Advice on rebuilding kanger rba

stuartmurphy87

Hi guys. Recently started making my own coils for the subtank mini rba. Using 26 kanthal 5 wraps around 2mm screwdriver like the yt vids show to get about .6 ohm.
Flavour is amazing but only lasting few hours before i get that horrible burnt taste. Cotton is black and im not sure if its the coil construction or my wicking.
Im putting cotton in just loose enough to move side to side. Cant figure out what im doing wrong.

Im new to rbas so any advice would be appreciated.

Squidgy Black

Sounds like an issue with the wicking, make sure your wicks aren't too long and aren't shoved into the wicking holes so much that they get blocked.

Also, what wattage are you running the coils at? Could be too high and burning the cotton.

stuartmurphy87

_Tyrrell_ wrote: »

Sounds like an issue with the wicking, make sure your wicks aren't too long and aren't shoved into the wicking holes so much that they get blocked.

Also, what wattage are you running the coils at? Could be too high and burning the cotton.

Yeah im thinking its wicking. Should the holes be completely free. Im moving it away so i can see small bit of daylight.

Sorry yeah 25w on ipower

youdipstick

stuartmurphy87 wrote: »

Yeah im thinking its wicking. Should the holes be completely free. Im moving it away so i can see small bit of daylight.

Sorry yeah 25w on ipower

Another thing,did you check that there were no hot legs on the coil,if the cotton is burnt or black,hot legs can cause this if it is a micro coil,try a spaced micro coil,should be no hot legs with a spaced coil...

stuartmurphy87

youdipstick wrote: »

Another thing,did you check that there were no hot legs on the coil,if the cotton is burnt or black,hot legs can cause this if it is a micro coil,try a spaced micro coil,should be no hot legs with a spaced coil...

Thanks
Coil itself was blackened. Not very familiar with hot legs just what i know from googling but im not sure whats going on.
The coils ive made have had bit of space betweek wraps.
Centre of coil has been black few times. Before wicking it glows from inside out like it should so i dunno.

youdipstick

stuartmurphy87 wrote: »

Thanks
Coil itself was blackened. Not very familiar with hot legs just what i know from googling but im not sure whats going on.
The coils ive made have had bit of space betweek wraps.
Centre of coil has been black few times. Before wicking it glows from inside out like it should so i dunno.

Maybe the Kanthal wire you got is sub standard,get yourself some SS 316L wire,alot better in Power & TC mode.
As others have said,it's not wicking,don't use too much cotton,saying that,you only used a 2mm wrap so there's not much cotton there anyway,before you tuck it down,cut a good snip off the cotton at the top & then tuck it,also make sure the wick is fluffed at the ends.
The Subtank mini RBA is normally forgiving when wicking.
Give the post screws an extra tighten to make sure there is a good connection.
I always do a Scottish Roll with most of my RBA's,cut the cotton pad as usual,take off the outside of the cotton & then prize the cotton apart gently so it gets thinner & bigger,you will nearly see through it,then do a proper roll (like a swiss roll) & then feed it into the coil,the Scottish Roll wicks great & stops burnt hits,even in Power mode,works like TC.
It might be on YT,check it out.

stuartmurphy87

youdipstick wrote: »

Maybe the Kanthal wire you got is sub standard,get yourself some SS 316L wire,alot better in Power & TC mode.
As others have said,it's not wicking,don't use too much cotton,saying that,you only used a 2mm wrap so there's not much cotton there anyway,before you tuck it down,cut a good snip off the cotton at the top & then tuck it,also make sure the wick is fluffed at the ends.
The Subtank mini RBA is normally forgiving when wicking.
Give the post screws an extra tighten to make sure there is a good connection.
I always do a Scottish Roll with most of my RBA's,cut the cotton pad as usual,take off the outside of the cotton & then prize the cotton apart gently so it gets thinner & bigger,you will nearly see through it,then do a proper roll (like a swiss roll) & then feed it into the coil,the Scottish Roll wicks great & stops burnt hits,even in Power mode,works like TC.
It might be on YT,check it out.

