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RDA getting hot

Im pretty new to modding and i recently bought a Maraxus mech mod clone and im using an igo-w plus rda and my battery is an IMREN 18650 3.7v 2600mah. the rda gets hot/warm after about 3-4 hits about 5-8 seconds apart each hit. is there a way to prevent it from getting hot so quickly or is it normal? how low/high should my resistance be? Is this gonna short and hurt me? Im not sure what type of coils are in my rda because it already had coils in it when my friend gave it to me
 

Zamazam

Evil Vulcan's do it with Logic
VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
1st thing, stop using it and go to a local vape shop and get an Ohmmeter. Check the resistance of that build. Take the battery out when the mod is hot, if the battery is hot, you've got a problem. You will need to check the build resistance and calculate the watts and amps being pulled from the battery. Too low of a build in terms of atty (RDA) resistance is dangerous. You've got to know the basics of resistance, volts, amps, and watts to be safe. In other words, Ohms Law. I may sound preachy, but I've seen some really dangerous builds put on mechs for newer vapers. Just the Dad in me coming out.

Take a visual check of the atty, are the coils spaced away from the posts? Are they touching the deck or the sides of the atty? If so, you might have a short.

Mech's have no safety systems in them, just a battery, tube, switch, and your atty.

Here's an online calculator: http://www.onlineconversion.com/ohms_law.htm

A lithium ion battery fully charged puts out 4.2 volts, with voltage drop start at 4.1 volts for the calculations.

That battery is rated for 20 amps, 30 amp PULSE current.

Metal mechs will get warm because of heat being transferred from the atty to the metal of the mech. If the mech gets quite hot after a few spaced out toots, you need to do some investigating.
 
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scarecrowjenkins

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Unlisted Vendor
It's normal for an atomizer to get hot, and make the mod warm, but you should never ever vape on a build if you don't know what the resistance is. It could also be a sign that your battery is straining to provide power to the coils. Even if you cannot afford an ohm meter any shop with manners and a conscience should be willing to read it for you. There's a LOT of information here, so make good use of the search feature. It's always better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake, so keep the questions coming!
 

OBDave

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Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Moving this to Unregulated Mods...

First, what @Zamazam said - don't use that build until you get an ohm meter. Don't use a mech at all unless you have an ohm meter. I'm not familiar with that battery, but if it's got a 20 amp limit 0.3 is your safe limit, 0.2 is pushing it, any lower is a game of Russian roulette any time you aim that thing at your face.

Yes, it could hurt you if you don't know what kind of power you're pushing through it. The heat being generated is nature's way of warning you that you're playing with fire. Go grab an ohm meter from a local shop or online and let us know what your reading is - post a pic of your coils if you can.

I've got a big beginner's guide to advanced vaping thread pinned in the "Help I Have Questions" subforum - check that out and report back to us with your reactions. Hope this helps - I don't mean to come down harsh, but "I don't know what kind of setup I'm using and it's getting really hot" is a pretty scary situation...
 
i plugged in my atty on my friends box mod and it says that it was 0.4. should i change the coils to a different gauge or the battery? i forgot what gauge coils he used but they were pretty thin cuz the rda that came with the mod was a lotus and the holes on posts are hella small. http://postimg.org/image/y67ligs83/
 
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nabibrian

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Moving this to Unregulated Mods...

First, what @Zamazam said - don't use that build until you get an ohm meter. Don't use a mech at all unless you have an ohm meter. I'm not familiar with that battery, but if it's got a 20 amp limit 0.3 is your safe limit, 0.2 is pushing it, any lower is a game of Russian roulette any time you aim that thing at your face.

Yes, it could hurt you if you don't know what kind of power you're pushing through it. The heat being generated is nature's way of warning you that you're playing with fire. Go grab an ohm meter from a local shop or online and let us know what your reading is - post a pic of your coils if you can.

I've got a big beginner's guide to advanced vaping thread pinned in the "Help I Have Questions" subforum - check that out and report back to us with your reactions. Hope this helps - I don't mean to come down harsh, but "I don't know what kind of setup I'm using and it's getting really hot" is a pretty scary situation...
This kind of reply is why I am happy to be a part of this community!
Bravo!!
 

OBDave

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
i plugged in my atty on my friends box mod and it says that it was 0.4. should i change the coils to a different gauge or the battery? i forgot what gauge coils he used but they were pretty thin cuz the rda that came with the mod was a lotus and the holes on posts are hella small. http://postimg.org/image/y67ligs83/
Okay, those coils don't look too bad - if I had to venture a guess I'd say you're working with 26g wire - neither fat nor skinny. Are there only two coils?

It looks like you're a bit under-wicked, from the looks of the sagging wick in the back coil in your pic. The wick should fill out the coil, snug but not tight, but without a big sag with no top contact like yours are showing. In that sticky post I mentioned there's a link to a really good pictoral thread on how to wick properly.

0.4 isn't too scary a resistance for 20 amp batteries, though personally anything that isn't a Samsung, LG, or a verified-legit Sony is suspect. There's a chance your battery could have been over-taxed in the past and is now damaged, even if it would have otherwise been up to the task of powering that build. I'd highly recommend dropping $12 or so on a pair of new Samsung 25R or LG HE2/HE4 batteries, then trying those out to see if you still have the heat issue.

While we're at it, what kind of charger are you using? In order of preference, the good ones are considered to be Xtar, Efest LUC, and Nitecore (Digicharger or Intellicharger series) - if yours isn't one of those three, go get one that is. I'm not trying to be an elitist prick here, but the two things that you can't cheap out on are batteries and chargers - I have dozens of cheap clone mechs and RDAs (actually, not a single one I own is legit), but I don't dicker around with safety when it comes to my power delivery.
 

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