Well I make my own oils and they are all filtered and very high quality(pass foil test) but I have build up like you saw in the pics after 2 weeks, and I do a boil cleaning every 4 days of so.
Discontinued Thermovape Cera
- Thread starter SameOldTim
- Start date
VapoRoor
DAB-a-DAB I'll dooooo
Wow every 4 days!? Thats a shit load of not vaping
Calling another member a troll is not permitted. Warning point issued.
Hey JCay, I totally agree with you. i have had the same experience and every time I post OF gets all high and mighty(troll). I feel as if TV rushed the CERA out and is doing product research on its customers at there expense,$315 to ship it to me and 4 times sending in either the core of body, weeks of waiting and back to smoking. OF seems to never have a problem and always has the answer, who made him the end all be all?
The boil cleaning only takes 15 minutes and a few minutes to burn out. But ya it's a choreWow every 4 days!? Thats a shit load of not vaping
mod note: Please avoid back-to-back posts, use Edit instead. Two posts merged.
Last edited by a moderator:
OF
Well-Known Member
Exactly so.
The idea is, I think, to use the TV recommended cleaning procedures in a timely manner. To neglect this until it gets as fouled as in the photos above is indeed a problem. And it can, like neglecting cleaning in a firearm say, or changing the oil in your car, lead to some serious problems.
However, if you do keep after cleaning (washing out the debris before it builds up and gets baked in hard) you can run a lot of dirty oil through it. In the Revolution/DART (basically the same technology as others have pointed out) this includes bubble and low grade hash. As many of us know from experience. You can vape the smaller amount of THC there and then wash out the (larger amount of) junk.
For a 'fatally flawed' design, it sure works well IMO......provided you use it as instructed, which includes routine cleaning. It won't last forever, of course, but I think it's without equal in service life? I think it's 'won it's stripes' the old fashioned way. It performs as advertised?
I'm sorry if you feel attacked, that's not my wish. Nothing personal. I just often don't agree with things folks say and say as much. I try to give my reasons for things and try to defend them as best I can as I believe is correct. It's not confined to this Forum of course.
It's important to me that folks get useful information to base decisions on. That includes facts as I know them. It doesn't matter to me one way or the other who it is that's saying it really. When I agree, I often (but not always) say so. When I don't agree, I state my opinion and the reasoning behind it and let the reader decide?
OF
Last edited:
VapoRoor
DAB-a-DAB I'll dooooo
coffinoff
Well-Known Member
How much do you go through in that 2 weeks? For me 2 weeks is probably around 1-1.5g.
VapoRoor
DAB-a-DAB I'll dooooo
Same here. seems to be a tolerable amount
Where are the recommended cleaning procedures? There web site says a user manual is on the way, no cleaning info at all? I cant find any cleaning procedures on this site as well, If it has earned it stripes it because I and many others are the beta testers IMO. I believe I have read many times that the cera does not need to be cleaned out that often and is clog free, please correct me if I am wrong.
OF
Well-Known Member
You are I believe. It needs to be kept reasonably clean as has been widely discussed many many times in many threads.
My guess is searching for 'clean', 'boil', 'ISO soak'. '20/20/20' and so on on this, the two closed Cera forums, this one, the TV one, as well as the ones for T1, Evolution, Revolution/DART, will give you lots of information. I personally have posted on it many dozen times......it's not a secret, really. You might confine the search to exclude me if you don't trust me, Tim posted many times on the subject that I recall. As I think did Noah back when he was posting?
Despite what you may think, as a real Beta Tester I can assure you you weren't part of that exercise.
Can you please show me where it says "cera does not need to be cleaned out that often and is clog free" because I don't think either of those statements is accurate. If I saw them I'd no doubt question them as I do now. As in the similar products, concentrate quality and vape technique determine the cleaning interval needed and the only part of Cera I consider to be clog free is the self cleaning part of the UFO.....perhaps that's part of the confusion? The core and vents can clearly clog up. And while some guys go many grams of concentrate with no problems, some concentrates can't make it to the one gram mark without being a real pain. IMO no other rule or guideline fits the experience.
