Whether you prefer the impressive cloud power of a box mod and a sub-ohm tank or the discrete portability of a pod mod, both require vape maintenance to remain fully functional. You can have the tastiest vape juice that delivers delicious flavor with every puff, but a dirty, clogged coil or soiled vape tank can ruin that flavor.
There are a few ways to prolong the useful life of your coil, as well as a few things to keep in mind when selecting an e-liquid to fill your tank with. Let's learn about a few ways why your vape needs cleaning, how to clean a vape coil, and how to take care of your vape.
Reasons Your Vape Needs Cleaning
To keep your vape device firing on all cylinders, there are a few things you should know about how to take care of a vape. Vape devices, especially ones that are used constantly, are prone to dirt and e-liquid buildup. That buildup can clog your coils, muddle the flavors, and prevent you from enjoying the full potential of your vaping experience.
If you leave your vape device on its side, e-liquid can leak out and make the entire device sticky and may even seep into the mod to prevent it from firing entirely.
If you only use your vape once in a while, the e-liquid can oxidize within the tank (i.e., turn dark brown/black and become thick and sludgy) and overly saturate the coil, rendering it useless when you want to use it.
Lastly, if you mix flavors frequently, the e-liquid flavoring can become muddled and potentially clog the coil faster. These are only a few reasons why your vape needs cleaning. We'll go over some tips to care for a vape pen, how to clean out a vape tank, and how to clean a sub-ohm vape coil.
Changing Your Coil or Atomizer
Simply put, an atomizer (also called a coil) is responsible for transforming e-liquid into a vapor. The coil attaches to the base of your device, and e-liquid is filled around the coil, allowing the wicking material (usually cotton) to soak up the e-liquid and fully saturate it. When the coil is heated, the soaked cotton vaporizes the e-liquid and produces a vapor cloud.
The amount of vapor depends on two factors: how high of a temperature the device is set to fire at and the type of e-liquid that is being used.
Over time, the constant heating of the coil and the vaporization of the e-liquid will eventually kill your coil, either by burning the cotton or clogging the coil. To prevent this, try to avoid taking too many hits too quickly (referred to as "chain vaping") and rinse your tank out once you decide it's time to change the e-liquid flavor you're currently using.
This won't prevent your coil from needing to be changed, but it will help prolong the useful life of your coil.
When it's officially time to change your coil, make sure to prime your coil properly. Allow the fresh coil to soak up the e-liquid for a few minutes, then start at about half your normal wattage for the first pull. Gradually increase your wattage until you've reached your desired wattage; this gentle breaking in of the coil should help lengthen the amount of time you can use the coil.
Depending on how often you use your vape, a coil can last anywhere from two weeks to a month.
Cleaning Your Coil or Atomizer
If you know that your coil is nearing the end of its useful life, you might be wondering, "can you clean a vape coil?" Well, yes and no.
There are ways you can clean your vape coil to prolong the use for perhaps another tankful. But there is no way to fully restore a coil to how it came out of the package.
If your coil's cotton looks black and gunky, you can vigorously wash the coil with soap and water. Some vapers have used vodka and jewelry cleaner to clean the coil as well.
Regardless of which method you choose, you must allow the coil to fully dry before using it again. You can choose to let the coil dry naturally for a few days, or you can use a blow dryer to dry the coil gently.
If you're looking for a coil- and pod-cleaning device, you may want to check out the Robo2020 device for a more thorough cleaning. Keep in mind that while these methods will remove some of the e-liquid buildups, any burnt cotton will still prevent the coil from firing at its best. You will eventually need to change the coil and start fresh completely.
Cleaning Your Tank
In addition to cleaning your coil, you should also clean your device's tank. Even if you think you've vaped out all of the e-liquid in your tank, there will still be some remaining e-liquid on the sides of the glass, in the device tip, or the base of the tank. That remaining e-liquid can mix with any new flavor you add in, resulting in an unwanted blending of the two flavors.
The best method to clean a vape tank is to use scalding hot water. Feel free to use a mild soap if your tank is extremely dirty.
First, remove the coil from the tank's base, and disassemble as much of the tank as you can. Remove the drip tip, the tank top, the glass, and the base, and carefully place all the pieces into a heat-safe cup.
Fill the cup with extremely hot water and let the pieces soak for several minutes. Once the water has cooled enough to handle, you should pour out this water and rinse it with clean water.
Carefully dry all the tank components and reassemble the tank. Make sure to clean the tank tip, either with a cotton swab or a rolled-up piece of paper towel. This cleaning process will also give you a chance to examine your device for any cracks or damaged pieces.
Vape Battery Care
We mentioned at the beginning of this article that you should never leave your vape on its side, as e-liquid can leak out and seep into the internals of your device. This is especially true if you leave your vape in your car or purse on a hot day.
If e-liquid does leak out, there are a few things to know about how to clean a vape. First and foremost, do not power up the device. Cautiously remove the batteries in your device and inspect them for any swelling or stickiness.
Check the battery chamber for any e-liquid residue and use a cotton swab to remove any e-liquid from the device. If you notice the batteries are swollen or have torn wrapping, immediately discard them. If your batteries are simply sticky with e-liquid, use a clean, dry cloth to remove the e-liquid.
Never rinse or submerge your batteries in water to clean them. If your batteries or battery chamber have juice built up, you can use a cloth or cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove the e-liquid buildup.
Unclogging Your Cartridge
A clogged cartridge happens commonly with pen-style mods, disposables, and pod mods. The e-liquid can solidify over time, thus reducing the ability to take a clean hit or exhale any vapor at all.
There are a few methods on how to unclog a vape cartridge. Depending on the type of cartridge you use, you can remove the cartridge tip and soak the tip in hot water, or you can use a blow dryer to gently heat solidified mass and revert it to a liquid.
It is not recommended to suck out any of the buildups or use a pin to poke out any solidified gunk. If your cartridge still doesn't work after soaking it in hot water or gently warming it, you may need to swap out your cartridge entirely.