Problem re-wicking Subtank Mini

[doveman]

After I wore out the disposable head that came with my Subtank Mini, I switched to the RBA head which I had to wick as it didn't come with any wick pre-installed. That worked fine until it came time to change the wick and now I can't seem to get it to wick the e-liquid and I'm just getting nasty dry hits every time.

I thought I might have made the wick too thin, so that it's not making proper contact with the coil, so I made another slightly thicker one and packed the space around the coil with cotton as well to try and absorb the e-liquid and get it on the wick but it hasn't helped. So can anyone think where I might be going wrong, as I'm stuck using my mini Protank for now and I miss my Subtank Mini

[blakey]

You're over packing the wick in there, you just enough to hang down each side of the coil and rest in the base - taking care not to block the juice channels.
Do not pack the cotton as it will lose its absorbancy just let it lay/rest

[phatfil]

i guess you have trawelled thru loads of utubes already,

using cotton poke a bit through the coil so its tightish but can move back n forth when tugged thru.. snip the ends off a mm or so outside the circle of the rba base, then puff up the ends (i use a pin/needle to seperate the fibres and then blow at the ends to puff them out).

Now the printed instructions suggest you lift up the wick to screw on the sleeve, Dont!,
using the needle or similar push n poke the bottom 1/2 of the wick down around between the top of the juice channel and the air in hole. and when happy then screw dwon the sleeve, drop some juice on, cap, and fill and assemble the atty, let it sit a min or 2 upright .

Now what may happen is it may start to leak out the air in slot/holes ?? may not be a problem.
NOT A PROBLEM!! it can be down to the juice flooding the vapour chamber before the wick is fully saturated, so just hold the air base in a kitchen towel and blow the excess juice out.

let it sit a few more mins and you should return to it Not leaking and ready to vape, if it still leaks, you have not created a wick barrier around the juice in channel empty pull and manipulate the wick a bit more or if wet and not playing game rewick..

the idea is to surround the juice in channels with wick fibres which when saturated with juice stand as a wall between juice in and the air in vent...

if you still get nowhere try poking a few wick strands into the top end of the juice channels, Dont block em tho...


Hope thats usefull....

[DiscoDes]

Jun 16, 2015 13:31:03 GMT doveman said:

After I wore out the disposable head that came with my Subtank Mini, I switched to the RBA head which I had to wick as it didn't come with any wick pre-installed. That worked fine until it came time to change the wick and now I can't seem to get it to wick the e-liquid and I'm just getting nasty dry hits every time.

I thought I might have made the wick too thin, so that it's not making proper contact with the coil, so I made another slightly thicker one and packed the space around the coil with cotton as well to try and absorb the e-liquid and get it on the wick but it hasn't helped. So can anyone think where I might be going wrong, as I'm stuck using my mini Protank for now and I miss my Subtank Mini

Here's Rip Trippers method using a Pancake Wick, it's the same for the Subtank RBA deck.

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2015 13:31:03 GMT doveman said:

After I wore out the disposable head that came with my Subtank Mini, I switched to the RBA head which I had to wick as it didn't come with any wick pre-installed. That worked fine until it came time to change the wick and now I can't seem to get it to wick the e-liquid and I'm just getting nasty dry hits every time.

I thought I might have made the wick too thin, so that it's not making proper contact with the coil, so I made another slightly thicker one and packed the space around the coil with cotton as well to try and absorb the e-liquid and get it on the wick but it hasn't helped. So can anyone think where I might be going wrong, as I'm stuck using my mini Protank for now and I miss my Subtank Mini

This is a phenomena similar to shinyitis - - the joys of a new RBA

[spaced]

You can mod it to be like one of the new versions of the subtank

[andy01424]

Jun 16, 2015 13:58:00 GMT DiscoDes said:

Jun 16, 2015 13:31:03 GMT doveman said:

After I wore out the disposable head that came with my Subtank Mini, I switched to the RBA head which I had to wick as it didn't come with any wick pre-installed. That worked fine until it came time to change the wick and now I can't seem to get it to wick the e-liquid and I'm just getting nasty dry hits every time.

