Running the Innokin iSub at low watts, guaranteed to leak?

[rchmx]

I guess this question pertains to sub tanks in general. Since they have much larger juice holes, are they guaranteed to leak if you run them at low watts? You're not vaporizing all the juice in the relatively large volume of cotton these atomizers contain, and so eventually some of that juice is going to build up and leak a bit? Is that a sound line of reasoning?

The reason I ask is because I had some older friends that were influenced by my high wattage setup, and wanted to upgrade from their eGo-style devices. I recommended the iSub along with one of the mini Sigelei's as a good low cost entry point, and they've liked it a lot, but haven't gotten adventurous with their wattage. One is running it in the mid teens, the other, when I checked his device, had it set to 8 watts (lol)!

They've both mentioned that they're experiencing a bit of leakage. I'm getting them set up with higher VG juice as an obvious countermeasure, and I've read some accounts on this forum that mention moderate leaking issues with the iSub, some who've said they haven't had any leakage issues. But it got me wondering if it's just a built in problem with running a subtank like the iSub at lower wattage.

Any thoughts? TIA!

 

[Rhyno636]

Wattage has no direct relation to leaking. Using that theory, they would leak when not used. (0 watts)

 

[Rhyno636]

That's not axiomatic as the pressure differential is static at rest.

And they do leak when unused... with mine it's rare and minimal, usually the excess in the head. I've never experienced the "pick up a mod in the morning and find the tank has puked its' guts out overnight", but I hear it happens.

I'm confused. The OP talks about Isubs and then sub tanks in general. Maybe the Isubs leak, but not the sub tanks I've used.

 

[rchmx]

That's not axiomatic as the pressure differential is static at rest.

And they do leak when unused... with mine it's rare and minimal, usually the excess in the head. I've never experienced the "pick up a mod in the morning and find the tank has puked its' guts out overnight", but I hear it happens.

I agree with this. I've turned about 30 or so older folk onto vaping, people who have been smoking for 30+ years, all with your basic eGo-style + bottom coil clearomizer type set up. The ones that let it sit for days between usage notice some leaking. I tested this out myself, using your basic T3S tanks with bottom coil atomizers I rebuilt myself. I left them to sit upright, and after a few days (3-7, I wasn't running a scientific test so I didn't pay too close attention), they all started leaking (the better word for it would be seeping juice). This isn't an issue in real world use for most of us, as people are rarely if ever going to let their mod sit for long enough that the wicks get oversaturated and begin to seep juice. But I don't see how this would be any different between a cheapy bottom coil atomizer, and one of these sub ohm atomizers, except very possibly in the variable of time. And I see it as a small, seemingly justified leap to overlap "length of time sitting" with "not enough watts being used to burn off juice," when it comes to explaining leaking. Both are explanations for an over-saturation of juice that will eventually lead to leaking (seepage).

Thanks for your input Jim, the feedback is helpful. I'm hoping that the higher VG juice will slow down the over-saturation enough so that, in real world usage, seepage doesn't occur. That would be easier than trying to convince these old dogs that they would have a much better vaping experience running their setup at a higher wattage. Old dogs and tricks and all.

 

[rchmx]

I'm confused. The OP talks about Isubs and then sub tanks in general. Maybe the Isubs leak, but not the sub tanks I've used.

If you have a subtank to spare, try setting it upright while filled with juice. Check back in a few days, continuing for a week or so. I'd be surprised if you didn't notice some seepage, even if just a little.

 

[Rhyno636]

This is stupid. The OP asked if using Isubs at low watts would cause it to leak. Fuck no. And if you're using a subtank below 20 watts, get a fucking vivi nova. Maybe they'll leak after a week, maybe even a day. It's sure not due to "not vaporizing all of the ejuice in the cotton".

 

[chuckpie85]

I can confirm definitely happens with subtanks as well. Had an arctic I replaced with a starre put it aside and forgot to empty it picked it up yesterday and juice was everywhere. Had the airflow closed as I've heard that will prevent or minimize the leakage...definitely not the case

 

[Rhyno636]

Sorry for my somewhat ignorant rant....
Give these old dogs a Tobeco Super tank with a stock .5 ohm coil. They can let it sit for a week and not have significant amount of seepage to bark about. No matter what wattage they prefer.

