In view of the fact that the cigarettes I used to smoke were about $1.50 a pack...and I smoked 2-3 PAD...I don't especially consider cartos as "cheap". After all..I'm trying to SAVE money! Even if only to spend it on more vaping toys! I've been trying to figure out how to extend the life of my cartos using the tanks. In view of the fact that I probably run around 8-10ml. through a tank a day, it's been a bit challenging. Brockadams might be a "heavy vaper", but I've got him beat (I do admit my nic level is very low, and I do DIY, probably contributing to the vast quantities). If I'm doing things other than being online I can stretch it out more. But since I'm mostly online...well. You see my problem. I had read a lot of threads about using the tanks, and looked up various YouTube vids and read lots of reviews and whatnot, and thought I'd figured out the ins and outs. But I was wrong. I am learning things all the time.
1.) Fill the carto before putting it in the tank. I thought that was a step I didn't need to worry about. After all..that's what the hole is for, right? I'd just squirt a little in and carry merrily on. Apparently that was a bad plan. FILL THE CARTO FIRST!
2.) Priming. Now, no one (until recently) ever told me a thing about "priming". I've been using tanks since last February and it was new to me. I knew about "priming" with atties. But cartotanks? Yeah. Okay, so now I know to prime by taking an occasional hit without hitting the button to encourage the juice to go in the carto and wet the coil. Watch for bubbles. You want to see 'em. Listen for the "crackle" when vaping...be assured that wick is WET!
3.) Avoid leaving juice and carto in the tank overnight. Lots of people apparently do it, but it doesn't seem to work out well for me, no matter if I lay the tank down or prop it upright. I drain out whatever remaining juice from the tank with a syringe (I put it back in my needle top bottle) then remove the cartomizer, wipe it down and put condoms on it (covering the hole, too). For bedtime vaping I'll use an EMSCC. In the morning I top of the carto with juice again, and refill the tank.
My first forays into seriously using the cartotanks were frustrating. I seemed to be lucky to get maybe 2 days (max) life out of my cartomizers. That, to me, was not practical or economical. I want my cartos to last at LEAST 4 days constant use, and preferably a week (even more if the stars line up right). My current "tips" are helping me. A lot. I've managed to increase the life of my cartos in the tanks significantly. Not earth shaking...but every little step towards efficiency helps!