TIA
OF
scottfree
Active Member
That looks like a normal ecig mod bottom button to me Whats different about it?. Ive asked why these wont work with cera but never got a response. In fact most all mods buttom buttons are like that. Seems to me Thermovape tends to ignore the ecig world now. They don't want us rebuilding our cores like most ecig user do. RBA (rebuildable atomizers ). In fact OF just said what I think they think... "its not for amateurs" It should be done at the factory. I'm pretty sure that all the people that are rebuilding their genisis atomizer or silica rba's are "amateurs" as OF puts it and can handle it just fine... which is why RBA's are the most popular in the ecig market. oh wait because I forgot these parts are so complicated that you should be working for NASA if you rebuild atomizer or cores lol... I'm perfectly fine with voiding my core warranty I just want the parts to be able to rebuild my core to my needs. and so I can do it whenever I want and not have to worry about sending it in.
Side note Ive had my Cera back for like two months now it's working great still, no problems... this is the best core they have built... going strong for almost 2 months. and I didn't have to clean it for almost a month.. using super clean extracts of course, filtered at like 4.5-5.5 microns.
Last edited:
VapoRoor
DAB-a-DAB I'll dooooo
Never thought I'd ever read that!
It's lifetime bro! LIFE TIME
Dont mind me, I'm just
scottfree
Active Member
I feel the same way but then I ask myself what I would buy if I didnt own a Cera, and the truth is... nothing compares. I love my american made healthy cera! even with the hickups. Personally I had worse experiences with omicron cartridges, would spend like 100$ a month for starters, and sometimes they would break after a day of use. some didnt work at all... and all other China Ecig vapes were even worse with more problems.
Never thought I'd ever read that!
It's lifetime bro! LIFE TIME
Ohhh shit... I thought the cores were only for a year? Plus if I cant get it back together I would pay. or just buy a new one but how can it be that much harder than any RBA?
mod note: Please avoid back-to-back posts, use Edit instead. Two posts merged.
Last edited by a moderator:
You were correct, the core warranty is only for a year.
OF
Well-Known Member
Yup, that's what I recall too. After that it costs you $15 or so the plan was, although I think I recall someone reporting it's currently ten bucks?
OF
Zingbuddah
Vaporologist
Ok...task #1 save post before it disappears...check.
Task #2....We have Tim's "don't take out the screws" warning and OF's second of the damage but no official word on what TV will charge if (worst case) you send them a bag of busted ceramic parts but all the reusable parts are there and functional?
TBH, this isn't the last time this will come up and some folks (myself included) would rather have a second core as a standby and the option of some self repair.
Even Dell technicians have to deal with customer disassembled computers...few more parts in a typical laptop.
Just a suggestion...TV either comes out and says "No service on opened cores" or "We charge $xxx for repair once it has been messed with"
If the out of warranty core repair charge is $15, the phrase that I'd use in response that repairing a botched core fix is more expensive is...
"Show Me"
(Disclaimer....TV has been one of the BEST vendors I've dealt with so far and this shouldn't be taken as a slam against TV)
Edit
And with knowing OF virtually for a while now (on FC and PM) I can say 100% not to take OF's comments as trolling....I think he (as well as TV) want the customers to use the warranty service before mucking up a new core. (at this point are any cores out of the 1-yr warranty?)
Some of us live on these forums, but a large number of folks surf on in and hit the last page or two to see how to use their new toy and are never seen again....these are the guys that shouldn't be messing with the core.
Task #2....We have Tim's "don't take out the screws" warning and OF's second of the damage but no official word on what TV will charge if (worst case) you send them a bag of busted ceramic parts but all the reusable parts are there and functional?
TBH, this isn't the last time this will come up and some folks (myself included) would rather have a second core as a standby and the option of some self repair.
Even Dell technicians have to deal with customer disassembled computers...few more parts in a typical laptop.
Just a suggestion...TV either comes out and says "No service on opened cores" or "We charge $xxx for repair once it has been messed with"
If the out of warranty core repair charge is $15, the phrase that I'd use in response that repairing a botched core fix is more expensive is...
"Show Me"
(Disclaimer....TV has been one of the BEST vendors I've dealt with so far and this shouldn't be taken as a slam against TV)
Edit
And with knowing OF virtually for a while now (on FC and PM) I can say 100% not to take OF's comments as trolling....I think he (as well as TV) want the customers to use the warranty service before mucking up a new core. (at this point are any cores out of the 1-yr warranty?)
Some of us live on these forums, but a large number of folks surf on in and hit the last page or two to see how to use their new toy and are never seen again....these are the guys that shouldn't be messing with the core.
Last edited:
darkrom
Great Scott!
