Steam Crave Aromamizer RDTA - quad coil build and much more!

[scrumpox]

This is just for information really, maybe it'll provoke a discussion. I want to show here why I prefer the buzzsaw trim on the top tail of the vertical wick. The first pic shows this "buzzsaw trim" where the wick is cut flush with the uppermost wrap of the coil, certainly no higher than the top of the posts. When you attach the lower tank section - which is the chamber and lower section of the chimney - you will see just how close the top of the wicks are to the chimney itself. See the second pic. Often we simply attach the completed tank and you don't see this.

If you leave a long tail on top of the vertical coil it will be both touching the chimney and obstructing your airflow. The same obstruction happens if you don't have a gap between the two wicks.
Obviously we don't want to obstruct the airflow, that's a good reason in itself not to leave a long tail. But there's another reason if you need it.

All atties create condensation which collects on the sides of the chamber and travels up the chimney/drip tip. We've all experienced a little juice in our mouths. With the RDTA there's a baffle on the drip tip to prevent spitback, which works well. It also blocks the path of condensate to some extent. This condensate can travel back down the chimney and into the chamber, it's visibly darker than your juice as it has been vaporised once already. I see this darker juice on the top of the posts and on the top of the wicks. This discolouring is many times worse if the condensate is travelling down the chimney and getting soaked up by the top wick tail. After all, wick does what wick does, right? The top tail will wick the condensate straight off the chimney.

It's not a problem that's particular to the RDTA, I have noticed with other atties that if the wicking is touching the side walls of the chamber, this section of wick will visibly darken. It's wicking condensate as well as fresh juice. Eventually the entire wick will discolour and the flavour will go off - you're effectively vaping on juice that's been vaporised more than once.

 

[scrumpox]

The third photo shows this darker condensate that I'm talking about, see it on top of the posts and how it's already discolouring the wicks, even when trimmed back. This problem is made much worse, the discolouration happens much more quickly, if the wick tails are left long.

 

[Beastie]

Yeah @scrumpox, I've noticed that running a close cropped wick it lasts longer with less discolouration and better flavour. I've also noticed that having the horizontal coil lying between the posts results in cleaner wick too as any condensation falls straight onto the coil and gets vaporised immediately the next hit. I've always been more of a single coil fella and the central vertical TC coil is still working well. I don't get any throttling at all as the airflow and wicking is spot on.

 

[scrumpox]

Yeah @scrumpox, I've noticed that running a close cropped wick it lasts longer with less discolouration and better flavour. I've also noticed that having the horizontal coil lying between the posts results in cleaner wick too as any condensation falls straight onto the coil and gets vaporised immediately the next hit. I've always been more of a single coil fella and the central vertical TC coil is still working well. I don't get any throttling at all as the airflow and wicking is spot on.

Good input @Beastie - what are the specifics of your TC build?
No matter if the coil is vertical or horizontal, we have to keep wicks inside the chamber and not touching the walls to minimize this issue, and not only with the RDTA as all atties create condensation.

 

[Beastie]

@scrumpox it's a central ni200 build. Spaced vertical. Wick it loose and fluffy and split the tail in two once I've pulled to the deck and lightly place over the juice holes. Works a treat and more stable than dual monster coils. I trim the cotton to the top of the coil now rather than what's shown in pic for the reasons you stated.

 

[dogsdanglies]

Did we get a solution to the condensate?

When i do vertical coil, it doesn't seem to matter if joining tails are short crop, both are gunked up in hours ...

 

[scrumpox]

@scrumpox it's a central ni200 build. Spaced vertical. Wick it loose and fluffy and split the tail in two once I've pulled to the deck and lightly place over the juice holes. Works a treat and more stable than dual monster coils. I trim the cotton to the top of the coil now rather than what's shown in pic for the reasons you stated.

That's a long coil and looks like a right bugger to wick ... you need the cotton loose inside the coil yet still have enough tail to split it and cover both sides of the deck. Well done on achieving that.

 

[scrumpox]

Did we get a solution to the condensate?

When i do vertical coil, it doesn't seem to matter if joining tails are short crop, both are gunked up in hours ...

Fucked if I know!

You can either cut the baffle off the drip tip or take the drip tip off and vape straight from the nipple ... then you can suck the condensate up into your mouth like with every other atty!
Can't stop condensation happening ... just stop it building up.

 

[beastobadness]

Did we get a solution to the condensate?

When i do vertical coil, it doesn't seem to matter if joining tails are short crop, both are gunked up in hours ...

There is no solution to the condensate apart from putting a set of horizontal coils in but that only hides it better and the colouration is still present, just you are vaporising it almost immediately and it doesn't get a chance to collect. But why would you want to do that with the Aromamizer, this thing was built for verticals![emoji12]

Besides it doesn't do you any harm, it just looks like crap. I got sick of re-wicking all the time sometimes once a day, then I thought fuck it, leave it for a few days and see if the flavour changes. With some juices it actually seems to increase the flavour and make it better! I tend to use custards in mine because putting it in my tanks I found it was destroying the stock coils in 2-3 days. The Aromamizer is much better and cheaper in the long run, suppose like any RTA or RDTA.

I learned pretty quickly with my vertical builds in the Aromamizer to cut the top of the wicking to near level with the top of the coil. You could go all A-team on the stock drip tip and remove the baffle [emoji23] but maybe a third party one first

@scrumpox this is great advice.

 

[dogsdanglies]

Fucked if I know!

You can either cut the baffle off the drip tip or take the drip tip off and vape straight from the nipple ... then you can suck the condensate up into your mouth like with every other atty!
Can't stop condensation happening ... just stop it building up.

I have never used the tip it came with, i use the widest i have that doesn't look too daft.