Why is My Vape Leaking
A vape pen can be used to spend your time enjoying what you love the most, vaping. The joy of seeing a vape pen filled with fresh vape juice can be exciting, to say the least. The e-liquid market is expected to be worth $3.3 billion by 2027. Many vapers have felt the horror of reaching into their bags and exclaiming, “Gosh! Why is my vape leaking?”. A liquid leak from vaping devices can take the fun out of your travels.
Here’s what you need to know about fixing a vape leak.
Why does a vape leak occur?
Vape devices such as vape pens, pod mods, and box mods are portable devices that allow you to carry them with you wherever you go. You can fill the liquid in these electronic devices with e-juice as soon as the vape tank is empty.
Primarily, vapes have four parts that need to be taken care of. The drip tip, atomizer, vape tank, and battery are interchangeable parts of vaping devices. These gadgets must be durable enough to store and hold a liquid containing chemical compounds such as nicotine, delta 8 THC, and CBD.
The slightest spillage of e-liquid from a vape tank can lead to messy situations. The last thing you would want is to have your hands seeping with liquid from a vape leak. Practically any seasoned vaper will tell you that a leaking vape tank needs to be addressed immediately.
Holding an e-cigarette that has a vape tank leaking can be dangerous to your health. It might cause the e-cigarette to emit smaller clouds of vapor or, worse, not create any vapor at all. You are likely to lose precious breaths on expensive e-liquids gone to waste while overheating the resistance coils of your vape device.
Most common reasons for vape leaks
There are plenty of reasons why your vaping device’s vape tank might leak. Liquid pouring out of an e-cig can be disastrous to deal with right before you start a vaping session. Finding out that your vape tank is leaking can cost you hundreds of dollars worth of e-liquids and dozens of hours in trying to fix the vape tank.
From over-tightening of crucial parts to using higher resistance coils, you need to be aware of the most common reasons for leaky tanks.
1. Incompatible coils
The coil you use can make a huge difference to your vaping experience. You can use the drip tip to place a few drops of liquid or vape juice into the vape tank correctly. Higher resistance coils use lesser amounts of e-liquid to form vapor. An e-cig with a higher resistance coil will heat up liquid or e-juice to make smaller clouds of vapor.
An atomizer head with low resistance vape coils such as stainless steel or kanthal takes up vast amounts of e-liquid with each hit. You’ll need to add more drops of liquid onto the coil head or atomizer head to create large clouds of vapor with your vaping device.
A vape tank leaking may be the result of pouring excess e-liquid into an e-cig tank or disposable vapes with sub-ohm coils. If you are using a vape device with low resistance coils, you’ll need a good portion of the e-liquid in the tank to produce vapour. Unlike an electronic cigarette, advanced devices have just enough cotton as extra wicking material to absorb more of the liquid.
If you’re using mech mods that have coils with high resistance, you won’t have to fill your tank with too much juice to have longer sessions of vaping. Mech mods that support replaceable coils keep vapers from adding excess e-juice into the tank and prevent e-liquid leaks.
2. Pairing with low-grade e-liquids
You are likely to find that most of the e-liquid available in vape stores contain either Propylene Glycol (PG) or Vegetable Glycerin (VG) as their main ingredient. E-juice with high VG liquid provides a smoother hit with each draw that you make.
These thicker liquids have a tendency to clog a coil housing low resistance materials that take time to heat the vape juice. It is also much harder to clean the airflow holes of a vape device that uses higher VG liquid.
Alternatively, you can use a thinner liquid such as PG flavors to prevent the airflow holes from getting blocked. The thinner vape juice produces more vapor from higher PG liquids. It gives people a stronger throat hit compared to an e-liquid that has high concentrations of VG.
You can heat a PG liquid with a lower resistance coil to absorb more flavor from every hit you take. Vapers can avoid vape leaks in the central tube and airflow holes by cleaning their vape devices with a cotton swab. The central tube has to be dry at all times.
