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Any experienced and seasoned vaper would have at least once experienced the dreaded taste of a burnt coil. It's a taste that's very distinct and very far from an enjoyable one! And most time it's unavoidable and can happen at any time. But if you're a new vaper reading this, you might be asking the question of why is your vape coil tasting burnt or burning out so fast?
Which is why we've written this guide to explain all you need to know about a coil, what they are made from and go over the reasons as to why the dreaded burnt taste from your coil may happen.
The official name for a vape coil is actually an atomiser and the coil is just one part of what makes up an atomiser to be used in a vape tank or vape pod. Commonly in a cylindrical shape, the outer casing for an atomiser is made from a type of metal and hidden inside this casing is a coil.
Normally this is made from a single piece of wire such as Kanthal or Stainless Steel and it's wrapped a specific number of times into a coil shape which then gives it an ohms resistance reading. Of late, mesh coils have started rising in popularity and instead of the wire, a small strip of metal mesh is used and made into a cylindrical shape and this is what acts as the coil part of the atomiser.
Alongside this, a small piece of cotton is normally threaded through the middle of the coil and this acts as a wick where your e-liquid is absorbed into. The power from your vape device is then sent to the coil which heats up and then turns your e-liquid into vapour for you to inhale and exhale.
Coils come in varying ohms resistances which relate to the different styles of vaping that can be done. For example, if you're using a vape coil that has a high ohms resistance of 1.0ohm or higher, then these will be best suited for mouth to lung vaping. And if you're using a vape coil that's rated around 0.4ohms or lower, then these will be better for sub ohm/direct to lung vaping.
The general rule of thumb to remember is; the higher the ohms resistance, the lower the wattage output. And then vice versa as lower ohms resistance coils can be used at higher wattage outputs.
Whilst there is no exact time frame for how long a vape coil lasts, the common average which people will get from one vape coil is around 1 week to 2 weeks. However, there are many different factors that can play a part when it comes to affecting your coils lifespan, and we'll explain them below.
As we said above, most people will get around 1/2 weeks use out of one coil before it requires to be changed. But this can sometime's be less than that time frame and on the other hand, it can be longer than that too. It ultimately comes down to several different factors which we will guide you through below;
Type Of E-Liquid Used
Of course, e-liquid is needed to keep your vape running as it should but there are certain flavours of e-liquid which can cause the lifespan of your coil to shorten to what it normally should be.
Very sweet flavours of e-liquid, such as confectionary or dessert flavours are known to shorten the lifespan of your vape coil. This is because the sweeteners used within these types of e-liquids can block and gunk up your coil which then burns out the cotton wick quicker.
Rest assured that all of our e-liquids made at EDGE Vaping use the least amount of sweeteners possible with our vape juices and we only ever include ones which are essential to make the e-liquid flavourings.
How Often You Use Your Vape Device
Unfortunately, there isn't such thing as an everlasting coil and eventually after plenty of usage, the coil is going to reach the end of it's lifespan. But how frequently you use your vape device can be one of the contributing factors to how long a coil will last you.
If you're a regular user of your vape device, you may find that coils are lasting you on the lesser end of the timeline we gave above, whereas if you're more of a conservative vaper and only use it intermittently throughout the day, chances are you're going to benefit from a longer lasting coil life.
The Wattage Output Of Your Vape Device
Every coil will have a specific wattage output range that you should always keep within if you want to preserve the life of your coil.
If you're using a vape device that has variable wattage settings, check to see what the recommended wattage range is for the coil you're using and make sure you set the output of your kit to within that range. Because if you have the wattage output too high, this will send too much power to the coil and cause it to heat too fast and burn your cotton out. And having the output settings too low means your coil won't heat up properly or heat the e-liquid in your vape tank or vape pod and likely cause flooding to the coil.
If you're new to vaping and reading this, you may be curious as to how you'd know when you need to change your vape coil. Fortunately, there are quite a few tell tale signs that will indicate when your coil needs changing and we'll cover a few of the more obvious signs to look out for when your coil is coming to the end of it's life.
A Burnt Taste When Vaping
The dreaded taste of burnt cotton when you inhale on your vape is something we would speculate that every vaper has experienced at least once in their time vaping. It's a very distinct taste and something which is far from enjoyable! If you experience this, then it's definitely time to change your coil! The reason for this happening is because the cotton wick has degraded down and is becoming burnt from the heat of your coil.
E-Liquid Colour Turning Darker/Brown Colour
Anothet thing to keep an eye on is the colour of your e-liquid in either your vape pod or vape tank. If you notice it's starting to discolour and turn darker than normal, commonly a darker brown colour, then this means your coil is close to reaching the end of it's life. The reason for this is the cotton wick is becoming burnt and this is just residue coming off of it and into your e-liquid.
Vape Juice Leaking From Your Vape Tank/Vape Pod
If you notice that you're getting leakage or vape juice seepage from either your vape pod or vape tank, and your coil is correctly installed, this likely means your coil is going to burn out imminently. The reasons for this happening is because the cotton has begun degrading and there's not enough for your e-liquid to soak into properly so naturally the only thing for it to do is start leaking from your vape tank or vape pod.
Coils aren't going to last you forever and eventually they are going to reach the end of their lifespan, but there are a few tips and tricks which we will list below that you can follow to help and ensure that you get the maximum use out of your vape coil before you need to change it.
We've written a series of handy guides to tell you everything you need to know about vape coils and vape pods. Check them out below!
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