Barely getting any vapor from my EQ anymore - bad herb?

[vapeguy]

Since about a week my EQ barely gives me any vapor, I used to be able to get maybe 2-4 dense hits from an elbow pack, now I get maybe 2 very very faint hits and need to raise the temp like crazy (like 464-482*F) and still barely get anything.

I'm quite sure its due to the new type of herb I'm using, is this possible? I'll try to find another type. Other herbs like catnip seem to vaporize like before so I don't think it has anything to do with the EQ. However I've been vaping for over 5 years (had a Volcano) but only had the EQ for 3 weeks or so but don't remember having weed produce so little vapor or effect.

Is it possible that weed that's better than another when smoked is not better vaped? Or if it's better smoked it's necessarily;y also better when vaped? Because this is supposed to be better stuff.

 

[OO]

just because there isn't as much visible vapor condensate, does not mean the quantity of active molecules has decreased, it only means the overally quantity of resin has decreased.

better is a subjective term, if you have a non-subjective value with which to evaluate the herb by, please share it, but noone can give you an answer the way you have phrased your question.

 

[Cleanfiend]

OO, come on man -- you know what he means. He is simply asking if differences in strains can affect vapor output, a simple question.

aab1, I have about 9 strains in my library at the moment. In my experience, some strains simply vaporize better than others; more vapor is not necessarily an indication of potency, however, they often correlate. So to answer your question, Yes it is entirely possible that the change in vapor output that you are noticing is a function of the new product.

 

[OO]

OO, come on man -- you know what he means. He is simply asking if differences in strains can affect vapor output, a simple question.

aab1, I have about 9 strains in my library at the moment. In my experience, some strains simply vaporize better than others; more vapor is not necessarily an indication of potency, however, they often correlate. So to answer your question, Yes it is entirely possible that the change in vapor output that you are noticing is a function of the new product.

my response that you can't say whether or not it's better smoked or vaped still stands, you can't give correct answers to value judgements.

if he was asking the question you presume he is asking then yes, different strains have different resin content, and will therefore have different visible vapor condensate output.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

@aab1 - check the trichomes on the surface of the material. No trichomes, no vapor. There is vitually no THC inside the plant material -- it's mostly on the surface. A 60x-100x microscope from Radio Shack is $15 US.

 

[sunsett70]

@aab1 - check the trichomes on the surface of the material. No trichomes, no vapor. There is vitually no THC inside the plant material -- it's mostly on the surface. A 60x-100x microscope from Radio Shack is $15 US.

i use brickweed and i hardly see any trichomes, but i do get good vapor if it's 'upper-class' brickweed. need to get me a microscope....

 

[VWFringe]

Tell us if it was the vape

I've experienced the same thing as you tho and it was the weed

more frequently i've had to turn it up or turn it down

some weed does suck in a vape, but I can't tell which yet, and it's only happened two times in the last year, so hopefully that statistic follows to your neck of the woods

 

[vapeguy]

Well I tried a different type yesterday and it seems much better, still not quite as good as luckily the first stuff I tried in my EQ which was the best.

I also noticed, both using a manual grinder, that the herb that barely gives any vapor tends to grind into large chunks while the one that vaporizes well grinds into a very fine grind.

Could perhaps passing the "bad" weed in an coffee grinder help? I know it needs to be ground fine to vaporize efficiently.

 

[OO]

Well I tried a different type yesterday and it seems much better, still not quite as good as luckily the first stuff I tried in my EQ which was the best.

I also noticed, both using a manual grinder, that the herb that barely gives any vapor tends to grind into large chunks while the one that vaporizes well grinds into a very fine grind.

Could perhaps passing the "bad" weed in an coffee grinder help? I know it needs to be ground fine to vaporize efficiently.

that sounds like a possibility, try it!

 

[vapeguy]

Well after 3 different types I'm still not getting the milky hits I got the first week or so even at 482*F (when I used to get them at 380-400*F). There is vapor but it's just not as dense.

Could it just be really bad luck with product? Or is there any possible defect with the unit that could produce these symptoms?

If I turn my EQ upside down I can hear like very small bits moving inside (almost like if there were 1-2 large grains of sand inside), does anyone else's EQ do this sound when flipped upside down?

At least I'm glad whatever is causing the problem wasn't there when I got my EQ or I wouldn't have been impressed at all and would probably have returned it, but I've seen what it can do, but it hasn't done it in well over 2 weeks now.

 

[FLskwat]

This is not a weed quality issue to me... But you know my opinion on the Q's building quality, so!

 

[VapeOnline.com]

When you say the Q makes a sound like there's grains of sand in it when you turn it upside down, to my knowledge that's not particularly normal. It sounds like you might have an issue with the unit, although you turn the temp up to 482, there's no guarantee it's actually getting up there is the heat sensors aren't working properly, hence no/low vapor quantity. The quality of the Q is great and it pains me to say but you might have something wrong with it. Since it worked great for 2 weeks did it fall or get knocked down?

