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Simple steps to avoid a burnt coil

August 07, 2017

Just about every vaper will experience the dreaded burnt coil at some point. You might experience a nasty flavour when you inhale, feel heat in your nostrils, smell something foul in the air, or even just feel like your e-cigarette is underperforming.

Thankfully, there are some simple things you can do to keep vape coils from burning out.

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1. Prime your wick

One of the easiest ways to prevent a burnt coil is to prime your wick. Priming is, put simply, a way of getting a new coil ready for your vape.

When you install a new coil, or use an e-cigarette for the first time, you should get in the habit of priming. After the coil is inserted, drop a little e-liquid on the wick holes, then fill up your tank as usual. Rather than vaping straightaway, let the e-liquid sit in the tank for between 5-30 minutes, so that the wick is drenched.

When you don’t prime the wick by drenching it before vaping, you’ll be trying to vape with a dry wick, leading to burnt cotton and an overheated vape.

2. Use a lower VG e-liquid

If you’re a cloud chaser or like a really smooth vape, you’re probably using a high VG e-liquid. The problem with this is that VG is much thicker than a PG e-liquid, and will clog up your coil quickly, leading to a shorter lifespan. VG can often be quite sweet, too, and the sugar can lead to a burnt coil.

Try using an e-liquid with a more balanced VG/PG ratio, like 50/50, to help your vape coils.

Cloud chasers should make sure they are using a sub-ohm tank or wick setup with high VG e-liquids in mind.

If you want to find out more about which coil works best for your e-liquid, check our full guide: Which Vape Coils Work Best with High VG, 50/50 and Nic Salt e-liquids?

3. Don’t chain vape

Chain vaping is an easy routine to get into – you might be watching TV or chatting and not even notice that you’re taking frequent draws and vaping continuously for ages, or you may be deliberately trying to produce huge clouds. Either way, you need to give your coil a break.

Not only is chain vaping bad for your wick and can mean your vape coil burns out quickly, but it’s hard on your battery too, and you’ll end up using more power than you should. Some e-cigarettes will have built in protection to stop chain vaping, and models with temperature control can particularly help you to regulate vaping if this is an issue.

Either way, it’s a good idea to wait at least 10 to 30 seconds between puffs, to reduce the chance of a burnt coil from chain vaping.

4. Watch your wattage

Using the wrong wattage for your vape coil can mean that your wick isn’t getting a chance to draw in enough e-liquid, producing a burnt flavour and decreasing the life of your coil.

Coils should come with instructions on their ideal wattage range – sub-ohm vapes should always have an ideal power rating. Try starting at the lowest end of the range, and very slowly working your way up until you’ve found the ideal wattage and temperature for your vape coil.

5. Not enough e-liquid

This one is a bit of a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed how easy it is to let your e-liquid run too low. Just like priming, making sure you always have enough e-liquid in the tank for your vape is vital, and should be part of your vaping routine.

Your coil needs to be covered with e-liquid to work properly. If it isn’t, you’ll get that burnt coil taste, and it won’t be pleasant. Always make sure your e-liquid is topped up while you’re vaping, to avoid vape coil problems.

It’s a good idea to give your tank a clean if you’re topping up with a new e-liquid, as you might end up with a foul taste if you accidentally blend a couple of flavours!

6. Change your coil

Last but definitely not least, it may just be time for your vape coil to be replaced.

Vape coils don’t last forever, and if you are a heavy vaper or regularly change e-liquid flavours you’ll need to change them every week or so. Simply replace old vape coils with a new one, and you should find that the bad taste goes away.

If you want to dive deeper into coil compatibility and selection, check our full guide: How to Choose the Right Vape Coils.