I think I just destroyed 3 510 atomizers...

[sjohnson]

We will have a differing opinion here- unless you have very soft water. Even with a blow off it will stiffen the wick when dried, and whatever deposits left over will get to the atomizer and be inhaled.

Your call. But after watching the medical controversy surrounding ultrasonic humidifiers I take no chances.

In all seriousness, do you not wash your clothing in water then? A tee-shirt washed and rinsed in water, then allowed to air dry will stiffen. Consider the area of the tee-shirt with respect to the area of the atomizer and the fact you are in constant contact with the shirt, breathing whatever gets "knocked off" of the shirt throughout the day.

Also, the only references to ultrasonic humidifiers regarding health that I can find speak of "humidifier fever" and indicate the underlying cause is most likely bacterial, viral or amoebal infection via breathing atomized water containing those micro-organisms.

Do you have any links to information other than "humidifier fever" that address deposit inhalation?

 

[cozzicon]

In all seriousness, do you not wash your clothing in water then? A tee-shirt washed and rinsed in water, then allowed to air dry will stiffen. Consider the area of the tee-shirt with respect to the area of the atomizer and the fact you are in constant contact with the shirt, breathing whatever gets "knocked off" of the shirt throughout the day.

Also, the only references to ultrasonic humidifiers regarding health that I can find speak of "humidifier fever" and indicate the underlying cause is most likely bacterial, viral or amoebal infection via breathing atomized water containing those micro-organisms.

Do you have any links to information other than "humidifier fever" that address deposit inhalation?

Yes...

http://www.aerias.org/desktopmodules/articledetail.aspx?articleid=99

HEALTH - HEALTH - Personal Health - NYTimes.com

Ultrasonic humidifiers may be a health hazard - Nutrition Health Review Articles | Find Articles at CBS MoneyWatch.com

And from wikipedia:

"The EPA provides detailed information of the risks as well as recommended maintenance procedures[1]. If the tap water contains a lot of minerals, also known as hard water, then the ultrasonic or impeller humidifiers will produce a "white dust" (calcium is the most common mineral in tap water), which usually spreads over furniture, and is attracted to static electricity generating devices such as CRT monitors. The white dust can usually be prevented by using distilled water and a demineralization cartridge in ultrasonic humidifiers."

In light of these articles, I'll re-assert my advice to not use tap water in cleaning an atomizer for the following reasons:

1. All minerals left behind are concentrated on the atomizer when it dries.

2. All minerals on the atomizer can be then inhaled into the lungs.

3. There have been reported health problems with the "White dust" associated with airborn minerals from humidifiers.

4. If perchance the minerals never make it off the atomizer and into your lungs- they aren't good for the atomizer for the following reasons:

1. They deposit onto the wick.
2. They stiffen the wick
3. They may change the taste of the juice.
4. The buildup over time is an unknown.
5. There are no examples of medical devices designed for inhalation using tap water for cleaning.
6. Chlorine and fluoridation in some water supplies.

So based on the above examples, seriously, if you aren't going to buy into isopropyl alcohol (which is fine by me) please consider using distilled water, or at least water purified by reverse osmosis, to clean your atomizer.

 

[Acheron]

thats why i use Everclear.. 95% alcohol...

 

[sjohnson]

Unfortunately, while an ultrasonic humidifier may produce a dust (that may or may not be problematic, the jury is out according to the links), other means of humidifying air are not reported as producing the same dust. An atomizer is not an ultrasonic device, so how a line can be drawn between the two escapes me.

To each their own. Again, do you wash your clothing in water?

 

[cozzicon]

Unfortunately, while an ultrasonic humidifier may produce a dust (that may or may not be problematic, the jury is out according to the links), other means of humidifying air are not reported as producing the same dust. An atomizer is not an ultrasonic device, so how a line can be drawn between the two escapes me.

To each their own. Again, do you wash your clothing in water?

No.. I use isopropyl alcohol.

*punt!*

"He that has ears, let him hear"- Jesus Christ.

 

[tarazarr]

I wash my dishes with only distilled water.... My shower only uses distilled water... and I buy 5 gallons of it to fill my washing machine so I can do laundry in a clean room enviroment.... I only boil my pasta and brew my coffe with distilled water......but as far as the atty....I just rinse it out with tap water and live dangerously.....

Cozzi... I know you mean well, ... to each his own though

I highly doubt that for people who probably inhaled over 4,000 bad chemicles multiple times a day for years on end, are really that concerned with a few trace amounts of mineral "deposits" from the tap water they probably drink all day long....

