A Vape Town Guide: How to Fill a Vape Tank
So, you’ve chosen your vape kit, picked out your e-liquid flavour and decided on your nicotine strength.
You’ve got everything together and are ready to start vaping. But, there’s just one problem, you don’t know how to fill a vape.
Unless you’ve purchased a pre-filled vape, one thing every beginner vaper will have to do before they can start vaping is to fill their vape kit with e-liquid. It can seem quite a daunting prospect for first-timers, but it’s nothing to be put off by. And, like most things in life, it gets easier the more you do it.
Exactly how you fill a vape will depend on the type of vape kit you’re using. But, no matter the type of vape you have, it’s pretty straight forward to refill your e-liquid so you can carry on vaping whenever you need to.
Our guide on how to fill a vape covers all the main vape systems so you should have no problems getting to grips with filling your vape no matter what system you use.
Prep to do before you fill your vape
While the specifics of filling a vape vary depending on what sort of system you use, there are some basic best practices you should follow when refilling a vape.
One of the most important things to remember when refilling your vape is to remove the tank where the e-liquid is stored from the battery component. This prevents any possible accidents with spillages getting into the battery and causing electrical faults or damage to the battery.
And, for new vapers getting to grips with refilling a vape kit, it’s recommended to have some kitchen roll or tissue laid out under your tank to catch any e-liquid that might spill or drip down.
Before you can proceed with filling up your vape, you need to know what sort of fill system you’re working with. Is it an open or closed system and does it have a top fill or bottom fill?
You should know from when you bought your vape what kind of system and fill type your tank is. And, you can always check the packaging if you’re unsure.
How to fill a closed system vape
Closed vape systems are most commonly found in pod and compact vape kits, where a cartridge or pre-filled tank of e-liquid is used.
These pre-filled tanks and cartridges are all set up and ready to be inserted into your pod or compact vape kit. Pre-filled tanks can’t be manually refilled and must be replaced entirely each time you run out of e-liquid.
You’ll know it’s time to refill when you start to notice a weaker flavour or less vapour being produced when you inhale.
Closed systems are probably the easiest vape systems to refill as all you need to do is unscrew the tank from your rechargeable device and screw on a new, pre-filled tank.
In some pod kits, it’s possible to refill a cartridge. The coil and atomiser can’t be altered but removable cartridges can be refilled with your favourite flavour e-liquid.
How to fill an open system vape
Open system vapes feature a refillable atomiser or tank which can be topped up manually with e-liquid.
Just like closed system vapes, when you start to notice a weaker flavour or less vapour production when you vape then it’s time to refill. Most tanks and atomisers, sometimes known as clearomisers, are also see-through so you can see when you’re running low on e-liquid.
To fill up your tank or atomiser, you’ll need a bottle of e-liquid in your chosen flavour.
Exactly how you fill your vape tank will depend on whether it is a top fill or bottom fill system. Read on for our guide to how to fill a vape for each system.
How to fill a vape with a top fill tank
A top fill tank is, as the name suggests, a tank that is filled from the top. Top fill tanks are recognisable by their removable mouthpiece. Below the mouthpiece is where you’ll gain access to the tank to refill your e-liquid.
Follow these steps to refill your top fill vape:
- Unscrew the tank from the body of your vape kit
- Remove the coil by unscrewing it from the bottom of the tank, leaving the mouthpiece attached for now
- Put one or two drops of e-liquid through each hole in the coil casing to saturate the coil and preserve its life
- Remove the mouthpiece and connector from the tank
- Fill your tank with e-liquid to the indicated level, making sure not to get any liquid in the centre tubing
- Screw the mouthpiece back onto your tank and re-insert the saturated coil
- Reattach the tank to the body of your vape kit
- Wait a couple of minutes and then take a few shorter drags to check you’ve reassembled correctly.
How to fill a vape with a bottom fill tank
Bottom fill tanks are, clearly, tanks which are refilled from the bottom. To refill these tanks you’ll need to remove the tank from the body of your vape and then flip the tank upside down to access it.
Follow these steps to refill your bottom fill tank:
- Unscrew the tank from the body of your vape kit
- Remove the coil by unscrewing it from the top of the tank
- Put one or two drops of e-liquid through each hole in the coil casing to saturate the coil and preserve its life
- Screw the now saturated coil back into the tank
- Unscrew the bottom section of the tank to remove the atomiser and gain access to the refillable section
- Fill your tank with e-liquid to the indicated level, making sure not to get any liquid in the centre tubing
- Screw the bottom back on to the tank and reattach the tank to the body of your vape kit
- Wait a couple of minutes and then take a few shorter drags to check you’ve reassembled correctly.
For all vape refills, be sure to wipe away any excess liquid to avoid damage to your vape kits.
To make sure you get the most out of your vape kit, it’s recommended that you routinely clean your tank and replace the coil regularly (weekly for heavy users and 2-3 weeks for lighter vapers).
After approximately every 10 refills, it’s advised that you replace the atomiser and tank to ensure you’re always getting the best performance from your vape.
If you need any more help with how to fill a vape or advice on vaping in general, our vaping experts are on hand to help you; just get in touch with any questions you might have.