3. Incorrect vaping techniques
Beginners to vaping can have a tough time getting used to the inhalation and exhalation techniques. The right vaping technique will keep the e-liquid from leaking and stop your vape from incurring accidental damage.
People who are new to vaping can use the mouth-to-lung (MTL) technique to enjoy their first few puffs from their vaping device. The MTL technique involves drawing the vapor into your mouth after the vape coil heats the e-liquid. Once the vapor is in your mouth, you can taste the flavor by moving your tongue around and gently pushing the vapor into your lungs.
Make sure that your vaping device supplies enough power to the center tube after you press the fire button. Liquid runs quickly through the best disposable vapes in the vertical position.
Seasoned vapers love to use the direct-to-lung (DTL) technique for vaping. The vape coil heats up the e-liquid to high temperatures and releases humongous clouds of vapor through the DTL technique. People inhale more smoke into their lungs before immediately letting it out through their mouths.
Cannabis products that contain intoxicating substances such as delta 10 THC and THC-O require smaller puffs. Holding in the vapor for too long after you inhale it with the DTL technique might cause its users to leak the liquid out of the tank from being high.
The DTL technique also comes in handy while making O rings with your vape. If you don’t use the proper technique while making O rings, you might cause a vape leak from holding the vape too tight. Keeping your hands away from the vape tank while making O rings can save you from worrying about vape leaks.
4. Overfilling vape tanks
One of the most common reasons behind vape leaks is overfilling vape tanks with e-liquid. Flavors that contain both VG and PG liquids in them can jam the juice holes of your tank. Inserting vape juices without a drip tip can scratch the tank, leaving air holes that leak the precious e-liquid out of your vape.
You should remove the small rubber seals of the flavored bottles before pouring them into the tank of your vape. Make it a point to never fill the devices to the brim with vape juices. Most vapers enjoy vaping and performing cool tricks such as making O rings when the tank is half-filled with their favorite flavor.
5. Inaccurate settings
Unless you’re using a disposable vape pen, you can change a bunch of settings on your device to suit your needs. You can configure different settings for various e-juices to extract more of the flavor and inhale smoother hits.
Advanced vapes let you set an optimum range of temperature to heat the e-liquid. You can also tweak numerous values for varying resistances and the power setting to make larger clouds of vapor with less liquid. The right temperature and power output can eliminate the small air pocket in your tank that can hinder the production of vapor.
However, being experimental with settings can lead to vape leaks. Vapers trying out different settings on a new vape can use values for temperature and voltage that might end up burning the coil or draining excess amounts of e-liquid from the tank.
If you’re not careful with the settings, you might fry the atomizer that can make the e-juice pop out of the mouthpiece and into your mouth. Higher temperatures and resistance settings may also heat the liquid and burn the flavor before you can get a chance to taste it. If you’re a beginner, you can use the Temperature Control (TC) mode to get the most satisfying experience from the vape juices.
6. Storing vape kits carelessly
A vaping device has to be stored in a dry and safe place. Vape juices can reduce their potency when exposed to heat, light, and oxygen. You can improve the shelf life of the vape juice by storing it at room temperatures.
If you’re traveling by flight or by car, you can drain the vape tank before you make a move. Having a full vape tank will easily spill over from the turbulence of a flight and may make a mess of your belongings in your bag. You can also pack tissue paper or a paper towel to wipe the device clean from any vape juice smeared on the device.
If you’re disassembling a box mod, you can keep the tank standing straight instead of placing it in a horizontal position. Holding the tank in a vertical position will also keep it from rolling out of the kit and leaking e-liquids.
7. Tight fittings
A vape leak can arise in devices that are not assembled properly. Many vapers have noticed that two or more parts of their devices do not line up while screwing them together, resulting in what’s known as cross-threading.
