Another protank thread

[ionian]

I know this has come up a lot recently, so apologies for making another thread on the gurgletastic protank 2. Let me set the scene:

I've had a bad bad day vaping wise. My protank started leaking, I swapped the coil and it still leaked - both were factory made. I wasted a whole tank of red astaire cleaning and retrying before it went in my bag and I swapped to a back-up iclear 16. Feeling optimistic, I finished work early, came home and tried to make an ekowool coil.

At this point I need to state that I've read Super-Shiny's excellent microcoil guide, but if don't have the right wire for it at the moment, and there are lots of other guides (almost certainly not as good ) which talk through a usual 4 or 5 wrap 0.2mm coil which seem to work with success. 

my ekowool coil was the usual disaster, tasted like socks, so I tried a 0.2 silica wick, doubled over and 5 wraps, put it in a mini protank and success! A great vape. I was so happy. So I cleaned the problematic protank, recoiled another 3 the same way, and filled up again with red astaire. 

You can guess what happened - every single one leaked. I tried adding flavour wicks, taking them away, swapping posts, swapping rubber bungs, but nothing, absolutely nothing, worked. Another 3 ml of juice found it's way up the air pipe and out the bottom of the coil. 

God I feel like a cigarette, and I haven't said that for over 2 months. 

I don't understand how this can happen with this one tank. I have another protank, it's got JTR in it, same pg/VG ratio, and it's fine. It has to be one of two things:
1. theres a problem with all of the coil units
2. Theres a critical flaw with the protank itself

i am going to vape the kit that works tonight, order myself some thicker wire, and have one last go with a microcoil before it goes in the bin and I switch to something else - though goodness knows what. 

Sorry for the RAH thread - I'm really fed up with it. 

[Carpe Vapor]

Make sure the air holes in the screw part aren't blocked - alas that's all I can contribute though

[Super-Shiny]

ionian i would suggest atm to use a single 2mm Silica wick with your chosen wraps of coil and put 2-3 strands of the 2mm silica wicks on top as flavor/leaking bedding.

Whilst doing that order some 0.25 Kanthal and do the Microcoil/Cotton as per my guide.

I know it is frustrating but you will get there m8, trust me on this.

If all hell breaks loose just send the heads to me and i will build your heads until you are sorted.

[ionian]

Thanks Super-Shiny - I'm determined to crack it, but if things get desperate I'll pop you a PM, that's a very generous offer.

I'm trying to understand how reducing the wicking material will solve this problem - it's leaking with premade heads and my own builds, and surely the wicks act as a plug, so reducing the material in there will increase the juice in the tube? Or have I missed something? I really want to understand what the issue is so I can solve it!

[Super-Shiny]

Dec 6, 2013 19:52:26 GMT ionian said:

Thanks Super-Shiny - I'm determined to crack it, but if things get desperate I'll pop you a PM, that's a very generous offer.

I'm trying to understand how reducing the wicking material will solve this problem - it's leaking with premade heads and my own builds, and surely the wicks act as a plug, so reducing the material in there will increase the juice in the tube? Or have I missed something? I really want to understand what the issue is so I can solve it!

Wick can only hold so much until it needs to let some leak out, bit like tissue, it will hold water for so long until it needs to leak some water off it.

A lot of it is to do with pressure as well in the tank, as with all liquids it is trying to find a way out so also the thickness of the liquid has a lot to do with it, the thicker the liquid the less it will find a way out, the thinner the liquid the easier it will find a way.

I.e the thicker the wick the more it will hold the thinner juice, the thinner the wick it will hold the thicker juice.

It's a reason i stick too 60pg/40vg, you get to understand what wick you need to handle the ratio.

Finding the balance is the key, less likely though with cotton as it absorbs and holds it better then wick.

That is my experience anyway

[ionian]

Well, the wire's ordered so I'll keep calm and try the micro coils.

Thanks for your help as always!

[djs]

I feel for you, I really do.

I was in the original queue for the Protank 1 (pre-order) and have used that tank on and off for 6 months+. It has to be kept upright and 50% full all the time.

