"hot Boxing" An Atty

[ddavelarsen]

Recently Brian started a thread about the stanky taste he's had with high-watt attys or high-voltage devices. The problem seems to be burnt juice accumulation around the coil. I've experienced the same thing, and over the last couple of weeks have devised a sort of field expedient cleaning method I wanted to run by the rest of you. I mentioned it in Brian's thread too but didn't get much traction.

So here's the deal. Whenever I start getting a really nasty burnt taste in my atty, I'll start hitting it real hard repeatedly, like 'hot boxing' an analog. The vapor gets quite warm and smells really quite bad. I keep this up until the vapor starts to feel 'dry' and hot, then let the atty rest to cool back down to room temp. When I re-drip the flavor is back. Because this works and no other cleaning method I've tried has, I've stuck with it.

I don't vape them completely dry, but they get pretty hot. I've done this primarily with 510s but with 302s too. I've had one 302 die, though I can't relate that to hot boxing it; one session it worked, the next it didn't, just like any other dead atty. It actually had more hours on it than the previous one that had died, which was before I started pushing them like this.

My question is, what do you folks think this is likely to do to the life of my attys, if anything?

Thanks,

[Christopher]

Some members actually do this, it's called Dry Burning. I sometimes do it with my atomizers when I get the weird taste and I have no other option. (Out and about with no extra atomizer) I'll usually just hold the button down, blow small amounts of air into the atomizer to make sure it doesn't over heat until there isn't much vapor left. Then I'll cool it down just like you stated, add some liquid and I'm good to go. It doesn't always work and will shorten the life of the atomizer, but sometimes it's your only option

[skruff77]

i need to try this. i got a lot of atty that just dont seem to work (little to no vapor right out of the box). so maybe this will work for me.

[ddavelarsen]

Thanks Chris, it does seem like it would be hard on them but I guess when I think of them as disposable anyway, keeping the flavor happy is worth a little shorter life. It'll be interesting to see how much that is.

Scruff, I have in fact done this a couple times to clear the atty when it was nearly flooded, but a better way in that case might be to just blow it out onto a paper towel, then re-drip and vape on... It can be frustrating when you get an atty that just won't put out the vapor, I know.

[Tektronik]

I'd like to think that as long as you're drawing air through the atty while you're heating it up its not as bad as just holding the button down with no air. Remember the old autobatts used to go through a cleaning cycle every once in a while? What ever happened to those little keyboard vacuums? You could use one of those to draw air as when you dry burn.

[Brandon]

What ever happened to those little keyboard vacuums? You could use one of those to draw air as when you dry burn.

What a freaking fantastic idea! No more nasty burned taste!

Dave, we'll have to find ya one

[ddavelarsen]

...What ever happened to those little keyboard vacuums? You could use one of those to draw air as when you dry burn.

Brandon and Tektronik, you guys crack me up! Okay, I have a little portavac I snagged when I was running janitors. I could hook that up to a whole panel full of atty's, just flip on the power, switch on the vac, and fry dry those babies out... Probably only take a few seconds to 'clean' all my stanky attys for a month!

[nana]

You be sure and let everyone know how that works for ya, okay Dave.

[Brian]

Dave - I've been going this now since you told me about it and it's working pretty good. Once I start getting that burnt taste I just hit a few extra drags (don't inhale) and I'm good to go.

I would assume this will shorten the life in that you're vaping it. Since the atty only has a limited, each "use" of it, whether you inhale or not, shortens the life.

Edited March 22, 2010 by Brian

[jmhester]

I've never cleaned them that way but it's a great way to clear one if you over drip.