Getting a burnt taste from your vape is not the most pleasant experience, but fortunately there are a number of ways that you can prolong the life of your coil. In this post we are going to be looking at the reasons your coil may be tasting burnt, and how to make each coil last as long as possible.
What does the burnt taste mean?
A burnt taste usually means that your coil or pod needs to be changed.
A coil is made up of a metal core, either a wire or metal mesh, wrapped in cotton and housed inside a metal chamber. The cotton in the coil absorbs the e-liquid in the tank or pod, and as you use the device the metal core heats up the e-liquid and creates the vapour that you inhale.
The cotton in the coil can only withstand the heat for so long though, and eventually it will start to burn and will impart a burnt taste to the vapour. How long a coil will last before it needs to be changed depends on a number of factors, such as how much you vape and what e-liquid you are using, but there are things you can do to help the coil last a bit longer.
Have you primed your coil?
When you get a new coil or pod it is important to prime it before using it to avoid it burning out prematurely.
The cotton on a new coil is completely dry, so if you put it in your device and immediately try to use it this will just burn the cotton and the coil will be rendered unusable almost straight away.
When you put in a new coil it needs time to absorb the e-liquid before you start using it to make sure the cotton can become fully saturated. Priming your coil is something you can do before fitting it and simply means adding a few drops of e-liquid to the exposed cotton on the coil to help kick start the absorption. You can then fit the coil and fill the tank, but should still leave the device to sit for around ten minutes before using it to make sure the cotton has fully absorbed the e-liquid.
Alternatively, if you are using a pod that doesn’t allow access to the coil, you can just fill the pod and let it sit for a bit longer to give it enough time to ensure the cotton is saturated.
Are you keeping your e-liquid topped up?
If you have a tendency to let your e-liquid run quite low before topping it up this can also be detrimental to your coil. You may have noticed that when your e-liquid level is low you get what vapers commonly refer to as ‘dry hits’ which is where the coil is too dry and the cotton has started to burn.
We recommend trying to always keep your tank at least half full, but definitely to always keep your e-liquid level above the top of the exposed cotton contacts on the coil. This just ensures that there is not any parts of the cotton that are not making contact with the e-liquid and are becoming dry.
Are you using the right settings?
If you are using a vape kit that offers variable wattage it can be tempting to turn the power up really high, but this is not necessarily going to suit your coil very well.
Each coil has a recommended wattage setting at which it will work best, this can usually be found on the box and also printed on the side of the actual coil. If you are using a wattage setting that is too high for your chosen coil this will result in it burning out much faster than it should.
Take a look at which coils are available for your tank and consider which one will best suit your preferred wattage settings, this way you can enjoy the power you want without causing damage to the coil.
Does your coil need to be changed?
Unfortunately, if you are consistently getting a burnt taste this means that the coil needs to be changed. Things like priming the coil and keeping your tank topped up will help improve the longevity of your coil, but no coil will last forever. We recommend changing your coil as soon as you start to notice a persistent burnt taste, as it will just continue to burn and the taste will just get stronger.
Can you fix a burnt coil?
Because the burnt taste is caused by the cotton in the coil burning, there is really no way to save a burnt coil. If you take out the burnt coil and have a look at it you will usually be able to see that the cotton has changed from white to a dark brown or even black, so it should just be disposed of and replaced with a fresh one.
Other tips for coil longevity
If you really want to make the most of your coil there are a couple of changes you can make that may help it to last longer.
Firstly, giving the coil time to cool down between pulls can really help stave off burning. As you can imagine, if the coil is constantly being heated up and not allowed to cool down this is prolonging the amount of time that the cotton is in contact with heat. Having a short break between pulls can allow time for the coil to cool and lessen the amount of time the cotton is subjected to heat.
As we mentioned before, which e-liquid you use can also have some effect on how long your coil lasts. Sweet flavours obviously tend to contain more sugar, and this can get burnt onto the coils and actually cause the coil to burn out faster than if you were to use a different flavour.
Choosing a strong e-liquid flavour is another popular way to keep your coil going for longer. This one doesn’t actually necessarily make the coil last any longer, but strong flavours like menthols will mask the taste of burning better than other flavours so you may not notice the burnt taste for longer.
If you have any questions about why your coil is burning or which coil you should be using, why not pop in to your local Evapo store to speak to a member of our team? You can also reach out to our online Customer Service team who will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice and recommendations based on your specific needs.
