Priming your new vape coils (allowing time for e-liquid to fully saturate the wicking material in your coil) before use is an essential step to ensure you get the most satisfying vaping experience possible.
If you feel that your disposable vape tastes better than your refillable vape kit, this is probably due to the fact that the coil has been saturated in e-liquid for a long period of time. You can achieve the same great taste from a well primed coil.
If you prime your brand-new coils before use, this will stop the wicks from burning when you activate your battery.
A well primed vape coil brings many benefits to the party including; true flavour representation, less dry hits, enhanced vapour production, better wick saturation and a longer coil head lifespan.
What Is A Vape Coil?
A vape coil or atomiser head is a vital component of your e-cigarette set-up, responsible for heating e-liquid and turning it into a vapour that you inhale.
What Parts Make Up A Vape Coil?
Your vape coil is made up from various parts that work together to turn e-liquid into a vapour by raising the temperature of the coil by the power from your battery.
- Absorbent Cotton Wicking Material: soaks up the e-liquid and feeds it to the heating element
- Vape Coil Wire: the spiral or meshed resistance wire inside the coil which heats up from the power of the battery
- E-Liquid Chamber: the tank or pod that holds your e-liquid. In the UK, you will typically find a 2ml reservoir due to TPD size restrictions
- Drip Tip: the mouthpiece where you place your lips and take a draw, vapour is pulled through the chimney into your mouth or lungs to satisfy nicotine cravings
- Metal Casing: holds all the parts together
There are different types of coil; vertical coil, dual coil, mesh coils, etc, that are made from various conductive materials including; kanthal, stainless steel and titanium.
Coils or atomiser heads with a low ohm resistance rating (below 1Ω) create more vapour for DTL (direct to lung) vaping. High ohm resistance rated coils (above 1Ω) produce less vapour for MTL (mouth to lung) vaping.
Why Is It Important To Always Prime Your Vape Coils?
Do you ever find that your vape tastes burnt when using a new atomiser coil? If so, you probably haven’t primed your coil. Priming your coil means allowing enough time for your e-liquid to fully soak through the wicking material inside the coil, completely saturating it.
When your vape kit is activated by the power from the battery, this heats the coil and if the coil isn’t saturated with e-liquid, this will end up burning the dry unsoaked organic cotton. At this stage your coil can’t be rescued and you will need to replace your coil. If you have experienced a dry hit before, you will want to avoid the unpleasant experienece.
Priming is an integral step for a smooth and flavourful vaping experienece, eliminating premature coil burn out, getting the true taste of your e-liquid and getting longer-lasting use from your atomiser heads, for a more enjoyable experienece.
How Do I Prime A Vape Coil?
- Take your coil in one hand, and your bottle of e-liquid in the other
- Drip one or two drops of e-liquid directly onto the exposed cotton wicking material holes on the coil allowing the e-liquid to saturate the cotton
- Insert the coil into your vape pod or tank and fill with vape liquid
- Wait up to 5 minutes (thicker VG e-liquids may take up to 10 minutes) to allow time for the coil to thoroughly absorb the e-liquid
- Take a couple of puffs on the device with the power turned off, pulling the e-liquid through the wick material of the coil
- Set your power output to a lower setting and take a few soft puffs, turn the power up and enjoy
Alternatively, you can fill your pod or tank with e-liquid and leave it for a few minutes before vaping. This will allow the coil to absorb enough e-liquid for a satisfying hit of vapour.
At Vapeliquids.co.uk we always recommend starting on a low power setting when you’ve primed your vape coil, then gradually increasing the wattage as your inhale on the mouthpiece drawing vapour through the chimney.
Priming A Vape Coil Tips:
- High VG e-liquids are thicker and will take longer to prime compared to PG and 50/50 e-liquids of a thinner consistency
- Avoid overfilling your vape tank or pod with juice, which can cause leaking, gurgling, spitting, or getting e-liquid in your mouth
- You only need to prime your brand new coil
- Never let your e-liquid levels run too low
How Long Should I Prime My Vape Coils?
We strongly advise that you prime your brand-new vape coils before use. The longer you leave them soaking up the e-liquid the better. The coil priming process takes 5-10 minutes. PG heavy e-liquids are thinner in consistency and will take less time to prime compared to VG heavy e-liquids which are more viscous.
Regardless of the VG/PG ratio you are using, always prime your vape coils.
When Should I Replace My Vape Coil?
Vape coils are disposable products that need to be replaced regularly.
These are all signs to indicate that your coil needs replacing:
- Atomiser coil is giving off a burnt/metal taste when you inhale
- E-Liquid flavour tastes weakened
- Vapour cloud production is reduced
- Regular dry hits from your e-cig
- E-Cig is leaking, bubbling, spitting and gurgling
- E-liquid has turned a darker shade of brown and thicker in consistency
- E-Cig displaying error messages like ‘atomiser error’
The lifespan of a vape coil is dependent on how often you vape, the e-liquid you use, the wattages your device is set to, and the type of coil you’re using.
How To Get The Longest Use From Your Vape Coils:
- Use thinner e-liquids with a greater ratio of propylene glycol (PG) to vegetable glycerine (VG), as thinner e-liquids are more easily absorbed by the wicks
- Use mesh coils over ceramic coils as they rapidly heat up evenly minimising the chances of dry hits. The heat is channelled over a greater surface area avoiding hot spots and prolonging the lifespan of your coils
- Keep your e-liquid levels topped up so your coil is always saturated in e-liquid
- Avoid overly sweet e-liquids as they tend to caramelise, clogging up coils with debris and making your e-liquids gloopy and darker
- Avoid overfilling your tanks and pods with e-liquid
- Use the correct inhaling technique for the device you are using
- Use the correct PG/VG ratio e-liquids for your coils
- Always use high-quality e-liquids from trusted manufacturers
- Purchase top-tier quality coils from reputable vape stores
- Lower-wattages will put less strain on your vape coils
- Clean your vape tank before installing a new atomiser head, removing residue build-up
- Prime your coils when using a new coil
How Long Should My Vape Coil Last?
Vape coils should last anywhere between a week or two dependant on how regularly you vape. If you are a heavy vaper your atomiser heads should last up to a week, if you are a regular/light vaper you may get up to two weeks from a vape coil. More casual/social vapers may get longer-lasting use from their vape coils.
