New user - help needed

[Stan]

Hi - I've been lurking for a few days and the natives seem friendly... so I have a few questions which I hope you can help with.

I recently bought a Tornado kit from TECC, it arrived very quickly so I've been trying it for the last few days. I also have some 18mg B&H from OK smokey.

Main problem is - I sometimes get a quite nasty plastic taste which burns the throat - quite scary as I know there are lots of toxins in burnt plastic.

At first I thought it was because the cart was too dry. So most of the time I top up so it is almost flooded. This seems better but sometimes I still get the bad taste. I've noticed that some of the fibres from the filling stick above the top of the cart slightly - could this be the cause? I have been using a new cart each day.

The other problem is with inconsistent vapour - sometimes its very good - smooth with a slghtly sweet taste, which I like. Other times its like dragging on a Silk Cut Ultra (do they still exist?).

When its working well I really like it - and have little or no desire for a real cig. Even with the taste problems I'm down to under 10 a day which is half my normal amount.

If I can get over the burnt plastic problem then I think this could be the answer for me (have tried most of the other NRT's - found them very easy to give up!) - so any help would be much appreciated.

Also I find the pre-filled carts only last for about the equivalent of 2, maybe 3 cigs. Is this normal - most of the ads I've seen for e-cigs suggest a cartridge is equivalent to anything between 8 - 20 cigarettes.

One other question - I'm confused with the numbers - I think my Tornado is a 510, so does that mean that 510 parts from any supplier will be suitable?

Thanks,
Stan

[jimmybat]

hi stan not being a tornado owner i might not get it right but will try the last question first simply the 510 simply refers to to the fact the 510 bits will fit it.....
the burn taste normally happens when the cart is running dry but the tornado might have some other curiosity's i am not aware of

James

[jimmybat]

lisa will be able to answer it more accurately

[knawes]

Hi Stan,

Welcome to the forum and good luck!

As a relative newbie, but the owner of a Tornado (and Riva, which is very similar) hopefully I'll be able to help a little.

First of all, there is no need to use a new cartridge every day. Just keep the same one, and top up with the juice you bought. I haven't used the pre-filled that came with the Tornado, I used one I already had. So what you might try is taking one of the "none" ones, take out the filling, wash it, dry it on some kitchen paper and then fill the cart yourself. Drip 5 or 6 drops in the cart, put the filling back in (straightened out paper clip is good or toothpick) then drip 2 or 3 drops in on top. You need to see it just glistening. If you can see a pool, tip it upside down and touch some kitchen roll with it, then put it back in your atomiser. The filling needs to be about 1/16th and inch from the top of the cart. Push any little strands down with your paperclip.

Now try again, and see what happens.

I have used the same cart and the same filling for the last 3 weeks. Admittedly I use a bit of blue filler I got, and Low Resistance atomisers as I need the bigger "hit and oomph" but the principle is the same.

The filler initially needs to be quite soaked, I think the plastic taste is because it's not wet enough.

Let us know how you get on.

Kath

[pixietricks]

Hallo Stan, drip a couple of drops onto your atomiser, this should get rid of the taste, your atomiser might be a little dry. The atomisers have a primer on them which you can taste at first. You don't need much or you will flood it. Hope this helps. Tornado is a good choice.

[Chrissie]

Hello & welcome Stan

I don't have a Tornado myself so not going to be as much help as Kath.

james is right, The Tornado takes 510 atomisers.

Pixie is also right. Some of the bad taste could be due to the primer in your atomisr. above all though, if the fibers from the filling are sticking up (& I think it may be these fibres that are causing the burnt tatse problem). That is due to you not topping up your cartridge with juice often enough.

[lisaf01]

Hi Stand and welcome.
Some fantastic advice here Stan.

Yes, all 510 type atomisers should fit on your device - there are a few different manufacturers of them out there but by and large, most should fit without issue. There are technical differences which can make a difference on some modified e-cigs but shouldn't make much difference on yours.

Apart from the fibres sticking up, there is one other thing that could be causing a nasty taste and that's little fibres under the bridge, right inside the atomiser. These only need to get slightly burnt from one vape without enough liquid and they cause a very nasty taste that's almost impossible to get out of the atomiser unless you remove these little fibres.

