OBS Crius problems

AmandaD · Dec 9, 2015

I suspect, but of course cannot be sure, that the very large cracks in my insulator (pictures shown further back in this thread) are causing the juice to drip down into the bottom chamber where the AFC is located. I'm not concerned at all about it providing insulation, because there does seem to be enough material there to do the job. Mine is actually being replaced, but of course it could be my vaping style causing the issue. I won't know until I get a new one with a noncracked insulator!

@Izen nice to see you post here - I read your posts on the other forum!

I will also add that if it wasn't for the huge leaking I would put up with it, because to my taste the flavor is that good. A little weeping wouldn't bother me, but as it is it's really not usable.

janne303 · Dec 9, 2015

Warranty 3 month??? http://www.obsnsmoke.com/about.asp?ID=83

vuJim · Dec 9, 2015

AmandaD said:
I suspect, but of course cannot be sure, that the very large cracks in my insulator (pictures shown further back in this thread) are causing the juice to drip down into the bottom chamber where the AFC is located.

But... but... but @Izen claims that's not possible. So surely your suspicion is without merit.

AmandaD said:
I'm not concerned at all about it providing insulation, because there does seem to be enough material there to do the job.

I'm not certain some people understand how insulators work. (Tho I'm fairly certain @Powerman does

.)

An insulator and its material are designed to prevent electrical current from flowing between one point and another. When that insulator is degraded: The design specs go straight out the window. Now: We're not talking a lot of voltage, here, so I really kind of rather doubt that will be an issue. But there is potentially another: Apparently some e-liquids are conductive? (I would not have expected that.) Witness Innokin Coolfire 4 up in smoke

AmandaD said:
... of course it could be my vaping style causing the issue. I won't know until I get a new one with a noncracked insulator!

Except I was starting to get "weeping," and I don't chain-vape. Btw: Re-read Izen's post: You may or may not get a cracked insulator, again. (That's assuming the translation from Chinese is at all accurate.) But that may or may not be an issue.

AmandaD said:
I will also add that if it wasn't for the huge leaking I would put up with it, because to my taste the flavor is that good. A little weeping wouldn't bother me, but as it is it's really not usable.

If somebody hadn't brought the cracked insulator thing to our attention: In all probability I would never either known nor cared about it, except: What is with my tank all-of-a-sudden deciding to up and intermittently issue a very loud *SNAP* (you can actually feel it) and expel a bunch of vapour from the air intakes? And I don't mean just a little, either. Could be the wicking, I suppose... except it did it though two separate re-wickings and never before. (I was getting ready to re-wick again when this whole thing came to my attention.)

As for my being "hysterical" and "an alarmist": *shrug* Powerman's points (re: trust) aside: I don't think it's either "hysterical" or "alarmist" to point out there may be downsides to dodgy hardware holding liquid and heating elements in close proximity to electronics, high-energy batteries and sensitive body parts. The boating industry used to have a somewhat casual attitude about dodgy boat wiring--until it started getting people killed, for example. I've been involved in electricity and electronics my entire life, and have a great deal of respect for what electricity can do. As such: Insulators that are in an impaired state are not something I take lightly--even if we are talking about low voltage. Certainly hot e-liquid spraying (spraying?!?! Literally?) from the tank can't be good. But some people will excuse anything. Witness the brouhaha over Crimmy's juice.

Besides: A manufacturing process where impairing the mechanical and electrical integrity of an insulator is regarded a "normal?" Srsly?

All that being said: Wetvapes is coming through for me. I think they just became my favourite on-line vaping store

Mattp169 · Dec 9, 2015

ok here is why i asked

you have 2 pieces of metal separated by 1 piece of ceramic or whatever.

what difference if its in 1 piece or 6? as long as its all there? It's still preventing those 2 pieces of metal from touching correct??

at least thats my thoughts

and as far as leaking -

if the juice is coming from the afc ports
the only way i can see juice getting in there is from the air flow holes under the coils which means the deck is flooding
or
if its seeping from the TANK down in to the afc ring area

I dont see how an insulator in the center of the deck is going to let juice go down in to the afc area

Now I will admit I know little of electrical matters so maybe theres something with arcing or whatever that could cause the leaking issues.

if the juice is seeping out from around the glass or above the afc ring I do not see how the insulator would have anything to do with that either

I SUSPECT

that the insulator cracking probably has nothing to do with the leaking issues. It is probably has something to do with the machining or press fitting allowing juice to leak somewhere down into the afc area

If I read that long post correctly this is what I got

there are 2 know issues with the tank
1. is leaking
2. is the cracked insulators

OBS does not feel they are connected

the leaking issues is not caused by the insulators and is a different issue that they have now addressed and should be fixed

So if I am missing something due to my own ignorance oon some matter could someone please explain how the insulator being cracked leads to leaking?

