Why Your Vape Tastes Burnt and How to Fix It

HOW TO FIX A BURNT COIL

Are you experiencing a burnt taste when you vape? It's extremely unpleasant, but luckily, it’s easy to fix.

That burnt taste occurs when there isn’t enough e-liquid on the wick inside your atomiser coil. The wick is the part of your device that soaks up the e-liquid, which is then turned into vapour when the coil heats up. Without any liquid to vaporise, the coil starts burning the wick.

So when does this happen? And how is it resolved?

Read on for tips on recognising and fixing a burnt coil.

 

HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY COIL IS BURNT?

If your coil is burnt, you’ll know about it. You’ll notice a burnt taste in your mouth – this is known as a burnt hit. A burnt hit is different from a dry hit. A dry hit is where you get less flavour and exhale less vapour. Although not a burnt hit, a dry hit is often a warning sign of the burnt hit that’s about to come, so don’t ignore it!

 

WHAT CAUSES A BURNT COIL?

Here are some of the most common causes of burnt hits:

Chain vaping
When you take lots of puffs in a row, the wick in your vaping device doesn’t have time to soak up the e-liquid. This causes the coil to dry out and burn, giving you that unpleasant burnt taste in your mouth. Chain vaping is one of the most common causes of a burnt coil, especially for new vapers who are getting used to the technique having previously smoked cigarettes.

Incorrectly priming coils
Priming your coils involves soaking the wick, ensuring it gets properly saturated before you start vaping on it. It’s important to properly prime a new coil head before you fill your tank as the wick is made of dry cotton, so failure to do so will result in a burnt-cotton taste in your mouth.

High power vaping
High power vaping means vaping at a wattage that is too high for your coil head. If you do this, your e-liquid can vaporise too quickly and the wick won’t be able to re-saturate quickly enough, which means that the coil can end up burning the wick instead of the e-liquid.

Running low on vape juice
If your e-liquid gets too low and doesn’t cover the input holes around the side of your coil head, your wick can end up burning. It’s important to keep your e-liquid topped up – ideally you should never let it get lower than a quarter full.

 

HOW DO I FIX A BURNT COIL?

Prime your coils Priming your coils is quick and easy to do, and will help to prevent that unpleasant burnt taste:

• Take the new coil and put 3-4 drops of e-liquid directly on the wick
• Leave to soak for around 10 minutes
• Screw the coil on to your vape device
• Fill the tank with e-liquid and screw it on to your device
• With the battery off, inhale a few times to get the liquid flowing

Prime your refillable kits
If you have a refillable system instead of a vape tank with a replaceable coil head, the process is even easier:

Fill the device with a vape juice of your choice
Leave the device to saturate with the e-liquid for around 10 minutes With the battery off, inhale a few times to get the liquid flowing Keep to the recommended power Exceeding the recommended power for your device can damage your coil and cause a burnt taste. If you’re using a device with a variable wattage or voltage, take care to stay inside the recommended range. For most devices, you can find this information on your vape packaging or printed on the side of your coil head. If you prefer vaping at high frequency, then consider upgrading your vape tank to one with a higher maximum wattage, so that you can enjoy high frequency vaping without fear of a burnt coil.

Alter your vaping technique
Chain vaping is one of the most common causes of a burnt coil, especially for those transitioning to vaping from smoking cigarettes. Try adjusting your technique, taking longer, slower hits and leaving roughly 15 to 20 seconds between puffs. Now you know how to recognise and fix a burnt coil, explore our range of e-cigarette devices here, and put your knowledge into practice.

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