Cleaning Attys & Losing A Friend

[Jeffb]

Ok I'm never gonna clean an atty again. I don't care what all you "I gotta clean my atty's every week" advocates say. I had some extra time this weekend so I said to myself "Hey Jeff, you haven't cleaned your atty's since you started vaping, you better do that cuz people say you should." So I boil some 510's and my precious 302 that I use daily on my PT. I've had this 302 for 2 months without any problems whatsoever. I have grown attached to my little 302 friend. It even has my teeth marks on it. I'm not that attached to the 510's. So I boil the atty's for 5 minutes in distilled water, in a strainer so they don't touch the bottom of the pan, blow them out and let them dry overnight upside down on a paper towel. Just like a good vaper should. The next day I put my precious 302 on my even more precious PT and I get nothing! I put it on my wifes PT and I get nothing. I shed a tear realizing this is my first atty that has gone bad. I haven't lost an atty in action for almost 3 months. I couldn't bear to throw it away, so as I type this it is displayed proudly on my dresser.

So let this be a warning to those of you that haven't cleaned your attys yet. You just might lose an old friend in the process.

Edited January 18, 2010 by jeffb

[Acroma]

That poor atty! The wife and I both lost our first ones on the same day. After only 5 days of use. So far this 510 and the new attys I have are lasting longer than expected.

[Hawk]

Jeff,

I'm sorry for your loss brother! I did the same thing a couple of times, now i don't clean em, just vape em up.

Did that atty get hot when you used on your PT? I had 2 complete failures, but the third ended up just needing a ton of juice and patience to bring back to life. That particular 302 has been with me an additional month now. If it still gets hot, then maybe it can be saved?

[Jeffb]

Jeff,

I'm sorry for your loss brother! I did the same thing a couple of times, now i don't clean em, just vape em up.

Did that atty get hot when you used on your PT? I had 2 complete failures, but the third ended up just needing a ton of juice and patience to bring back to life. That particular 302 has been with me an additional month now. If it still gets hot, then maybe it can be saved?

No it's gone, I've tried mouth to mouthpiece numerous times. There is no warmth it is cold and dead.

[Hawk]

No it's gone, I've tried mouth to mouthpiece numerous times. There is no warmth it is cold and dead.

Ah Chickamala Man!

[StevenP]

You have my most heart felt sympathy, Jeff. It sucks losing a atty, especially one you had for a long while.

[skruff77]

Im in the same boat. i have tried 2 times now to clean attys. it never worked for me. so now im not going to clean them again. ill just buy new ones when i need. :rofl:

[nana]

My deepest sympathies, Jeff. It's so awful to lose a friend like that, but take heart in the fact that you did everything you could to revive your precious 302. I don't know how healthy it is to keep deceased friends with you, where you can look longing at them, but who am I to judge? We all deal with grief in our own ways. Just know that you have many friends here and we'll listen if you need to talk.

RIP dear 302

[jiffy]

I have had similar results from the boiling method.

Does anyone have a method that works and does not ruin the attys? With the 510 it seems to eat attys alive.

[DAYVAPE]

I have had similar results from the boiling method.

Does anyone have a method that works and does not ruin the attys? With the 510 it seems to eat attys alive.

I just mix up a solution of half vinager and half water.

I fill a syringe with it and squirt it down in the atty and rinse it around with a finger on both ends.

I will also squirt it through the battery end as well a couple of times.

I do this several times until she's clean then let it dry as normal.

This has worked at breaking down the gunk for me.

Most times I will not clean them at all though...

I will just do a 4 or 5 second "dry burn" a couple of times util the old juice is burnt up.

The vinager bath happens once a week maybe.

Edited January 18, 2010 by DAYVAPE

[GDub]

Hmmm, that sucks Jeff. I have had a M401 atty die after cleaning once, but have had good luck ever since. I don't clean mine every week, just whenever I get sick of the flavor on it. I'm really getting into mixing my own juice now so I probably clean them more lately just to get a fresh vape of my new flavors as I'm mixing.

[Dajamster]

I was told to not actually boil the attys. But pour very hot water through them for a few seconds, then let dry thoroughly.

[beboe76]

Im just not gonna clean mine until they arent up to snuff. I have one atty that still will get hot, but it takes a long time. Drawing off of it just gets it warm, so its not producing any vapor really. I can pop off the cart and hold down the switch and it never turns red, but it will eventually get hot. I think I will try setting it in my coffee maker maybe, and let it soak in the hot water. I figure it might just be gunked up and need a cleaning. If I lose it, then its not a big loss. After reading your story jeff, Im gonna stick with the "if it aint broke dont fix it" way of thinking, and only clean attys that are near death. So sorry for your loss, but if it helps you any, your story has probably helped to save countless attys from being murdered in the future. One voice can make a difference jeff. One voice........

