monstermash
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- Nov 15, 2014
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The Aerotank airdial/airflow base unit on the original Aerotank is easily broken / separated, and the springs inside can't wait to roam free never to be seen again.
The whole yoke is pretty easy to get back together nice and strong again thou, and a new spring fashioned out of kanthal wire or maybe even some thin copper core electrical wire. You'll also need some pliers or grips of some sort.
Some notes on the internal springs;
The springs, which live above and below the spinning airflow dial, do affect the overall resistance rating of the set up so although the unit continues to work without one (it's usually one at a time that gets lost) the resistance becomes a bit lower without it. It's not usually by much IME but better to fix her up proper, if you can, using the following method.
(If you still have the spring then skip the next three paragraphs)
DIY Aerotank springs:
The springs are a similar thickness to 24 gauge kanthal wire so if you're into building your own coils then you might have something you can press into service. I have also used 32 gauge equally successfully and I reckon, but haven't tested, that you could strip some thin but solid copper earth-core wire out of an unloved gadget (foot spa?)
Coiling the DIY spring:
Whether you have bust the top section off, or the bottom, you need to unscrew the spinning airflow dial off it's thread (the thread being attached to the top half) Set it down the right way up you don't want to put it back on upside down. The upper section thread that you just exposed is what you use to wrap your wire around to get the new spring size right. Hold the wire against the outer edge, or anywhere comfortable to hold, and make 6 to 8 wraps around the thread nice and tight. Remove your coiled wire and snip the flappy ends off (nailclippers/scissors whatever) to leave a nice tidy looking replacement spring. It should unravel just enough by itself to become the right size. You could give it a little tweak in or out if necessary - the original spring touches neither the inner or outer part of the housing it sits in. (Don't obsess over this though just try out whatever you've made if it looks about right)
Check it's ohms maybe;
If you have a VV device or a ohm-meter you can put it all back together finger-tight or just hold it together and check it's ohm reading using, for example, a stock coil to see if its as it should be. Every time I've done it it's worked and the reading is what it should be. If it's not then try more more wraps if you're using thin wire or less if you're using thicker wire e.g. copper. Some copper wire is just too thick and you don't even have to replace the wire necessarily.
Reassembling the whole ting:
You're going to crunch it back together with pliers. It will ratchet-click as you do so and become good and strong again. You can seriously screw up here by not getting the following 2 things right:
1. Make sure the spinning airflow is put back on the correct way. Check this by holding the base up to it and operating it ie. checking it spins up and down and exposes/closes the air intake holes. It looks kinda the same when it's upside down so check it before you wreck it.
2. You must set the airflow to where you normally have it. Lets be honest it doesn't perform any differently whether it's full open or half open. I always had mine full open. When you crunch it back together with pliers it can close ALL THE WAY UP TO WHERE YOU HAVE SET IT. If you have accidentally set it to fully closed or upside down then you are in the sh1t my friend.
I recommend though, that even if you normally have it fully open, that you do DO close it a little as this extra closure does seem to give the repair more overall strength that it had out of the box. I repaired mine to just one third open and it performs just as well and is nice and strong now.
Re the pliers and finishing the job:
1. 2 sets would be good as you could click both sides together at the same time.
2. I used one set and just clicked it back together a little at a time on alternating sides.
3. The pliers will cut into the metal and notch it so you might want to use some kind of soft-jaw to prevent this. A plastic screw cap lid would work maybe like you get on a 4L milk container. Pretty easy to snip in half and trim to fit. Plastic zip-tie maybe. I'm sure you can think of something. Didn't bother myself it just matched the battle scars the rest of the tank has.
Once it's back together it's vaping time.
The aerotank 2 base fits the original and you can get these separately from ebay etc. A repaired aerotank 1 base will only last so long. Best I've had is 3 weeks before it went again.
Anyways, hope this repair method gets you out of trouble until you get yourself an aerotank 2 base. These are much better quality and stainless steel.
Best,
MM
The whole yoke is pretty easy to get back together nice and strong again thou, and a new spring fashioned out of kanthal wire or maybe even some thin copper core electrical wire. You'll also need some pliers or grips of some sort.
Some notes on the internal springs;
The springs, which live above and below the spinning airflow dial, do affect the overall resistance rating of the set up so although the unit continues to work without one (it's usually one at a time that gets lost) the resistance becomes a bit lower without it. It's not usually by much IME but better to fix her up proper, if you can, using the following method.
(If you still have the spring then skip the next three paragraphs)
DIY Aerotank springs:
The springs are a similar thickness to 24 gauge kanthal wire so if you're into building your own coils then you might have something you can press into service. I have also used 32 gauge equally successfully and I reckon, but haven't tested, that you could strip some thin but solid copper earth-core wire out of an unloved gadget (foot spa?)
Coiling the DIY spring:
Whether you have bust the top section off, or the bottom, you need to unscrew the spinning airflow dial off it's thread (the thread being attached to the top half) Set it down the right way up you don't want to put it back on upside down. The upper section thread that you just exposed is what you use to wrap your wire around to get the new spring size right. Hold the wire against the outer edge, or anywhere comfortable to hold, and make 6 to 8 wraps around the thread nice and tight. Remove your coiled wire and snip the flappy ends off (nailclippers/scissors whatever) to leave a nice tidy looking replacement spring. It should unravel just enough by itself to become the right size. You could give it a little tweak in or out if necessary - the original spring touches neither the inner or outer part of the housing it sits in. (Don't obsess over this though just try out whatever you've made if it looks about right)
Check it's ohms maybe;
If you have a VV device or a ohm-meter you can put it all back together finger-tight or just hold it together and check it's ohm reading using, for example, a stock coil to see if its as it should be. Every time I've done it it's worked and the reading is what it should be. If it's not then try more more wraps if you're using thin wire or less if you're using thicker wire e.g. copper. Some copper wire is just too thick and you don't even have to replace the wire necessarily.
Reassembling the whole ting:
You're going to crunch it back together with pliers. It will ratchet-click as you do so and become good and strong again. You can seriously screw up here by not getting the following 2 things right:
1. Make sure the spinning airflow is put back on the correct way. Check this by holding the base up to it and operating it ie. checking it spins up and down and exposes/closes the air intake holes. It looks kinda the same when it's upside down so check it before you wreck it.
2. You must set the airflow to where you normally have it. Lets be honest it doesn't perform any differently whether it's full open or half open. I always had mine full open. When you crunch it back together with pliers it can close ALL THE WAY UP TO WHERE YOU HAVE SET IT. If you have accidentally set it to fully closed or upside down then you are in the sh1t my friend.
I recommend though, that even if you normally have it fully open, that you do DO close it a little as this extra closure does seem to give the repair more overall strength that it had out of the box. I repaired mine to just one third open and it performs just as well and is nice and strong now.
Re the pliers and finishing the job:
1. 2 sets would be good as you could click both sides together at the same time.
2. I used one set and just clicked it back together a little at a time on alternating sides.
3. The pliers will cut into the metal and notch it so you might want to use some kind of soft-jaw to prevent this. A plastic screw cap lid would work maybe like you get on a 4L milk container. Pretty easy to snip in half and trim to fit. Plastic zip-tie maybe. I'm sure you can think of something. Didn't bother myself it just matched the battle scars the rest of the tank has.
Once it's back together it's vaping time.
The aerotank 2 base fits the original and you can get these separately from ebay etc. A repaired aerotank 1 base will only last so long. Best I've had is 3 weeks before it went again.
Anyways, hope this repair method gets you out of trouble until you get yourself an aerotank 2 base. These are much better quality and stainless steel.
Best,
MM
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