Can't Get Any More Than 3 Drags... Need Help Please

[AR7K]

Hello.

Recently, my 510 atty wasn't working so well so I tried this method I've seen online where you rinse out your atty with hot water and after blowing out all the excess water, you do dry cleaning by holding on to the the button until the atty glows orange, and you do this until you stop hearing sizzling. The result was pretty good, as I was able to get a very good taste and a good throat hit. However, I couldn't drag it more than 3 times because after 3 drags, it tasted burnt and I think I'm doing a dry drag.

Can anyone help me out here?

Friendly answers would be appreciated.

Thank you and have a good day.

[Christopher]

I do not recommend dry burning honestly. It usually burns up the atomizer and ends up hitting very hard. The atomizer was not designed to get that hot. Either way it sounds to me like you just need a little more liquid. An atomizer needs plenty of liquid in order to function properly. If you've cleaned it out, you've probably washed away all the excess. (which is fine) Just be sure to drop 3 drops of liquid or so every 5-6 puffs.

[Beans]

If it still taste funky after doing what Chris said boil gently and rinse well. Allow to dry overnight and try again without dry burning.

Good luck getting it up and running.

[DerStadtschutz]

Boiling again probably won't do any good. It sounds to me like in the process of doing a dry burn, you've charred the wick. Inside the atomizer, under the triangular-shaped piece that you see(this is called the bridge, and it's covered in metal mesh, a sort of steel wool-like material), there is a white thread-like material known as a wick. Over time, unless you're SUPER careful to keep the atomizer wet at all times(which isn't very likely when you're a newbie), you will eventually char the wick, causing this exact thing you've described(good flavor at first, still good vapor, but then after a few drags, burnt taste, despite the atty being clearly wet). I've done the same thing myself several times. It will cause you to overfill and flood your atty, yet still produce a burnt taste, which leads to much confusion. Anyway, what you'll want to do is remove as much of the wick as possible with a pair of tweezers. The problem I find with this, though, is that it's next to impossible(at least for me) to remove the whole wick(or the part that's actually charred, as that part tends to be closest to the coil, which is next to impossible to see with the bridge in there. So, when I start getting the burnt taste all the time, I just take out the bridge and the wick in one shot.

There are at least a few videos on youtube on how to remove both of these, and I will post one in a minute. But, before I do, I want to explain something. I find that while trying to debridge certain 510 atties, pulling on the bridge tends to pull the whole internal portion of the atty closer to the top of the atty tube(the part that surrounds the coil, wick, bridge, and whatever else is inside that thing. So, what I do to avoid breaking the atty altogether is stick something(I use my tweezers) down into the atty and hold there with one hand, pushing on the whole internal portion, but away from the bridge itself. Then I insert a pair of needle nose pliers, grip the bridge from both sides, squeeze it together, and start yanking/wiggling til it comes out. Then I hold a flashlight in my mouth while I remove as much of the wick as I possibly can with the tweezers. That should solve your problem, and as you're removing the wick, you'll notice parts of it are black.

One more thing before I post a link to a youtube video of this procedure... Note that when you remove the bridge and the wick, your atomizer will be more prone to flooding, since the wick and the mesh on the bridge act as a buffer or liquid holder and keep it from just flowing thru the atomizer. You will also be unable to use a cartridge with the atomizer, which means you'll need to drip. And finally, sometimes while vaping, usually the first few drags after dripping more liquid, some of the liquid will bubble and fly up, landing on your tongue. It's not that big of a deal for the most part. I don't really mind it all that much, but with high voltage or low resistance atomizers, it can get pretty darn hot. I've actually gotten a small burn on my tongue as a result of this. Considering the information I just provided, you might be thinking "well then why do I want to do this?" Well, you can either just deal with the burnt taste, use another atomizer and waste this one, or you can do what I suggested and still be able to use it. This is one of the unfortunate parts of vaping. Wicks get burnt sooner or later, at least in my experience. So if you don't drip already, I say get used to doing so. Some people, like Noxious, remove the wick immediately upon switching to a new atomizer to avoid this mess altogether. I don't know about anybody else specifically, but she prefers to leave the bridge in. To me, it doesn't really matter. In fact, I sort of like it better without the bridge, because one way I know for sure I'm out of juice is to be able to see the coil light up red, which is easier to see without the wick and bridge in the way.

And now, without further adieu, here is a video.

And here is one about removing the bridge, in case you're interested.

And finally, ONE LAST PIECE OF INFO: I personally clean my atomizers by soaking them for a few hours(usually overnight or sometimes even longer) in rubbing alcohol. Some people seem to think this is a bad idea, but it's kept my atties alive for about 5 months. I still have my very first Blu atomizer from the kit I bought this summer. I know for a fact that rubbing alcohol breaks down organic compounds, which VG is. I'm not so sure about PG though. Also, dry burning does work to burn some of the gunk off the coil, similar to how a self-cleaning oven works. However, you want to be careful when you do it as you can ruin the atomizer by letting it dry burn for too long. Should you choose to soak your atties in rubbing alcohol, I specifically use only 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol, and I rinse my atomizers thoroughly with water, blow the excess water out, and then let the atomizers dry for a few hours before using them.

What Chris said about atomizers needing more liquid than normal after cleaning IS true, but I'm guessing since you did a dry burn, you charred your atomizer. It would help to double check your wick before you do any of this, but like I said, it can be hard to see. And, your wick will probably become charred eventually anyway.

Sorry for the gigantic wall of text, but I hope it helps. Good luck, and happy vaping!

Edited February 12, 2011 by DerStadtschutz

[juliery]

Propylene glycol IS an organic compound as well.... wikipedia has very detailed info as to WHAT it is.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol

[DerStadtschutz]

Oh, well in that case, then rubbing alcohol should work well for cleaning atties if you use PG too.

[aerovapor]

Hello.

Recently, my 510 atty wasn't working so well so I tried this method I've seen online where you rinse out your atty with hot water and after blowing out all the excess water, you do dry cleaning by holding on to the the button until the atty glows orange, and you do this until you stop hearing sizzling. The result was pretty good, as I was able to get a very good taste and a good throat hit. However, I couldn't drag it more than 3 times because after 3 drags, it tasted burnt and I think I'm doing a dry drag.

Can anyone help me out here?

Friendly answers would be appreciated.

Thank you and have a good day.

Sometimes the atty looks dry after cleaning and letting it sit but may have a little dampness of the water left in it. Ive had this issue where I didn't let it dry long enough and had the same issue as you. I would redue the cleaning process, if you wanna have it dry quicker use alcohol. Then let it sit for 24 hrs to ensure it is 100% dry. This may work for you, in the beginning I had this same issue and repeatingthe cleaning and completely drying it resolved the issue. Good luck and let me know If you need further help