Tank and carto question

[Nibiru]

Hi everyone.

I have recently been giving the tank and carto combination a go instead of the clearomisers.

I prefer the vapor and taste but I find after a while I have to top up the carto directly before it dries out.

The tank just doesn't feed juice naturally into the carto from the punched hole (I did this myself using a Siam mod punch with 4-5 full turns and I fill the tank to about 80% with one of the special filling tips as opposed to removing the top cap). I rarely get any bubbles from general vaping i.e. inhaling. But if I blow through the DT and carto, bubbles do rise through the punched hole easily. I'm careful not to overdo this and flood it.

Is this what I am meant to be doing i.e. once the carto begins to dry out I need to sort of prime it with a few drops by blowing? Or is the hole not big enough? Or do I need a second hole. I have read quite a lot but I can't quite get this cleared up.

(I have used various cartos, they are all regular sized. And I use PG liquid which I guess is 80:20)

Any guidance much appreciated.

Nib

 

[Amish Ed]

Definitely sounds like you need another hole. I new to the carto tank myself, but the whole point is to not have to top it off. I know that the first time I put a carto in my tank I only had 2 holes, and had to top it off (using 30/70). Put 3 holes in the next one and not a problem since.

 

[JCJohn23]

If you are having to top it off it is not wicking fast enough. If your getting proper juice flow you should be able to vape as you like and not have it dry out. I went back and forth with this a lot. You would probably benefit from another hole. I watched a video pbusardo made about how he slots his cartomizers. I have found this to be the most effective. I can be vaping all i want and never have my carto dry up.

Thats the beauty of a tank! no more dripping! So if its not wicking well, and your topping off it kinda defeats the purpose. The juice your are using at 80pg/20vg should definitely not cause a wicking problem..

 

[Nibiru]

Thanks for the advice. I'll give a second hole a try and take it from there. Always good videos from Pbusardo, but for the moment I don't have the tools for slotting.

Cheers

Nib

 

[RichoVonBlack]

If you are having to top it off it is not wicking fast enough. If your getting proper juice flow you should be able to vape as you like and not have it dry out. I went back and forth with this a lot. You would probably benefit from another hole. I watched a video pbusardo made about how he slots his cartomizers. I have found this to be the most effective. I can be vaping all i want and never have my carto dry up.

Thats the beauty of a tank! no more dripping! So if its not wicking well, and your topping off it kinda defeats the purpose. The juice your are using at 80pg/20vg should definitely not cause a wicking problem..

Good point, either slotting ( pbusardo ) or a second hole should help, keep experimenting, 2 holes is my sweet spot, never tried slotting as of yet.

 

[Faylool]

I'd rather prime my carto every now and then than flood it. Sometimes, depending on your juice thickness and all that you can't win either way. Fiddle sticks

 

[Baditude]

I find after a while I have to top up the carto directly before it dries out.

Once set up correctly, you shouldn't need to top off the carto again up until its time to replace it. That's the point of using a cartotank: trouble-free vaping for an entire tankfull of juice.

Are you putting enough juice into the pre-punched carto before putting it into the tank? The polyfill material should end up having the appearance of a slushy drink. I typically put a wooden tooth pick into the center air hole to prevent any juice getting in there.

Once you have been using a carto in a tank and happen to look at the polyfill (after removing the drip tip), it WILL appear to look dry, this IS normal in appearance. The top of the polyfill never stays as wet as when you first topped it off, but doing so when first setting up the carto seems to make a difference for how it will function thereafter.

The tank just doesn't feed juice naturally into the carto from the punched hole (I did this myself using a Siam mod punch with 4-5 full turns and I fill the tank to about 80% with one of the special filling tips as opposed to removing the top cap). I rarely get any bubbles from general vaping i.e. inhaling. But if I blow through the DT and carto, bubbles do rise through the punched hole easily. I'm careful not to overdo this and flood it.

I occassionally need to do 1-3 "primer puffs", ie. inhales without pressing the power button, to move more juice into the cartomizer. I don't recommend blowing into the drip tip with the tank still connected to the battery device; blowing into a paper towel is generally a maneuver to do when there are symptoms of flooding, the opposite problem from what you are experiencing.

Is this what I am meant to be doing i.e. once the carto begins to dry out I need to sort of prime it with a few drops by blowing? Or is the hole not big enough? Or do I need a second hole.
(I have used various cartos, they are all regular sized. And I use PG liquid which I guess is 80:20)

I have found that cartotanking has a learning curve. There is a period of trial and error initially until we find what works best for us. Typically, I recommend to new cartotankers to purchase pre-punched cartomizers while they learn the ins and outs of using their tanks. Doing this helps eliminate one of the factors that can go wrong for a beginner. Once you learn the ropes of the other stuff, you can try your hand at punching your own should you wish.

I have gone back from punching my own to purchasing the laser-drilled cartos from Ikenvape and Smoktek. They give me consistancy carto to carto.

The mostly pg liquid that you have been using should be thin enough to only require one self-punched hole, but then I haven't seen the size hole that you punched. After refilling a second tankfull, you will notice the draw on inhale to get stiffer or tighter. The polyfill tends to collect unvaped particles from the juice and become clogged, more quickly the darker the juice is. This is the time to consider changing out for a new cartomizer.

 

[immortalmayhem]

your carto is clogged since it is using sponge type material to keep the liquid in the carto. It all depends on what juices you use as each flavor is different. some flavors clog the carto way faster then others. For example coffee type flavors colg the carto real fast. that's one draw back of it.

 

[Nibiru]

Thanks again for the great responses. A few tips and tricks in there for me to keep on and up the learning curve Just to add some more info.

Initial carto fill has been both by the condom and drip spin method (about 20-30 drops at a guess), I then leave it to soak for about 10 mins or so and it does look like a slushy, so I think my carto prep is good.

Will definitely buy a pack of toothpicks, although I'm not having trouble with flooding but its good to know.

I'll also give a pack of the laser drilled cartos a go, at least it will tell me if it's a problem with my punching. Although my method, tool and appearance of the punched hole is as per the Siam mod video. So the next carto will get 2 holes to see how that goes.

My primary liquid, and the only one I've used in the carto and tank so far is a vanilla and menthol mix from Decadent, it seems pretty light and thin with a slight orange color hence why I tried just one hole initially. And I would hope this shouldn't clog up after just one 3ml tank. Maybe I'll give a pure menthol liquid a go as well, cant get much clearer and lighter than that I guess. Whereas a mint choc chip ice cream was suuper think in my clearo.

Thanks all.

Nib