Genesis Atomizer... What is the science behind it?

[shortpballer]

My question is what is the science behind a genesis style atomizer? How does it wick? Is it suction from when you pull air through? Is it the electricity from the coils pulling it up the mesh? Is it just simply the mesh wicks upward as it dries out due to the coil?

Sorry if this is basic, but trying to think of better builds and need to understand what it is that makes a genesis atomizer wick.

Thanks in advance,
Eric

 

[boathook]

With a Stainless Steel mesh wick, the idea is that it should truly wick, meaning it will use capillary action to pull the liquid UP the piece of mesh to the coil. Although sometimes, for me, it does help to tilt when nearing the end of the tank.

Cotton doesn't seem to allow for such great capillary action, so one usually tilts the mod and atty in order to allow the liquid to get a helping hand from our good old friend named gravity. Then you enjoy the beautiful clean flavor of vaping with cotton.

I have no personal experience with materials other than those described above for wicks in a Genesis atomizer.

 

[shortpballer]

Thank You very this... Think I understand, so basically smaller holes in the mesh will produce a faster wicking rate? Correct...

 

[Rmcgloth]

Not necessarily. It also depends on the density of the roll. For example, some use a tight wick with quite a bit of material, others like petark use an L shape to plug the bottom and have the majority hollow. Capillary action is the key, as you can also use wire rope or even a fine threaded screw. Cotton wicks more slowly because the capillaries are wound up and confused, so it has to cross fibers instead of running up them.

 

[DDN79]

I have all but abandoned using mesh. Stainless rope with a ekowool topper is the only way to fly. Way easier to setup and easier for me to deal with the dredded hot leg. No more tilt either.

 

[Thrasher]

something else that adds to the wicking rate. how was the wick prepared? did it get oxidized or is it clean. several factors like already spoken of are in play. the wick uses capillary action to start, the coil causes vapor to form and this also helps the wick draw up more fluid. you can see the wicking in action with mesh, when you first fill the tank on a new dry wick set it under a bright light and you can see the fluid creep up the wick.

in high wattage mechanical builds the mesh may have problems keeping up and the tank needs tilting, in low wattage VV builds the wick if prepared correctly can keep up no problem.

what really is astonishing is the effectiveness of the genesis design at delivering nicotine, what seems like not enough in a clearo will almost always be too much in a geni.

 

[Arvidx]

I realize this does not explain the mechanics behind a mesh wick, but it takes the genisis setup a step further in the autodripper setup. There are definite advantages to using an autodripper, and the only real disadvantage to me, which is hardly a disadvantage, is that it needs to be inverted every half dozen to dozen vapes for a couple seconds. I do go in depth into how this setup works though, so it does have some 'theory' involved, just not one that takes advantage of 'capillary' action per se. Honestly, mesh just could not keep up with the heat I wanted.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...eaker-build-autodripper-genisis-platform.html

 

[Arvidx]

If you have the time and drive, this is the thread that definitively put 500 ss mesh in place as the standard and talks a lot about it. At some point it has rudely scientific tests done for wicking results comparing 325 400 500 and 625 mesh. Summary results were that vg and pg wicking speed increased going upward, with the 400 to 500 being relatively close and the 625 performing barely different than 500, yet 625 being prohibitively expensive in comparison.


http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modding-forum/330407-500-ss-mesh.html

 

[Rule62]

I'm no scientist; but here's my theory about mesh. The reason mesh works isn't because of the stainless steel material. It's because of the spaces in between the stainless steel. The metal itself doesn't absorb anything. The juice fills the holes in between the wire of the mesh. Sort of like soapy water adheres to the round hole in the middle of those bubble things we used as kids. As the heat from the coil vaporizes the juice at the top, more free spaces in the mesh become available for juice to climb up and fill.
The old theory was that heavier mesh would work better with juices with high VG content (above 50%), because the spaces in the mesh was bigger. At some point, this was dis-proven, and that the finer mesh actually wicked better. Most genny builders settled on 400, 500, or 625; but 625 doesn't wick better enough over 500 to justify the cost; at least for me.

 

[LeoRex]

Yep.. that's a good explanation... it's all about those gaps. Plus, there is capillary action in the margins between the layers of mesh, too.

As for the cotton... cotton soaks better than it wicks, if that makes any sense. And cotton also holds a lot more fluid... so a small, short wick (in the auto dripper) works well in applications where the juice doesn't have to travel long... But for greater distances, silica or mesh preform better.

 

[donnah]

With a Stainless Steel mesh wick, the idea is that it should truly wick, meaning it will use capillary action to pull the liquid UP the piece of mesh to the coil. Although sometimes, for me, it does help to tilt when nearing the end of the tank.

Cotton doesn't seem to allow for such great capillary action, so one usually tilts the mod and atty in order to allow the liquid to get a helping hand from our good old friend named gravity. Then you enjoy the beautiful clean flavor of vaping with cotton.

I have no personal experience with materials other than those described above for wicks in a Genesis atomizer.

I have to disagree... I used mesh for months and one day decided to try cotton in a genesis. I installed a micro coil and threaded cotton down into it, into the tank. For me, it wicks a lot better and it's not near as positional. I don't have to hold the wick towards me every time I vape and with the setup below, it doesn't leak when it's layed on it's side. Draping the wick over the side of the coil, like shown, is the trick, or at least for me it has been. I'll never use mesh again. For me, cotton is way easier to deal with, wicks much better and has better (or at least comparable) flavor.

 

[boathook]

Draping the wick over the side of the coil, like shown, is the trick, or at least for me it has been.

Welp, now I have to yank my wick and give this a shot! Is this yarn like Peaches & Cream or is this loose cotton/cotton ball?

 

[donnah]

Welp, now I have to yank my wick and give this a shot! Is this yarn like Peaches & Cream or is this loose cotton/cotton ball?

It's a cotton ball

 

[Discord]

I've recently had amazing success with cotton in a genny by building my coil horizontal over the top of the wick hole, usually very close to it, then wicking out from both sides of the coil, down into the wick hole. Haven't had a dry hit in ages, don't need to tilt like I tend to with mesh and SS cable.

 

[donnah]

I've recently had amazing success with cotton in a genny by building my coil horizontal over the top of the wick hole, usually very close to it, then wicking out from both sides of the coil, down into the wick hole. Haven't had a dry hit in ages, don't need to tilt like I tend to with mesh and SS cable.

I tried horizontal but I like vertical better. I have to twist the cotton to feed it down into the coil and then use needle nose tweezers to grasp it when it comes out the bottom of the coil and feed it down into the tank. I may have to try horizontal again...

 

[LeoRex]

Yeah.... I loved the cotton that I tried in my RSST. But it got to be a little bit of a pain since at the time, I was vaping some NET juice... which REALLY fouled that cotton fairly quickly. A well-built genny will go through a rather impressive amount of juice in a short time, so that is unavoidable I guess. I have other juices that are far more wick friendly, so I might give those a go when I fire my RSST back up.