Powerman · Dec 9, 2015

Mattp169 said:
ok here is why i asked

you have 2 pieces of metal separated by 1 piece of ceramic or whatever.

what difference if its in 1 piece or 6? as long as its all there? It's still preventing those 2 pieces of metal from touching correct??

at least thats my thoughts

and as far as leaking -

if the juice is coming from the afc ports
the only way i can see juice getting in there is from the air flow holes under the coils which means the deck is flooding
or
if its seeping from the TANK down in to the afc ring area

I dont see how an insulator in the center of the deck is going to let juice go down in to the afc area

Now I will admit I know little of electrical matters so maybe theres something with arcing or whatever that could cause the leaking issues.

if the juice is seeping out from around the glass or above the afc ring I do not see how the insulator would have anything to do with that either

I SUSPECT

that the insulator cracking probably has nothing to do with the leaking issues. It is probably has something to do with the machining or press fitting allowing juice to leak somewhere down into the afc area

If I read that long post correctly this is what I got

there are 2 know issues with the tank
1. is leaking
2. is the cracked insulators

OBS does not feel they are connected

the leaking issues is not caused by the insulators and is a different issue that they have now addressed and should be fixed

So if I am missing something due to my own ignorance oon some matter could someone please explain how the insulator being cracked leads to leaking?

You need to re-read his post. The insulator and leaking are two separate issues. There is a seal between tank and base that is leaking. A ceramic insulator is not a gasket and isn't going to seal anything.

conanthewarrior · Dec 9, 2015

The crius is one of my favourite RTA's, and I have the aromamizer now, so it is good. What version is yours?

Both of mine are V2's.

The black one DOES have the issue where the airflow is not adjustable unless on a mod-but who adjusts airflow off a mod? I adjust mine as I use it, so it doesn't matter to me, the SS is adjustable off of a device. Its the 510 pin, it has to be held in place or the whole base spins due to the AFC and rubber gripping it.

Sorry to hear you have had bad experiences, both of mine work great and get a lot of use.

Mine have NEVER leaked-I wick according to the insctructions and it actually works that way! just dont pack it ALL in there, just say half of the wick and the rest rest on top-although I have actually TRIED to wick it wrong and it still worked great.

conanthewarrior · Dec 9, 2015

OK I just checked the insulators on mine, the V2's and they are fine. Is it possible it is just the velocity style that are affected? I got the V2's as they was the newest at the time, I did not want a V1 with tiny post holes and non standard drip tip.

I can fit 24G fine in there, and I am sure 22 would fit too, I just don't build that low, I like my builds slightly higher, say 0.6-0.8, and also I use around 40W max. Maybe thats why mine have held up?

Izen · Dec 9, 2015

OK last post.... Guys (and gals), I'm not an expert and I never claimed to be. Simply someone who owned and enjoyed this tank. I had my own experiences of it along with some small issues as well. I discovered the Crius on ECF, and talked it up in the thread over there. A lot of folks have far more knowledge (of these tanks) and experience (with these tanks), than I do. I bring my own perspective and common sense to the table - like any one of us might. I think the Crius has a lot of strengths and small minor problems. Some have no issues, or rather, ones that are easy to live with... Some have experienced more significant leaking. I can't say why - because I'm not the expert here. I don't care to be. My own tank was mostly bone dry most of the time... but whether what I experienced, was some condensation through the AFC, or a (very) small and intermittent leak from the bottom seam - I can't say. Some had similar experience and the 'leak' was attributed in some cases to the wicking, which need to be done better, or the coils needing repositioning. Some leaks (I'm sure) were attributable to less than perfect construction or assembly. Whatever the case, WetVapes was responsive. Personally, I can only advise common sense - don't live with a defective product. If the leak is minor, (many tanks leak - it's the nature of some of these beasts), if it's minor, try to wick it better. If the leaks are more significant, go back to your vendor and make some noise. As a friend of mine once said, "I don't want to know how the watch works, I just want to know that it does work". Your move.

Powerman · Dec 9, 2015

conanthewarrior said:
The black one DOES have the issue where the airflow is not adjustable unless on a mod-but who adjusts airflow off a mod? I adjust mine as I use it, so it doesn't matter to me, the SS is adjustable off of a device. Its the 510 pin, it has to be held in place or the whole base spins due to the AFC and rubber gripping it.

So what do you mean by that... The SS is adjustable off the device?

conanthewarrior · Dec 9, 2015

Powerman said:
So what do you mean by that... The SS is adjustable off the device?

Yes it is mate. The rubber finish of my black crius stops it being adjustable unless the 510 pin is held in place, either by a screwdriver off the device, or the pin inside the mod on the device. My SS is adjustable on AND off the device.

Powerman · Dec 9, 2015

conanthewarrior said:
Yes it is mate. The rubber finish of my black crius stops it being adjustable unless the 510 pin is held in place, either by a screwdriver off the device, or the pin inside the mod on the device. My SS is adjustable on AND off the device.

