Have you tried heating it up for like a minute or so and then trying to unscrew it while its still hot?
Discontinued Thermovape Cera
- Thread starter SameOldTim
- Start date
Have you tried heating it up for like a minute or so and then trying to unscrew it while its still hot?
Mario Juan
Lovecombustion
I just tried that and its still being stubborn... I give up honestly... I can't believe no one else has really had this problem. I'm going to probably give it a go and just send it back on Monday. It's a shame because I was so stoked for this vape. Hopefully TV will fix her up for me and I see what she can really do!
OF
Well-Known Member
So that's only what, 3/4 of a Watt under ideal conditions? .15 Volts times 5 Amps. The issue is there's a potential of a worst case of 2 Volts at 2.5 Amps when you get dirt in the switch, don't press hard enough or whatever. That's now 5 Watts and serious trouble.
Understand the original Cera switches had drops about 1/3 that much.....until the died. As we know from that experience it can 'go to hell in a handbasket' toot sweet. Switches at high currents or high voltages are not trivial to design....if you want them to last.
So I'm saying that the 50 mV (.05 Volts) was no 'proof' of suitability. IMO 3 times that is no guarantee. At lower load currents it could be a different story. Time will tell I think. I just don't see it as being a useful feature right now. If it were my money, I'd pass until there's an established track record.
I'd fire it up and try it again hot. SS pieces can 'gall' sometimes, and expansion (like when they test it) can bring that on.
Yes, I think you can clean up your LL cart to send it in in place. You can soak or boil it were it sits (Cera and all) as long as you remove the battery and switch.
Good luck with it.
Actually I have had it happen. Never more than I could deal with, but who knows. The screw plate 'floats' on the four small setscrews as does the LL body floats on the core tube inside. This is so things can expand and contract without breaking.
I'd use it for a few sessions and see if it's going to break free again (it had to go together......), if not sadly it'll have to go back.
OF
Mario Juan
Lovecombustion
Just finished my first bowl with the LL cart... I was taking off the top cap to dump the AVB and too my surprise the cart unscrewed (: I guess I get to give my EO cart a spin tonight too!
OF
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the good word. I'm not surprised given the conditions. Hopefully 'the rub' will wear in with a few chart changes.
Your assignment for the weekend is to run that puppy. Perhaps you can get a friend or two to help out? That's what friends are for you know.......
At any rate, do enjoy your new Cera. It's a great tool for sure, and you bought it to use and enjoy after all, not worry over.
Regards,
OF
Mario Juan
Lovecombustion
Worked wonders last night. Both the carts are amazing. But when I woke up this morning, my EO cart was stuck in there. Seems like the heat helped my LL cart come loose last time, but I hope the problem doesn't persist and I don't have to use a gimmick to remove my carts every time. As you said OF, maybe the threading will loosen up with time and use. I've got my fingers crossed.
On another note, what are the best cleaning methods for Cera as a whole. I know you can boil the carts or soak them as well as the body, mouthpiece and top cap, but which works BEST? How often should I and should I not be cleaning her. Can Cera really last a lifetime like they say if you take proper care of her. Any tips and tricks will be great.
Try removing the mouthpiece/top cap by pulling straight out and slightly twisting it clockwise. If you turn the mouthpiece counterclockwise then the cart will unscrew in the mouthpiece.
clouded vision
Well-Known Member
Try taking the cart & battery out, heat it up if need be to get it out then take a q-tip with iso and clean the threads on both the cart and body and the bottom plate of the cart and the plate in the body. Make sure everything is dry and cold before putting it all back together. This will give you the best chance to prevent it from sticking together again.
As far as cleaning, the best way is to boil for 20 minutes then soak in iso for at least 20 minutes, boil again to get all the iso out and let it dry overnight. This is great for routine maintenance whenever performance decreases. If you let it get to dirty you will get some carbon buildup and may need to do a 20/20/20. Hold it on for 20 seconds, off for 20 seconds,20 times in a row.
