When and How to Change Vape Coils
So, you know how to vape, but do you know how often to change your vape coil?
To get the most out of your vape mod, there are some things you need to do to ensure you’re always receiving the maximum amount of flavour and vapour. You may have already clued up on the importance of cleaning your vape tank and how to use a vape coil. But, for any beginner or advanced vapers, knowing how to change vape coils should also be on your vaping checklist.
In this guide, we’ll take you through how and when to change a vape coil to maximise your experience. Let’s get right to it!
How Often to Change Vape Coils: Key Signs
Because how often to change the vape coil can vary, you need to look out for a few hints to help you out.
Here are some key signs that it might be time to replace your vape coil:
- A gurgling sound when you vape
You’ll know it’s time to change your vape coil if you begin to hear a gurgling sound when you vape. This sound shouldn’t happen if everything is in working order with your vape mod, although it’s not always due to the coil.
When you hear a gurgling sound coming from your vape, the quickest and easiest way to correct it is to change your vape coil.
- A burnt or strange taste to your vape
The biggest sign that your coil is burnt is experiencing a burning taste when you take a hit from your vape. As soon as your e-liquid tastes acrid and burnt rather than its usual sweet flavour, it’s time to change your coil.
If your vape tastes strange but not necessarily burnt, the chances are that your coil has become so worn that it cannot provide you with the right flavour anymore. Whether it’s not hitting the spot or tastes a little dull, you should change your coil to revamp the flavour profile.
- Reduced vapour production
Because the coil is responsible for heating the e-liquid in your vape tank to turn it into vapour, when a coil reaches the end of its lifespan, you’ll experience a decrease in vapour production.
When you begin to notice less vapour being produced, you can replace your coil straight away, or you can carry on vaping until any of the other symptoms above begin to show up.
- Dry hits
If you’re experiencing dry hits even though you have e-liquid in the tank, the coil may be the problem. For example, if the coil’s wire or wicking material is compromised, it cannot effectively vaporise the e-liquid, resulting in dry hits.
How to Change Vape Coils
So, now you know how to tell when your coil needs to be changed, you need to know how to change vape coils.
1. Remove the tank from your vape
To be able to change your vape coil, you need to disassemble your vape. Exactly how you do this will vary slightly from mod to mod. But generally, you’ll need to unscrew the tank from your vape as you would when cleaning or refilling your vape tank.
2. Empty your vape tank
It’s best to wait until your vape tank is empty or nearly empty of e-liquid before changing coils so that you don’t waste any e-liquid and make a mess.
If there is some small amount of e-liquid left in your vape tank when you change coils, wrap the tank in a paper towel or cloth when you remove the coil.
3. Pre-soak the new coil’s wicking material
When changing coils, preparing the new wicking materials used in the tank is important. You need to pre-saturate the wicking material in about five to ten drops of e-liquid, although how much you’ll need to use will depend on the size of your coil.
Remember: if you don't presoak or 'prime' your new coil before filling it and vaping it straight away, it wont have had sufficeint time to absorb the liquid fully, leaving you with a burnt coil instantly.
4. Swap out the coils
To swap out your old, burnt coil for a new one, unscrew the old one from the bottom of your vape tank and replace it with the new one you’ve pre-soaked. You might want to keep some paper towel or a cloth nearby to keep your hands clean.
5. Replace and refill your tank
After you’ve replaced the coil in your vape tank, it’s time to reassemble your vape. To do this, simply screw the vape tank back onto your mod and refill your vape tank with your favourite flavour of e-liquid. We have many flavours up for grabs at Vape Town, from minty to fruity to creamy profiles. Pick your favourite flavour and get started!
What Happens if You Don't Replace the Coil for a Prolonged Period of Time?
The coil is a key component of any vape kit; it’s what heats up the e-liquid in your vape tank to produce vapour.
Whenever you turn on the power supply to the mod and begin to take a hit from your vape, electrical currents flow from the battery to the coil. This heats up the coil, which, in turn, heats up the e-liquid contained in the vape tank to produce the flavoured vapour that you ultimately inhale.
Because of this heat passing through the coil, it can become burnt the more it’s used. When the coil becomes burnt, the flavour of the vapour produced changes, meaning your vape enjoyment is compromised. You can learn more about why your vape might taste burnt on our blog.
Not only does it taste bad to vape on a burnt coil, but you will also experience less vapour production and overall flavour, as well as possibly notice signs of leaking.
It’s vital for you to know how often to change your vape coil in order to enjoy the best vaping experience possible. Whether you are new to vaping or have been vaping for years, there’s no excuse not to change your coil!
How Long Do Coils Last in Vapes?
How long a coil lasts in a vape will depend on a variety of factors:
- Frequency of use
How often you change a vape coil will depend on how much you vape. For example, if you’re a social vaper or vape infrequently, you can potentially go as long as a month without needing to change your coils.
But, if you’re a heavy vape user and vape frequently throughout the day, you may need to change vape coils as often as once a week.
- Type of e-liquid
E-liquids with a higher sugar content typically clog up coils faster. This is because sugars caramelise when heating, creating a sticky residue that could build up on the coil and wick.
Over time, this could hinder the coil’s ability to heat evenly, so keep this in mind when picking vape juice flavours. Use our guide on what's in e-liquid to get a better idea about what to purchase.
- Maintenance
To prolong the lifespan of your coils, it is advised to maintain the level of e-liquid in your tank. Allowing the level of liquid to get too low can result in the dry burning of your coil, leaving it tasting burnt. This happens because the coil in your tank doesn't have enough liquid to absorb into the wicking material.
Try to avoid getting debris or foreign objects into the mouthpiece of your device; this usually happens if you store your vape kit in your pocket or bag without a case. This can result in these small objects making their way into the coil and can lead to decreasing performance of your coil/vape or burnt taste.
- Wattage
Utilising a higher wattage than what is recommended by the manufacturer can wear coils out more quickly because of the excessive temperatures that the coils would be subjected to. This would result in a shorter lifespan for a coil. The same goes for running a coil with less power than what is recommended; this leads to a coil 'flooding', which can massively affect how it vapes.
Keep this in mind when choosing what wattage to vape.
Concluding on When to Change Your Vape Coil
These tips should help you to recognise when and how your vape coil needs to be changed, but if you come up against any additional problems, get in touch with our vaping experts, and they’ll be more than happy to help resolve your problem.
We stock a range of vape coils to help you get started, all from reputable brands, including Aspire, Freemax, Smok, and more. Explore our online shop or visit us in person to get one step ahead when you need to change your vape coil. Remember to check up on our special offer coils for the biggest bargains!