My bad... I was still lost. But now I'm found. Carry on.

Markw4mms · Dec 20, 2015

Ok, I've had my 2 Crius tanks since 12/15, and one of them has started to weep on occasion between the AFC ring and base usually just a little after refilling. I hope it doesn't get any worse, but will be contacting the vendor I bought from and see what they'll do for me since this seems to be a fairly common issue.

f1r3b1rd · Dec 20, 2015

Are you closing the AFC and juice flow then laying it on its side to fill? Only ask because whenever I don't close it all the way it will leak a bit.

Markw4mms · Dec 20, 2015

f1r3b1rd said:
Are you closing the AFC and juice flow then laying it on its side to fill? Only ask because whenever I don't close it all the way it will leak a bit.

Yes, and I even go as far as opening it back up with the tank upside down to minimize the weeping (seems to help somewhat).

f1r3b1rd · Dec 20, 2015

Markw4mms said:
Yes, and I even go as far as opening it back up with the tank upside down to minimize the weeping (seems to help somewhat).

hmm, maybe try closing juice flow off then taking a vape to burn off a little and then close the afc and fill?

TheVapingDevil · Dec 20, 2015

f1r3b1rd said:
hmm, maybe try closing juice flow off then taking a vape to burn off a little and then close the afc and fill?

Thats what I do. Seems to work well

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CurlyxCracker · Dec 20, 2015

Anyone want to part with their shelved Crius, for a small fee of course?

Markw4mms · Dec 20, 2015

CurlyxCracker said:
Anyone want to part with their shelved Crius, for a small fee of course?

Not me. Mine doesn't weep all the time, and when it does, it's not bad enough for me to want to get rid of it. It seems the key is leaving enough air space in the tank when refilling, something I never had to worry with on my T-VCT tanks.

f1r3b1rd · Dec 20, 2015

Markw4mms said:
, It seems the key is leaving enough air space in the tank when refilling, something I never had to worry with on my T-VCT tanks.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah...
I stop it when it gets to the silver. The lemo and the kf4 are the same way in that respect.

Bubbles are impotent

VaporCarp · Dec 20, 2015

[Q0UOTE="CurlyxCracker, post: 836599, member: 1203"]Anyone want to part with their shelved Crius, for a small fee of course?[/QUOTE]

$20 shipped

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

CurlyxCracker · Dec 20, 2015

VaporCarp said:
[Q0UOTE="CurlyxCracker, post: 836599, member: 1203"]Anyone want to part with their shelved Crius, for a small fee of course?

$20 shipped

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]
Sending pm after I give phone a charge

vuJim · Dec 22, 2015

Received my replacement deck from WetVapes this afternoon. (And kudos to them for top-notch customer service!) There is a crack in the insulator. (Old one had a half dozen of them.) Haven't built anything on it, yet. The original one started weeping & leaking after about... two weeks or so? So I guess we'll see.

I'm really looking forward to getting that tank going again. I was having boatloads of fun experimenting with builds on it.

vuJim · Dec 26, 2015

So much for that

Did a .7Ω build with 8 wraps each of 28 ga. Kanthal. Wicked with Japanese organic cotton. Primed the wicks and loaded the tank up with Grand Rapids E-Liquid's Hidden Dragon 50/50. (Being mindful of leaving plenty of air at the top of the tank.) Was vaping really nicely at 20W.

Couple hours or so later, sitting in a darkened room, half watching TV, half conversing with my wife, half perusing VU, I eyeball the tank in the light and notice a bit of moisture on one top edge of the mod.

Did I write "a bit?" Yeah, just "a bit": Top of the mod, down the front and sides and, of course, on my thumb, fingers and hand. After cleaning things up and watching it I confirmed the source. The first deck would occasionally weep a little from the seam above the air control ring. This one is worse. Far, far worse. And right out of the gate, too.

When Wetvapes offered me my choice of a new deck or a refund: I should have taken the refund. My mistake, this time. This time it's on me. I will, of course, appraise them of what's happened, and again suggest to them they stop selling this poorly-designed and/or poorly-manufactured product, but they've already bent over backwards to keep me happy. I'll certainly ask no more of them.

OBS, though. OBS should hang their collective heads in shame.

TheVapingDevil · Dec 26, 2015

vuJim said:
So much for that

Did a .7Ω build with 8 wraps each of 28 ga. Kanthal. Wicked with Japanese organic cotton. Primed the wicks and loaded the tank up with Grand Rapids E-Liquid's Hidden Dragon 50/50. (Being mindful of leaving plenty of air at the top of the tank.) Was vaping really nicely at 20W.

Couple hours or so later, sitting in a darkened room, half watching TV, half conversing with my wife, half perusing VU, I eyeball the tank in the light and notice a bit of moisture on one top edge of the mod.

