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Almost 3 seconds before vapor

i've run into a problem, and i don't know how to fix it. Google only brings up "my clouds aren't thick enough..."

i have to have hold the trigger for about 2.5 seconds before i get any vapor out of it. i'm using an eLeaf iStick tc100w, an Augvape Boreas tank (v1), and two basic clapton coils that my ohm checker says is 0.36. i used the same setup for a while with no problems, and then stopped vaping for a few months. When i started back up again, i cleaned everything with mild soap and water, and rinsed a few times to make sure nothing was left. i wicked it like i used to, and now it takes forever to produce anything. i've rewicked it a few times, and tried the various methods i could find on youtube. Nothing seems to help. i took everything apart again, and checked how long the coils take to glow, and they start glowing almost immediately after holding the trigger.

i'll be the first to say i know almost nothing about anything vape related. YouTube tutorials are my main source of info. If anyone can tell me what i'm doing wrong, or at least point me in the right direction, i'd greatly appreciate it.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
When you did a Dry Burn what were the results? Since you did not specify what wire type or using TC only Wattage I assume it is Kathal. Good luck
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Since you did not specify what wire type or using TC only Wattage I assume it is Kathal. Good luck

Will follow along the same assumption, for you @brokenshadows , you're using Kanthal wire for the coils. Kanthal can take a little bit for ramp up & time until production of vapor. NiChrome 80 can take less time for ramp up but can heat up too quickly to let the juice be made into vapor, at times. The juice will boil off but do so without becoming vaporized, there's not enough time lag for it to happen. Stainless Steel can take a bit to ramp up but will hold heat for just a bit & that can sometimes lead to it melting itself.

Here's my basic trouble shooting list and walk-through.
  • Is the battery weak? Does the battery still have about 20% charge left? ( If at about 20% I'd swap to a fully charged battery. Keeping 20% charge on a 20+amp battery helps avoid pushing the battery too hard and helps preserve length of battery life. It's called head space.)
  • Are the grub screws / deck fasteners in place tightly? Too tightly?
  • Is the wire of the coils degraded? Can I dry burn to clean it up by pulsing a little?
  • What kind of juice am I using? What's the pg/vg ratio? Sweeteners or not?
  • How is the airflow situation? Too little or too much air?
Each of these items should help point you toward one, or more various solutions, hopefully. Keep yourself & emotions out of the situation even if it can feel frustrating. Chances are the problem has nothing to do with you but the gear. Why get pissed off at inanimate objects? Not worth it, imho, just replace what needs replaced & move on to the solution.

All in regarding wire material, I have started having more reliance on Kanthal & NiChrome 80. With a bit of tweaking using tweezers, checking the grub screws and a bit of pulsing, I can get these two to do well imho. Yep, there's a way to find your particular sweet spot & it won't be the same for everyone.

0.36 ohms is a relatively good spot to run single coils for me, single Clapton or fused, or plain old single strand no frills wire. I aim to be somewhere from 0.30 to 0.55 +/- 0.03. The resistance will fluctuate over time as well, as the coil gets used/abused. Keep a slight vigil to tweak it back to shape as needed. I would probably run dual coils in the 0.60 to 0.90 range to keep consistency going on. A person can run them lower, sure, but that's where you need to be a bit more on the ball to keep your vape in shape.

Hope my post has offered some help or insight without seeming to spoon feed or go the other way and snob out. Neither one is intended, I'm actually trying to help. *looks at his Good Guy tin labeling* Or at least I try. :)

NB: I dislike assuming but it does seem reasonable in this case and pointing to Kanthal. That's kind of a noted issue for Kanthal, taking a bit to heat up. Also a lot of us have found out that at times we don't know what we don't know, or even don't know what we think we know. *chuckles* It happens.
 
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