Its the geek vape 26 kanthal. Was thinking of trying stainless in temp mode. Yeah i will definately try the scottish roll. Sounds like it could help.Thanks for the help.

jonski

I use a 3mm coil in the ones I build for my son , SS316L spaced , they come out around the .5 mark . I do the 'rabbit ears' trick when wicking , leave the two ends come up out of the shroud that goes around the coil then cut them off about 3mm out side and poke them back down covering the holes right up to the edge of the two side holes , prime them then put the top back on the shroud ( the amount of times I forgot to put the top back on the shroud , jeeeeze ) .

Blackgator

I drilled the wick holes in my subtabk mini bigger, can't remember the exact size but was maybe one size up from what they were. I'd try wrapping coil round something bigger. I've used 2.5 and even 3mm coils in mine.
Also the stainless wire in tcm is great, avoids dry and burnt hits.

stuartmurphy87

Blackgator wrote: »

I drilled the wick holes in my subtabk mini bigger, can't remember the exact size but was maybe one size up from what they were. I'd try wrapping coil round something bigger. I've used 2.5 and even 3mm coils in mine.
Also the stainless wire in tcm is great, avoids dry and burnt hits.

Thanks for all the help lads. Much appreciated.
Yeah im thinking now of going stainless and temp control. What temp do you run the ipower at in tc mode gator?

Blackgator

225°C

stuartmurphy87

Blackgator wrote: »

225°C

Any recommendations for gauge of wire? I love the flavour off the .6 coils I make with the 26 gauge kanthal. Can i just copy that exactly using stainless or go bigger like 2.5 or 3 mm. Any advantages or disadvantages?

Anything else id need to order that im forgetting? Sorry for all the questions, just want to put in an order so i can start enjoying this tank without rebuilding it twice a day lol

jonski

I use the 26 gauge geekvape 316L ss .

I also find that TC isn't an exact science , it should obviously be capable of being set to a certain temp and thats it but not in my experience . I have found that for different mods and different tanks I need different temps and I also have to adjust them as I go . Even something as simple as the mod and tank sitting by the window for a while and therefore being cold might mean I have to up the temp a bit to get the right draw off of it , same goes for when I refill a tank , I nearly always have to drop it down 10 or 20 degrees for a bit .

Blackgator

In use 26gauge stainless, and a 2.5mm coil. Usually ends up around 0.5ohm.
I find bigger coils easier to wick.

Just the same as kanthal. Nothing else needed.

stuartmurphy87

jonski wrote: »

I use the 26 gauge geekvape 316L ss .

I also find that TC isn't an exact science , it should obviously be capable of being set to a certain temp and thats it but not in my experience . I have found that for different mods and different tanks I need different temps and I also have to adjust them as I go . Even something as simple as the mod and tank sitting by the window for a while and therefore being cold might mean I have to up the temp a bit to get the right draw off of it , same goes for when I refill a tank , I nearly always have to drop it down 10 or 20 degrees for a bit .

Thats good to know, thanks. Just as I get my head around one aspect another comes along.

Yeah im looking at the geekvape ss myself. Might grab a 26 and 28 and experiment with diameters.

iLikeWaffles

I've been using the subtank mini for over a year now and the RBA. I've had what's happening to your build happen to me on occasion. I would get about 1 week to 1½ week out of the coil and cotton. I find that it is the way in which you build each coil. I can't say fro sure that I have each build down completely because it is hard to get each build spot on which it has to be. Also I have used high VG and high PG. PG will give coils longer life VG tends to burn them out quicker.

From my experience on rebuilding I found that there is a wrong amount of cotton and a right amount there is no in between. If you use too much it takes longer to wick and you get dry hits and it burns the coil and cotton. If you leave a space in the coil itself it can build up burnt juice and make the coils life shorter. The correct amount of cotton I found is 4mm wide x 13mm long. But that is for the larger holes I have a spare RBA deck with smaller holes. The same amount of cotton does not work well in that. It needs to be 2-3mm to get the same results.


For the past few weeks I have been trying the vertical coil builds dragon coil. It is working very well. Video is not English just mute still follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWSeJ8x_nTs

I decided that I could fit dual coils in the RBA and modified that build. The taste is a lot better than single coil horizontal or vertical. You don't really have any leakage with vertical built coil because the way its wicked. You're blocking the juice from reaching the air holes directly and the coil/vape point has full airflow. With the dual coil I get 0.3Ω and because of lower ohmage its lower voltage and you're able to get higher wattage. (prefer it on 22w) Used very little cotton with the build it was longer and thinner. Next one could do with smaller amount tbh (didn't measure it but went off the video above).

