Troubleshooting Vape Issues: 4 Common Problems & What To Do

Whether you’re new to the wonderful world of vaping or know your drip tips from your vape coils, it’s likely that you’ll encounter a few little (easily resolvable) issues every now and again. 

Vaping devices are gadgets much like any other and they can develop little niggles from time to time, but these aren’t usually insurmountable even if you’ve only just started vaping.

While it can be a little annoying to have to sort problems out, understanding the mechanics of your vape and gaining more in-depth knowledge about how they work will ultimately make your vaping experience easier and more pleasurable over time… so, with that in mind, here are some of the more common problems you’re likely to encounter with your vapes - and what to do about them! Enjoy!

Why does my vape feel clogged?

When working optimally, drawing on a vape should be easy and effortless. If you feel as though you’re trying to inhale but there’s a blockage or it’s difficult to draw from, it could be that something’s obstructing the airflow. Use a small piece of tissue or a cotton wool bud to give it a good clean.

It’s also possible that eliquid has somehow made its way into the air passage of the tank, which is known as flooding. This can be down to overfilling the tank, having the device on the wrong temperature or even pulling too hard when using your vape. 

To clear a flooded coil, you can remove it from the tank and blow through it to get rid of the liquid - or you can simply use a fresh coil if you’re unsure.

Why does my vape taste burnt?

No matter what kind of vape you’re using, you’ll probably experience a burnt taste sooner or later. Known as a burnt hit, this can happen when there isn’t enough eliquid in the tank to saturate the wick so the dry wick itself is heated up, which means you don’t get that lovely vape cloud you’re looking for.

A burnt taste can also be down to taking too many puffs too quickly. Over-vaping can mean that the wick doesn’t have enough time to soak up the eliquid, so it dries out and burns. Take your time, let the wick absorb the eliquid and away you go.

Also make sure that you prime the coil head properly before you start vaping, saturating it with eliquid before you install it and fill up the tank.

Why is my vape leaking?

If you find that your vape is leaking, it could be because you’re overfilling the tank, so make sure that you leave a gap of air at the top when refilling. It could also be because you’ve accidentally squeezed juice into the central airflow channel, because the coil hasn’t been installed properly or because either the pod or the tank is damaged.

If you know it’s not because you’re overfilling the tank, take a good look at the device to see if you can find any damaged parts or any cracks that could be causing the problem and double check that all the components have been fitted correctly.

Another potential cause could be as simple as using the wrong eliquid for the coil. If you have a direct-to-lung device, the cotton in the coil is meant to be used with a thicker juice that has high vegetable glycerine content (like 70/30 shortfills). 

Using thinner high propylene glycol blends like nic salts can lead to leaks because the cotton won’t be able to hold the liquid as effectively, or because it’s got too hot and this has thinned the juice even more.

Why are my eliquids turning dark?

If you see that the juice in your vape tank has changed colour and gone darker, don’t panic! This is normal and, in fact, it’s down to a natural reaction between the nicotine and other vape juice ingredients with oxygen, so it’s nothing to worry about. 

That being said, it can change the taste so if you do notice that your vape juice isn’t quite the flavour it should be, you may want to invest in a new bottle.

Darkening juice can also be down to the fact that your coil needs to be changed, but this will also more than likely be accompanied by an unpleasant burnt flavour.