Mario Juan
Lovecombustion
Thank you very much for all the info! That's exactly what I was looking for.
On another note, how hard should it be to be the mouthpiece/top cap on? Sometimes I find it extremely difficult. And the O rings on my EO cart have come out of the groove when trying to place the top cap on multiple times and broke 2 rings so far.
Mario Juan
Lovecombustion
So not that the problem seems to be plaguing Cera owners, but I was able to find a solution to carts that get stuck in the body. I just went out and bought some rubber bands and a pair of locking pliers. Any time my carts get stuck I can wrap to rubber bands around it for grip and to protect it and just use the pliers to untwist it with ease. Anyway, I still don't think this is solving the problem fully for me in particular because my cart gets stuck any time I use it. I wish it would just function as it was supposed to, but what are you going to do? Still debating on sending it back in just to get checked up, because I'm skeptical of why I seem to be the only person with this problem being persistent.
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nopartofme
Over the falls, in a barrel
Gorgeous shot, well done!
watsonjoshd
New Member
I am that guy. Cera received on Friday (1/31/14) and could not get satisfactory results. Tried various grinds, warm up times, inhalation techniques, and could produce no vapor. I can buy into there being an optimal technique, but one wouldn't think that it would be so drastic that optimal technique = great results and suboptimal = absolutely 0 results; which has been my experience, 0 results. So am I crying wolf or is there something actually wrong with the unit?
A few tips. First, test your device warm up. Without loading the bowl, power it up. You should be in good order if you start to see a glow around 3-4 seconds and full brilliance between 30-40 seconds. This is assuming you are using the recommended batteries. If the glow looks good, your device is working just fine.
Having your bud dry and at a medium to fine grind are important, but take a back seat to warm-up time and inhalation speed IMO. Follow these steps and you should be golden:
- Preheat for the amount of time it takes your device to get to full brilliance (30-45 seconds)
- Draw VERY slowly for about 20 seconds. Your goal is to draw just a small fraction off the heat from the core through your load. If you pull too hard, it just doesn't work. Slow and steady does the trick. If it's not working, wait 10 seconds then try again and go slower. This is where you need to learn the feel for it. When done properly, you'll feel the vapor building, and might even see vapor from this hit.
- When you see vapor, your at the perfect temp. Subsequent draws should be slow to start and then increased throughout the inhale. This is all about preference. Some pull hard as hell, some go slow. Think of it this way: the harder you pull, the lower the temperature, and the slower you pull, the higher the temperature. I like to go slow - I get huge hits this way.
Follow those steps and you'll get there.
Breathemetal
Well-Known Member
The post above makes me want a ll cera so bad....i thought the technique was much harder
VapoRoor
DAB-a-DAB I'll dooooo
Hell yes, you Skored on that technique.
I love the first three flavorful hits from my Cera
He speaks the truth watsonjoshd
watsonjoshd
New Member
I don't doubt it, but I am still not getting results. Realistically how much herb do I need to throw at this trying before I give up?
Warm up times tried: 30,45,60,90 seconds. Have tried warming up the core without packing it, also have tried packing firmly, loosely, filled to the top, filled halfway, barely filled.
Have tried fine grind (through an herb grinder) and medium and rough grinds done with an herb grinder and with fingers. Have not tried a whole contiguous bud, that seems totally counterintuitive; though at this point nothing else is working either so I'm not sure what is logical or not in this case.
Have tried slow mouth/cheek draw (think of the way you would smoke a cigarette or e-cig, filling your mouth first), have tried slow long deep chest draw (like a spliff or bubbler, but easy and slow)
OF
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry you're having troubles. While it could be a defective unit, IMO the odds are very much against it. This is a tool, the user is in control.....it's not an automatic thing that responds to a formula like it seems you're expecting.