Coils are 2.5mm.

stuartmurphy87

Blackgator wrote: »

In use 26gauge stainless, and a 2.5mm coil. Usually ends up around 0.5ohm.
I find bigger coils easier to wick.

Just the same as kanthal. Nothing else needed.

Thatll do me so. Just what im after resistance wise.

Hope this will be the setup to stop my issue cause i love the flavour out of this tank especially with the rba.

stuartmurphy87

Thanks Waffles, great info. I appreciate that very much. Thats some impressive builds you have going on there.
I use mostly around 75vg myself. If I got a week out of one now id be happy, a full day even haha.

iLikeWaffles

stuartmurphy87 wrote: »

Thanks Waffles, great info. I appreciate that very much. Thats some impressive builds you have going on there.
I use mostly around 75vg myself. If I got a week out of one now id be happy, a full day even haha.

Thanks. Just the dual one is mine! Yeah 75 vg myself. You can also reuse the burnt coils if you strip the wick off and dry fire it then dip the coil into bowl/cup of water the black burnt mess falls off, get it red hot and then dip. The coil(s) will not be like new but pretty close. Should get another use out of the coil but I'd imaging the coil would get brittle after a while if you do that. I do it occasionally when I'm not in the mood of rebuilding.

stuartmurphy87

Just ordered the geekvape stainless 26gauge. Going to also try the scottish roll wick technique. Seems it holds a tonne more juice which I hope will help stop it drying up.

Not sure on where to start with temp setting for temp control setup but ill figure it out im sure.

iLikeWaffles

stuartmurphy87 wrote: »

Going to also try the scottish roll wick technique. Seems it holds a tonne more juice which I hope will help stop it drying up.

Not sure on where to start with temp setting for temp control setup but ill figure it out im sure.

Just googled that there video I watched dude used a full sheet then discarded ¾ of it wasteful... Might give that a go myself next build (using a economical amount of cotton) still going with the dual. There is very little cotton in that dual vertical though. Is a little blackened but still no burn taste.

There is another wicking technique you could try "pancake" I think its called. Tried it before with the RBA was ok took to long to get right so didn't bother with it again.

Blackgator

Just replaced coil and can't get eleaf to ask if it's a new coil or same one like it usually does.

Used 26g as, 4 wraps at 2.5mm, coming in at 0.34ohms.
Running it at 40W, and used the pancake wick method for the first time. Chain vaping and no dry hits, flavour is amazing.

Watched Rip Trippers pancake wick video and he said to keep wick away from sides of barrel, but I didn't do that as I think it would flood. Working great for now. Hopefully it hold up.

Any ideas on how to get eleaf to recognise new coil?
(Got it sorted. Held fire button while screwing on tank)

stuartmurphy87

Blackgator wrote: »

Just replaced coil and can't get eleaf to ask if it's a new coil or same one like it usually does.

Used 26g as, 4 wraps at 2.5mm, coming in at 0.34ohms.
Running it at 40W, and used the pancake wick method for the first time. Chain vaping and no dry hits, flavour is amazing.

Watched Rip Trippers pancake wick video and he said to keep wick away from sides of barrel, but I didn't do that as I think it would flood. Working great for now. Hopefully it hold up.

Any ideas on how to get eleaf to recognise new coil?
(Got it sorted. Held fire button while screwing on tank)

I wasnt aware the ipower had that function to tell it its a new coil. How do u do that? Hold down fire while screwing it on each time??

Blackgator

stuartmurphy87 wrote: »

I wasnt aware the ipower had that function to tell it its a new coil. How do u do that? Hold down fire while screwing it on each time??

It's only for TC mode. Should ask when you install a new coil with a different resistance and have it on TC mode. But I think it has problems if the resistance of new one is close to old coil.

stuartmurphy87

Blackgator wrote: »

It's only for TC mode. Should ask when you install a new coil with a different resistance and have it on TC mode. But I think it has problems if the resistance of new one is close to old coil.

