12hrs with an Ego C

[Knoton]

Tara,

I feel completly lost here. It feels as it gotta be somekind of difference between your vaping and mine.
other than you are vaping about 3 times as much as me.
I am thinking of your mixes.
What nicotine base are you using?
What dilutants?, are you buying PG/VG that might contain something that atties dont like.
Like sugar for ex... Do you add water, alcohol...
I opened the atty I have had for about 10 weeks. Took the spike out.
It did not look that bad, it was black and misscolored of course but no big lump on it like you describe it.
It gotta be somekind of difference.
Are you using LR Atties?
Just putting out thoughts loud 

[Tara]

Tara,

I feel completly lost here. It feels as it gotta be somekind of difference between your vaping and mine.
other than you are vaping about 3 times as much as me.
I am thinking of your mixes.
What nicotine base are you using?
What dilutants?, are you buying PG/VG that might contain something that atties dont like.
Like sugar for ex... Do you add water, alcohol...
I opened the atty I have had for about 10 weeks. Took the spike out.
It did not look that bad, it was black and misscolored of course but no big lump on it like you describe it.
It gotta be somekind of difference.
Are you using LR Atties?
Just putting out thoughts loud 

I'm starting to wonder if it is my vaping style I have noticed I've been drawing quite hard recently. But I still can't see how this can be the problem as I'm not drawing so hard that I flood the thing, rarely ever flooded the T atty either :S Although saying that, I've been making a concious effort to reduce the strength of my draw this evening and I do seem to be getting a little more "snap. crackle and pop" in the atty; but nowhere near what I would normally have with a T.

I'm using Platinum Ice (VG) 54mg as base - sourced from TW, primarily DV flavours, all of which are light coloured and a 25/75 mix of PG/AG both also sourced from a UK manufacturer. I was wondering if it was the PG/AG causing the problem but as this stuff is in effect TW stuff in a different bottle (and that is all I am going to say about that), I can't see how this is the problem, especially as others such as 8 ball seem to be running high AG mixes of thier own devising without any problems; in fact for the majority of the last week I have been vaping 4 flavours almost exclusively that were mixed by Pufferfish, with a 33/66 ratio and the VG cut with vodka and I'm pretty sure Puffer hasn't had these problems either.

The atty's are standard resistance atty's of that I am sure, I'm totally at a loss too 

[Knoton]

I remember I have seen a post about someone going into a shop having somekind of a problem
he/she wanted solved. And someone in the shop noticed him/her vaping and said that he/she knew
what his/her problem was just by looking at his/her vapestyle.
Maybe you should go to a vapers shop and vape? 

[Tara]

Maybe you should go to a vapers shop and vape? 

Lol maybe I should. I'm trying really hard to take the lightest of draws this evening and as it is in for a penny in for a pound, tonight before I go to bed (and with only 1ml of juice through the thing) I'm going to pop the spike and have a look see; might do this every night and try an analyse my style and gunk build up.

[kondor]

I know nothing bout gunked up attys.  However, maybe that gunky tar you are seeing is the burnt vegtable sugars from the glycerin.   If it is then soaking it in vodka and boiling it isn't going to achieve much becuase those sugars will take a while to break down. If that is the case,  then I think the first thing I would try is baking soda in warm water.  The idea would be that the baking soda would react with the sugars in the gunk and break it down, and give off some co2 in the process,  the warm water should help the sugars disolve too.  

Go and fetch that one out of the bin and stick it in a small pan of warm water with 4 or 5 table spoons of baking soda,  or I dunno, add the whole tub???  

Dunno if this will work or it is just a waste of time,  but it would be what I would try.  

[Tara]

Go and fetch that one out of the bin and stick it in a small pan of warm water with 4 or 5 table spoons of baking soda,  or I dunno, add the whole tub???  

Dunno if this will work or it is just a waste of time,  but it would be what I would try.  

What an interesting idea, I've just fished the coil out the bin and its currently sitting in an egg cup full of warm water and baking soda, I shall report back shortly

[Astrecks]

One way to check if you are drawing too hard is to look in a mirror while you are vaping, if your cheeks dimple in any way shape or form.. then it is likely you are drawing to hard................ and my apologies for any rude comments that may follow  

[StevieD]

There aren't any sugars in glycerine. Yes, it tastes sweet, but no sugars.

