How To Tell If Your Vape Coil Has Expired

One of the minor drawbacks of vaping is that, unfortunately, your coils don’t last forever. And whilst there are steps you can take to prolong the lifespan of your coils, eventually, the coil will expire (or burn out) and will need replacing.  

So how can you tell when your coil needs to be replaced?

One of the biggest giveaways that your coil is past its prime is an obvious and unpleasant burnt taste which accompanies your inhale. Because this sensation (which tastes much like burnt toast) completely overwhelms the flavour of your e-liquid and leaves a lingering bad taste in your mouth, it should be taken as an indication that your coil needs to be swapped for a new one straight away. 

Changing Your Vape Coil

In some cases, this burnt sensation can simply be a sign of a dirty coil that has become clogged with e-liquid – especially when using thicker liquids with a high vegetable glycerine content - and can, therefore, be combatted by removing the coil and putting a new clean one.

Flooded Or Over-saturated Coil

If you notice e-liquid leaking onto your device or into your mouth, it could be another sign that your coil has reached the end of its lifespan. The wicking material of an old or ageing coil will become oversaturated with e-liquid and will therefore not be able to vaporise that liquid sufficiently, leading to the e-liquid leaking from the coil’s air holes.  

Vaper's Tongue?

Another obvious sign that it’s time for a coil change is noticing that your e-liquid tastes different to how you expect or how you’re used to it. This is sometimes mistaken for a case of ‘vaper’s tongue’ (losing the ability to taste an e-liquid as a result of vaping that e-liquid too often), but vaper’s tongue tends to cause your e-liquid to lose its flavour rather than making the e-liquid taste generally unpleasant.  

Do I Need To Get The Device Checked?

If you notice your e-cigarette device making a gurgling noise during use, you might also want to consider changing your coil. Gurgling suggests that your coil isn’t performing properly, possibly because of general ageing or due to becoming clogged with thick e-liquids. If you replace your coil and find that the gurgling continues, however, then the issue could, in fact, be with the mechanics of your device. If you have any doubts, please feel free to contact our dedicated customer care team, where our friendly and knowledgeable staff are on-hand to answer any questions to ensure your e-cig is performing to the very best of its capabilities.

How Long Should The Coil Last?

Generally speaking, with heavy use your vape coil should last between five to seven days. With moderate use, you could get up to two weeks of use from your coil and extremely light vapers could see their coils last even longer than that. There really is no defined time period to determine the lifespan of a coil and, as mentioned, the speed with which a coil deteriorates depends on many different factors including frequency of use, the type of e-liquid you’re vaping and the power settings of your device. However, with our advice, you should be better aware of the signs of an expired coil and be able to recognise when to make the swap to maintain the best performance of your e-cigarette setup.  

Need Some More Coils?

At Vapestore, we offer a fantastic selection of coil options to suit every type of e-cigarette kit and inhalation style from respected industry brands like Smok and Aspire.

Whether you need a classic coil for your plus-ohm setup or a sub-ohm option capable of handling even the sweetest of high-VG e-juices, there’s something to satisfy your needs in our expansive coil collection. We even stock innovative kits which are compatible with multiple coil types, providing amazing versatility and allowing you to swap and change between coil options depending on the kind of vape you want to achieve. The Smok Nord kit, for example, can be used with a 0.6ohm mesh coil option for delicious direct-lung vaping, but can also be used with a 1.4ohm coil to facilitate satisfying mouth-to-lung vaping similar to that of a traditional tobacco cigarette.

Whatever your vaping needs, you're guaranteed to find a coil to deliver the best experience possible here at Vapestore.