I thought I might have made the wick too thin, so that it's not making proper contact with the coil, so I made another slightly thicker one and packed the space around the coil with cotton as well to try and absorb the e-liquid and get it on the wick but it hasn't helped. So can anyone think where I might be going wrong, as I'm stuck using my mini Protank for now and I miss my Subtank Mini

Here's Rip Trippers method using a Pancake Wick, it's the same for the Subtank RBA deck.

and if your wondering he is using jap Cotton pads as a wick ,got mine here £2.59 del[10 pads]Muji Cotton unbleached Organic
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Muji-Unbleached-Organic-Japanese-Cotton-Pads-X10-Quantity-Discounts-/321762988379?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item4aea91915b

[wooky]

andy01424 or £1.95 for 140 sheets from Muji themselves

www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp?Sec=17&Sub=70&PID=4479

all the sellers doing is bulk buying, packing them up and reselling for a decent profit.

[buggritt]

You don't need all that arseing about with pancakes. Tip of scissors on the deck, fold wick over, cut level.....job done.

[muckyboy]

I just rebuilt the disposable head instead. Much easier to get the wicking right it seems to me.

Then again my RBA base is still in the box!

[buggritt]

Jun 16, 2015 22:56:34 GMT muckyboy said:

I just rebuilt the disposable head instead. Much easier to get the wicking right it seems to me.

Then again my RBA base is still in the box!

If you decide to sell it, let me know.

[doveman]

Thanks guys, I wondered why all that pancaking should be necessary, when I didn't do any of that when I first wicked it and it worked fine. I think you're right blakey that I totally overpacked it the second time, in a misguided attempt to get it to work. I don't think I did the first time though but I obviously didn't do it right either.

Thanks phatfil and DiscoDes, between the instructions and the video I managed to get it working. It took me about three attempts to cut a strip that I could even start to get through the coil, the suggested 6mm was far too thick and even after cutting it a bit thinner I ended up having to pull half the layers away before I could roll it thin enough but I got it nice and snug and saturated the ends and puffed them up. I also dry burnt the coil before I started and that probably helped to get rid of some old burnt stuff which wasn't doing anything helpful to the taste!

Thanks for the link to the pads wooky, I'd better order some of those quickly as the single pad that came with the Subtank isn't going to last me long the amount of wastage I cause each time I have to rewick

muckyboy, I didn't even realise the disposable heads could be rebuilt. Is there a video showing how they come apart, as I didn't get anywhere just pulling on it

[Greg]

Jun 17, 2015 9:44:07 GMT doveman said:

Thanks guys, I wondered why all that pancaking should be necessary, when I didn't do any of that when I first wicked it and it worked fine. I think you're right blakey that I totally overpacked it the second time, in a misguided attempt to get it to work. I don't think I did the first time though but I obviously didn't do it right either.

Thanks phatfil and DiscoDes, between the instructions and the video I managed to get it working. It took me about three attempts to cut a strip that I could even start to get through the coil, the suggested 6mm was far too thick and even after cutting it a bit thinner I ended up having to pull half the layers away before I could roll it thin enough but I got it nice and snug and saturated the ends and puffed them up. I also dry burnt the coil before I started and that probably helped to get rid of some old burnt stuff which wasn't doing anything helpful to the taste!

Thanks for the link to the pads wooky, I'd better order some of those quickly as the single pad that came with the Subtank isn't going to last me long the amount of wastage I cause each time I have to rewick

muckyboy, I didn't even realise the disposable heads could be rebuilt. Is there a video showing how they come apart, as I didn't get anywhere just pulling on it

Have a look here allaboute-cigarettes.proboards.com/thread/50745/kanger-subtank-mini-build-guide?page=1&scrollTo=883229

[muckyboy]

Jun 17, 2015 9:07:52 GMT buggritt said:

Jun 16, 2015 22:56:34 GMT muckyboy said:

I just rebuilt the disposable head instead. Much easier to get the wicking right it seems to me.

Then again my RBA base is still in the box!

If you decide to sell it, let me know.

Once I get round to giving it a whirl I'll decide if I'll use it or not and get back to you!

[thatguy]

Tried various methods of coilin wicking these little beasties and found them all lacking in some way. Prone to flooding, prone to dry hits (if wick not spot on in both cases) vape too hot etc.

Tried again tonight with a kanthal twisted pair wrapped round kanthal ribbon, and using the same wicking as I use on a goblin coil, and wow. Smoother than ever...cooler vape and the best flavour I've had from a subtank mini yet.