[BirdDog]

No it's gone, I've tried mouth to mouthpiece numerous times. There is no warmth it is cold and dead.

You crack me up! CPR on a atomizer!

I did the same thing a few months back. The 510's came out fine but my 801 didn't survive. I feel your pain. May your 302 RIP.

[Lordvapor]

I am having a moment of silence for your atty Jeff...

Next taps will be gently played...

RIP friend RIP...

[mcquinn]

Sometimes it takes a while to get them wicking again after a cleaning ,I wouldn't give up on it yet.Dripp a few drops of liquid in it and let it sit awhile then try it out.There is nothing in there that will get hurt by making it wet or boiling it.

[Brian]

I'm sorry for your loss.

FYI - I've got 3 510 atty's that when screwed all the way down will not work on my VP2 or VP/PT. However, is I unscrew them a little they work just fine. Just something you may want to try (if you haven't already).

I have boiled a few of my 510's but only after they start to taste funny and start getting hard to draw on. Been very sucessful - just like having a new atty for me.

Edited January 19, 2010 by Brian

[jjinlasvegas]

Ok I'm never gonna clean an atty again. I don't care what all you "I gotta clean my atty's every week" advocates say. I had some extra time this weekend so I said to myself "Hey Jeff, you haven't cleaned your atty's since you started vaping, you better do that cuz people say you should." So I boil some 510's and my precious 302 that I use daily on my PT. I've had this 302 for 2 months without any problems whatsoever. I have grown attached to my little 302 friend. It even has my teeth marks on it. I'm not that attached to the 510's. So I boil the atty's for 5 minutes in distilled water, in a strainer so they don't touch the bottom of the pan, blow them out and let them dry overnight upside down on a paper towel. Just like a good vaper should. The next day I put my precious 302 on my even more precious PT and I get nothing! I put it on my wifes PT and I get nothing. I shed a tear realizing this is my first atty that has gone bad. I haven't lost an atty in action for almost 3 months. I couldn't bear to throw it away, so as I type this it is displayed proudly on my dresser.

So let this be a warning to those of you that haven't cleaned your attys yet. You just might lose an old friend in the process.

You know what's even worse than this??? An atty that is DOA!!! I've had a couple of those

However, I have boiled my 510 attys and not lost a single one :> BUT....Celtic tells me that if you soak them in denture tablets that works very well! There are all kinds of different ways to clean attys apparently, maybe if you had just soaked your poor 302 it would still be alive today, who knows. Either way, just like people, I think some attys just die when their time is up!

My condolences to you and your family on the loss of a most necessary 302 RIP!

Edited January 19, 2010 by jjinlasvegas

[Schizophretard]

I have had similar results from the boiling method.

Does anyone have a method that works and does not ruin the attys? With the 510 it seems to eat attys alive.

My theory is that atties mostly get dirty when the juices dry when not in use while sleeping. I went about three days without cleaning an atty. The atty felt clogged and flooded. I blew it out and these juice boogers came out. That was unacceptable. I don't want juices hardening up, clogging my atty, and eventually cooking onto the heating element. Atties are designed for boiling juices and not cooking them. So, I clean my atties daily.

I use a water pick with hot water to clean out my 510 atties and cartridges. I blow them out until I cant get any water out. I put them in a daily pill box to let them dry for a week. I'm very uncomfortable with letting them just dry over night. I want to be sure that no water, moisture, or humidity is in them at all.

I've been doing this for a couple of weeks and it is working exactly like I wanted it to. Every day I take out an almost 100% clean atty out of my pill box. Since they are completely dry I put in four to five drops and let them sit for about ten minutes to soak up the juice. They seem to be brand new atties without the nasty juice they come with when they are actually brand new and with no break in period.

I haven't been doing it for long so I don't know how much this method will actually extend my atty's lives but I'm hopeful. Do at your own risk!

@Jeff

I'm sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.

When I did the over night drying method I had the same results. I was convinced my atties were completely dead. They weren't! I just had to keep on trying. It was almost like they had a very long break in period. I recommend doing something like I described above. Water them out again to get out the juices you tried to vape. Blow the water out from both ends until not even a hint of water comes out the battery side end. Let them dry for a week. Put more juice in than you normally do and let it soak. Put them on your PT and give them mouth to mouth like they were your flesh and blood child for as long as you can. They may be dead but you may luck out and it could just be a coma.

[DAYVAPE]

This is just a thought....

I had already tossed an atty in the trash and had read somewhere about the battery end of the atty not making contact.

So I grabbed a small knife and pried up that middle part a bit and it worked great. And all along I thought I had fried it.

This was after using it on the VP-PT.... I'm not sure what you used yours on last. Might be worth a look if you haven't already that is.

Good luck in your endevour.