Did I write "a bit?" Yeah, just "a bit": Top of the mod, down the front and sides and, of course, on my thumb, fingers and hand. After cleaning things up and watching it I confirmed the source. The first deck would occasionally weep a little from the seam above the air control ring. This one is worse. Far, far worse. And right out of the gate, too.

When Wetvapes offered me my choice of a new deck or a refund: I should have taken the refund. My mistake, this time. This time it's on me. I will, of course, appraise them of what's happened, and again suggest to them they stop selling this poorly-designed and/or poorly-manufactured product, but they've already bent over backwards to keep me happy. I'll certainly ask no more of them.

OBS, though. OBS should hang their collective heads in shame.

Hi. I won't defend OBS or anything like that but I did have this happen to me as well a few times and thought the tank was defective. It worked great then started pouring out all over my mod and my hand. Come to find out after some careful observations I realized if I was hitting it pretty frequently to the point it was relatively warm and in my hand ( usually tipped) is when it happened. I added just a little more wicking into the channels after cleaning it up and the problem went away. Just wanted to throw that out to you as it may help.

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Powerman · Dec 26, 2015

Ya, I'm sorry, but any new tank with a new build needs more investigation. It's not just pouring out because it's defective. That doesn't make a lot of sense.

Izen · Dec 26, 2015

vuJim, Before you call WetVapes, raise your coils a bit and wick it better. I can't tell you how to wick it (you know full well how) but you need to play around and experiment with your wicking for this deck.

vuJim · Dec 26, 2015

TheVapingDevil said:
... after some careful observations I realized if I was hitting it pretty frequently to the point it was relatively warm and in my hand ( usually tipped) is when it happened. ... Just wanted to throw that out to you as it may help.

I appreciate the suggestion, but I don't chain vape and I was only hitting it with 20W.... (double-checks...) scratch that... 24W. Not a lot of power. The tank wasn't getting warm. In fact I had been running it at 20W, earlier, and noticed the vape was very cool. At 24W the vape was just slightly warm.

Izen said:
vuJim, Before you call WetVapes, raise your coils a bit and wick it better. I can't tell you how to wick it (you know full well how) but you need to play around and experiment with your wicking for this deck.

The problem is not juice coming out of the air intakes. It's weeping from the seam between the AFC ring and the piece above. In fact the air intakes were my first suspicion, so I was carefully swabbing the area under under the deck, through the air control, with the edge of a dry paper towel when I noticed the wetness reappearing from the seam. (Came out dry from the airflow area, btw.)

This is a problem many people have experienced with the OBS Crius. This is one of the problems it was assumed OBS was talking about having acknowledged and solved. (Re: Your own comments earlier in this thread). Either they have not solved it or the replacement deck sent to me was made before the improved decks hit the distribution stream. Either way: I'm thoroughly done with this tank.

Powerman said:
It's not just pouring out because it's defective. That doesn't make a lot of sense.

It does if it is, in fact, defective.

Suggest you enter "OBS Crius" into a search on this forum. You'll find plenty of people who've experienced this problem. You'll also notice an increasing number of OBS Crius' for sale, around here.

vuJim · Dec 27, 2015

Izen said:
vuJim, Before you call WetVapes, raise your coils a bit and wick it better. I can't tell you how to wick it (you know full well how) but you need to play around and experiment with your wicking for this deck.

Y'know, @Izen: Maybe you have a point.

Being as I just figured out my problem with my new Billow v2 Nano was me, rather than the tank, maybe the same is true of the Crius. Maybe it's no coincidence that my original problems occurred only after I'd had the tank for two weeks, fiddling with the builds and wicking, and that I picked up with the new deck where I left off with the old. Maybe I jumped to unwarranted conclusions.

So I've got the new deck in front of me. I'm going to eyeball this thing closely with the super-magnification goggles I bought for working on Very Tiny Things, then try rebuilding on it more more the way I was before all these problems started.

Powerman · Dec 27, 2015

vuJim said:
I appreciate the suggestion, but I don't chain vape and I was only hitting it with 20W.... (double-checks...) scratch that... 24W. Not a lot of power. The tank wasn't getting warm. In fact I had been running it at 20W, earlier, and noticed the vape was very cool. At 24W the vape was just slightly warm.

The problem is not juice coming out of the air intakes. It's weeping from the seam between the AFC ring and the piece above. In fact the air intakes were my first suspicion, so I was carefully swabbing the area under under the deck, through the air control, with the edge of a dry paper towel when I noticed the wetness reappearing from the seam. (Came out dry from the airflow area, btw.)

This is a problem many people have experienced with the OBS Crius. This is one of the problems it was assumed OBS was talking about having acknowledged and solved. (Re: Your own comments earlier in this thread). Either they have not solved it or the replacement deck sent to me was made before the improved decks hit the distribution stream. Either way: I'm thoroughly done with this tank.

It does if it is, in fact, defective.