I think the factory heads are unpredicatable, one of the reasons I am trying iClear30s. (when I get them).

Mostly, I use mini tanks and suffer no problems at all...which is great for out and about, but not ideal for home.

However - and here's the help (if it is any...) if you do have (or order) some silica wick, you can simply put some of it in Protank heads that leak through a lack of thickness in factory-made stuff.

I bought a smok ARO and it drove me INSANE. I tried lots of things. In the end, I cut a chunk of 2.5mm wick off and stuck it the head instead of slim flavour wicks. Problem solved. (Total of nearly 5mm of wick in that now....)

Last weekend I hand-wrapped a Protank head (no drill bits or similar) and then laid 3 strands of 1mm wick on top of 2.5mm silica.
It's only 1.2 ohms so vapes at a crazy 13-14 watts on 4.1v battery. You'd think it could never wick fast enough....but it does. That's 5.5mm of wick in there!!

Leaking and me are now strangers.... touch wood.

(Try a C major scale on a Piano.... that's wood and Ionian too....)

[ionian]

Thanks djs - My mini tanks seem a lot more reliable for some reason. The heads come out of the same packets that I use for the full sized ones, but I have little or no problems with them. I only use them at home, but all my tanks are kept upright - even when out and about I do my best to ensure they stay vertical.

I have finally got mrs lords custard cream in a mini pt to work this evening - my JTR tank started to taste dry, I swapped the head and it's just the same. Maybe my taste buds are screwed as well.

I'll get the hang of it - but it makes modal improvisation seem simple...

[seniorphil]

I have an evod that leaks and gurgles on heads that work fine on everything else. After washing it out and recoiling the head I was priming it by sucking without the power on, and it started it's gurgling and spitting juice into my mouth. I took it apart again and the chimney(if that's what it's called) was drenched, but when I opened it up to check the coil area that was dry. So the juice was leaking between the rubber seal and the chimney while I had been cocentrating on the wick.
My solution to this was initially to put a small bit of cotton wool on the post under the rubber seal. This effectively raises the rubber seal so that it makes a tight seal with the chimney. I now use a small o-ring. Any gurgling/leaking I've had on evods or protanks Ive done this and they work perfect again.

[chykensa]

ionian - it is the most frustrating part of this vaping business, leaks and gurgling. You've had such good advice above that I have nothing to add apart from my moral support!
I had a purple patch a few weeks ago when every head I made either leaked or was not feasible due to an erratic ohm rating. Taking a bit of extra care when constructing and winding on a needle through the flamed Ekowool seemed to solve the problems I was getting, but I'm not quite sure how!
Keep us posted, and if we can help you we will. You WILL get there in the end

Thank the lucky stars you are not called Phrygian!!

[ionian]

I decided to get some iclear30s this morning for some hassle free vaping over Xmas. I'll keep at the coiling, and I have a couple of RBAs on the slowboat so hopefully it'll all come good eventually.

[seniorphil]

If you can, try to get to a vape meet. I made my first coil the morning after sitting watching(and asking questions) someone else. I'll have my recoiling gear with me tonight, to show a newbie or two as payback.

[ionian]

Thanks seniorphil - I had hoped to come today, but just couldn't make it. I hope to get to the next meet.

A little update - I'm a glutton for punishment, so when I fancied a change in flavour I tried a quick coil as described above - a single 0.2 wick with two strands as flavour wick. At first I thought I'd cracked it, although flavour and vapour production were reduced, but after a half hour it started leaking.

I decided to have a go with cotton wool instead with a regular coil. I wrapped my 5 wraps around a small rolled piece. Immediate improvement in vapour and taste. It's been about 15 minutes - so far no leaking but it's early days yet...

[spikus]

Fingers crossed !!

[Carpe Vapor]

Happened to me today on a protank 3.

Fixed by simply putting a spare rubber cap from a used coil head over top of the existing rubber cap. Screw the base down good - No more gurgling/leaking.