Grasshopper Fixes

Hopper Labs said:

Grasshopper Cleaning and Maintenance
Frequently, customers ask for advice on how to keep the Hopper in top condition. With more Hoppers in the wild, we believe it's important to provide our suggestions. We read through the forums, and we are intrigued by the techniques developed by Hopper users. However, while we admire some of the methods, we've seen damaged Hoppers returned to our warranty department, ruined through improper cleaning. So, to help prevent customers from voiding their warranty, we've developed some recommendations.

Because of the efficient vaporization and short vapor path, your Hopper does not need regular cleaning. Taking basic care to clear the chamber, front-end, and threads of plant material after each use will keep you up and running.

The Hopper's front-end has a durable, machine etched stainless steel screen. Not only does it not need to be replaced, but this screen is also designed to withstand scratching during cleaning. Scrape the screen with a small tool or unscrew your backend and use the end of your clip to remove leftover plant material.

Once every few months, you might want to perform a more extensive cleaning. Follow these steps to avoid any problems:

• Unscrew your front-end and place it in a sealed container of 99% isopropyl alcohol. Leave soaking for 24 hours. Ensure the front-end is completely dried off before putting it back on the Hopper.
• Dump out any herbs by lightly tapping your Hopper on a wood surface. Take a dry q-tip and swab the inside of your chamber to remove any loose material that might be inside. Never remove the screen in the bottom of your Hopper as this could damage the device.
• Turn your Hopper to temp 5 and draw through the device for 15-20 seconds. Let cool for 2 minutes and repeat 2-3 times. This process will further dry out any plant material left behind and make it easier to remove.
• We do not recommend using a solvent in your chamber. If the solvent leaks down the chamber, through the screen in the bottom, it could damage the device when you turn it on. If you do use a q-tip damp with 99% isopropyl alcohol, hold your Hopper with the chamber facing the ground as you clean. You must let your Hopper dry for 24 hours after this procedure. Failure to do this could cause it to stop working.
• Clean the threads on the front end with a microfiber cloth damp with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Do not let excess solvent leak down into the chamber.

Back-end Thread Cleaning

We've had several questions about cleaning the threads on the back-end of the device. Due to the nature of metal threads, over time you could experience some amount of corrosion. The flow of electrons, exposure to the environment, and action of the threads all can contribute to corrosion. However, it is unlikely to cause your device to malfunction and is not a major issue.

For users looking to get every last drop of power out of their device, a quick cleaning of the threads could be useful. Users have written in about their methods for doing this and here is our run down.

• Isopropyl alcohol (Not a Good Idea)- We do not recommend cleaning the threads with this or any other liquid solvent. Solvents can make their way into the back-end easily and cause problems if not fully evaporated before use.
• Blu-tack (Maybe Okay) - This pressure sensitive adhesive is a putty that sticks to itself. Formally made by Bostik, it is reportedly non-toxic and can be used to lift built up corrosion or dirt from threads. We have not yet conducted a study of the effectiveness but can say that if it is not leaving a residue, it should not cause harm to your device.
• Dry Brush (Okay) - A small dry brush will work well to loosen any material that might be on your threads. You can then use a microfiber towel or similar to remove the material.

Important DON'Ts:

• Do not get the bottom of your chamber wet. If you do, let your Hopper dry out for 24 hours before using.
• Do not use any conductive grease or other substance on your threads or back-end. While the application of this conductive grease in the proper way will not hurt your device, the tight tolerances make it very easy to create a short circuit, ruining your Hopper.
• Do not remove the screen from the front-end or chamber. Incorrect removal or installation could cause your device to stop working.

We hope our suggestions help everyone maintain their Hoppers. Have any other questions related to cleaning? Or have a topic you would like us to discuss? Email blog@grasshoppervape.com with your suggestions.

Happy Holidays!

