Burnt coils may feel like a faraway threat. But it’s easier to experience than you may think. Here’s how to see the warning signs and what you can do to stop it.
Burnt coils, yuck. That burnt taste when you’re expecting the sweet inhale of your favourite e juice. Just when you’re least expecting it, your vape juice begins to taste burnt, a bitter sting to your tongue and if you’re really unlucky, the dreaded spitback comes lashing out from the cooking coil. This especially is a sensation you’d rather avoid, and making sure you know the warning signs of a burnt coil and how to replace them is key for any vaper who is moving into the wide world of rebuildable mods.
Why does a coil get burnt?
The coil of your vape device is essentially a thin piece of wire. They are used as a connection between the atomiser head, where the vape juice is heated, and the battery which powers this heat. This means that the coil has to be made from a conductor of both heat and electricity, leading to a wide range of metals with their various pros and cons, being used as coil wire. Whether it’s nichrome or copper, you have a wide range to choose from. The only problem with conductors, is that they will inevitably react with the external forces. Just like when metal rusts near a beach, coils can oxidise or degrade due to prolonged exposure to the heat and electricity.
What are the warning signs?
The warning signs of a burnt coil include the aforementioned burnt taste in your mouth alongside a distinct lack of power. As your coil degrades, less electricity will be fed to the atomiser head and so you will find your vape device producing less vapor, if any at all. If you want to avoid bad tasting vape juices and a waste of e liquid, then it might be time to change your coil.
How to change your coil
For bottom coil tanks, start off by unscrewing your battery from the tank before taking tissue paper and emptying your e juice. At the bottom of the tank, unscrew the metal cap and then the coil head from beneath this. Take the new coil and screw it onto the bottom cap. Make sure that you are using gloves or tissue paper to make sure that you don’t get any e liquid on your hands. After this, fill out the outer tank with e liquid, avoiding the airflow tubes and then screw the cap back on. For top coil tanks, the instructions are the same save for the fact that the screws are at the top of the device.
Choosing the right coil
There are many metals to choose from, including nichrome, nickel and copper and whilst each has its own individual merits, it’s down to your tastes and needs. Lower gauge and thicker wires will lower the resistance and allow you to inhale more e juice, just like a wider road when driving will give you more space to drive faster than a narrower lane. The smaller the coil, the more resistance in your inhale.
