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Weird isub cracking problem...

Barbara E.

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Hi everyone, looking for any suggestions as to what might be going on...

First, this is a frequent customer whom I believe. Two, I know these are genuine isub tanks (the original one with a plastic tank and driptip permanently attached) and we've never had this problem before. Three, it was not a 'tank-cracker' juice (strawberry-custard). I make it myself and have used it in an isub many times.

A customer bought an isub tank. Within an hour, he was back. He'd been driving with the mod in a cup holder in the car. He went to lift it up by the tank and the whole plastic part came off. The plastic had split just above the bottom threads. Spilled juice all over.

We gave him another isub. Though we've never had this problem before, I assumed the first incident was a fluke and did not look over the second isub closely. He heads out.

Within an hour, he's back. The tank had developed vertical cracks and is clearly about to break. Now we all try to figure out what's going on but can't come up with anything. I give him another tank (third one) and we all - including the customer - examine it closely. It's fine. He heads out again...

Yeah, you guessed it. He come back - again, within an hour - and it's developed vertical cracks again. So we give him an Apex (no added charge). Since he hasn't called in the past 24 hours, I assume it's fine.

We're befuddled. The only thing I can come up with is perhaps the vibrations in the truck??? (Ok, I know it's a long shot but I'm grasping at straws here.) The isubs were from two different boxes so being damaged in shipping shouldn't be the culprit.

We've had no problems with the isub - this is the first one. Any thoughts???
 

Jim_MDP

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I love my iSubs... they were among my first sub-ohm tank order, and I'm gobsmacked too.

My three "German PC" ones are over 9 months old and I've had no issues with any of them. Plenty of would-be risky fruit juices as well. They're still fine.

-Could the formulation of the plastic have changed? Are these new stock?

-Vibrations make sense if they had all cracked at the threads, leaving a ring.

Or... is he off-roading and slamming the mod/tank around in the cup holder? :p

Too bizarre, sorry I can't help, never heard of it happening before.
I still recommend them (haven't even tried the new models myself) and with the new RBA head (working fine for me) they have a new lease on life... SS TC baby. :D

Well played to just send him off with an APEX. :)
 

SteveS45

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Please provide a picture or pictures of the damaged tanks for some forensic examination. :fyi:
 

Barbara E.

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I know, I love the isubs too. It's just too weird. He's a great customer, I like him, and he couldn't understand what was happening either.

These were the last two tanks from one box and the first tank from another. I think we got our last shipment of them about three weeks ago so they're not NEW new.
 

Barbara E.

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Please provide a picture or pictures of the damaged tanks for some forensic examination. :fyi:

Sorry, no can do. They were thrown away yesterday. The first one broke above the threads (i.e. 'around' the tank) while the second two developed vertical cracks (no, they weren't the seam).

It has to be something unique to this guy's situation - I just can't figure out what.
 

SteveS45

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Hey Barbara I like your site simple yet tastefully arranged and functional. Very nice work with good color choices that is pleasing to the eye. At least in my opinion.

:luck:
 

SteveS45

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Sounds like over tightening to me but without seeing pictures it is just a guess. Over tightened then heat from the deck could cause the metal to expand beyond the stress limit of the plastic tank. But again just a guess.
 

Barbara E.

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Sorry, I should have mentioned that I re-filled the tank each time and put it together myself. So it wasn't over-tightened (unless I've developed super-strength recently). Seriously, it's a good guess but I don't think it applies here.

I might just have to put it down as one of those unexplained mysteries...
 

bondo

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
It could just be the way his rig sits in his cup holder and his driving habits. I have a couple setups that hit the lip of the cup holder right in the middle of the tanks. A couple quick turns and I could definitely see a broken tank. My quick fix was a micro fiber cloth in the cup holder.
 

Countrypami

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Hi everyone, looking for any suggestions as to what might be going on...

First, this is a frequent customer whom I believe. Two, I know these are genuine isub tanks (the original one with a plastic tank and driptip permanently attached) and we've never had this problem before. Three, it was not a 'tank-cracker' juice (strawberry-custard). I make it myself and have used it in an isub many times.

A customer bought an isub tank. Within an hour, he was back. He'd been driving with the mod in a cup holder in the car. He went to lift it up by the tank and the whole plastic part came off. The plastic had split just above the bottom threads. Spilled juice all over.

We gave him another isub. Though we've never had this problem before, I assumed the first incident was a fluke and did not look over the second isub closely. He heads out.

Within an hour, he's back. The tank had developed vertical cracks and is clearly about to break. Now we all try to figure out what's going on but can't come up with anything. I give him another tank (third one) and we all - including the customer - examine it closely. It's fine. He heads out again...

Yeah, you guessed it. He come back - again, within an hour - and it's developed vertical cracks again. So we give him an Apex (no added charge). Since he hasn't called in the past 24 hours, I assume it's fine.

We're befuddled. The only thing I can come up with is perhaps the vibrations in the truck??? (Ok, I know it's a long shot but I'm grasping at straws here.) The isubs were from two different boxes so being damaged in shipping shouldn't be the culprit.

We've had no problems with the isub - this is the first one. Any thoughts???

I own and use 4 of the iSub PCs and have never had one crack. I've had one break off where the plastic meets the metal, but not hairline cracks in the plastic itself.

Here's the only things I can think of...
  • He's re-tightening it after he leaves
  • He's putting an additive in the juice
  • He's subjecting it to extreme cold then hitting it
  • The tanks are actually clones even though you believe you bought legits
 

Countrypami

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Ohh... hubby had a thought. If you were to believe this customer is shady in the slightest... maybe he bought some elsewhere, damaged them with juice or over-tightening... and is "exchanging them out" through you?
 

SteveS45

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ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Ohh... hubby had a thought. If you were to believe this customer is shady in the slightest... maybe he bought some elsewhere, damaged them with juice or over-tightening... and is "exchanging them out" through you?

I have to agree that this is another possibility but I think she said he was a good customer. I have over tightened my own Nautilus Mini a few times but it is a glass tank so kind of hard to crack from expansion and the rubber.

It could just be the way his rig sits in his cup holder and his driving habits. I have a couple setups that hit the lip of the cup holder right in the middle of the tanks. A couple quick turns and I could definitely see a broken tank. My quick fix was a micro fiber cloth in the cup holder.

This is also a good possible explanation as a good bump could exert a couple of G's in force.
 

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