New to vaping. Need advice on what to buy.

[doveman]

I received the replacement glass tubes for my mini Protank yesterday. I couldn't see how to separate the old broken one from the end pieces at first but my friend worked out that they were screwed to each other, so it was just a matter of unscrewing one end and then putting them on the new tube and screwing them back together. I've done this but notice a fair bit of thread is still visible and I don't know if it was like this on the old tube, so thought I'd best ask if this is normal before I try and use it. Maybe it's just the new tubes are a bit longer than the original one?

[babs]

No thread showing on any of my mini protanks maybe you cross threaded it when putting it back together or there is a small o-ring (I think) maybe that needs moving a bit. It's ages since I got mine so could be a design change since then if it's not leaking I wouldn't worry too much

[doveman]

Feb 23, 2014 9:18:14 GMT babs said:

No thread showing on any of my mini protanks maybe you cross threaded it when putting it back together or there is a small o-ring (I think) maybe that needs moving a bit. It's ages since I got mine so could be a design change since then if it's not leaking I wouldn't worry too much

Ah yes, it could be the o-ring out of place as one of them came out a bit when removing the old cracked tube. We pushed it back in but maybe not as far as it should be, so I'll see if I can adjust that. Thanks for the suggestion.

[doveman]

Well I couldn't seem to do anything about the thread showing, so can only assume that this is normal or that the tubes have just been made a bit longer than normal. It doesn't seem to be leaking anyway.

I'm having a problem of a burnt taste when using it though. I changed the head yesterday as the previous one seemed to have worn out and I cleaned everything under running water and left it to dry before refilling it, in case it was just one particular e-liquid that was giving the burnt taste but I'm still getting it with the current one as well. It's not really noticeable at first, more of an aftertaste but I can smell it in the tank as well. Could I have burnt the new head already by letting the level get too low? I'm still using 1ml samples so am trying to get the most out of them but I'm not running them dry and there's a few drops dripping out each time I empty them to refill. I've ordered some 10ml bottles anyway, so I won't be so worried about running out soon

[babs]

If you can smell anything in the tank then maybe you didn't clean well enough after burning it before. The best cheap way to clean the tank and head is get some denture tablets the cheap own brand is fine just not a mint one. You soak the head and tank not the protank base though in the solution for about 30 mins then rinse under a running tap. Alternatively you can use vodka but that's a waste lol.

[doveman]

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have drunk so much of the vodka. That's my excuse for my failure to understand quite clear instructions anyway, as by "protank base" I thought you mean the battery and forgot that the head unscrews from the base (despite having only replaced it the day before!) so stuck the base in the vodka as well

Is it going to be salvagable from whatever damage I've done to it or will I just have to buy a new tank?

[babs]

Oops lol maybe the battery will dry out ok depends how long it was in the vodka. It will take a few days though warm dry place not hot.

[doveman]

I didn't put the battery in the vodka, just the base of the tank that the head screws into

I was getting to the end of my samples from Smoke Rainbow so bought a pack of 3 from Euphoric Vaping. euphoricvaping.com/product/3x10ml-intense-e-liquid-multi-pack/

The Vanilla was pretty flavourless, not offensive but not enjoyable either (my favourite so far I think has been the Fruit Salad from Smoke Rainbow), the Tutti Frutti was disgusting though and tasted of perfume or air freshener! I'm trying the RY4 now, which is OK but I'm probably still getting a bit of the nasty flavour from the Tutti Frutti coming through, so I should probably clean my iclear16 as well to give it a fair chance, so could you advise the correct way to do that please (i.e. which bits I can stick in vodka!)

If I haven't damaged the protank by sticking that part in vodka and it's OK to use, then I should try the RY4 in that to give it an untainted test as well. I think I prefer the cooler vape from the protank compared to the iclear anyway.

[babs]

It's fine to put the base of the protank into the vodka. Once it's dried it's good to use again. I don't have iclears but I would just put the whole lot in vodka after unscrewing it then leave to dry. The taste of the tutti fruiti might be that it's not been steeped long enough so try again after another week or more. Likewise the vanilla might need steeping a bit longer for the flavour to develope. It's a bit of a minefield finding the right juice as taste is so subjective. Hope you find some to your liking soon I have about 15 on rotation but I mix my own it's so easy once you find how to use your kit. It's a bit like cooking you can add a bit of this and bit of that to your own taste.

[doveman]

What might cause a lack of vape after emptying and refilling the protank?

I just tried the Vaporiz Cappachino in my protank and didn't like it much, so emptied the tank, rinsed it quickly under warm water and put some Vaporiz Bananna in it. I kept trying it for about five minutes but wasn't getting any vape at all, just a taste of bananna. It's started working normally now but I don't think I've had this problem before. Did I need to let the wicks dry out before using it or something? I didn't really have time as I'd just stuck my iclear in Vodka to get rid of the strong pineapple tast from the Vaporiz Fruit Salad. It wasn't that I didn't like the taste, I quite did although the pineapple was a bit strong, I just wanted to get rid of the taste before trying a different flavour.

[DiscoDes]

If you washed it in water then the water needs to boil off before the flavur gets through, just keep chugging till it does, it should not take long.

I NEVER wait for coil heads to dry, totally un-necessary IMO.

[babs]

If you washed the tank did you dry the centre tube too. I use pipecleaners to dry them off and like des I never wait for the coil to dry just dry the base with a bit of kitchen roll. You can use kitchen roll to dry the centre tube too just rip it off and roll it.

[doveman]

OK thanks, I guess I just need to chug a bit harder

It did come through eventually, so it must have just been that it needed to boil off the water like des says, although I'll try soaking up some of the water with kitchen roll or pipecleaners (where do you get them from anyway? I was looking for some for a project a while ago and couldn't find them anywhere) next time to help speed up the process.

I seem to be getting through about 3ml/day at the moment, which at 6mg/ml is three times the nicotine I was getting from 10/day 0.6mg cigarettes. I was only expecting to use about 1ml/day, so at around £5/10ml, which seems about average for e-liquid, is about £1.50/day. Still a lot less than £4.60/day for cigarettes but I think I'll be looking at mixing my own sooner rather than later to reduce the costs even more.

[babs]

Ebay for pipecleaners £1.35 for 100 free postage www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Regular-Pipe-Cleaners-White-Pack-of-100-/111298352354?pt=UK_Crafts_Children_s_Crafts_EH&hash=item19e9e614e2

[Perpetua]

Mar 29, 2014 15:16:28 GMT doveman said:

I seem to be getting through about 3ml/day at the moment, which at 6mg/ml is three times the nicotine I was getting from 10/day 0.6mg cigarettes. I was only expecting to use about 1ml/day, so at around £5/10ml, which seems about average for e-liquid, is about £1.50/day. Still a lot less than £4.60/day for cigarettes but I think I'll be looking at mixing my own sooner rather than later to reduce the costs even more.

3ml is medium/average doveman, the vast majority of vapers vape more than they smoked to feel nicotine satisfied, our bods process the nicotine a little differently that's why.

But DIY is the way to go, once you're set up with supplies, if you want to cut costs further . . . anything from 90p - £1.50 30ml costs me and the huge advantage of being able to use flavours at a strength that suit my tastes.