 

[rabblerouser]

I have noticed widely varying amounts of vapor from different strains. Making sure this stuff is dry enough and very finely ground can help.

The other point I wanna bring up is that vapor thickness is probably dependent on what terpenes you have, in addition to how much of them. Not entirely sure, but I'm guessing some give you thicker / more visible vapor. So, in theory you could have 2 strains which were roughly of equivalent potency, but one would still give thicker vapor.

I swear the citrus-y stuff always has extra thick vapor, I think it's that that flavor terpene gives thick vapor.

 

[vapeguy]

I haven't dropped or knocked the EQ.

I think it might be an herb and/or grind coarseness issue (I have a fully automatic espresso machine and know that grind coarseness can make a night and day difference, it's probably one of the single variables that can affect the taste the most).

The herb still comes out dark/black if I raise it to 482 so it's getting the heat right. Also my same bag of catnip seems to still vaporize as it did before further suggesting the issue isn't with the EQ.

I also exchanged some of the herb that had very little effect with a friend, the herb I got from him did make much more vapor but not as much as the same stuff I had when I first got my EQ. He smoked 1g of what I gave him with a friend and both said they felt no effects whatsoever from it (yet the one that sold it to me said everyone else loves it and blamed it on me being "an amateur vaporizing instead of smoking joints", yet when smoked by my friend it had no effect at all, at least vaporized it had a minor effect even with half the amount).

 

[vapeguy]

Oh one more thing, I don't understand how drying the herb can cause it to produce more vapor, this seems to be in reverse. Or is it that when you dry it water evaporates out of it allowing it to be heated better as water will tend to cool it as it evaporates itself before the THC, I think I'm answering my own question here lol.

So what would be a proper way of drying it? Could you "vaporize" it like at 50 Celsius for an hour or so which would help dry it and likely not vaporize any active ingredients at all? What would be a good way to dry a larger amount? I'm curious to see if drying it first helps.

Thanks

 

[WatTyler]

So what would be a proper way of drying it? Could you "vaporize" it like at 50 Celsius for an hour or so which would help dry it and likely not vaporize any active ingredients at all? What would be a good way to dry a larger amount? I'm curious to see if drying it first helps.

Thanks

If you've got any amount and it is actually damp (that's how they sell it around here) dry it slowly and jar it to start curing- it will taste so much better for it. Low temps to stop it drying too fast, (and low humidity if possible) and then into jars when dry enough the stems will snap. Open to the air with decreasing frequency and it will get better with age. Other people might have different variations though.

Maybe it's already cured? I know some like it the kind of dry that you only get by putting it somewhere warm (30-35 C) first for a few hours. I wouldn't do that with a big quantity all at once myself though- I don't think it would be the best for storage or flavour preservation over the medium term. I'd just put a small bowlful at a time somewhere warm, airy and dark.

 

[OO]

Oh one more thing, I don't understand how drying the herb can cause it to produce more vapor, this seems to be in reverse. Or is it that when you dry it water evaporates out of it allowing it to be heated better as water will tend to cool it as it evaporates itself before the THC, I think I'm answering my own question here lol.

So what would be a proper way of drying it? Could you "vaporize" it like at 50 Celsius for an hour or so which would help dry it and likely not vaporize any active ingredients at all? What would be a good way to dry a larger amount? I'm curious to see if drying it first helps.

Thanks

it all depends on the vape and technique employed, but water will come out before the resinous compounds, i would try thoroughly heating it at a low temp, you will lose flavor, but that happens when curing as well.
alternatively you could keep curing it.

but in vapes like the HA, it makes no difference, i've picked buds straight from the plant and started filling bags, you get alot more water vapor, but it's still very effective. and it also has the best flavor IMHO

 

[hereatlast]

you will lose flavor, but that happens when curing as well

Just wanna note that a good cure can greatly enhance flavor as well. Loss of flavor (or enhancement) is not a universal in curing IMO.

 

[vapeguy]

I just realized something, the one thing that was different the first week or so I had my EQ (the time it worked its best) is that I was using weed I had ground in my coffee grinder.

However, along with the EQ I bought a new manual grinder. Once the weed that was ground in the coffee grinder was used I started using the new manual grinder which makes a very, very coarse grind which I know is bad for vaporizing (I did have a volcano for about 5 years before getting the EQ) but for some reason I kept using it.

So I'll go back to the coffee grinder and see, but I'm sure the coarser grind of the manual grinder harms vapor production.

 

[vapeguy]

Well the finer grind wasn't the answer, I'm still barely getting anything.

I guess the next thing to try is to dry it, but how do I dry it?

This really sucks it's been like 3 weeks I barely get anything out of my EQ and I already sold my Volcano so I can't test the weed in it.

Thanks

 

[OO]

Well the finer grind wasn't the answer, I'm still barely getting anything.

