Why my vape coils don’t last long?

So you bought a vape and your local vape shop employee taught you how to use your device. You fill your E-liquid into the tank and go on your merry way. Two days later and now your vape taste like you’re sucking on burnt toast. So you go back to your local vape shop and ask them what’s up? They realize right away you need a new coil, so you buy some more coils for your vape tank. You fill your tank up with the same E-liquid and two days later you get a burnt taste. Sound familiar? Why don’t your vape coils last very long? What can you do to make your vape coils last longer? There are some common reasons for this happening and some not so common.

E-Liquid

That’s right, your E-liquid is the culprit. This is the most common reason for burnt coils. It really comes down to one major factor in those e*liquids and that is sweetener. But you love sweet E-liquid! Well, sorry but the sweeter the E-liquid the shorter the coil life. We notice this a lot with American made eliquids as they tend to load on the sweetener to make them more appealing. Unfortunately the most common sweetener used is called sucralose. Sucralose is a great sweetener, however it has a very low melting point compared to the other ingredients of E-liquid. Sucralose is a powder suspended in a carrier liquid like PG. This powder slowly gets deposited on your coils as it isn’t able to vaporize quickly enough. You will notice your coil’s look gunky and black from all the un-vaporized and now burned sucralose. The remedy is simple, switch your E-liquid to one that is less sweet.

Sucralose isn’t the only culprit in E-liquid that can cause coil burning. Other additives or flavor enhancers can gunk coils too. For example many E-liquid manufacturers make “sour” e-liquids which contain malic acid. This is a souring agent that like sucralose has a very low melting point. When used in high percentages you don’t actually notice any extra “sour” flavor but rather just significantly reduced coil life in your vape.

Salt Nicotine

This is only common in some salt nicotine E-liquid mixes. It is important to know what kind of acid your favorite E-liquid is using to make their salt nicotine. Many companies use the most tested and tolerated acid called benzoic acid. This is generally the easiest on coils and has the benefit of being the most readily absorbed by your body. However many companies use cheaper acids like citric acid and lactic acid. These acids when used in salt nicotine e-liquids can be quite hard on coils. You may notice you also get an odd taste from these types of salt nicotine e-liquids. Easy fix is to switch to a company who uses nicotine benzoate (benzoic acid) based E-liquid.

Coil

It happens from time to time but the coils can actually be the problem. There are times where you just buy a bad pack of coils. If you were previously having no burning problems and were using the same E-liquid then this may be the cause. As with any manufactured electronic component there can be small defects. These defects can cause hot spots on the coil which burn the cotton around them. This can also happen when you switch from one device or brand to another. Not all companies have the same quality or longevity to their products. It is important to speak with your local vape shop and ask them what their thoughts on different hardware are. They have the knowledge in the products and deal with any complaints so they will be able to recommend the best product for you.

Your vaping too high of a wattage bro!

This can happen when you forget to lock your device and the buttons on your vape get pressed. You go take your next haul and realize you’re hitting 200w on a coil that is only good for 50w. Mistakes happen, if the coil is torched then you are best to replace it immediately. There is always the case where you didn’t accidentally press the buttons but it is still burning hot. Usually this is a mismatch between the wattage you have selected on your vape and the actual wattage your coils are rated for. Many different resistance coils can fit in one type of pod, tank or device in general. On the packaging or on the side of the vape coil itself you will see the recommended wattage range. You may have just accidentally purchased the wrong coils, or maybe the store grabbed the wrong one for you. Adjust your wattage and you should be fine!

Low on E-Liquid

The equivalent of “is it plugged in”? You should always make sure your pod or tank are filled to the correct level. If they are low they can cause the wicks to go dry and then you are going to feel the wrath of a dry hit. We’ve all done it, the exhale on a dry hit is like you took a smash off a campfire bong. Keep your tank at a high enough level to keep the wicks wet. Luckily most vapes have clear sides on the tanks. This allows you to check the levels to see that you aren’t running dry. There are generally warning signs your vape is low on E-liquid before the ultimate dry hit. You may notice the flavor taper off slightly and slightly more dry feel to the vapor. Just top your tank or pod up with E-liquid and you will be great!

Next time you get a burning taste in your vape, stop immediately. Assess what could be wrong and make the appropriate correction. We all vape because it is much safer then smoking, no need burn your coils to remind yourself how smoke tastes. If there is something we missed feel free to comment below with your suggestions on what makes your vape coils burn.

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