Burnt Taste on RDA

[chuck.finley]

Hello, first post here.

I have a Mutation Xs RDA on an IPV 4s. Build is a dual coil at .4 ohms, 28g Kanthal and I'm using Cotton Bacon.
Can't post pics right now but will as soon as I can. Running at about 40-45 watts at 4-4.5 volts

The issue is with wickiing, I get a burnt taste no matter how I do it. I'm pulling it through the coil, making sure it's not compact but still in there and fluffy. Cutting the wicks so they sit at the bottom of the juice well. I've tried more wick, less wick, etc. The last one I made was the "best" one haha. It lasted maybe 12 hours or so before it started tasting bad. They're not burnt, maybe a taaaad bit browned but definitely not burnt. When I bought the RDA from by B@M store, they built me a coil and wicked it up for me, and man, it was AWESOME. Amazing flavor, and I could vape it till it was dry. But when I do it? Nah, I get crap taste. I don't know what I'm doing wrong and am getting very close to saying screw it and going back to tanks exclusively. Someone please help me out!

 

[scarecrowjenkins]

Sounds like a hot spot, or a short. 10 times out of 10 thats the reason behind getting burnt hits when the wick is wet (in my experience). Yank that cotton out, dry fire them and make sure they're firing nice and even from the middle out. Also make sure that no part of the coil is coming into contact with the top cap, this (for me) has always been the reason i've experienced a short when the coils are firing nicely. Hard to say without video/photo

 

[chuck.finley]

I'll post a pic as soon as I can, I'm at work currently. Yes, when I re wick, I dry burn everything off and even run it under water to wash away the buildup. I make sure the deck and everything is clean and the coils glow from the inside out, nice and evenly. Airflow is sitting as close to the bottom airflow hole as possible without touching and the top ones are lined up as well. I haven't checked the top cap to see if anything touches, I highly doubt it does but will double check to make sure it's not touching the top cap. I don't understand, because it will work fine for the first little bit, then the wicks seem to kinda collapse and fail and it just goes downhill from there. I just want it how it was when my shop wicked it. But I want to do it myself haha.

 

[chuck.finley]

I have noticed one of the screws is a tad loose, more so than the others. My reading will go from .387 to above .4 ohms if it's not secured properly. I do make sure it's snug. And I have tried the Japanese cotton and had the same effect with a lot more cotton taste. If it was shorting with the top cap on, I would definitely know. It works great, just after a few uses, if it's not drenched in liquid, then I get that crappy burnt taste. Thanks for the advice too.

 

[chuck.finley]

Yeah, I don't think it's the coil or a short or anything, I'm pretty sure it's my wicking technique. I'll post a picture as soon as I get home. I took a pic of it when my store built and wicked it when it was working great. I tried to copy the picture but have failed lol.

 

[chuck.finley]

I had to upload the images to Imgur, but here are the links. http://imgur.com/Ib2hkwB http://imgur.com/CdbnBGC http://imgur.com/yCMXHF2 http://imgur.com/ErcUqRe http://imgur.com/lTJr575

I just set this up and took step by step pictures. I'll let you know if I have issues with this. It's working well so far running at 4.18 volts, 45 watts. I want to go higher, with the original wick from my store 60 watts no prob. But every time I'm like 'YES FINALLY', I'll get a burning flavor. Thanks for the advice too.

 

[chuck.finley]

Yep, that's the original .4, I've had them on there for about 2 weeks.

I've been using it for the last hour and it seems to be fine for now but like I said haha.
I've had the burned flavor at 40 watts as well. I'm still at 45 so I'll see how this goes.

And I'm using max VG juice at 3mg nicotine. The juice is super flavorful so it's easy to spot when something's off.

 

[chuck.finley]

UPDATE: So the wick I did last night is still holding up. Getting a mild burnt flavor when it looks be be a just a little dry. They are discolored on one side of each wick. One side is a lot darker than the other, not sure if that's normal.

 

[chuck.finley]

Ok. So I've had this wick in for about 24 hours now and it is still holding up. From trial and error, I think my problem is finding the sweet spot with the amount of wick I need to run through the coil and how much wick I should leave in the well. I've only had a burning taste when it's semi dry and the wick moved to where there was some space for the juice to burn off instead of vaporize. I have to say, the flavor I get with this setup, when it's working normally, is so satisfying it's ridiculous. So I think with more practice I should be good. I was just getting worried! I thought there was some trick or something that I wasn't doing.

If anyone has any expert wicking tips, I would appreciate it.