Suggest you enter "OBS Crius" into a search on this forum. You'll find plenty of people who've experienced this problem. You'll also notice an increasing number of OBS Crius' for sale, around here.

Ya, I've been involved in plenty of the threads. I think most have a bit of seepage. I think I have one I would say seeps. A few in fact leak and make a mess. I don't want to put up with either.

I also don't like not trusting my builds. When I was learning, of course that's part of it. Incorrectly wicking producing leaks. That part sucks. If I got a brand new tank, or replacement part and it leaked, my first suspicion would be the build. No tank is just going to run out unless there is no oring. Nothing leaks that badly. You can look and see if it's there. If it is its not that. I mean yes it can "leak", but it isn't just going to run out. Seriously, it being so defective for that.... Doesn't make a lot of sense.

vuJim · Dec 27, 2015

Powerman said:
Ya, I've been involved in plenty of the threads. I think most have a bit of seepage. I think I have one I would say seeps. A few in fact leak and make a mess. I don't want to put up with either.

Neither do I.

Powerman said:
If I got a brand new tank, or replacement part and it leaked, my first suspicion would be the build.

That was my first suspicion. But when the paper towel came out from under the deck dry, I looked more closely. Even without vaping any further: Juice was already beginning to seep out of that seam, again.

Powerman said:
No tank is just going to run out unless there is no oring.

Or unless the design, manufacture or both are deficient. Here is the culprit:

That gap you see between the build deck and the rest of the bottom assembly is what allows the juice control to work. If your hands are strong enough you can hold the upper part of the bottom assembly and turn the AFC ring until the entire deck rotates. Obviously there's a seal in there, somewhere. And, just as obviously: It does not always work.

I may not do another build for this tank, after all. It is pretty apparent to me that what I experienced last night was not my fault, but a fault in the lower assembly. Just as the lower assembly that originally came with my tank, and that of many others, is faulty.

Powerman · Dec 27, 2015

vuJim said:
Neither do I.

That was my first suspicion. But when the paper towel came out from under the deck dry, I looked more closely. Even without vaping any further: Juice was already beginning to seep out of that seam, again.

Or unless the design, manufacture or both are deficient. Here is the culprit:

That gap you see between the build deck and the rest of the bottom assembly is what allows the juice control to work. If your hands are strong enough you can hold the upper part of the bottom assembly and turn the AFC ring until the entire deck rotates. Obviously there's a seal in there, somewhere. And, just as obviously: It does not always work.

I may not do another build for this tank, after all. It is pretty apparent to me that what I experienced last night was not my fault, but a fault in the lower assembly. Just as the lower assembly that originally came with my tank, and that of many others, is faulty.

That's fine. I'm not going to twist your arm. And I'm not trying to get OBS off the hook. Honestly, I think the juice flow control is a poor design. It's a great feature. And if it adds complexity and a failure point so be it. But the ring isn't serviceable. Digging it out will ruin it, and putting one in has a lot of potential to damage it. That's what I think is the poor design. Every o-ring needs to be serviceable. Especially since turning rubs it and that isn't what o-rings are good for. It will wear. And it will need to be replaced.

Other than that, I like my non seeping non leaking tanks. 3 of them. Pretty nice. If you find others better that work better for you, great.

vuJim · Dec 27, 2015

Powerman said:
That's fine. I'm not going to twist your arm. And I'm not trying to get OBS off the hook.

I didn't believe you were trying to do either. It's discussion. Hell, I might easily be overlooking something. (Don't think so, by this point, however.)

Powerman said:
Honestly, I think the juice flow control is a poor design.

Pretty much the conclusion to which I've come, both for the apparent results and for the reasons you've stated.

Powerman said:
Other than that, I like my non seeping non leaking tanks. 3 of them. Pretty nice. If you find others better that work better for you, great.

I liked mine, too, before the cracked insulators and weeping seals reared their ugly heads. I could even grudgingly live with the cracked insulators, but leaking e-liquid ain't gonna cut it.

I was thinking of doing another build, just to provoke it into leaking again, then take photos. But I really don't feel like going to the trouble, now that I know what is the problem. I'll appraise Wetvapes and OBS of my results and leave it at that.

Next up: Billow v2 Nano. I'll see how that fares. It's simpler. At this point: I'm liking simple. My Protank 3 Mini, GS-Tank, and Tobeco Super Tank Mini: All simple. And all entirely trouble-free. My two clone RDAs: Simple. Also trouble-free.

TheVapingDevil · Dec 29, 2015

Just got around to getting my opened and there was my new two Crius bases from wet vapes. Upon checking neither appear to have crack in the insulators. I will get them built up and see how they perform.

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WARCHOP37 · Dec 30, 2015

View attachment 36916So I finally experienced the seeping/weeping that everyone's been talking about. It's not like I have been riding the tank very hard. It only started happening on the way to work. It was pretty bad at first with almost what seemed like droplets forming around that spot between the AFC and the glass itself, but it abated abut over time. Still, not ideal for what I was ready to call the best RDTA I owned. Hope someone can help get this figured out.

vuJim · Dec 30, 2015

WARCHOP37 said:
... not ideal for what I was ready to call the best RDTA I owned.

