Common Reasons Vaporizers Leak – and Possible Solutions
Scenario One: You’ve got a spanking new pod and you’re all excited to break it in. But as soon as you add your vape juice the thing springs a leak and you wind up hurling blasphemous language toward the sky.
Scenario Two: You were under the impression your vape had been working just fine. But then one day after putting it down you realize there’s e-juice on your fingers. Where’d this *%$*# leak come from?
Like most things in life, vaporizers are not perfect. However, if you’re patient and persistent you may be able to get to the root of any leaking problem. Below we’ll go over some things you might want to do before sparking up your vape in order to fend off such issues.
Three Things to check before firing up your vape
By checking the following things before you engage your vaporizer you might be able to prevent leaking, or at the very least, reduce the amount of leaking you experience.
Check that the airflow ports are closed
The airflow ports are important to a quality vaping experience, but in some cases, they may be behind the leaks you’ve been experiencing. So before you fill up your vape make sure the airflow ports are completely closed. Once you’re sure the ports are closed, refill your device and only then re-open the airflow ports to allow the desired amount of air in. Failing to do this may result in you having to drag too hard on the mouthpiece which, in turn, may promote leaking.
Check the coil: is it loose?
The coil serves a couple of important purposes. For one it heats the e-juice in order to create that sweet, sweet vapor cloud. For another it allows air to move freely through while simultaneously regulating the flow of e-juice. If the coil is not fastened tightly e-liquid could escape while you take a drag on the vaporizer and you could wind up with wet fingers. So before you spark up your vaping device make sure the coil is securely fastened. It’s easy to do.
Check to see that the chimney is empty
This is for people who have had their vaporizers for a while. After repeated use, it’s possible that some e-juice made its way into your tank’s chimney, or central air channel, and wound up as condensation on the inside. Over time this condensation will work its way back down to the coil where it will cause a gurgling sound and some leaking when you draw on the vape. If you suspect there’s e-juice in the chimney take the device apart and clean it thoroughly before your next use.
Other Things to Keep in Mind
Are you using the right e-liquid?
Not all e-liquids are created equal. If you look at the bottle of e-juice you’ll notice that on the side it indicates the VG/PG ratio. If you don’t already know, e-liquids contain a blend of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG). These make up the majority of the liquid in e-liquid. But they have different viscosities. VG is thicker than PG. If your e-juice contains a high concentration of VG you can expect big, thick vapor clouds. More of the thinner PG and your clouds will be lighter and less obvious (good for stealth vaping).
So what does this have to do with leaks? Okay. Not every vaporizer works well with every VG/PG mixture. If your device is designed to accommodate the thicker VG-heavy mixtures and you fill it with PG-heavy e-liquid it’s possible that you might experience leaking. As a general rule of thumb it’s wise to pair PG-heavy e-juices with lower-powered pods, and VG-heavy mixtures with higher-wattage mods.
When was the last time you swapped out your coil?
Sometimes a vaporizer will come with a bum coil that never sits properly in the device and consequently allows e-liquid to leak. If that’s the case we’d recommend contacting the manufacturer about a replacement. On the other hand, coils don’t last forever. So if you have an older device that has recently started to leak it may just be that the old coil is no longer sitting as tightly in place as it used to and it’s time to get a new one.
Could be altitude sickness
If your vaporizer was working just fine when you bought it while on vacation in Miami and then it started leaking while you were back in Colorado hiking in the mountains, it might be a matter of altitude. The higher you are the lower the air pressure and the more air expands as a result. As the air expands it pushes out on the insides of the vape tank and this can cause tiny cracks to open allowing e-liquid to leak out. If your tank tends to leak at altitude we’d recommend only filling it halfway if you plan on going into the mountains on a hike or a drive. This will reduce some of the pressure on the inside of the tank.
Stop By The Best Vape Shop In Parker
Most vaporizers are well made, but even the best is not designed to last forever or necessarily overcome challenges posed by altitude or using the wrong type of e-liquid. Take the above tips to heart and you should have fewer issues with leaking vapes in the future. And next time you’re in Parker stop by the Smoking Buddha vape shop.