HL

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Ratchett said:

The problem started when you replaced batteries correct? You may be able to fix it yourself without sending it back in for repairs

• Check the threads inside the hopper body and on the backend - clean off any dirt/debris you might encounter - make sure it's spotless!
• Have an alternative spare battery? Try using it!
• Try using an external charger to confirm the charger isn't your problem
• Use some compressed air to blow loose any debris inside the temp adjuster.
• Give twist the temperature back and forth, give it a few good twists and try to 'feel' any grittiness. Keep twisting it until it's smooth as you can get - use some more compressed air if necessary
• Try twisting the on-switch clicker 90-degrees and giving it a few clicks
• LAST RESORT - slam that damn clicker off and on a few times against the desk fast and furiously!
  • No, please don't do this (but seriously, it seemed to have worked for me)

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GreenHopper said:

Thought this was a great post by u/Reeces_Pieces over on Reddit, so I decided to bring it here:

Title: Hopper was stuck on Red/Blue flashing (Sensor Damage) Lights. here's how I fixed it

*UPDATE: looks like the post has been deleted for some reason*

https://m.reddit.com/r/GrassHopperVape/comments/4tyxi9/hopper_was_stuck_on_redblue_flashing_sensor/

Summary: Full clean of backend threads and the gap below the temp control brought hopper back from the red/blue (or was it blue/red, meh) lights of death.

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r/GrassHopperVape

Hopper was stuck on Red/Blue flashing (Sensor Damage) Lights. here's how I fixed it

u/Reeces_Pieces10m

I should pre-face this by saying that I could tell my Hopper needed to be cleaned and it had been about 2 weeks since I last cleaned it. However, it still worked fairly well and I would scrape out abv with a dry q-tip after using it and I was fairly busy, so I kept putting it off.

Well this morning I thought to myself "I should really clean my GH. I will right after I vape 1 bowl." So I go to do that and I get the sensor damage LEDs. Tried it again and same shit.

1st I went ahead and cleaned it with a Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol and then let the front end soak for a few minutes before going back and scrubbing it with a q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol again. I then carefully cleaned the battery contact on the back-end as well as the threads on the back-end with a q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol. I noticed a good bit of black gunk coming off on the q-tips whilst cleaning the back-end battery contact and back-end threads. Then, I left my GH in it's 3 separate pieces and left it out to dry for 20 minutes.

The next time I tried to use it I got the "Straight to Blue" problem. The LED would stay red for like 1 second and then immediately turn blue and no heat would be produced while drawing.

Well then, I unscrewed the back-end and put in a different battery(I'm pretty sure it's removing the back-end and putting it back on that helped here, not changing the battery). Then, I fiddled with the temp dial; turning it all the way back and forth a few times and I noticed that as I moved it, some solid black gunk came out from the small gap on the back-end that is under the temp dial (note: I usually never touch the temp dial and just leave it on 5). I wiped this black gunk off of my hopper now that it had been exposed.

I then left it on temp. 3 and took a draw and it worked fine. Then I changed it back to 5 and it still worked fine and it is back to being normal. Just put in the other battery and it works as well.

What is that black gunk you ask? I'm pretty confident that it is grease/oil/sweat from being touched by human skin. It can happen during the manufacturing and repair processes and it can also happen by being handheld by ,you, the user. All of those places where the gunk had built up was a result of holding my back-end piece with my bare hands. If you are screwing and unscrewing your back-end frequently like I am you will be more prone to this. Also, if you never move your temp dial too much you will have a similar problem on the gap of your back-end. The gunk will get caught there and will only be forced out by moving the temp dial.

The black gunk is not electrically conductive and will cause all sorts of electrical problems such as voltage drop.

So, make sure your back-end is clean(the threads and battery contact especially) and don't forget that gunk can also build up in the gap under the temp dial and to just move the temp dial back and forth to force it outside the gap where you can wipe it off.

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Vapor_Eyes said:

I found that very interesting, especially the part about the temp dial. Thanks for posting it.

My backend has slowly been getting warmer the past week or two. It's more noticeable on one of my two batteries. It's not "hot" yet, so I didn't think it was broken and figured I'd wait till I get my preorder if I chose to do anything about it.

I had a half used chamber in my Grasshopper while I was reading that post, so I didn't want to mess with iso obviously.

I decided to just try moving the temp dial back and forth as mentioned in the Reddit post you quoted. I held the clip with one hand and rotated the temp dial very fast between minimum and maximum. The movement smoothed out while I did this. I probably did that for 5-10 seconds, and then set it back to 4, my usual temp setting.

I was amazed to find that the backend is no longer getting warm. On my "bad" battery it does get a tiny bit warm, but it's barely perceptible. On the good battery it is as cool as a room temperature Grasshopper.

My guess is there was some lint or dust or grease in there. It looked clean but due to the nature of the hopper's electrical connections even a tiny speck of dust could potentially cause issues. I use the leather sleeve which leaves the dial exposed, and I also always recharge externally, so I unscrew the backend a lot. A little maintenance is to be expected, but it was way easier to fix than I expected.