[Tara]

Go and fetch that one out of the bin and stick it in a small pan of warm water with 4 or 5 table spoons of baking soda,  or I dunno, add the whole tub???  

Dunno if this will work or it is just a waste of time,  but it would be what I would try.  

What an interesting idea, I've just fished the coil out the bin and its currently sitting in an egg cup full of warm water and baking soda, I shall report back shortly

Lol well it made some difference, the wick unattched itself from the coil but still really gunky, so I went one better and broke out the vinegar, SODA VOLCANO!!!

That worked tee hee

Still doesn't cure the problem though.

[Knoton]

When I smoked I used to take hard short draws.
I had to learn a completly new style when starting to vape.
Now I try as much as possible to take long slow draws where I press the button just before starting to draw and release it just before I stop.
I have noticed it helps if I put my tounghe in the way of the vapour going into my mouth.
Sorry a bit difficult for me to describe in a foreign language.

[Tara]

One way to check if you are drawing too hard is to look in a mirror while you are vaping, if your cheeks dimple in any way shape or form.. then it is likely you are drawing to hard................ and my apologies for any rude comments that may follow  

But I always have dimples in ALL my cheeks hahahaha!

In all seriousness though I've just sat infront of a mirror looking at myself, didn't I feel a prize wally I've got little hamster cheeks so it's hard to tell but I think I probably am drawing too hard, strange that it never affected me with the T atomisers.

[Astrecks]

Lol, the T's have mesh surrounding the coil bath and soaked up a lot of excess liquid that fed back when the juice supply was running lean, so without this mesh the C's could flood easier, that's why the breather hole in the centre of atomiser thread is so much smaller.

[kondor]

Friend:   So Tara, what you been up to?
Tara:   Well, I spent last nght making a vinegar volcano in an egg cup and watching myself in the mirror to see if I had dimples when I sucked.
Friend:   WTF!

Sounds like these need a redesign with a mesh screen over the atty.

[Tara]

Lol, the T's have mesh surrounding the coil bath and soaked up a lot of excess liquid that fed back when the juice supply was running lean, so without this mesh the C's could flood easier, that's why the breather hole in the centre of atomiser thread is so much smaller.

Yes I was just pondering if the mesh was masking the problem somewhat; I've actually just swopped to a T atty to try and compare and I am actually lighter on the draw with the T too, I suspect the problem may lie with the C atty being just so godamn tasty, it's making me draw harder to get every last particle of flavour out the vapour Oh well only time will tell it seems, but at least I feel I've made some progress tonight in the fact that a) I've found a way of cleaning these buggers effectively, and b) I've possible found the cause of the problem in the first place.

Thanks guys from the bottom of my dimpled ahemm yeah just thanks

xXx

[BAzz]

So how do you clean a C atty?

I have 4 sitting in a box that I'd love to get working properly again.

[Knoton]

So how do you clean a C atty?

I have 4 sitting in a box that I'd love to get working properly again.

Well, I just blow them out like the old Tornado Tank atty every night and about once a week I do below dry cleaning.

[BAzz]

Ahh right.. the standard way... I did try that.. never saw a 'red glow' from the atty..

They're lasting about the same or maybe a day longer than the old TT atomisers and they're a damned sight cheaper than those as well.

I just need something to tide me over for a month or two till new kit arrives.

[Lettie22]

I remember I have seen a post about someone going into a shop having somekind of a problem
he/she wanted solved. And someone in the shop noticed him/her vaping and said that he/she knew
what his/her problem was just by looking at his/her vapestyle.
Maybe you should go to a vapers shop and vape? 

Knoton, that was me!   The problem, as pointed out by the clerk, was that I was holding my e-cig straight out from my mouth (horizonal), when I should be holding it down (vertical) and that was causing a problem with my attys.   I doubt that is Tara's problem -- but just something we newbies need to be mindful of.

[Lettie22]

Knoton, do you actually see the heating wire turn red like the instructions tell you, as I do not.   Therefore, it is very difficult for me to know how long to keep the button pressed.   I only keep it pressed for about 3 seconds or so like I would my old attys.    I see some smoke and smell just a little burn.    How long do you keep the button pressed each time?