 

[cozzicon]

I wash my dishes with only distilled water.... My shower only uses distilled water... and I buy 5 gallons of it to fill my washing machine so I can do laundry in a clean room enviroment.... I only boil my pasta and brew my coffe with distilled water......but as far as the atty....I just rinse it out with tap water and live dangerously.....

Cozzi... I know you mean well, ... to each his own though

I highly doubt that for people who probably inhaled over 4,000 bad chemicles multiple times a day for years on end, are really that concerned with a few trace amounts of mineral "deposits" from the tap water they probably drink all day long....

Well- I inhaled those chemicals for 30 years... and yes I'm concerned about it. And *blink* so are others.

 

[tarazarr]

that's why they say.... the most obnoxious non smokers in the world, are ..... ex-smokers...

 

[cozzicon]

that's why they say.... the most obnoxious non smokers in the world, are ..... ex-smokers...

Agreed. You've proven at least that.

 

[mriekena]

Are you using JoyE 510 atomizers? I have noticed with this method, the offbrand knock-offs don't do so well. Offbrand atomizers use, IMO, a cheaper wicking material, and the finsh/paint tends to flake or sluff off in alcohol. These ones also tend to have a bad taste for the first few uses after cleaning no matter what I do for a drying method. I have had none of these problems with the JoyE atomizers, making them well worth the slight extra cost. I have been purchasing mine from Liberty-Flights for about $30 per 5 pack wich seems to be a good price (make sure to click on the 20% discount icon at the top of the screen), and they are very quick to ship as well as having outstanding customer service.

 

[markmcs]

"Rubbing alcohol" often contains ingredients other than alcohol and water. Those other ingredients may be causing the bad taste and even leave a harmful residue. Check the label to be sure it has only isopropyl alcohol and purified water in it. I'm only just learning to vape and maintain my equipment, but I felt from reading the many posts about cleaning attys, that some people may not be aware there is a difference.

 

[silkakc]

You are right... this will work. However, you need to use distilled water- or you will vape the minerals in the water (bad). It's the same reason that humidifier makers who use ultrasonic elements include a resin bag in the water path to leech out the minerals (because breathing them is baaaaad).

But if done with distilled water, the method works. However, it leeches the juice off slower, but can be vaped before completely dry.

Whatever works for you.

If I boiled distilled water and shot it through the atty with a blue bulb syringe every night- would that be sufficient? What if I added vinegar to the boiled water?

Thanks,
Lori

 

[Jim211]

yea your pass through will blow a lr atty in a heartbeat. As far as cleaning i boil and dry burn and it works most of the time, but I did blow a few atties in the dry burn stage because i let them get red hot

 

[NCC]

I'm not too frequent a cleaner. But, I've used 99% (yep, 99) Isopropyl alcohol a number of times. I've let my atomizers soak in it for hours, swishing them around periodically in the soak. Rinsed with water, blew them out with compressed air and then air dry for 10-15 minutes. No alcohol taste, no damage to the attys.

 

[kenbad]

Ive been soaking in 90% iso for a few minutes, flushing good with it then blowing them out with the ol' air compressor, works good and instant gratification! be careful though with the compressed air, might physically break the atty

 

[JeffTM]

Something very similar happened to me when I soaked it in isopropyl alcohol for about 15 minutes and dried it overnight. I put 2-3 drops in, tried to vape, and got nothing. I almost threw the atty out and then thought I may as well try a few more drops. I put about three more drops in and was getting plumes of vapor. Gotta make sure it has enough liquid.

 

[vincentk18]

Repriming = up to 8 drops?

Okay, so I'm not going crazy? YAY!

I thought 3-4 drops ALWAYS did the trick, but every time I clean my attys, I find I need to put a buttload more than normal to get it going again, and each time I can't figure out WHY haha.

This little tidbit of information is MASSIVELY important, because just like JeffTM, I thought my atty was ruined when I got zero vapor from 4 drops. 8-10 drops did the trick. This info should be more widely circulated for the newbies. I think I'll go make a thread in that forum

 

[breaktru]

I clean my attys maybe twice a week with a rinse of warm water under the faucet. Once every two weeks with a drop of dishwashing liquid and rinse with tap water. I rarely soak them and if I do it's like two minutes in warm soapy tap water. Unless you are using Menthol or a strong flavor like Coconut.
I have done this a hundred times, and my attys are super clean inside, like new. Don't even let them sit to dry. Just Blow, rinse, blow several times and dab inside with a small end of a paper towel, prime and use it.

 

[humpty]

So er, what is it in the atty that alcohol can clean that hot water can't ?

 

[breaktru]

Maybe if your using an oil base liquid the alcohol would work better. Most of my flavors are not oil based so water works good for me.