It could be a coincidence but it's worth a try at least for anyone with a hot backend. I should note that my backend never felt hot enough to burn me, but it was gradually getting warmer as the days went by.

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cannachristopher said:

Hi.
My back end gets hot sometimes but I turned the clicker anti clockwise when in on position a half turn and now it is cool most of the time.

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MoltenTiger said:

I've been doing a bit of reading on titanium threads, turns out they are renowned for galling (wear caused by adhesion between sliding surfaces) which is the cause of dark dust build up. Apparently no lube will prevent this due to the nature of the material and the forces required. It's not promoted as good body material with flashlight users, apart from its durability and mass. Apparently blu-tac works well to clean out the dust and doing this often should extend the life of the threads.

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MoltenTiger said:

Yeah, I'll give a blu-tac dab a go now. I also have some electronic cleaning polymer goop stuff which has been basically useless until now, but it's in storage. I think blue tac is possibly the quickest solution seeing how difficult it is to wipe the fine threads.

...well I gave it a go, not because I needed to but because I wanted an excuse for some kush
It works perfectly, requires little effort too.
You can also use it to clean the notches and +\- pretty effectively.

Terrible macro shot but the gist is there.
I had rarely cleaned my other hoppers back end as it stays cool, but it had a lot more dust in it. It can act as an abrasive agent destroying the threads so it's best cleaned out.

The kush was strong. It's too early in the day

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MoltenTiger said:

I went to town. It's kind of like playing with play-dough and not half bad after a few chambers
The +/- leave cool embossed patterns. I should have taken a photo with that in it, but I only have an old phone so gave up by that point
.
Initially, just before the photo I took, I just got a fresh slab of Bostik Blu-tac (it's worth it to get Bostik) and stuck it to the threads and pulled it off, applying minimal pressure. You can see there is black grime on the badly photographed/coloured blu-tac which shows a stripe representing the threads. It cleaned about 90% of the gunk from the threads in that one quick dab, I then proceeded to apply pressure and movement and then moved on to the +/- which were much grimier and more reluctant to be cleaned.
I then did my other back end which had about 3x as much grit. After cleaning it it is noticeably a lot smoother to twist on/off, possibly cleaner than I ever remember either hopper
I'd expect sticky keyboard cleaners would work as well or better though Blu-tac has much less scent (still strange smelling, it also stretches to be white in colour, as it has done a bit in my pic) it's also non-volatile and non-toxic but it tastes pretty terrible

PS I guess blu-tac isn't a common household item the world over? How do you guys stick up posters? @JoeMama

PPS lol I just remembered I also tried cleaning the air intake holes (pointless, no yield) and the mouth piece hole. The blu-tac kind of congeals with resin and I would not recommend doing this



My plain Ti is currently doing this. Probably not 20s but longer than normal. Mine's in the process of dying and the same symptoms graced it before it failed me last time with sensor issues. At the moment I'm getting occasional power failures

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johnnyCanuck said:

Let me know if anyone has noticed this: quite often, I know my battery is fairly fresh, the blue lights will flicker during my draw instead of being solid blue and heat productions is slightly lower. Well, after screwing the back end (not the heat adjust) back and forth about three times, the lights stop flickering and heat up is normal. That and the battery lasts longer!!!

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Mr. Me2 said:

And I get to try that fix for the flickering blue lights... Thanks so much for that tip @johnnyCanuck !

So...first test failed, but the battery died mid test. So when I went to swap out batteries, I noticed a little "dirt" on the end of the battery. I was able to scrape it off with my thumbnail.

Then I looked at the end of the gh (the contact point for the battery). And there was more gunk there. I was able to remove that stuff with my thumbnail too.

Replaced the battery and took it for a test run. And no more flickering blue lights!

Moral of the story... In addition to @johnnyCanuck's twisting solution, look for buildup on the end battery contact point (and on the battery), and remove.

Happy hopping!

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lazylathe said:

Since receiving my new backend from HL, my Hopper has been working like normal.
Sometimes good, sometimes not so good.
Never had any flashing lights or had it RMA'd in the over 3 years of ownership.

I was reading in the io thread about keeping the back threads super clean to allow the power to flow.
Broke out the stik-tac and went to cleaning! Still saw some black spots in the threads...
I found a dental scraper that fit in the t=grooves perfectly! Rotated the hopper and under a magnifier I could see the small chunks of debris being lifted from the threads. It was spotless when I was done.
I repeated the process on the new backend as well. The parts mated smooth like butter for a change!!
Slipped in a battery and charged using the mag charger and my PC USB.

