The Vision Vivi Nova is quite possibly the most popular clearomizer/tank system on the market today. It offers advantages in flavor, vapor, and capacity not available in any other type of atomizer/cartomizer. Despite its overwhelming popularity it does have a few issues that have caused some vapers to give up on it altogether.
Today I’m going to share some tips that I’ve learned on how to get the most out of your Vivi Nova, and address the most common problems vapers have had with them. By the time you’re done reading this I think you’ll agree that the Vivi Nova, with a little tweaking, is the best tank system currently available, and the problems are easily rectified.
The Tweaks
The Original Problem
When the Vivi Nova first hit the market many vapers, myself included, saw the potential right away. The 3.5mL capacity was incredible compared to the current crop of clearomizers, and the promise of better flavor and vapor production with longer lasting wicks and atomizers was hard to pass up. Unfortunately, after only a few days of use, or less for some, the complaints started rolling in. The most common complaints were:
- Gurgling
- Leaking
- Poor Flavor
- Weak Vapor
In fact, it was these complaints that held me back from reviewing the Vivi Nova until I was able to find a suitable solution for them. After a lot of research, experimentation, and some good ol’ trial and error, I found the solutions. Many of the solutions came from other members in the vaping community, and in time these fixes will not be needed as the engineers at Vision perfect the design. However, until then, these tweaks will help you get the most out of your Vivi Nova.
The Gurgling/Leaking
The most common complaint from Vivi Nova owners are the gurgling and leaking issues. They go hand-in-hand because once a Vivi Nova begins to gurgle it’s almost always a sign that it’s about to leak. There are a few reasons for the gurgling and leaking, and a few solutions as well. Most of them are easy, and one is permanent. Here they are:
Solution 1 – The Paper Towel Trick
This is probably the easiest and quickest solution to a Vivi Nova that gurgles or leaks. Unscrew your Vivi Nova from your MOD or battery, take a paper towel and wrap it around the bottom of the Vivi Nova (the metal piece), and blow hard into the drip tip. You’ll be amazed at the amount of excess e-liquid that gathers on the paper towel. Replace the paper towel with a new one and repeat until no more e-liquid comes out. This is a temporary fix, and you’ll most likely need to do this a couple of times a day, but it works.
Solution 2 – Replacing the Wick
It’s important to understand the design of the Vivi Nova. The Vivi Nova holds 3.5mL of e-liquid inside a tank. The e-liquid is fed to the wicks of the atomizer head and the e-liquid travels to the atomizer coils. In between the atomizer head and the bottom metal piece is a rubber gasket. This gasket is held in place by friction, and after a while it can loosen. Once it loosens a bit the gasket doesn’t create a tight enough seal, and excess e-liquid slowly leaks through the holes. When you attach your Vivi Nova to your MOD or battery, the e-liquid begins to leak into the connector, and hence the gurgling and leaking.
The best way to fix this issue is to remove the atomizer head and pull off the rubber gasket. Next, gently pull the metal casing of the atomizer head downward, away from the wick. This will create a little more space between the top of the coil and the top of the metal casing. Now, replace the rubber gasket, but this time, wrap a small piece of dental floss (unwaxed) around the rubber gasket. This will create a tighter seal for the gasket and should stop the leaking and gurgling. Now screw the atomizer head back in and fill your tank. Problem solved.
This is a semi-permanent fix, it will hold for a few weeks, sometimes longer, but eventually you may need to repeat the process. This takes a bit of time to get used to, but after a time or two it will take you less than 2 minutes.
Solution 3 – Replacing the bottom piece
Many vapers, including myself, have found that after a certain amount of time the bottom piece of the Vivi Nova that connects to the battery or MOD simply wears out. It’s a very small piece of metal and plastic, and after a few dozen connections the positive pin and the rubber insulator wears out. If you look at the bottom piece you’ll notice a very small rubber insulator surrounding the positive pin. This insulator is all that separates the positive pin from touching the metal threading, which would create a short. This is why you occasionally get a flashing battery, or an “Ohms Too Low” reading on your MOD.
If you purchase replacement atomizer heads often, you’ll wind up with a few extra bottom pieces because the replacement heads come with the bottom piece attached. Simply remove the old bottom piece from your Vivi Nova and replace it with a new one. Problem solved (permanently).
Poor Flavor/Weak Vapor
This is a problem that I’ve never heard other vapers complain about. I guess my experience with a Vivi Nova that delivers weak flavor and vapor is unique. Perhaps it’s a subjective thing as well; what I consider weak vapor and flavor someone else might think is normal. This tweak is permanent and only takes a few minutes.
The Vivi Nova uses a silicate wick material for its atomizer heads. For many, this is fine, but for me, I like the flavor and vapor that come from a stainless steel mesh wick, or even better, a ceramic wick. Luckily, you can buy these types of wicks from many vendors, or you can purchase a rebuildable Vivi Nova head. If you use a rebuildable head you can choose which wick material you prefer, and you can even try different types of wire for your coils.
If you don’t want to mess with rebuilding your atomizer heads there are still options for you. One of the best options is to buy a Vivi Nova with a rebuildable head from a company like iBreathe. iBreathe offers a Vision Vivi Nova that has a rebuildable coil, but they also offer a Vivi Nova that features a non-rebuildable coil with ceramic wicks. These will cost you a few dollars more, but for the huge improvement in vapor and flavor it’s certainly worth it.
Important Caveat
The current models of the Vivi Nova are Vision brand, not genuine Kanger. Kanger makes a similar product called the Kanger T3. The Kanger T3 does not experience the gurgling and leaking problems because of its new and improved design. However, the Kanger T3 has a capacity of only 2.4mL, and the flavor and vapor production is not quite as good as the Vivi Nova.
Julia Barnes
Long Term Solution (My View)
Eventually, the engineers at Vision will update the Vivi Nova to eliminate these issues. Until then, you can use these tweaks to enjoy your Vivi Nova at its full potential. Also, many of the clone Vivi Novas, made by various companies, are being released with improved designs so you might want to try one of those out.
Happy Vaping!