No, it's not. There's a thread, somewhere, about "best tank of 2015." I think the Crius would've won that one, hands down, had it not been for the insulator cracking and the seepage issue.

Upon @Izen's urging: I got my Crius back out of the packaging and did a new build. I actually went several "revisions" back in my experimental progression. I went back to six turns of 26 ga. Kanthal at 2.5mm, giving me 0.39Ω, and enough wick in the juice channels I could clearly see wick in all four juice ports. Loaded it up with Grand Rapids E-Liquid's High Voltage 50/50. Had it up & running by about 1:30. It was vaping very nicely at 35W. I started to get *snap* *crackle* *pop* at about the 3 second mark in the vape. Vape was nice and warm, fairly dense. Nice flavour. Vaped with it all day. Low-intensity usage. Evening and TV time rolled around. Switched to something else for a while, then back to the Crius. Eventually I decided to give it a bit of a torture-test: Vaping on it hard enough, in 30 or so minutes, to get the tank mildly warm, drop the battery by about 25% and consume about (looking...) about a quarter of the tank? No weepage, seepage or leakage. Left it sitting, overnight, with the juice ports open. Still dry as a bone this morning.

So maybe, as Izen, @Powerman and others have suggested, what I experienced three nights ago was flooding? Hard to believe I had the seeping problem one evening and not the other

WARCHOP37 said:
.Hope someone can help get this figured out.

You and me, both. In provisioning that tank I was again reminded of how damn convenient it is, in every respect, while also supplying a nice vape. My Billow V2 Nano is a nicer vape, but the Crius ain't too shabby.

Many people believe a comment from OBS, back several weeks ago, was that they had identified (and solved?) this problem. The replacement deck assembly I received from Wetvapes I assume is new build. I know that for 2-3 weeks following the initial reports of these problems, Wetvapes was out of stock on the deck assemblies. Then I received my replacement and now they're back in stock.

I'm not going to bother Wetvapes further about this tank. It's either good or it's not. I do know I'm unlikely to pocket it and take it with me, anywhere, and I'll be real careful of where I set it down, always mindful that it might up and decided to dribble juice all over the place.

vuJim · Dec 31, 2015

I was this >< close to posting "Well, I guess it was me, my wicking, after all." Went to put the tank back on the mod just a short while ago and "What's this?" Juice all over the place. This time I was careful. This time there was no confusion. No mistakes. It'd been bone dry when I put it away, earlier. Stored upright. Juice ports closed. AFC closed. Took it out, and... well, I believe the photos will tell the story.

And those were after it'd been cleaned up. The juice just kept seeping out. I finally ran it under warm water and carefully blew it clean with an air hose.

I wonder if fill level has an effect? Not too much, but too little? Tank was about down to just below the top of the atomization chamber. Or maybe not, because that's where the juice level been all night, and it was dry this morning.

I'll notify Wetvapes, after all, just so they know. I'll continue to use it, I guess, but it'll never go anywhere with me and it'll never sit on the mod, unattended, again.

AmandaD · Dec 31, 2015

That's what I was saying earlier. No matter how I wick, when the juice level gets to the top of the chamber it leaks!

Powerman · Dec 31, 2015

Which means it goes through the wick. My new VCMT, the base is solid. One piece. If the glass leaks it's on the outside. Yet, it keeps leaking out the air.... Through the wick. On this tank, there is no other place it comes from. So, my wicking isn't right. Or.... It is right and that's as good as it gets. Regardless, it's not a defective tank. Obviously, if there is a seal, it can be that. But, fact is, wicks can leak through a lot.

vuJim · Dec 31, 2015

AmandaD said:
That's what I was saying earlier. No matter how I wick, when the juice level gets to the top of the chamber it leaks!

Ah! The top of the atomization chamber is what you meant! Got it.

Powerman said:
Which means it goes through the wick.

No, it does not. That's illogical. If it was wicking: Then why would it not leak when the thing sat overnight with both the juice ports and AFC wide open, then, with no other changes: Leak with them both fully closed? (I have since developed a theory. See below.)

Please refer to the photo I included in post #130 in this thread. There is a path for leakage through the seal that's between the deck and the outer part of the assembly. That path would take the leakage into the seam. If the leakage were through the wick: It'd be into the air ducts and out through the ports in the AFC. If you examine my last set of photos carefully, particularly the 2nd one, you'll see no moisture behind the air ports whatsoever.

It occurred to me, while I was out fetching New Year's Eve dinner (Chinese, what else?

) that the reason it leaked after I closed the juice ports and air control, but not beforehand, was because I closed the juice ports and AFC! It's cooler in the room in which the tank sat, overnight. Then I close the juice ports and AFC and put the tank in a warmer location. Juice and air in the tank expand. Where's anything to go?