This hopper has always been a use at 5 or why bother type device...
At 4 I used to get whispy vapor and anything under that, nothing but taste.

Using it today I am blown away by it again!
I load and do a heat up and allow the blue lights to stay on for a count of 5.
Click off and wait for a count of 5 and then turn on again and rip!
Almost instant vapor and I can now use it at 3.5 and get vapor and great taste!!
Think I will leave it like this and keep the other 2 batteries for the IO until the new ones come in.

My OG SS Hopper is performing like a new unit again.
I have not done a total bowl for the battery count but after 5, double heat bowls I was a baked potato!
The battery was still good and very little light flicker.

If you can magnify and pick out the back threads 100%, do it!!
it will change your experience!

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crazferret said:

I once again attached my charger to the Hopper. As soon as the magnet attached to my Hopper, it lit up red for a second then went dark. I tried unplugging the device into a different outlet, etc. No luck. I thought maybe the light function wasn't working, but it may still be charging. I left my Hopper plugged in for a while. When I came back to it, the Hopper was still dead.

I purchased additional batteries. I put a fresh one in and resumed using my Hopper. Showing me the Hopper is still working well, but the charger doesn't.

I thought I had a solution when Caroline responded, "You can try plugging your Charger into the device and the USB port. Then, leaving your Hopper and Charger attached, disconnect the Charger from the USB port and then reconnect it to the USB port. If you still only see 1 red light, please log in to your account on GHVape.com, register your device, and submit a warranty request."

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Joel W. said:

Unfortunately, in my case, I think the magnet used to connect the hoppers charger, is prone to picking up bits of conductive metal material in a messy shop environment like mine.

I can see all kinds of "stuff" stuck to the end of the charger after touching my bench. This could be the problem anyways... lol

External is the way to go for me.

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Joel W. said:

Update: After trying to wipe my USB chargers clean with iso to remove metal debris unsuccessfully lol, I finally used compressed air and just blew both charger magnets clean with an air wand.

Both worked like new again after doing this.

Still loving these hoppers.
I am Ninja.

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Vapor_Eyes said:

I've been holding off on filing another warranty claim for my SS with the stuck temp dial. It randomly got stuck somehow and I could only adjust the temp by taking off the backend, and it was very hard to adjust even then. Most mysteriously, the small gap at the bottom of the temp dial was gone.

The Grasshopper itself was still functioning really well and so I didn't want to send it in, plus I'm lazy so I haven't done anything about it. I was planning on contacting HL soon, but I just decided to have a go at fixing it. I didn't expect success honestly, but I'm happy to report that I actually solved the problem! I tried a few different things, this is what worked.

I removed the backend from the body. I pressed in the spring loaded battery contact as far as I could. Then, while keeping the contact pressed in, I repeatedly pressed the clicker. I would occasionally rotate/spin the clicker itself, when it was in both the on and off positions.

I did this for a minute, I was about to give up, and to my amazement, the temp dial popped back up and the gap was back. It seemed to be adjusting better but was still a little stiff. I put it back on the body, and while screwing it in the temp dial gap disappeared again and I couldn't adjust it.

I repeated this process another time or two with the same results, the gap would reappear until I put the backend on the body, at which point I would be back to square one. I was starting to think it was hopeless.

With nothing to lose I decided to get more aggressive with rotating the clicker, even doing it while I was clicking. After a short time doing this I heard a little click and felt something move. I tested the temp dial and it was much smoother than it was after the previous "fixes". I placed it back on the body and to my surprise the gap remained and I was able to adjust the temp without removing the backend.

Who knows how long this fix will last. I'm picturing the backend popping open like a broken pen in the future. I hope that never happens, but to be honest my hopper's clickers have always felt a little spongy and wonky. I don't like how the clicker freely rotates either. I wish it felt more solid in that regard.

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JoeMama said:

Typically, the red then off issue is caused by either the Body or Back End. If it is a Back End issue, this is caused by a pin shifting out of place and can be corrected when you press and hold the button down while the red LED is on. If the red LED continues to turn off, it is a Body issue. If you have more than one hopper (my insert), ...please play around with this a bit and swap parts to determine which part needs to be replaced. Press and hold the button all the way down while the red LED is on and see if it turns blue. If not, it seems most likely that your Body is causing this issue.

