a good effective cleaning method/routine, even this can be kept to a minimum.

And yes, you may have to give them a good shake if they have been sitting for a while, but you already do that with ALL of your ejuice, right?

Brian - I'll post a basic tangerine recipe over in the DIY Recipes thread for you to try with that tangerine oil!

I honestly don't think that there is a single atty cleaning method out there that I haven't tried at least a half dozen times or more.

Soaking in PGA, CPH, denture tabs, coffee pot cleaner, ultrasonic cleaners, dry burning, you name it, I've tried it, with varying degrees of success.

Nowadays I pretty much stick to one simple method:

1)Take a coffee cup, fill with distilled water, put in microwave, push button for hot water (1min 30sec)

2)Dump soiled atties into the hot water, let sit until water cools (about 30mins). Agitate occasionally (If I remember to do so)

3)Remove atties, and if water is more than lightly discolored, repeat the entire process again.

4)Using the still slightly warm water, power flush the atomizers using a Turkey Baster with either a pencil grip or cut off carto condom. I usually put this over the cart end, and draw an entire baster full up through the threaded end.Then pulse the water back out the threads. At this point I want to see three even streams of water, one down below and one out either side of my 510 atties. If I'm not getting good flow from the side vents, I block the bottom hole and force more water through the vents to help clean/clear them.

5)Once the water has been expelled, I dry pump the baster about 6 times, to help force any remaining water out of the atty, which makes it easier to complete the final step.

6)If I am not going to use them right away, I turn them thread side down on an absorbent towel, and let them dry. For a while, for a half day, overnight, depending upon how soon I need them.

7) All atties get flood primed before they are used. I drop about 10 drops of plain PG down onto the bridge, let them sit for a few mins, and then blow through the cart end, forcing the PG and any residual water out through the threaded end.

8) Wipe them off, and vape them, or bag them up for later use!

This has been my main routine for the past six months, and unless an atty has some serious problems, this tends to handle 95% of my requirements.

1. LR vs Standard - The LR has a different resistance in the coil (the portion of the atomizer that actually heats up to produce vapor). This means that the atomizer needs less power from the PV to create more watts of heat. You will get a warmer, thicker, and tastier vapor in most cases. Of course that is a pretty gross generalization. It will depend a lot on the type of device as well as the atomizer and juice. You will typically get more throat hit from this type of setup as well. Keeping in mind the greater amount of heat generated in the vaping process, the less flavor you will get. No matter what the physics say in terms of total watts produced, it is not the same experience as a true higher voltage device, in my opinion. But, it is a great step towards something more.

When using an LR atomizer, do you want to make sure you are not using anything less than an eGo style battery or a mod that runs a Li-Ion battery. The LR's will consume more power from the battery, and can dramatically shorten the life of a Cigarette-style battery. LR's will work, but it will not be a great overall experience.

2. Passthroughs: There are a few different types. One of the newest out is the eGo passthrough. This employs a USB charging circuit in an eGo battery. Meaning, you can use it like a passthrough while it is charging. When done, you can unhook it and vape w/o the USB connection. There are other passthroughs that function this way, sometimes marketed as "sit-and-go". There are also passthroughs that have an inline battery that typically still require you be connected to USB power.

As for voltage, there are only 2 types easily available (to my knowledge): 3.7v and 5v. For the sake of this discussion, I am lumping the eGo in w/ the 3.7v passthrough. Either voltage option will determine the type of atomizer (lr vs standard) that you can use. It is not advised to use a 5v passthrough on your PC for long durations. It has a big power draw, and it not a good idea for long term use. You also will only see about 4.2v of power on average w/ a 5v passthrough on a PC USB port. These 5v passthroughs are better served plugged directly into a wall.

The benefit in a non-detachable passthrough is just having consistent power for vaping wherever you have a USB power source. Otherwise, the passthroughs that employ a battery for later use are great for those on the go with periodic access to a USB power source.

3. eGo Mega Atomizer - These are designed for use w/ the mega cartridges I believe. I am not sure on the resistance rating. I have never used one personally.

Hi JJM - I'm in Canada too and also worried about customs. Taking a deep breath - I ordered from US suppliers and to date parcels arrived within less than 10 days - all stamped in and out of customs the same day. I have purchased nic liquid for DIY and several mixed and the ego. Depending on how many analogs you smoke each day - no nic might be a challenge. I smoked at least 1 1/2 packs a day and started at 16 and am now down to 8; others start higher. Oh - and most paid for shipping is $15 and some shipped free depending on size of order. Here are VT - ordered and shipped the same day and received is 8 days. Hope this helps.

Please don't give up yet. I honestly believe that vaping is for ANYONE who smokes. It took me a few months to totally quit the analogs, I thought that vaping wasn't for me either, but I just kept trying and now I'm a vaping fiend, LOL. Check out www.juicyvapor.com. This is where I get the majority of my e-liquids. They're not in Canada but they're close, New York. I always get a PG/VG mix. What flavors have you tried? I had to try all kinds of flavors to find my faves. My friend who introduced me to vaping swore that I would ONLY like tobacco flavors, since I smoked Camel Lights. As it turns out, my husband and I both prefer the more fun fruity flavors.

Let me go ahead and ease your mind friend. For any microorganism to grow certain conditions must be met: Temperature and humidity must be high, typically over 85% but ideally over 90%; food must also be present; this food should be in the form of simple sugars. This is one major reason plants store the food for their seeds in the form of starches! And finally, access to water is needed to fuel the fermentation process of breaking down the sugars for food.

Propylene glycol has a magical effect of preventing mold growth. It is used in humidifiers for this very purpose. Along with its emulsifing properties and very low toxicity, PG, even when mixed with water, keeps humidity levels at 70%. It also prevents water uptake by these microorganisms therefore preventing germination of the spore itself. Indeed, PG is a truely magical substance!

Also, if the carto is made of inorganic material as opposed to, say, cotton, that will inhibit mold growth as well.

Hope that makes you feel better!

* Maybe this thread should be moved to the "concerns" forum?

I guess that would depend on how strong your juice was.
I would be suprised if she was getting any nicotine unless she was activly inhaling while you exhaled.
If you were vaping 24 mg/ml juice, and were direct dripping you have 1/3rd of a ml juice in your atty with 8 mg of nicotine.I get around 5 drags off 3 drips so now your around 1.6 mg,lets say you adsorb half that your at 0.8 mg.now most of your vape is going to fall to the ground after it cools but, lets say she inhales 1/2 of your exhale your down to 0.4 mg of nicotine.
so there you go in a scenero where all my estimets are high she will inhale 0.4 mg nicotine per your single exhale.