Between me loading unknown amounts, and letting people try it who have no idea how to hit it, I'm sure it could use a good cleaning. Plus why NOT increase the flavor of my vape by starting fresh? I'll just have to go a day with just buds, which is not a bad thing at all.
I'm using a "modified OF method" to clean my EO for the first time. Instead of boil - iso - boil, I'm going to iso, boil then iso again and boil again if need be. I figure by doing the iso soak first I have a better chance of reclaiming some of that oil. Not sure if it'll be enough to be worth that in the future, but I'd love to try and find out.
I'm using a "modified OF method" to clean my EO for the first time. Instead of boil - iso - boil, I'm going to iso, boil then iso again and boil again if need be. I figure by doing the iso soak first I have a better chance of reclaiming some of that oil. Not sure if it'll be enough to be worth that in the future, but I'd love to try and find out.
Zingbuddah
Vaporologist
Definitely a topic that merits a discussion or re-visit. What are the heavy users doing for maintenance? I think I fall in the light user category for Cera usage.
I'm using a 20 min soak (99% iso), 30 min boil (water) and 20 min soak (99% ISO) then a quick water boil to clean out the ISO. I go through about a gram a week and only hit up the core with the wash every other week so far. I did have a massive clog over hempfest that broke the cycle.
Anyone cleaning on more than a weekly basis?
I'm using a 20 min soak (99% iso), 30 min boil (water) and 20 min soak (99% ISO) then a quick water boil to clean out the ISO. I go through about a gram a week and only hit up the core with the wash every other week so far. I did have a massive clog over hempfest that broke the cycle.
Anyone cleaning on more than a weekly basis?
Bob Loblaw
Astralnaut
agree 100%
this is a great tool, but it is not the only thing on the marked now that D9 is releasing the SR-71 (just waiting for the insert). those looking for an RBA may enjoy that cart more, as it can be fully dissambled for cleaning and repair. however, it can be assembled incorrectly and short your unit, also necessitating repairs and wait time so nothing is perfect. know what you are buying
When I had my Dart rebuilt recently, it was Ten dollars + shipping, so basically still $15
We also dont know if it will be even servicable after you take the core aprt thus voiding the warranty. tv could easily say sorry you voided the warranty time to buy a new one. Not that they definitly will.
And with all this cleaning talk, how often does everyone clean? I thought it was better to top off and you shouldnt have a problem with build up or having to clean?
Also @darkrom your cleaning method works. But Iso at the end (if you dont do the 4th boil) is kinda stupid to me. OF boils, iso and then does the final boil to remove the residual ISO. So Isoing as the last step may be pointless and harder to remove the iso after
coffinoff
Well-Known Member
I was kind of under a similar impression though now I can see how incorrect that was and, in hindsight, it seems obvious that some form of buildup is going to occur to the point where performance will eventually be impacted.
I'm still not quite clear on what the answer is though. It seems like taking a more proactive approach and cleaning after running 0.5-1g or so through it would maintain the core at near optimal performance. I'm somewhat concerned that there's also a certain amount of risk associated with going through the boil/soak/repeat process too frequently in that, the more you're mucking with it, the more opportunity there is to accidentally damage it. Either I'm just too paranoid about it or there's a happy medium which I haven't found yet.
OF
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the reminder, makes perfect sense now, but that's no doubt where I got the $10 from.
I agree, it would be wonderful if they'd blindly quote repair costs for 'basket cases' (which is actually what we're talking about here, not the typical use of term basket case) but Dell doesn't do it, nor will Toyota or Apple. I think MNIM has pointed to the flaw in that wish?
I also think folks are looking for rainbows here. It seems pretty clear to me that if you tamper with the insides it's no longer under warranty....like Dell, Toyota, and Apple?
I opened up my Solo to tinker around inside. I take responsibility for that and don't expect them to warranty it after. Likewise I opened up my Puffit and drilled a hole to get around that horrid red/green indicator, I fully expect that if I sent it in and they saw that hole they'd reject it. Pretty simple to me, the deal to warrant performance is based on not tampering. If you tamper, you cancel the warranty, not them.....or anyone else for that matter. As a customer I sure don't what to pay 'my fair share' of that responsibility for others. The maker won't 'absorb' (meaning take it out of profits) such costs, they simply charge everyone a bit more. No free lunches, someone has to pay.