Ah right i see. Nice one.

iLikeWaffles

Trying that Scottish wicking in the dual vertical now so far so good. Used a very small amount and rolled it up cut a piece 6mm wide x 30mm long tore a layer off the cut piece. Tucked that around the 2 coils and used the rest to fill in gaps to the air hole. The vertical coilage is the way to go I think.

Blackgator

Blackgator wrote: »

Used 26g as, 4 wraps at 2.5mm, coming in at 0.34ohms.
Running it at 40W, and used the pancake wick method for the first time. Chain vaping and no dry hits, flavour is amazing.

Used Elements Pink Lemonade juice (very sweet) and coil didn't last the day. Full of gunk and very black. Was grand with fruity juice so id say it's down to the sweetener. High sweetener and dark coloured juices are supposed to wreck coils and cotton.
Looks like I'll just be replacing the coil every day.

I've 2 new tanks ordered, the Mutation X MT-RTA and the Moonshot RTA so think I'll coil up all three and just swap them each morning. Wouldn't be bother building a new coil every day.

iLikeWaffles

Blackgator wrote: »

Used Elements Pink Lemonade juice (very sweet) and coil didn't last the day. Full of gunk and very black. Was grand with fruity juice so id say it's down to the sweetener. High sweetener and dark coloured juices are supposed to wreck coils and cotton.
Looks like I'll just be replacing the coil every day.

I've 2 new tanks ordered, the Mutation X MT-RTA and the Moonshot RTA so think I'll coil up all three and just swap them each morning. Wouldn't be bother building a new coil every day.

I found that using sweet juices does make a coils life shorter alright. The sugar burns and sticks to the coil. You should be getting longer than a day out of one though something wrong if you don't.

If the post screws on the coil are not tight enough on the rba it can short and cause the ohmage to increase/decrease rapidly also causing the coil to burn quickly. I dry fire to heat the screws up then tighten when they are warm, when the juice hits the cotton it cools them down making them even tighter. But I don't over tighten them also just enough so the screw driver stops turning with little force.

stuartmurphy87

Blackgator wrote: »

Used Elements Pink Lemonade juice (very sweet) and coil didn't last the day. Full of gunk and very black. Was grand with fruity juice so id say it's down to the sweetener. High sweetener and dark coloured juices are supposed to wreck coils and cotton.
Looks like I'll just be replacing the coil every day.

I've 2 new tanks ordered, the Mutation X MT-RTA and the Moonshot RTA so think I'll coil up all three and just swap them each morning. Wouldn't be bother building a new coil every day.

Yeah i think the cotton candy isnt helping mine. Build it after work and bit of light use and its gone by lunch following day. More wicking i think for me but gonna try new set up tonight with different juice and see.

Gonna use the element in new dripper whenever it arrives.

iLikeWaffles

stuartmurphy87 wrote: »

Yeah i think the cotton candy isnt helping mine. Build it after work and bit of light use and its gone by lunch following day. More wicking i think for me but gonna try new set up tonight with different juice and see.

Gonna use the element in new dripper whenever it arrives.

Can you post a picture of the amount of cotton you are using when you rebuild. I've used sweet juices and the coil life is shortened by a day or two for me. Instead of getting 11-12 days I'd get 9 days out of the coil with those juices.

Also when you fire the mod does the coil carry on burning for a few seconds after you release the button? That has happened to me a few times and for the life of me I don't understand why just have to rebuild coil. That's the only time the coil would not last long. How does the coil look when you dry fire, the middle of the coil should glow first and evenly spread across the coil outwards from the middle.

stuartmurphy87

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

Can you post a picture of the amount of cotton you are using when you rebuild. I've used sweet juices and the coil life is shortened by a day or two for me. Instead of getting 11-12 days I'd get 9 days out of the coil with those juices.

Also when you fire the mod does the coil carry on burning for a few seconds after you release the button? That has happened to me a few times and for the life of me I don't understand why just have to rebuild coil. That's the only time the coil would not last long. How does the coil look when you dry fire, the middle of the coil should glow first and evenly spread across the coil outwards from the middle.

Funny you mention that. It does run on after i let go of button. Almost evertime i rebuild it. Only for second or so.

Yeah it glows from inside out like the videos ive watched show. Im using same technique as most on youtube. Put cotton up through sureound and xut excess off almost flush with sides. The i fan it slightly and gently tuck it down