I'm going to test this theory. Before going to bed, tonight, I'm going to decant enough of the juice to get the level down to about where I believe it was this morning, leave the tank in the same location it sat last night, then move it as I did this morning--only I'll leave the juice ports and AFC open. All temperatures and temperature differentials should be about the same.

As to AmandaD's observation that it seems more likely to happen if the tank is empty to a certain point: I wonder if air expands more than e-liquid when warmed?

Powerman · Dec 31, 2015

vuJim said:
Ah! The top of the atomization chamber is what you meant! Got it.

No, it does not. That's illogical. If it was wicking: Then why would it not leak when the thing sat overnight with both the juice ports and AFC wide open, then, with no other changes: Leak with them both fully closed? (I have since developed a theory. See below.)

Please refer to the photo I included in post #130 in this thread. There is a path for leakage through the seal that's between the deck and the outer part of the assembly. That path would take the leakage into the seam. If the leakage were through the wick: It'd be into the air ducts and out through the ports in the AFC. If you examine my last set of photos carefully, particularly the 2nd one, you'll see no moisture behind the air ports whatsoever.

It occurred to me, while I was out fetching New Year's Eve dinner (Chinese, what else? ) that the reason it leaked after I closed the juice ports and air control, but not beforehand, was because I closed the juice ports and AFC! It's cooler in the room in which the tank sat, overnight. Then I close the juice ports and AFC and put the tank in a warmer location. Juice and air in the tank expand. Where's anything to go?

I'm going to test this theory. Before going to bed, tonight, I'm going to decant enough of the juice to get the level down to about where I believe it was this morning, leave the tank in the same location it sat last night, then move it as I did this morning--only I'll leave the juice ports and AFC open. All temperatures and temperature differentials should be about the same.

As to AmandaD's observation that it seems more likely to happen if the tank is empty to a certain point: I wonder if air expands more than e-liquid when warmed?

I should have proofed my post, I was actually talking about my tank. We've been over the seal. I think that horse is hamburger.

It "can" be your seal. It might be your seal. But I also don't think you give enough weight to it just plain being a wick problem. My point was my tank doesn't have a seal. It's not running out. But it does "leak". And it is my wick. It's the only place it can come from. If it did have a joint, I would probably be pre occupied by it.

And surely you don't think the juice flow control is a liquid tight seal? I mean come on, you don't think their o-rings seal. And the air flow control being closed does not change anything. And it doesn't seal either. It just runs out the bottom to the mod. There is nothing between the ring and the base.

They most certainly can have a problem with sealing the tank.... But then there is the other problems... Rebuildables leak if you don't get your wick right. It can leak if you do. You need big juice ports to supply the coil to prevent dry hits.... But it might be too much and leak if you don't get your wick right. That is well known across many platforms.

Mattp169 · Dec 31, 2015

ok
vujim is not having juice run out the afc. if it was the afc then the juice SHOULD be coming form the deck itself, which very well COULD be a wicking issue
UNLESS and i find this highly unlikely BUT POSSIBLE. something is causing the juice to leak through the air hole in the deck and instea dof going straigt out the afc holes it is being diverted and pushed out the gap between the JFC ring and the afc ring.

I find vujims guess much more likely that their is an issue with the seal between th glass and the tank since the glss rotates with the JFC and the juice is seeping out there.

what i dont understand is why is it not constant and only occasioanal? being that it is occasional leads me to wonder if there is a solution to prevent the seepage

on mine there is a white orign looking thing thats not an oring it feels like hard plastic or ceramic or something the bottom edge of the deck cover rests on top of it when assembled.
i feel that may be the issue...so my thought is this @vuJim the metal on the pottom part of the glass...can you verify yours is 100% flat? i am thinking if it has a high spot, then you are unable to screw the top to the bottom FULLY, so the seal between that not oring piece and the bottom of the deck cover is not 100% there and allowing some seepage.

vapedick · Dec 31, 2015

Wicking problems. That's all. Try again. I've had leaks with bad wicking. None with good.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Powerman · Jan 1, 2016

Mattp169 said:
ok
vujim is not having juice run out the afc. if it was the afc then the juice SHOULD be coming form the deck itself, which very well COULD be a wicking issue
UNLESS and i find this highly unlikely BUT POSSIBLE. something is causing the juice to leak through the air hole in the deck and instea dof going straigt out the afc holes it is being diverted and pushed out the gap between the JFC ring and the afc ring.