I guess the next thing to try is to dry it, but how do I dry it?

This really sucks it's been like 3 weeks I barely get anything out of my EQ and I already sold my Volcano so I can't test the weed in it.

Thanks

drying it is the same concept as vaporizing, except you're only trying to vape off the water (~100*C).

i suspect that the issue isn't dryness though, but it is worth trying before calling the herb out as suspect.
do you not have any other herb to try?
try green tea, that stuff vapes up to around 375*F, it should be a good test.

 

[WatTyler]

....I guess the next thing to try is to dry it, but how do I dry it?....

Try drying some already ground - it will dry faster- on a dish or even piece of paper, and just leave it somewhere warm and dry- Do you have an 'airing cupboard' where your hot water boiler lives? Or on top of your PC? The top of my fridge at the back is also fairly warm. It won't take long before the herb is as dry as it's going to get and feeling crispier to the touch.

I doubt that's it tbh though. I've not found drying to that extent to make that dramatic a difference. As long as its not damp. And after a couple of hits it's pretty well dried in the bowl anyway.

From what you've written and the use of different strains I'd be inclined to start thinking about the vape.

Did you ever experience this much variability in your supply's vapor production when using your Volcano?

I know next to nothing about the EQ, it's never appealed to me, but I wonder could there be is some new breach in the airpath between the heater and the herb which might cause allow airstreams to get mixed in with the heated air (or even heated air to escape)? That could do it?

 

[rabblerouser]

finer grind and drier should help, and can certainly make a big difference with some stuff.
But that doesn't mean you can get vapor from a stone.
Could just be a crap batch.

I had one batch of the same stuff I'd been getting for a year or so. It was never great, but the dry / cure went horribly wrong this one time and it gave amazingly less vapor than even a good batch of the same clones.

 

[vapeguy]

Well I'm continuing my tests as I thought of something last night.

I remembered the EQ has 3 temp sensors and I believe it averages all 3, well if one of them died then that's just putting the average way off rather than cause a total failure as if it had only one sensor.

So I've put a digital cooking thermometer probe just above the screen that's on the heater itself (not the hurricane bowl screens or whatever it's called). I've set the fan on 1 and am getting 327*F and the Q is set to 401*F. Setting the fan to 3 causes the temperature to start dropping very rapidly to under 300*F and stabilize around there.

Does it sound like my unit is in fact broken for having a temperature as much as 100*F below the set temperature?

I had also tried vaping hash with a friend back when it was working well even though I'm not into that and got a HUGE bag of opaque horrible tasting white vapor if not smoke (I had never vaped hash before so I haveno idea what it's supposed to be like), not something that made me want to try hash again other than at a lower temperature to see if I had maybe burnt it. After that the black hash bits where white, does this mean they burnt/combusted?

So last night after again barely getting any effect from 2 elbow packs I decided to try hash at a lower temp again. This time I barely got any vapor and even mixed weed with it, I kept cranking up the temp to 500*F, even at 500*F for quite a while I barely got any vapor and the hash remained back, it did not turn white like last time.

So is it in fact broken after a week? I hope I won't regret selling my Volcano for this thing but if it is broken I'm sure they'll fix it but does that mean I'll be vapeless for like 3 months during repairs? I would absolutely need an alternative during the repairs.

Thanks

 

[FLskwat]

Well I'm continuing my tests as I thought of something last night.

I remembered the EQ has 3 temp sensors and I believe it averages all 3, well if one of them died then that's just putting the average way off rather than cause a total failure as if it had only one sensor.

So I've put a digital cooking thermometer probe just above the screen that's on the heater itself (not the hurricane bowl screens or whatever it's called). I've set the fan on 1 and am getting 327*F and the Q is set to 401*F. Setting the fan to 3 causes the temperature to start dropping very rapidly to under 300*F and stabilize around there.

Does it sound like my unit is in fact broken for having a temperature as much as 100*F below the set temperature?

I had also tried vaping hash with a friend back when it was working well even though I'm not into that and got a HUGE bag of opaque horrible tasting white vapor if not smoke (I had never vaped hash before so I haveno idea what it's supposed to be like), not something that made me want to try hash again other than at a lower temperature to see if I had maybe burnt it. After that the black hash bits where white, does this mean they burnt/combusted?

So last night after again barely getting any effect from 2 elbow packs I decided to try hash at a lower temp again. This time I barely got any vapor and even mixed weed with it, I kept cranking up the temp to 500*F, even at 500*F for quite a while I barely got any vapor and the hash remained back, it did not turn white like last time.

So is it in fact broken after a week? I hope I won't regret selling my Volcano for this thing but if it is broken I'm sure they'll fix it but does that mean I'll be vapeless for like 3 months during repairs? I would absolutely need an alternative during the repairs.

Thanks

Yes grey/white hash: 100% combustion!
And sorry to hear your EQ is in a bad shape!