Cross-threading usually occurs at the point where the base of your atomizer meets the coil. It can also occur where the base of your coil sits on the tank of your device. Vape leaks can happen even if there is a slight gap between any of these parts. You can use a small flat-head screwdriver to tighten these parts.
Do not screw these parts too tightly as it can also lead to the leak of e-liquids. Over tightening of push-fit coils, atomizers, and tanks can break these parts easily. You can find tiny rubber rings between these parts that are used to create an airtight seal. You might damage these rubber rings by applying excessive pressure while tightening the coil and the tank.
You must ensure that the hollow tube at the center isn’t displaced while tightening these parts. A liquid leak entering the tube can restrict the movement of vapor into the mouthpiece, decreasing the size of vapors produced by the device.
What is spitting and popping?
Newcomers to vaping and expert vapers go through the issue of having hot liquid spit out of the device and into their mouth. The vape coil usually makes a gurgling noise when this happens. Generally, it occurs when an e-liquid is heated to high temperatures using low resistance coils.
Spitting and popping means that more of the e-juice escapes out of the mouthpiece without getting turned into vapor. There are several reasons behind spitting and popping that include heating the e-juice at a low wattage, thicker vape juices clogging the airflow, and over-priming coils.
Having tiny drops of e-liquid spit back onto your lips can be frustrating for vapers. If you’re facing spitting and popping with your devices constantly, you can opt for an anti-spit mouthpiece to avoid having an unpleasant experience while vaping. You can also invest in spit-proof vaping devices that help you avoid dealing with the crackling of vape juices.
How to prevent spitting and popping
Loud noises coming out of your vaping device can get in the way of an enticing vaping experience. Spitting and popping is a rampant issue among vapers that can ruin your fun. Take a look at some of the tips to help you prevent spitting and popping from your vape.
1. Supply higher wattage
People using a vaping device with sub-ohm coils may not be supplying adequate wattage to heat the e-juice. Vaping devices that have low wattage settings don’t heat up the juices fast enough while producing vapor. You can set the device to variable wattage mode and see if the spit back reduces from the mouthpiece.
If the spitting and popping reduce with variable wattage mode, you can gradually increase the wattage till you find the right balance for the e-juice that is filled in your vape tank. If changing the wattage setting doesn’t work, consider replacing the coil and the vape tank to fix spitting and popping in your device.
2. Get a broader drip tip
A lot of vaping devices available in the market do not have drip tips. You can buy a vaping device with a broad drip tip to avoid having droplets of e-juice jump out of the tank and onto your lips while vaping. These gadgets feature a rebuildable dripping atomizer (RDA) that has a large outlet to pour in the vape juices.
3. Use VG e-juices
Spitting and popping can occur more frequently for users who prefer using PG juices in their vaping devices. These juices are thinner and take more time to get heated in the vape tank. If you have a lot of spitting and popping from your device, you can use thicker juices that contain high levels of VG liquids.
4. Avoid over-priming the coil
Priming is the process of adding vape juices onto the coil before placing it inside the device. You can cause the device to spit back by having the coil dripping with e-juice. You’ll only need to place a few drops of the e-liquid on the coil to avoid over-priming.
5. Clean your vape regularly
You can clean the vape tank properly once every two weeks to keep it from getting damaged. The vaping device will last much longer by maintaining the tank and the atomizer regularly. If you use both PG and VG juices in your e-liquids, you can use rubbing alcohol to wipe it clean of any remaining residue sticking to the tank.
6. Fix a vape leak early
Fixing a vape leak is a resourceful skill to have when you own a vaping device. The last thing you need is to discover that your vape is leaking while you’re on your way to a vape party. You can easily fix a damaged vape tank with the right set of tools and a few spare parts at your disposal.
Charge the batteries and keep a set of fresh batteries for extended periods of vaping. It helps to have additional batteries at hand to save time between sessions. You will also find it easier to fix a vape leak with an extra vape tank in your kit.