Coil question

OK, so I'm trying to find an atomizer that fits my ideal of a perfect one and I'm one of those people who needs to do a few hours of research (or more) before I can commit to buying a product. I am trying to understand the "burnt coil" issue and the perpetual need to buy replacements.

I read on one website that gave an analogy similar to that of the filament within an incandescent light bulb. However, this analogy doesn't seem to make sense to me. The coil within an atomizer would never reach the same temperatures as that of the filament within an incandescent light bulb resulting in the filament breaking over time due to the drastic temperature differences in the on/off state.

I googled some photos of "burnt coils" to try to get a better understanding of the issue. My observations are that the wire used to heat the liquid does not break thus stopping the flow of electricity and preventing it from getting to the correct temperature to vape. What seems to be happening (from the photos that I viewed) is that residue builds up in the cotton and over the coil over time limiting the amount of liquid that can be absorbed by the wicking material thus limiting the amount of vapor that can be produced.

If would seem that if one wanted to limit the number of coils that they purchased, perhaps just rinsing them and cleaning them after use, or buying two, having one cleaned one and one in use so that they can be swapped would significantly reduce the number of coils one needed to buy over the lifetime of their product.

So, my questions are:

How close am I to accurately describing the issues experienced with "burnt coils?"

If close, has anyone tried just rinsing/cleaning them after use and had success in increasing the longevity of their coils?

 

the coil eventually gets gunked up and as you say cleaning it can help with some coils but this is only going to work for a while. It's the main reason I stopped buying such tanks and switched to rebuildables. It's much more cost effective and you can tailor your build to suit your tastes.

 

Coils can and do last forever, Its the same for replaceable ones and rebuildable ones. In the case of replacable coils the wire is usually thinner so it can fail, whereas in the rebuildable ones thicker wire is usually used and therefor lasts longer.

There are 2 main problems with coils that require attention.
1. Gunk build up on the coil.
This is simple enough to fix, by washing or dry burning or a combination of both.
2. Burnt wick.
Over time the wick will burn and require replacement.

Some replaceable coils can be rebuilt and maintained so you dont have the need to buy new all the time, however in many cases its not as easy as with a tank system designed for rebuilding.

Research done or not your going to make mistakes because you have no experience and we are all different so you cant just take advice. Start with a Kanger Subtank mini. It will allow you to experiment with both replaceable coil heads(easy to rebuild also) and a rebuildable section for you to learn about building.

 

It's a pleasure to read you @jorakae , Oxford english (especially compared to my broken latin one)

Nothing to add about the definition of a burned coil. On the cleaning method, since I take close to no pleasure building them, I tend to make them last as long as they don't look oxydated.

When they are dirty/gunked up, I remove the wick, fire the mod to have the coils glowing red and gently put them under running water. Only the coils, I am careful that the water is not touching the atty base or the posts.

If they are not too old, they'll "shine like a diamond®" instantly. I am usually able to do so every 3 wick's change. Then I change the coil.

 

Also worth noting that there's been a fair bit of debate recently about the safety of dry burning coils in the cleaning process or glowing them too hot when building them. Here's a link to the thread:

Dry-burning metal coils: is it a good thing? | Thailand Vapers

Recommend reading all the posts to get an idea of how some members are considering the issue. There's still too little scientific evidence at this point to be sure if there is a real risk or if it's insignificant. From what I have gathered, pulsing and glowing the coils can be a good thing in forming a protective, oxidized layer but I am taking a middle of the road approach and avoiding dry burning at very high temps (ex. coil glows yellow) and if the coil looks to be in too bad of shape I just quickly rebuild with a new one.

Wicks get gunked up too though that's usually after you notice the coil performance drop so you'll be addressing and improving both at the same time when cleaning or rebuilding.

 

Thank you all for your helpful replies. That appears to confirm my observations.

@Mack thank you for your detailed reply. Concise and informative. Certainly useful information such as yours that I read, the more questions I ask, and the more I learn lowers the mistake curve a bit.

@Tibo thank you for sharing your method of cleaning. That seems affirm what I was suspecting could be done.

@Scratchy thank you for your additional follow on information. I will be sure to have a thorough read.

One of my colleagues purchased a new device to replace his old one which has some stress cracks in the tank. He has let me give it a go, but I can clearly appreciate why he purchased a new one.

I am currently looking at the Aspire Triton RBA Tank. I understand it isn't available as of yet, but any precursory thoughts about this model? I particularly like the top fill design.

 

Your talking 40USD for a RBA Tank after you have purchased The RBA deck separate, Im sure this is a great tank, as is the Delta II which sells there RBA sections separate as well.

For me I wont pay 40USD for a RBA when there are excellent ones out there at 20 - 30USD

 

I saw that, and its an extra 8usd for the RBA section which is what puts me off. It may be a good tank but not worth 37usd. Not when you can get a subtank or Lemo 2 for under 30usd.

 

Cvapor as well is offering us a great deal here

 

+1

This is the method I used when I first started vaping and mainly used clearos. Just bought the cheapest vodka I could find, soaked and stirred overnight, then hot water soak. Other high proof alcohols will probably work, although I would stick to clear ones. Plenty of YouTube videos on this subject.

 

Just my two pennies worth. It boils down to two options.
Option A. Spend a lot of money on replaceable coils and have a trouble-free vamping experience.

Option B. Make your own coils and get stressed out from time to time and yet make the vaping experience more economically viable. (Not to mention the health benefits of vaping)


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