I find vujims guess much more likely that their is an issue with the seal between th glass and the tank since the glss rotates with the JFC and the juice is seeping out there.

what i dont understand is why is it not constant and only occasioanal? being that it is occasional leads me to wonder if there is a solution to prevent the seepage

on mine there is a white orign looking thing thats not an oring it feels like hard plastic or ceramic or something the bottom edge of the deck cover rests on top of it when assembled.
i feel that may be the issue...so my thought is this @vuJim the metal on the pottom part of the glass...can you verify yours is 100% flat? i am thinking if it has a high spot, then you are unable to screw the top to the bottom FULLY, so the seal between that not oring piece and the bottom of the deck cover is not 100% there and allowing some seepage.

You completely lost me. I have no idea what you are talking about.

If the glass is leaking, then it's leaking. That's not much of a mystery.

If it is leaking under the base... It could be wick, it could be seal for deck to base... But where ever it comes from, it will get to the AFC ring. Juice can seep up, down, all around. If it is actually draining out of the tank, then it will just run out. But regardless, once juice is in the base, it will go every where, and there is no way you are pin point what it is unless you rule things out. Unless you can prove what it is, you can't go claiming your replaced part is so defective juice just runs out.... Or, you could just say screw it and none of this is worth my time trying to figure out because there are numerous other fish in the sea.

Mattp169 · Jan 1, 2016

@Powerman i do not think you fully understand where the seepage is ocming form which is why you keep going back to a wicking issue

Powerman · Jan 1, 2016

The seam at the top of the AFC ring and the bottom ring of the glass. But that ring is solid and if the actual glass was leaking it would be at the seam between glass and metal. But it seeps at the other seam.

Powerman · Jan 1, 2016

I finally found some pics of the base taken apart without cutting it to pieces. That guy made a new insulator, positive pin and 510 pin. He threaded them.

I'm guessing the pins are pressed together. So you might be able to pull them apart. His insulator was cracked to pieces, so he made a new one. And he replaced the o-ring.

There is no compression on the o-ring. Seems the narrowness of the seam might squeeze it. But that means you have to push it back in and rub it. It could be damaged putting it together.

I could not tell if there was an indent/seat space cut into it for the ring. Makes sense, but could be too big. The deck pressed into the base could add compression, but it's not full surfaces. If you really made it tight, then the juice control would be tight. Without juice lubing it, it will wear. The guy replaced his ring and fixed his leak.

Bottom line, whether this is Jims problem, or all of, or some of our seepage problems... It's a poor design. The ring needs to be serviceable. It needs to be replaceable. They need a peek insulator. Even if one isn't cracked, chances would be high to crack it taking the base apart. Maybe the seal isn't horrible, but it obviously need some attention. As popular as the tank is, I can't imagine OBS not knowing they have to address the leakage problems that seem to be occurring.

I have to check my Griffin. I did see a pic of the deck out of the base and the pins are threaded. I have to know now if I can take it apart.

vapedick · Jan 1, 2016

Mattp169 said:
@Powerman i do not think you fully understand where the seepage is ocming form which is why you keep going back to a wicking issue

It's wicking problems.

vuJim · Jan 1, 2016

Powerman said:
I finally found some pics of the base taken apart without cutting it to pieces.

I've half a mind to take one of my bases to a machine shop and have it cut straight down the middle, but I'm pretty certain that'd be a waste of time, because I'm pretty certain I know what I'll see.

Without even looking at the pictures: If you just look at the way the thing operates there's only one way it makes sense for it to have been done. It's easy to see. With the bottom assembly off the tank: Grab the posts with one hand and the ring above the AFC ring with the other. Turn one of them. The fact that they turn at all, and they do turn, means there's a kind of "bearing surface" between the two of them. The entry point for liquid, into that, is that gap I pointed out in post #130 in this thread.

I've always presumed there's an O-ring in there, somewhere.

Powerman said:
Bottom line, whether this is Jims problem, or all of, or some of our seepage problems... It's a poor design. The ring needs to be serviceable. It needs to be replaceable.

As I said before: Neat idea, poor execution in design and, probably, manufacturing. I'm guessing they probably could've gotten away with it if the mating surfaces were machined decently and if they'd used a pair of concentric O-rings, rather than one. As it is: The seal isn't up to the task.

Ironically: I believe the replacement Wetvapes sent me is worse than the assembly it was meant to replace. The fitment between the two pieces is much better on the old one than the new. The old one weeped a tiny little bit a couple of times. The new one has leaked fairly significantly.

vapedick said:
It's wicking problems.

It most certainly is not "wicking problems."

Powerman · Jan 1, 2016

The vaping Devil has taken his o-rings out the hard way. We have discussed how it works. There are others we've referenced that have cut their base up. We do know how it works. I just haven't seen one taken apart without destroying it and putting it back together. And the ring isn't just jammed in there. There is a seat, and a lip. Never the less, it needs to be serviceable.

vuJim · Jan 1, 2016

I have a buddy that runs his own machine shop. Has a CNC, lathe, the whole shootin' match. Maybe I'll drop him a line and ask him if he'd like to play with this. I bet it wouldn't take a whole lot of change to produce a much better part.

OBS Crius problems

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