How can I tell when my coil needs replacing ?

I'm a relatively new vaper and I'm still not 100% sure about coils and when I need to replace them. What will happen when it does need replacing ? Will I no longer be able to get a decent amount of vapour or will, as other people have told me, the juice start to taste unpleasant ? If I don't change a coil when it needs changing will it damage my E-cig, or can I continue using it ? If theres an easy beginners guide to coils anywhere could someone point me in the direction of it ? Thanks in advance if anyone can answer some or all of these questions.

 

Hi Steve,

I had a tough time figuring out when a coil was dead when I first started vaping too. You are correct; vapor production will decrease and the flavor of the ejuice will become muted. Another couple of indications of a dying coil I observed when I first started were: the base of the tank where the coil sits would become warmer than usual, when you notice the device leaking a lot of ejuice, or a really nasty plastic taste (like a burning plastic bag).

Unless you are using an unregulated mod to vape, most devices will not "fire" if the coil is dead. If you press the button and suddenly don't get any vapor, make sure that your tank/coil is connecting to the battery. If it seems like the connection is good, it's probably a dead coil. I have noticed that my battery life decreases when the coil is dying, but that could be because I'm subconsciously trying to get more vapor by firing the device for longer.

Hope this helps!

 

Thank you very much Gamerlady, that is most helpful. I can still taste my juice and can't detect a nasty taste but after 20 years of smoking tobacco my sense of taste is fairly limited anyway. I have been having a problem whereby I produce little vapor, check my battery, charge it if needed, but still get little vapor. I know its not the battery because I have spares, but if I leave the vape for half an hour or so with the battery turned off, I can get a moderate amount of vapor from it for a few goes after that wait. Its quite confusing as I'm not sure whether the coil is about to die or not. Its been like this for about a week now. The coil area is fairly warm after a few pulls, Its not very hot, but it does seem hotter than it was getting before. My vape is a Diamond Mist starter kit, its not been modified in any way and has been used normally.

 

Hi Steve,

I hear you.... It was hard for me to detect nasty tastes at first when I first started vaping too. That's why I offered up the other indicators.

Had to look up the Diamond Mist starter kit... It looks like an Ego-style battery with a clearomizer (clear "flavor cartridge), or a box-style battery with a clearomizer. I also see that the types of tanks vary; some are top coils with long wicks that are at top of the clearomizer, or they are bottom coils (the coil and wicks are at the bottom of the clearomizer).

Your coil might not be dying, the juice may not be wicking to the coil fast enough to keep up with you when you are vaping. This will cause a reduction in vapor production and, in worst cases, cause "dry hits" that taste like burning plastic. Setting it aside for awhile can improve vapor production.

Another option might be the exact opposite, flooding. When you vape, does it seem "slurpy?" In other words, does it make a slurping sound or feel like you are trying to draw a milkshake or other thick drink through a straw? If that's the case, you might be dragging on it too hard because you are used to cigarettes. Flooding also affects vapor production and will kill your coil quickly. Setting your vape aside can also improve vapor production, but it is a slower process. Depending on the type of clearomizer, flooding can also be fixed. For top feeders, I've found that holding it upright and firing the battery in short bursts without dragging on it helps. For bottom feeders, I've found that turning mine upside down and firing the battery in short bursts a few times helps. If you are worried about burning the wick, you can take the coil out and blow some of the excess juice out onto a paper towel.

Of course, the coil might just be dying. If you are like me when I started, you vape pretty heavily. My coils generally lasted around two weeks, maybe three at most, before they needed to be replaced. Sometimes cleaning your coils helps. If you want to try to clean them, here are a couple of videos that will show you how:

Cleaning top coil clearomizers
Cleaning bottom coil clearomizers

The clearomizers in these videos may not be the same models as yours, but they should work for most. I do not agree with the practice of "dry burning" to dry coils. It is too easy to burn the wick and end up with a very nasty taste. If you do not want to leave your coils sitting out overnight to dry, blow as much water as you can out of it and add your juice. The first few drags are watery, but the water will eventually be worked out.

I recommend having some spare coils on hand, just in case something goes wrong.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask more questions if there is something that you do not understand.

 

In my case, I tend to change the coil once it starts feeling exceptionally hot or has a "funny" taste. It is usually pretty easy to recognize when you need a new coil. You will feel a sparking sensation of the liquid hitting the back of your throat. If you keep letting the liquid do this, it can become quite painful when trying to use your vaporizer. I always make sure to let go of a coil the moment my vaporizer starts sparking up fluids.

 

Thats a wealth of great information GamerLady, thank you once again for coming to my aid. I do get the 'slurpy' sound you describe occasionally, and I suspected it was because I was pulling too hard on it. The clearomizer is a top-fill one and I've just done as you suggested and 'dry-fired' it once or twice and it does seem to help. Thanks for the videos too, exactly the kind of information I wanted. You really are very helpful, I've got no more questions right now, but as I get more knowledge about vaping I'm sure I'll think of more things in the future. Once again, thank you for your excellent detailed comments.

 

Thе соil is thе асtuаl соil оf wirе thаt hеаts up tо vаpоrizе yоur е liquid. Mоst сhаngеаblе соils аrе supеr supеr еаsy tо rеplасе. Аs fаr аs knоwing whеn tо rеplасе thе соil yоu will knоw. Whеn yоu dоn't wаnt tо vаpе аnymоrе it's timе tо сhаngе thе соil.

 

The taste changes significantly to the point where vaping becomes more of a chore to soldier through than pleasure. You should change the coils whenever this happens.

 

Aha, now I know, it finally went, absolutely disgusting taste. I may have mentioned earlier that my sense of taste is not too great but that really was memorably disgusting. I know what my friends meant when they said 'you'll know when it goes' now. That coil lasted me for almost 6 weeks though, I was under the impression that they don't normally last as long as that.

 

There are a lot of factors that come into play: ejuice flavors, pg/vg ratio, whether you flood the coils or allow them to dry out, how much you vape, and so on.

I am glad that your coil lasted so long. I know that I was going through a coil per week when I first started vaping. It was expensive and discouraging.

 

How often are you guys finding you have the change the coil?
I have just been swapping mine out on a monthly basis, someone told me that you it's dangerous to keep them more then a month since they go quick and you can't really tell when they go.
But you guys clearly know when it goes right? I think I have been duped!

 

As I said, mine lasted six weeks, but I'm not a constant vaper. The vast majority of friends and colleagues I've asked generally say that a coil will last about 2-3 weeks, but it does seem that everyone has a different experience of them. It all depends on how much your vaper, how strong your battery is and if you're looking after your vaping equipment.

 

Honestly, I haven't used cartridges or clearamizor atomizers in quite a while; however, I usually needed to change my coils out every two weeks because I vape heavily. You may not vape heavily, so a coil may last longer for you.

If you have ever lit the filter end of cigarette by accident and took a drag off of it, a burnt-out coil tastes a bit like that.

 

If you have a vape shop anywhere near you, I'd suggest taking an hour out of your day and sitting down with one of the workers in the shop. They are normally very friendly and can show you exactly when and how to change your coils.