 

[rchmx]

This is stupid. The OP asked if using Isubs at low watts would cause it to leak. Fuck no. And if you're using a subtank below 20 watts, get a fucking vivi nova. Maybe they'll leak after a week, maybe even a day. It's sure not due to "not vaporizing all of the ejuice in the cotton".

I think this is a "time to step away from the intent for a few hours" type post.

These subtanks have large juice holes, designed to quickly resarturate the wick with the high temps at which they're meant to be run. If you're running at lower watts, you're burning less juice. It's simply physics that excess juice will eventually build up and "seep." Gravity will have its say. Your post simply begs the question, why do you believe it's fucking obvious that there is a natural and eternal equilibrium between the juice in the tank, and the wicking mattering in the atomizer? Share with us the equations you've run that justify your utter certainty.

Thanks for the confirmation chuck. All this will help me give them the most useful feedback I can.

 

[rchmx]

Sorry for my somewhat ignorant rant....
Give these old dogs a Tobeco Super tank with a stock .5 ohm coil. They can let it sit for a week and not have significant amount of seepage to bark about. No matter what wattage they prefer.

Ok, no worries. I'm sure there is some variability in the way that the stock coils of different sub tanks are designed, when it comes to wicking and seepage. I think any would seep if given enough time, though I could certainly see how there could be a marked difference in real world usage (where one week is hugely different than a day or two).

I think my next bit of research is to find which sub tanks are best for switching between mouth to lunge, and straight to lunge vaping. The possible outcome of which is that something like a nautilus etc would perform better as a mouth to lunge versus using a sub tank for this hybrid purpose. I think that's part of the difficulty with these older guys, they've been using strictly mouth to lunge set ups for long enough that they're having trouble upping the wattages on their iSubs. I know I experienced an adjustment period when I started using drippers with huge airflows (and so necessitating much higher wattages and a straight to lunge approach).

 

[Rhyno636]

Ok, no worries. I'm sure there is some variability in the way that the stock coils of different sub tanks are designed, when it comes to wicking and seepage. I think any would seep if given enough time, though I could certainly see how there could be a marked difference in real world usage (where one week is hugely different than a day or two).

I think my next bit of research is to find which sub tanks are best for switching between mouth to lunge, and straight to lunge vaping. The possible outcome of which is that something like a nautilus etc would perform better as a mouth to lunge versus using a sub tank for this hybrid purpose. I think that's part of the difficulty with these older guys, they've been using strictly mouth to lunge set ups for long enough that they're having trouble upping the wattages on their iSubs. I know I experienced an adjustment period when I started using drippers with huge airflows (and so necessitating much higher wattages and a straight to lunge approach).

We disagree. But your post simply begs the question, why would someone who seems somewhat intelligent by their grammar spell lung with an E on the end numerous times in a single post? Lunge? C'mon, you're better than that.

 

[rchmx]

We disagree. But your post simply begs the question, why would someone who seems somewhat intelligent by their grammar spell lung with an E on the end numerous times in a single post? Lunge? C'mon, you're better than that.

Another "step away from the internet" type post, commenting on spelling mistakes in a forum post. lol

I have a Isub G tank. I hate the sound of the unit atomizing. I know weird eh? Anyway, I won the item. I don't really care for sub ohm vaping. I bought some higher 2.0 coils at vaporbeast. The unit is performing well. I still don't like the sound. I run them at 16-20 watts. 70/30 pg/vg ratio and no leaks. Just sharing my experience. I don't plan on this being my forever tank due to its hissing sound. I need stealth/quiet vaping.

Are you really using 70% PG juice? Or did you mean 70/30 VG/PG?

Anyways, good to hear. When I researched this tank, I didn't come across any kind of wide spread reports of leaking issues, but thanks for the confirmation that it's not endemic with this tank.