Cloud Chasing Basics

This page will be devoted solely to cloud chasing on both VV/VW and mechanical devices. If you have not read up on battery safety, I suggest you do so now. This is especially important if you intend on cloud chasing on a mechanical mod as it is almost always necessary to sub ohm in order to generate enough heat to blow decently sized clouds.

Mechanical Mods

As most of you likely know, up until recently mechanical mods have been the only real way of getting the amount of power output to produce a large amount of vapor. Mechanical mods have somewhat recently been all but replaced by newer more stable VV/VW devices that are capable of 100 Watts or more of power output. However if you ever plan on entering competitions, you will likely be required to use a mechanical mod.

Resistance

Resistance plays a much more important role in mechanical mods than in VV/VW mods. Mechanical mods have no buttons or chips that allow you change power output like VV/VW mods do. The only way to change your power output is to change the resistance of your coil to suit your needs. The lower the resistance the higher the wattage out put. However unlike VV/VW mods the power output does not remain the same through out the life of your battery. Since there is no chip to regulate your power output on a mechanical the wattage will continue to drop as the battery drains. The highest power output on a mechanical is only achievable with a freshly charged battery, and will likely only last for the first 10-12 drags at the most. The power will steadily decrease until the battery reaches 3.5V. Below is a basic run down of how much wattage is produced by a given resistance, as well as the amount of amperage being pulled from the battery. For anything under .5 ohm a 20A battery is necessary for safety, however if your target resistance is over .5 ohm it is reasonable to use 10A batteries.

1.0 ohm 17.6 - 10.2 Watts 4.2 Amp Max 

0.9 ohm 19.6 - 13.6 Watts 4.7 Amp Max

0.8 ohm 22.0 - 15.3 Watts 5.3 Amp Max

0.7 ohm 25.2 - 17.5 Watts 6.0 Amp Max

0.6 ohm 29.4 - 20.4 Watts 7.0 Amp Max

0.5 ohm 35.2 - 24.5 Watts 8.4 Amp Max

0.4 ohm 44.1 - 30.6 Watts 10.5 Amp Max

0.3 ohm 58.8 - 40.8 Watts 14.0 Amp Max

0.2 ohm 88.2 - 61.2 Watts 21.0 Amp Max

As you can see by the above chart, as resistance drops, wattage as well as necessary amperage increases. At resistances lower than .5 the needed amperage increases quite drastically. If you do intend on building coils at a sub ohm level it is important to leave yourself a cushion should your coil settle. Settling sometimes happens because of loose RDA post screws or improper coil building techniques, but it is an inevitability regardless of how adept your building skills are. Should a coil settle on a build that is already pushing your batteries amperage limit, you could be faced with thermal run away if the problem is not caught quickly enough. Building your coils at least .1 ohm over what your batteries maximum  amperage is could very well save you the trouble and possible injury that results from a battery entering thermal runaway. 

Airflow

Airflow is an incredibly important part of cloud chasing, and is necessary to maintain a lowered temperature at higher wattage. In general, more air produces more vapor, but this isn't always the case. At a certain point increasing airflow becomes counterproductive and only serves to make the draw looser and more airy. Finding the perfect mix of heat and air is necessary to get optimum results from your build. Below is a basic chart of optimum airflow hole sizes at given resistances. Keep in mind that what works for me may not work for you, if nothing else it will be a good place to start though.

1.0 - 0.7 Ohm 1/16"

0.6 - 0.4 Ohm 3/32"

0.4 - 0.2 Ohm  1/8"

Likely you will have to drill your own air holes if you choose to go with a cheaper RDA like the IGO - W. There are however many adjustable airflow RDAs out there that will require no modification like the Trident and Plume Veil. Both of which I own and would recommend.

Wire Gauge and Surface Area

Surface area plays a relatively important role in sub ohm builds, in general, larger surface area equals higher vapor production from a coil of the same resistance. Of course, like anything in vaping, balance is a necessity. If the wire is too thin it runs the risk of melting, which often results in a short, or the wire if too thick won't heat up as quickly as needed or sometimes not at all at lower wattage. In general large gauge wire does not preform well on mechanical mods at resistances greater than .5 ohm, or at least that has been my experience. However if you do plan on building at or below .4 ohms larger wire often preforms better and produces more vapor at lower temperature than smaller wire, and eliminates the risk of wire melting at higher wattage. Of course if you do find yourself in a situation where your maximum power output is fairly low, thinner wire can help you achieve a higher temperature at a higher resistance.

Regulated Cloud Chasing

          For most of us that are not new to vaping, the idea of cloud chasing on a regulated mod is a welcome change. No longer do we have to worry about switching out batteries every 20-30 hits to maintain an optimum vape, just set your wattage and vape.

          Coil resistance no longer has as much effect on the power output of your coil. Instead you can simply set the wattage or voltage to a level that gives you the vape you want regardless of the coils resistance. This also means that larger gauge wire can be used at higher resistances without having to worry as much about slow heat up times. If your coil doesn't heat up quickly enough, you can simply increase your power output until it behaves as you want it to.

          Generally speaking, cloud chasing on a regulated mod is much less of a chore and requires quite a bit less knowledge than cloud chasing on a mechanical. I honestly don't think it will be long before most if not all cloud chasers begin using regulated devices instead of mechanical mods. Simply put they are much easier to work with and maintain a steady power output from start to finish. However, as I mentioned earlier, if you intend on winning any contests for cloud chasing, chances are you'll need to be versed in the use of mechanical mods.