So how do you clean a C atty?

I have 4 sitting in a box that I'd love to get working properly again.

Well, I just blow them out like the old Tornado Tank atty every night and about once a week I do below dry cleaning.

[Knoton]

No, to see that I would have to remove the spike and I dont want to do that.
So since I do it like once a week I just do it by feeling.
A few seconds burst, blow some on it to get rid of ev smoke, wait and repeat, time after time...

[Lettie22]

Welllllllllllllll, I wonder why the maintenance pamphlet says you're gonna see the red wire!   Glad to know you don't see it either.   

Thanks!

[Knoton]

Welllllllllllllll, I wonder why the maintenance pamphlet says you're gonna see the red wire!   Glad to know you don't see it either.   

Thanks!

Well, maybe if you press long enough you will do that. But I dont dare to press that long.

[Timuk]

Having the same problems as Tara.....

But, having made myself reduce the strength of my draw.....things seem to be better....had a perfect vape day today, though still having attys reduce in performance much faster than the first atty, which just seemed to go on and on and on.....

Starting to think it could be vapers tongue and maybe my Vaping has increased much more because the C is so good when it's working well...l

Time will tell

[Tara]

Been drawing so light on mine in the last 24hrs that the suction would not have marked a babies skin and yet 48hrs after the swop I had to dry burn the atty as it felt clogged and the flavour was off :S

[Timuk]

Tara...

That's spot on what I am finding, apart from today for some reason..... And thats probably down to starting a new atty this morning.....forgot that.....so my battery question on my thread was definately straw grasping.....

Clogged and the flavour is off.....ditto

[8Ball]

Gosh Tara.  I can't think of anything to suggest.   Just wanted to verify that, yes, I'm using all VG mixes, and I'm not having any problems with premature atty death.  Got about 6 weeks out of my first "C" atty.  Now that I have the kit I've got three on the go at once, and so far all three are still going strong.  Wish I could think of something to suggest, but I'm just at a loss here.

[pufferfish]

Hi Tara, how's your little girl getting on hun? Hope she's much better now...
I'm at a loss as to what to suggest for you too... I've had no problem such as you describe but I'm sure I pull harder on the -C now than when I started using it because the flavour is so good it's hard to be gentle with it 
I'm delighted that you are enjoying my mixes 
and I hope the cause of this problem will come to light, it will be a shame if the average atty life turns out to be less than the 8 weeks or so which my first ones made.....but even so, the costs will still be favourable in comparison with the standard tank atties
(and of course far, far cheaper than the costs of the old unmentionables ) 
Please keep everyone posted with your findings, sorry I can't help..

[Tara]

Well that's all 5 atomisers from the original kit gone, number 4 lasted 3 & 1/2 days, I swooped in the final one and it was unusable from the get go as it wasn't wicking properly and was constantly tasting scorched unless I took a cold draw before an ordinary draw. I actually wish I'd kept all of them now as I think TW needs to monitor this.

I've opened the 2nd packet now and WILL be keeping all these and returning them if it prove to be necessary. I do hope the last lot were just an unlucky Friday afternoon batch, it happens; but I'm starting to think that I might have to retire the C and go back to the T which I am very sad about. And for the time being I think I'm going to have to refrain from recommending it

[Lettie22]

Tara, I really hope the first batch were duds and that you have much better luck with the new ones!  I, like the many others, really like it; but I can understand how you feel!

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Paulette

[8Ball]

Hi Tara.  I feel so bad for you.   I was one of the first to give the "C" a good review, and have never encountered any of the problems you're having.  I know you're using juice that you got from Pufferfish, and I know she's not having any problems vaping that in her "C".  Frankly I'm at a loss.  The only thing I can think at this point is that, like you said, you must have just got a bad lot of attys.  If you have the same experience with the next lot of "C" attys it might be worth returning them to TW to see if they can figure out anything.  I know I've seen others who are not getting much juice through these (although none who are having it quite as bad as you), so maybe there needs to be some sorting out done on these.  Anyway, sorry you're having such a bad go with them.