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help my rda cotton keep burning in half

image.jpg
i have used this vape for a while and it's worked perfectly but recently every time i make the coils and thread it i prime it perfectly and then for some miraculous reason i taste it's burnt and it's managed to burn directly in half. does anyone know what to do, i have tried different coils, different diameters, different cotton, priming for an hour, i feel like i've tried everything. in this image i tried separating the coil threads so i could get airflow through the cotton within the coil it was a last ditch effort but i can't understand it.
 

Just Frank

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I've never had that happen. All I do is slide it through the coils (somewhat snug, NOT too tight), thin the ends with something pointy, and cut them so the ends just touch the bottom of the deck. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like there's a lot in the bottom. Your coils look slightly spaced which probably means you don't have hot spots (I also prefer slightly spaced). If I had to guess, I'd say maybe your cotton is too loose? That's just guessing though, can't really tell from the picture.
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Something I prefer, if the inner diameter of the coil is say 3 mm, will use wick that comes to roughly 2.5 mm outer diameter. This allows for about a half millimeter space between the coil and wick. That space gives room for juice & air flow.
 
It looks to me (from the pic) you ran your cotton from the bottom up, and put your wick ends into the coil? Not trying to be a smart ass, just what it looks like. The cotton end I can see does not look burnt at all.
It looks to me (from the pic) you ran your cotton from the bottom up, and put your wick ends into the coil? Not trying to be a smart ass, just what it looks like. The cotton end I can see does not look burnt at all.
yeah, i mean it looks like that, but those two top bits are the middles of the cotton that have been burnt perfectly in half. with no burn marks its as if the coil has made a clean cut
 
Something I prefer, if the inner diameter of the coil is say 3 mm, will use wick that comes to roughly 2.5 mm outer diameter. This allows for about a half millimeter space between the coil and wick. That space gives room for juice & air flow.
thank you, what band of cotton are you using?
 
Those coils are prob not heating evenly. Causing hot spots
yeah i mean you'd think but when i take the cotton back out not a single heat spot appears its perfects apart from sometimes one hot spot sometimes creating a singular line on the coil. as in its 1mm thick and travels in a straight line across the coil (the hot spot)
 
I've never had that happen. All I do is slide it through the coils (somewhat snug, NOT too tight), thin the ends with something pointy, and cut them so the ends just touch the bottom of the deck. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like there's a lot in the bottom. Your coils look slightly spaced which probably means you don't have hot spots (I also prefer slightly spaced). If I had to guess, I'd say maybe your cotton is too loose? That's just guessing though, can't really tell from the picture.
yeah i started cutting the cotton longer a while back because i figured out it was using less liquid that way and i was on a budget and then it just became a habit. okie thank you for the advice.
 

MyMagicMist

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
thank you, what band of cotton are you using?

Simple cheap Muji cotton. Get the pads and use the Scottish roll technique.

You might also think about cutting your ends just so the tips brush over the bottom of the deck. There's no need to stuff a deck full of wick material.

Wicking material cannot wick if there's no space left. From the tips it'll draw up the juice off the bottom of the deck.

Wick will be super saturate if there is too much of it in the deck. That will raise the humidity level & heat inside the deck, ergo, all your wick will burn up.

Cotton & Rayon both need breathing room. Wick needs to saturate for sure, super or over saturation though isn't a good thing.

This is how wicking functions. Not trying to be sarcastic, or negative. Some folks sincerely don't know.

Note the pictures below. They show how the tips brush over the bottom of the deck/s.

6144ceecfa595a4e318933d68bb0acc2.jpg


50jref0vrg021.jpg


00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20180117072156705_COVER.jpg


The pictures are not mine. I'm linking to them simply for educational / informative / fair use purpose.

Also with cotton & rayon being so cheap there's no excuse for being unsanitary. If your wick starts looking dark brown, is a steaming pile of yuck, pull the old wick out of the coil/s and replace with fresh wick.

Swapping out wick also helps give you time to look over your coil/s. Work out any hot spots, brush off gunk with ceramic tweezers.

Check your legs and ensure they fit snugly. Look over the deck for debris and remove it. This will help ensure a person avoids shorts.

Routine checks like this can get you coil/s lasting six months or longer. Be clean, safe and enjoy your vaping experience.

Remember, use things, love people. Never confuse the two.
 
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Vape Fan

_evil twin_
Staff member
Senior Moderator
VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Press Corps
Member For 5 Years
This is dry cotton fired @ 420F.
1664318262971.png

Wet cotton wick would be more like 600F and no one vapes that hot. I think no matter the amount of wick the juice consumption would be the same, unless juice/flavor is choked from too much, which could result in lack of flavor, burned wick, and brown on the cotton.

If you wick it as described by others you shouldn't have a prob.
 

VapeOn1960

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
What ohms reading does your mod show for the dual coils? What wattage are you using? Do you use TC?
How tight is the cotton wick trough the coils? Make sure the wattage setting is locked so it can't accidentally get changed while vaping (look at that often) If I understand correctly, the picture shows the coils AFTER you re-spaced them. Are you sure they didn't have hot spots before that? Sometimes the hot spot can be at the under side of the coil and hard to see. Was the resistance (ohms) what you expected when you installed the coils? Are the coils getting enough air flow? You overstuffed the deck... as mentioned, that just restricts overall airflow. Air cools the coils. Do you chain vape (long draws back to back with no rest in between)? Try shorter vapes and pause in between.
 

VapeOn1960

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Just so ya know...... running TC...... will not burn a wick. Power cuts off long before that can ever happen.
I just ask everything I can think of (I have solved other issues that nobody could figure out... 20 questions game) If it was TC, then there was a serious issue with the coils. I have never used TC but might give it a try anyway. I'm guessing this is too much wick, too tight, way to much tails (like I said about airflow) and maybe "chain vaping". It's a dripper... why so much wick? I actually have more experience with RTAs but about to get into RDAs so have less experience but it was obvious to me that was way too much wick.
I understand that TC will not burn a wick (unless you really messed up the settings)
 

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