problem with coil resistance decreasing with use

[Fiddlesticks]

hi all,

sorry i posted this here, but i don't have enough access yet to post elsewhere...

this past weekend, i rebuilt a couple vivi novas (the kind with the screw-on coil heads, not the "rebuildable tank") using stainless steel mesh for the wick and kanthal wire for the coil. initial performance was great, producing lots of vapor and flavor, but i noticed that the coil resistance has steadily decreased the more i used the coil heads i built.

initial resistance reading on my provari was 2.2 ohms. after vaping 9 to 10, maybe 12ml, resistance is now 0.9 ohms. the vivi nova is getting pretty hot, but my device hasn't thrown me an e3 error code yet. it has, however, thrown me e2 error codes aplenty, and i've had to bring my voltage down each time.

would anyone have a clue why the resistance is dropping? any suggestions to resolve this issue would be greatly appreciated!

 

[yzer]

Wow, that's quite a drop in resistance. I use Smoktech LR cartos for about 15-20 ml and the coil resistance never drops more than 0.1 ohm.

 

[Gatillero1980]

E2s and resistance dropping mean that the coil and the SS mesh are shorting out, creating shorter path for the current to go through, you can build a new coil (12ml seems like a good deal of vaping for your rebuilt heads) and make sure you oxidize the SS a little more (like a LOT more).

Hope it helps.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

E2s and resistance dropping mean that the coil and the SS mesh are shorting out, creating shorter path for the current to go through, you can build a new coil (12ml seems like a good deal of vaping for your rebuilt heads) and make sure you oxidize the SS a little more (like a LOT more).

Hope it helps.

thanks for the reply!

that's what i suspected. i was expecting my device to give me an e1 error if that was the case, though.

i'll try oxidizing my wick some more... i'm too lazy to roll a new one, so i'll just pull out the one in there and work on that hopefully, more oxidizing will solve the problem. i think i'll just do this on the gas stove. otherwise, it's gonna take a whole lot of butane on my torch.

 

[JUDGMENT AFFIRMED]

Less than 1 ohm, time to get ride of from what ive read.
Good luck to you, sounds like your doing great. I just started using the Vivi, so your ahead of me.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

I just started using the Vivi, so your ahead of me.

didn't take that long to move to the next level! i only started vaping less than 4 months ago...

the next level is rebuilding the coil heads with silica wick. then it's on to stainless steel mesh! good times, good times!

 

[K-rad]

I would say the wick is developing a layer of carbon that why this is occurring

 

[JUDGMENT AFFIRMED]

didn't take that long to move to the next level! i only started vaping less than 4 months ago...

the next level is rebuilding the coil heads with silica wick. then it's on to stainless steel mesh! good times, good times!

You might want to try cotton also.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

I would say the wick is developing a layer of carbon that why this is occurring

i didn't know that carbon is electrically conductive... is there a way to counter that effect?

 

[Gatillero1980]

Gas stove is fine, i oxidize the wicks for my genesis atomizers using it and i usually have no problems at all.

Oh, and 'brushing' your coils by dry burning them to make sure all of them glow red is important too.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

Oh, and 'brushing' your coils by dry burning them to make sure all of them glow red is important too.

i think that was the trick. i have a new coil at 2.3 ohms... made it glow at 5 volts, five seconds at a time, about 20 times. vaped 3ml so far and resistance is holding steady at 2.3 ohms.

funny how i never saw any mention of "brushing" the coil in any of my research before getting into rebuilding.

thanks again!

 

[Gatillero1980]

i think that was the trick. i have a new coil at 2.3 ohms... made it glow at 5 volts, five seconds at a time, about 20 times. vaped 3ml so far and resistance is holding steady at 2.3 ohms.

funny how i never saw any mention of "brushing" the coil in any of my research before getting into rebuilding.

thanks again!

Awesome!

Yeah, one time I heard somebody saying 'brushing' and the term just made sense.

 

[steved5600]

Nest time you rewick try the cigarette paper method. You still do the oxidation thing but then you take a small piece of cigarette paper and wrap it around the mesh where you are going to wrap your coil. You use a dab of juice or water to make it stick and then wrap your coil and install the mesh wick then do a dry burn until the paper has burned off. That will leave a small gap between the coil and wick and lessen the chance of shorting against the wick. I've done it it makes the whole thing easier. Just make sure the paper is not soaked and that the tank is empty so you can get the dry burn. Seems to help.