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Mr. Me2 said:

And I found the perfect tool to tighten the mouthpiece screen...for cheap! It's precision pointed tweezers I found at CVS in the Beauty supplies section. Retail is $4 (and I had a coupon, so it cost $3).

@Vapor_Eyes, can you add this to resources for me, if you think it's worthy? Thx!

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akwardsauce said:

i think this same thing happened to me...i thought it was a threading issue but i think your screen isnt screwed all the way down and i would try to do that before sending it in. basically the screen & the mouthpiece use the same set of threads so when the inner one (screen) isnt totally twisted down, the outer thing (mouthpiece) doesnt have access to enough threads to catch into the pathway...thats my theory.

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Slow Draw McGraw said:

Hey TRAP LARD

I actually just did this today to clean. Just make sure if you use these tweezers to have them as closed in as possible but with a good grip. You don't want the outside of the tweezers scraping the inside of the mouthpeice.

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Mr. Me2 said:

I had the same loose screen problem as you. It kept returning until I got tweezers to tighten it. HUGE difference between tightening the screen with a single point and having 2 points of contact, which provides much better leverage.

The first time I tightened the screen with a single pointed tool, it loosened again pretty quickly. When I tightened it with tweezers, it stayed in place.

Try it, you'll like it.

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Mulehead said:

Am I the only one removing screen and cone for every cleaning?
IMO if it's not taken apart and each piece cleaned separately every cleaning, it's gonna seize up from resin build up.
GHL should supply a screen removal tool for each device sold IMO.
You can't convince me that the GHL engineers didn't know this when designing.
Maybe they didn't have an original DaVinci vape.
I learned my cleaning lesson on that device.
Anyone having trouble removing it, heat the mouthpiece up with a hair dryer while not on unit.
Hold mouthpiece with a pair of hemostats/pliers and heat that fucker up good.
Then immediately try turning counterclockwise with precision tweezers, found mine at Menards for <$5, might have to screw it back and forth to break any stubborn resin.
After removing screen, you have essentially chased the threads inside clean.
After dismantling I soak all parts in Iso for a few, and then wipe all, and threads clean with q-tips.
Then everybody in the pool to take a quick HOT water soak.
Don't forget about those backend threads, internal contact too.
Hope this helps

Edit: if screen stops unscrewing heat that fucker up again!

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JoeMama said:

I think I'm screwed....

This mouthpiece has taken an hour of my time and it's now "almost out" but totally seized at the last few turns. I had to put this fucker in hot water to get it loose, and I hadn't realized that Titanium and Stainless Steel have different coefficients of thermal expansion. Which means they expand at different rates over temperature...

Anyway, I'm in an un-usable state with the hopper until I either get the screen out, or, back in.

I should've read @btka 's admonishment of his own that maybe this is a bad idea if it's been too long and there's too much build up.

We'll see, I'll keep ya'll posted.

EDIT: I got the bastard! The one thing that should be added to the process is:
If it seems to be seized, rap the fucker on the table (carefully of course). It needs a little shock now and then.

But, assuming I get it back in (stay tuned!), it seems worth the trouble, because it's loaded with gooey resin.

EDIT: SUCCESS.

More tips for the stubborn screens:
• Make every effort to place those tweezer points at the very edge of the screen. Obviously GH has a tool to position the screen (there are three "grab points" on its circumference).
• To screw it back in, use a table surface with the MP pointing down, place the tweezers firmly, and screw the MP counterclockwise rather than attempting to screw the screen clockwise. Much better control that way. Also, less force is better, as the threads should glide rather smoothly. You may encounter a snag or two or three, but take a breath and back off and then continue.

Back to the clouds Good night!

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JoeMama said:

I'd like to add to this sage piece of info on MP removal...
Do not press down any more than is necessary to keep the tweezers in play. I learned on my first MP removal that this will "dent" the screen somewhat. Sure, it's sturdy enough, but I was pressing to keep the tweezers locked in the holes. In fact, almost "neutral" pressure is best. Likewise when screwing it back in.

Finally, to offer a further tip, I find it easiest to place the MP on a tabletop, holding the MP with one hand and, with the other, hold the tweezers STILL, and rotate the MP itself. I find more control that way and don't have to rotate the tweezers, which is less stable.

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Special thanks to @Ratchett, @GreenHopper, @cannachristopher, @MoltenTiger, @JoeMama, @Kfirrer, @johnnyCanuck, @Mr. Me2, @crazferret, @Joel W., @akwardsauce, @Slow Draw McGraw, @Mulehead, and @lazylathe for contributing!