Cooling unit?
- Thread starter Hemper
- Start date
Shit Snacks
Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
In a sense, but I don't think so, heat sink is to pull heat away from something with a weird shape right, I mean I guess that is basically what this is doing, but I always think of it more as you are creating a complicated maze of a vapor path to cool it, like one of the most effective things for cooling is just a simple right angle bend, multiple even more so, so a cooling unit that forces the vapor to take turns through other things is very effective, glass spikes have varying degree of effectiveness, glass beads can be more effective because of how they really feel something up and create a full dense maze... Of course this all entails more cleaning, and potentially more loss of some goodies condensing inside the cooling unit, a lot of honey oil... It is a good trade-off though because trying to use a direct vapor path without any cooling can be quite uncomfortable for high-powered vapes!
But isn't the maze's or beads' purpose to add surface area? And that (increased) surface is cooler than the vapor so (more) heat is absorbed? .. a heat sink. I'm only asking because I have not had the opportunity to tinker and see these things for myself .. yet.
I wonder, does anyone make a pre-cooled unit.. that goes in the fridge or freezer before use?
badbee
Well-Known Member
I used to dip my spiky Splinter Z stem in a zip lock suspended in a glass of cold water to dump some of the heat build up. Works easier than it sounds but still too much trouble. These days the Z lives on an extension and is only used on a piece at home. Any way you look at it, they are heat sinks, spikes on a stem speed up the transfer rate.
@Hemper, stems like that exist for the Silver Surfer and there are similar components originally designed for bongs. Typically it's a glass spiral coil going through freezable gel. I don't think that approach is ideal for vaping because sudden temp shocks will increase condensation with loss of flavor and potency. A more gradual heat transfer will pull less of the vapor out of the air stream.
@Hemper, stems like that exist for the Silver Surfer and there are similar components originally designed for bongs. Typically it's a glass spiral coil going through freezable gel. I don't think that approach is ideal for vaping because sudden temp shocks will increase condensation with loss of flavor and potency. A more gradual heat transfer will pull less of the vapor out of the air stream.
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Shit Snacks
Milaana. Lana. LANA. LANAAAA! (TM2/TP80/BAK/FW9)
Yeah, you are correct, as I said, I guess I just don't think of it that way, it's not as simple as adding surface area, but adding surfaces and a complex way for the vapor to flow through? It also makes sense that these like glass stem with spikes are less effective with back-to-back hits as the whole thing gets hotter lol
And yeah you can get those on DHgate, glycerin coils, you can fill them up with liquid soap and put in the freezer, I've always wanted to try one, but yeah the issues with condensation and they don't really stay cold that long either so I feel like they're kind of tedious? I have been wanting to experiment by putting one of my glass rigs in the freezer though haha fab egg ice cold... Afraid of breakage though!
With a steel cooling unit, like the TM one, you could put it in the freezer, pop it into your stem, load up and go, I'm not sure how long it would stay cold for though also you have condensation of water from cold objects like this, I feel like that's not going to be good to have in the vape?