And while I don't want to fish for a lot of posts on how much of a Member's hard earned money this all costs, it is what I consider a consumable part. It has a finite lifespan and owners should accept that if they use it a lot it will die eventually. No magic here, just a sold design well built? I too bought spare cores (which is nice in the EO case, you can have other strains on tap).
I'm not so sure the core is all that frail. As long as you don't drop it, of course. Similar medical stuff is autoclaved over and over on a routine basis, the materials are up to it.
When I first started testing Cera cores for TV I went way overboard cleaning I think. Looking back I'd clean between strains, which I did often. It's a habit I picked up from TV. Their testing, I noted, always started with a clear core. Fresh starts. Makes sense. For them.
Then I realized you lose .2 grams or so of otherwise good concentrate every time. So, after some thought and discussion with 'the guys' I shifted to the idea of 'playing it by ear'. That is keeping an eye on things and basing when to clean on performance. I get it that some guys don't want that, they want a schedule, but I think there are just too many variables here for that. You'll either waste a guys goods or get him into trouble with fouled carts blindly following some routine here?
As to the 'OF boil first' thing, please remember that's based on not trying to reclaim. I understand lots of folks do, so as DR suggests boiling first is a bad call. My preference is based on getting the core as clean as I reasonably can as fast and easy as possible. I think that boiling as a first step gets more junk out than ISO, that's all. No secret insights, just my experience based on my 'needs'. As always, I think guys should conduct (reasonable) experiments. This is not a 'one size fits all' thing by any means. It was intended from the start to allow for individuals and their varying wants. It's a tool (and IMO a good one), it's up to the craftsman holding it to determine how useful it is?
OF
Zingbuddah
Vaporologist
Thinking we should use the term "repair" instead of warranty....because in the end we all agree that the warranty is done once you pop the top...
Not endorsing unscrupulous behaviour by attempting to fix it and then claim it was just broken through use.
Not endorsing unscrupulous behaviour by attempting to fix it and then claim it was just broken through use.
coffinoff
Well-Known Member
I see where you're coming from but it's not necessarily a "schedule" or a strict regimen that I'm after, necessarily, just trying to build some better knowledge. What does "keeping an eye on things" mean to you? What are some key indicators that make you think it's time to clean? I've been using a Cera for a while so maybe it seems like this should all be obvious to me by now but I'm not cleaning it nearly as frequently as others seem to be so I'm concerned that maybe I just don't know what to look for.
darkrom
Great Scott!
So I let my core sit in some 99% iso that I had all morning. I got home and damn its damn near white the ceramic. Pretty clean with reclaim if I want to save it (and I'll definitely try this time).
Then I was in a rush out the door so I boiled some water, poured it into a glass and let the core sit in the glass. It'll probably only have been boiling for a few min, but when I get home the plan is to air dry it with a blow dryer or perhaps heat gun. Then throw it on the cera and heat it up a bunch of times and see if I taste anything.
Then I'm going to use a scale and try to load .3 in the cart and see what kind of usage that gets me. I have a cheapo scale so it doesn't get more accurate. I'll upgrade it eventually, I'm just wondering if I can get multiple days out of .3? I still have no idea how efficient concentrates are FOR ME. It will vary greatly between users. I find I like little hits rather than lung busters lately, helps me avoid that "rush" which to me feels really negative, though most recreational users would probably describe this as the actual high. I find I like it to creep up more gently than smack me right in the face.
Then I was in a rush out the door so I boiled some water, poured it into a glass and let the core sit in the glass. It'll probably only have been boiling for a few min, but when I get home the plan is to air dry it with a blow dryer or perhaps heat gun. Then throw it on the cera and heat it up a bunch of times and see if I taste anything.
Then I'm going to use a scale and try to load .3 in the cart and see what kind of usage that gets me. I have a cheapo scale so it doesn't get more accurate. I'll upgrade it eventually, I'm just wondering if I can get multiple days out of .3? I still have no idea how efficient concentrates are FOR ME. It will vary greatly between users. I find I like little hits rather than lung busters lately, helps me avoid that "rush" which to me feels really negative, though most recreational users would probably describe this as the actual high. I find I like it to creep up more gently than smack me right in the face.
VapoRoor
DAB-a-DAB I'll dooooo
15 bucks for a 100 dollar part is borderline free.
I did mix up the lifetime with the body, I believe the body is lifetime for manufacture defects.