If you want to learn to use it effectively, stick to the three steps. Forget 'secret techniques', learn how it uses heat and how to control that heat. Don't focus on the destination but rather the journey. Go from step to step. Don't go to step 2 until step 1 is done. Not some number of seconds because someone else said that's what they do with theirs. Don't start to draw until you know your core is saturated in your hand with the battery and charge it has (it will vary with battery condition).
Then work step 2 fully, ignoring any initial vapor produced until it's brought the load up to temperature and you get a solid test puff.
Then hit away, expecting good results if you've done steps 1 and 2 correctly (and therefore have enough heat in reserve in the core for the job).
Hundreds of guys (many with a lot less going for them than you no doubt) have sorted this out, it can be done, but it's a skill. You can't expect to pick the tool up, turn it on, and have it automatically deliver any more than you can pick up a bat for the first time and expect to hit doubles and triples or drive a car for the first time with your eyes closed.
Follow the steps and you'll get there. Expect the device to magically do the thinking for you and you're not going to make it easily if at all IMO.
Good luck with it, but IMO you're the guy in charge, you have to make it work.
OF
Have You made sure the core is glowing when you tried heating it with nothing loaded?
And your using the correct approved batteries (NCR18650PD or CGR18650CH)
If so, try testing the core with a DMM. Can be bought for $20 or less from home depot/lowes or even walmart probably. It should read about 1.0 ohms.
OF
Well-Known Member
Excellent point. More clearly stated than I did.
This is the base of step 1. A guy should not be pulling any air through (heating the load) until he knows that the core has reached full temperature.
Follow the steps and good results are almost guaranteed to follow. Ignore them (like saying 'I waited XX seconds....') and you invite failure.
Again, the goal should be to go from step to step, not 'get huge clouds' (or clouds of any size for that matter). Unfortunately we're conditioned these days to expect stuff to happen for us I think.
The owner is definitely in control with Cera, and IMO responsible for the results. There are lots of nice cars out there, but it's the drivers that make it happen.
Good luck on it, it can be done. And like so many other skills, becomes a natural part of your technique you seldom think about.
OF
When friends have a go on mine, I tell them to hold for at least 30 seconds, and suck slowly until they feel a bit of resistance, (indicating the chamber is up to temperature) and then suck increasingly harder still maintaining the said resistance. This seems to work for a good hit for those unfamiliar with vaping, although not always producing visible vapour. I like to lace my bowls with hash for guaranteed results but have found some buds work better than others. The people getting the best consistent results I suspect are the ones getting the best bud !
Another good tip for LL to get denser hits... Once you getting vapor, inhale normally for about ten or so seconds, stop inhaling but keep holding the button for a few seconds(bring up the temp) then keep inhaling. Ive been doing 2-3 puffs per hit and getting huge dense clouds!
OF
Well-Known Member
Good suggestions, worth trying for sure.
Remember, unlike some other vapes there's no danger holding the button down longer, all that happens is t he body gets hotter faster and the battery gets drained faster.
Experiment around, find out what's best for you. But I remain convinced that the best route to useful resluts comes from the careful following of the 3 steps. Try them out first, build on them
OF
Remember, unlike some other vapes there's no danger holding the button down longer, all that happens is t he body gets hotter faster and the battery gets drained faster.
Experiment around, find out what's best for you. But I remain convinced that the best route to useful resluts comes from the careful following of the 3 steps. Try them out first, build on them
OF
Hey Crew! It's Cera's 1st birthday coming up this month! What a year! She's still Kicking ass and taking names! I just wanted to share this tidbit about her wintertime capabilities: I work nights in Boulder, CO. I leave Cera in the car (EO cart loaded and ready) It's been like 15-20 degrees here at night next to the mountain. I takes breaks and lunch and chill in the car. I take her out, ICE COLD, hit the switch and literally in 10-15 seconds I can get a lung-buster hit from that cold a start!!! Just wanted to say WOW
THANKS, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY CERA!!! 
THANKS, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY CERA!!!