Do you have another atomiser that you can try out to see if it performs any differently for you?

[Stan]

Thanks for all your replies - very helpful. I think the fibres may be the cause. I tried a new atomiser and cart but got similar problems. The filling supplied with the carts is quite "wooly" and whatever I do there are always a few fibres sticking up.

After some googling I found a suggestion to use tea bag material, so I am now trying that. Early days yet but it does seem better - I really don't like the idea of sucking through polyester which is in contact with a hot element.

Has anybody tried using filters, as used for roll-ups?

Also, how often should I need to top-up? (in terms of number of draws). I have been topping up frequently to try and avoid the burning, but not sure if that is normal.

[Perpetua]

Hi Stan,

Yes several people do use quite happily rollie filters - they do suck up alot of juice as they're quite dense though.

I'd give James's blue foam filler a try if you're not happy with the white filler material.

paradisevapeuk.vstore.ca/product_info.php/pName/blue-foam-cart-filler

I'm top my carts up pretty regularly, for me it replaces the 'lighting up' ritual so it doesn't bother me, you can get other things that hold more juice, not using them I've no first hand knowledge of them ~ I'm sure Chris or one of the other more expert posters will explain.

[Stan]

Thanks perpetua - but for the moment I want to avoid any sort of plastic - the bad taste and burning throat nearly put me off using the e-cig completely - I can still taste it now. I think I will need some Rioja to mask the taste (purely for medicinal purposes of course).

[Perpetua]

Lol Stan

I think we all sort of tailor vaping to suit our own personal likes/dislikes and what suits one doesn't another.

My atomisers always take a bit of 'running in' until I can get rid of whatever it is that's on there from the manufacturing stage.

[Scylla]

Hi Stan, I haven't contributed because I don't have your model - but the problem does sound like a combo of too much primer and too little juice in the cart.

I have James's "blue stuff" - being lazy, I only change it once a day. When I rinse it out I notice there's been no damage whatsoever to the foam, so I don't think you need to worry about polywhatsit + heat in this instance.

scylla

[Hanow]

Hi Stan - good to meet you. I have a tornado, but by the time I got it, I had already been using a Riva (same thing really) for a number of weeks. With both I can get what you are describing from time to time. What I have found is that it required a bit of trial and error with all of the bits to 'get the good vape'. Even then, there are frustrating moments when it doesn't go to plan. It does sound as if maybe you have something stuck in the atomiser. Have you tired cleaning it out thoroughly and completely drying it? You cxan rinse them in hot water (swich them around) then put them in an oven dish and put in the oven (after you have turned the oven off and it has cooled down a little. Then start again with a freshly filled cart, and see if that is any better. I half fill my cart - stick the wad of whatever back in, and with tweezers squish it up and down a few times to ensure that the juice is absorbed throughout. Be sure to shove all of the stray strands back in, then top up with a couple more drops. I prepare about 8-10 of those per day, and that keeps me going with average, regular vaping. (I was a 25-30 a day smoker). Just a few more ideas for you to try. Good luck with it all. xx

[Stan]

Thanks for the tips hanow - I like the idea of filling a few carts in advance.

Well I think I may have found the cause of the burning plastic taste.... it's plastic burning.... !

The end of the tornado carts have 2 flats, giving a sort of oval shape rather than round. Also looking into the atomiser, the element is a rectangle shape, in plan view.

So unless the cart is correctly aligned, the flat part of the plastic can touch the atomiser. The most recent cart I have been using has definitely melted very slightly in a couple of places (slight "dents" right on the end), and I know it was perfectly smooth before using.

I've found that if I align the wider part of the cart end with the wider part of the element, then I don't get the really bad burning plastic taste. Just got it once today, when I forgot to align it.

(I do get a slight plastic/bitter taste if the cart gets a bit dry, but from some of the posts above that's normal, and its nothing like as bad as before.

I've now changed back to the standard filling (instead of the tea bag) just to prove to myself that the polyester filling wasn't part of the problem - seems ok so far.

Are there any carts available for the tornade that have a round end?

[Chrissie]

Stan, I've never been a 510 fan but think I've got a whole load of carts here that fit them. Just off to check them with the one 510 attie I've used if i can find the booger