Why, Oh why!!?

[chykensa]

Dear reader - I have been on a Mission Impossible with my Subtank Plus almost since I bought it. I have 8 .5ohm stock coils waiting in a box, but I am (or until recently, was!) determined to master the RBA deck.
Despite every combination of wicking, I cannot get the bleddy thing to wick sufficiently well to avoid burnt hits every second toke. I've tried cotton wool balls, Cotton Bacon v2, Muji pads, and even rayon, but I can't find a way of wicking it which delivers enough juice to the coil.
Can anyone please give me some pointers as to a solution, this is doing my head in!!? I have installed a .5ohm microcoil with 3mm ID and currently muji cotton, which is not working - again!

[Postmodern Smoking]

I'm sure someone will be along with some suggestions.... but why the "" signature then

(Hope you get sorted).









[ETA] - Suggested Signature: 

[sydsut]

Try with a spaced coil, or even use the one in it just now but use a craft blade/razor blade to stretch it out a bit. Get it glowing nicely from the centre out, rewick making sure you cover the holes in the side and try again.

Edit. You may not have any razor blades like me.

[aaront903]

I know you know your not a newb but your not stuffing too much cotton in or blocking the juice chanel are you bud

[decoy]

file the juice channels bigger if its the mk 1 rba
or try the pancake wick

[Deleted]

The Scottish roll wick in a spaced coil is what i use.

[Ron]

What watts are you using? On mine I never go above 20 and no dry hits

[Lee]

I found this video the other day on the subtanks.
Im an rba virgin myself, with enough parts for four subtanks in the post, along with all the rebuilding kit



Looks like he uses cotton similar to puff

[dagl]

Give the deck a bit of encouragement! A few dry puffs whilst covering the air holes should help to get it well primed, as well as finding a channel for the juice, otherwise less wick..
(maybe!)

[chykensa]

Thanks for your support, folks, I think I'll rebuild the deck when I get a chance using a spaced coil, rather than a microcoil. I will use a Scottish Roll wick from Muji, and make sure (as usual) that the holes are covered and see how that goes. I generally vape the Subtank between 20 and 25w, so I don't think I'm putting too much power its way.
The most frustrating thing is that I have got it working a few times and it vapes like a champ, but lately I just can't replicate that build. To my knowledge I am not doing anything different!

[calnorth]

Interesting chykensa that you are expressing pain from this RBA business. I am new to it and had 3 shots at coil/wicking in two weeks. I am at the point where I'm flooding it and think thats because I have not wicked at sufficient density. Holes nicely stuffed as far as I can tell (butterfly look). 2 of the last have performed well but within 4 hours its gurgle and kettling (big pops)....again.

I'll gradually increment the wick sizing till I block it perhaps? Getting used to springy cotton is something I didn't expect.

Attempting OCC vertical coil builds at the same time.

[unclegromit]

Here's my way. May work for you too.
Single micro coil approx. 1.0ohm set high up.
Muji cotton snug fit so that you can still turn it while it's in the coil.
Fit outer ring with cotton pushed upwards and cut flush with top.
Gently push cotton down from off the coil ends (essentially doubling back the cotton) with flat edged dental hook until it meets juice slots.
Only do this once then leave alone. No need to tinker with it.
Works every time for me. No dry hits, no gurgling.

[nanotm]

I built my subtank rba (v2 with the big juice holes halfway up the sides in line with the coil) build the coil @2mm ID snip the side off the muji /puff about 3 mm wide stripgrip one end and twist to be a tight point then feed through the coil, now feed that through the holes on either side and snip just proud of the outside edge (will spread out and give a scotch roll finish inside the tank as it soaks up the juice)

the other build method I've used is to feed the wick through as described above but snip the wick to just proud of the sides then fit the cover and ensure some of the wick ends sit on the base area (you always get a bit of juice leek into the deck where the side securing screw is) I haven't had a dry hit on either a spaced coil (28awg a1) or a contact Clapton in several weeks, but I am using around 50/50 juice on roughly 0.5ohm builds @35watts (found the trick was to keep the watts low to keep the dry hits away)

for me the biggest problem was with the refill of the tank with the first wick method (the wick would need to be replaced on every second refill due to deforming) so I went back to the original method of building it just like the vvtf and ensuring the deck was full of cotton and the holes were well covered /

[Deleted]

"and make sure (as usual) that the holes are covered"

chykensa I never fully cover the holes and always make sure I can see some daylight through the top of each juice hole (inside to outside) when looking at the deck from above. If you think about it, the infamous pancake method doesn't cover the holes at all, it's actually sat back from the holes unless it's for thinner 50/50 juice. I don't use the pancake method, I just wick normally (snipping the wick at the edge of the juice deck, fluffing up and gently patting down onto the deck), but I do always make sure there is a gap at the top of the wick so that I can see clear daylight coming in through the top of each juice hole. You'll know straight away that it's working as you'll see the air bubbles escaping through the juice holes after each vape as the juice is replaced. I've never had a flooded Subtank ever doing this (only the Topfill version but that's another story/issue) and it's been several weeks since I had a dry hit. I realise I vape at low watts, but try it, it might help, you never know.

[chykensa]

Thanks for all these tips, folks - the pity is that I have tried all these methods, feeding the cotton through the outer holes and trimming 1mm proud, easing the cotton down and making sure that there is daylight through the holes, etc., and I still can't get the bleddy thing to work properly!
With about 2 years experience building and wicking Kayfuns, Taifuns, Billow, Griffins, various drippers, and various other tanks, I thought my amassed skills would nail this deck first or second time, but although I've been using them since September last year, I still can't get them right - downright frustrating, to be fair!
I'll try spaced coils and a Scottish Roll wick, if only to discount that version (although I have no doubt it will work), and in the meantime, thank goodness I have two reliable Griffins and a TFV4 to use.
I hate to be beaten by something so simple, but "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again!".