E-coils, also known as the atomiser head or burner, can be burned very easily if you are not careful. This can cause a bad or burnt taste in your mouth and ruin your vaping experience. This is both unpleasant and frustrating, as once a coil is burnt, it is unusable. The usual expected lifespan of a coil is from 1-4 weeks, depending on how frequently you vape and the viscosity (thickness/thinness) of your e-liquid. But stress not; we’ve put together some tips and tricks so you can get the most out of your coil!
Not Priming Your Coil Correctly
A common mistake people make is not priming their coil correctly. Priming your coil is important to ensure it is well-lubricated with e-liquid before use. This helps prevent the coil from burning. Newer coils tend to take slightly longer to prime due to their recent internal design.
Priming can be a temperamental process, but it is important to get it right. Priming your coil is best done when you are not in a rush, so choose to do so when you have plenty of time. Depending on the kind of e-liquid you have, this time may vary. Thinner e-liquids tend to prime the coil quickly.
Once burnt, it is recommended not to use it. Even if rinsed with water, that singed taste will remain in the cotton and ruin the taste.
How to Prime Your Coil
This process may differ slightly depending on the kind of coil you have. To help this process, you can drip 2-3 drops in the centre of your coil before filling the pod with your chosen e-liquid; this helps ensure that all parts of the cotton are primed. For smaller coils, drop less liquid in the centre. Most pod kits and tanks can be primed this way.
E-Liquid needs to completely soak the coil before being heated, so let this sit for a while. Thinner e-liquid will absorb quicker, whereas thicker e-liquid will take a bit longer. The key to ensuring your coil is well-primed is giving it plenty of time to soak before use; we recommend 15-20 minutes. The minimum time to soak your coil should be at least 5-10 minutes to allow the cotton to moisten fully. If you have more time, leave it for longer before using it.
Rebuildable coils, or rebuildable dripping atomisers (or RDA), are often used in more advanced vapes. For these coils, e-liquid is poured directly onto the cotton to prime.
Once your vape coil is sufficiently primed, it’s ready to be smoked and shouldn’t burn through; happy days!
Not Having Enough E-liquid
Not having enough juice in your tank or pod can cause the coil to be too dry, which overheats and burns out.
An easy fix for this is to ensure that your pod or tank is filled up to the minimum line, which can be found on most devices. If there is no minimum line, a good rule of thumb is to have at least a third of the tank or pod filled. This should prevent running the coil dry. Clear refillable pods make it easy to tell when it is time to top up.
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Overused Coil
A clogged-up coil can cause it to burn. This happens when it has been overused. Signs of a clogged-up coil are loss of flavour, dark cotton and burnt or charred taste.
One coil should usually last between 1-4 weeks, depending on individual use. This timeframe can differ due to the kind of e-liquid and frequency of vaping. Heavy vapers should expect to use their coil for 1-2 weeks maximum, whereas less frequent vapers can extend this timeline. To prevent burning, do not use the coil for longer than the recommended time.
Too Much Power When Vaping
Every device has a recommended power level or is fixed to ensure you do not burn out the coil.
When using a device where you can set the power level, make sure you refer to the recommended power level on the box for use. This can also be found in empty pods or tanks. The Caliburn G3 ECO device has an adjustable power level and recommends a maximum of 25 wattages to prevent the coil from burning.
The Rift device has a fixed power level to prevent users from overpowering their vape. This means that there is a minimised risk of it burning out and being used as quickly. Pods such as Bud are also a great option as they are prefilled and have a pre-regulated power level.
Not sure which coil to use with your device? Check out our Coil Compatibility Chart here
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