A spitting or crackling vape is something that all vapers will experience at some point, but that doesn’t mean it is something that you really want to experience. There are a few different reasons this could be happening, so we’re going to take a look at why your vape may be spitting or crackling, and how to prevent it.
What does it mean when your vape is spitting?
If you are using your device and notice it is making a popping or crackling noise, or that it is spitting little drops of e-liquid into your mouth when you are vaping, this usually means that the coil has become over saturated.
It is important that the cotton inside the coil is always well saturated with e-liquid to avoid dry hits or burning out your coil. However, sometimes the coil can become over saturated when excess e-liquid has collected on the inside.
Think of a drop of water in a hot pan, before it starts to vaporise it will bubble about, crackle and spit, and that is effectively what is happening to the e-liquid. If there is too much e-liquid in the coil to vaporise it will start to cook, and as it spits the e-liquid has nowhere to go except up through the mouthpiece.
What causes a vape to spit?
There are a few reasons you may be experiencing spitting or crackling from your vape, but fortunately it is usually very easy to fix and the issue is usually due to the user and not the device. The following are the most common reasons for excess e-liquid in the coil.
Over-priming your coil
Priming your new coil before fitting it is an important step in prolonging the life of your coil, but over-priming is one of the most common ways that a coil can become over saturated.
When priming your coil we recommend putting a couple of drops of e-liquid on the exposed cotton contacts. You can then fit it in the tank or pod and let it sit in the e-liquid for 5 – 10 minutes before using the device. This process helps kick start the absorption process, but you do not need to completely soak the coil, just a few drops of e-liquid will do the job.
If you are unsure about priming your coil or think you may be over-priming, you can skip this step and instead just let the fresh coil sit in the tank or pod for an extra 5 minutes. This just helps to ensure that the coil is fully saturated before you use it to avoid dry hits or premature burning.
We have more advice on prolonging the life of your coil in our post ‘Why does my vape taste burnt?’
Using the wrong e-liquid
Different e-liquids can have different ratios of vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), and this will affect the viscosity of the e-liquid. A 50/50 or high PG e-liquid is usually best for starter kits and refillable pod systems, while sub-ohm and advanced vape kits pair better with a thicker high VG e-liquid.
If you are using an e-liquid that is too thin for your coil, this can easily cause the coil to become over saturated and can also cause the tank to leak.
If you are unsure about which ratio best suits your device you can take a look at our post ‘How do I choose the right e-liquid?’
Over filling your tank
We always recommend keeping your tank well topped up to avoid dry hits. As a general rule of thumb you should try and keep your tank at least half full, and definitely filled above the cotton contacts of the coil. However, there is no need to fill the tank all the way to the top, and actually this can cause the coil to flood with excess e-liquid.
Wattage is too low
Each coil has a wattage range at which it works best. If your device does not have changeable wattage settings then this is not something that you will need to worry about, but if your vape kit has variable wattage you will need to make sure that the settings match your chosen coil.
The recommended wattage range for a coil can be found on the box, but is also usually printed on the side of each coil. If you have your wattage setting too high it can cause the coil to burn out faster, but using it at too low of a setting can mean that the e-liquid is not vaporised fast enough and will collect within the coil, which can lead to the excess e-liquid spitting out of the mouthpiece.
If you prefer a lower setting it might be an idea to take a look and see if there are multiple coil options available for your device. Each coil option will have a different recommended wattage setting so you may be able to find one that better suits your preferences.
Inhaling too hard
This is something that you may not have considered, but if you have a tendency to inhale quite enthusiastically the force of your inhale may actually be drawing the e-liquid into the coil.
A good way to combat this is obviously to try and inhale a little more gently, but if your tank or pod has adjustable airflow it could also be beneficial to adjust it to a more open setting.
By having the airflow more open this will allow more air to circulate the coil and will reduce the likelihood of e-liquid being drawn into the coil. Think of it like drinking through a straw; if the straw is blocked you would need to suck quite hard to draw the liquid through the small gaps around the blockage. Whereas, if the straw is unblocked much less effort is required to take a drink and much more of the liquid will be able to pass through. Although obviously, when it comes to vaping the object is not to end up with a mouthful of e-liquid!
Not keeping up with regular maintenance
It can be easy to let regular vape kit maintenance fall by the wayside, I know that I do! But making sure to regularly change your coil and clean your device is an important step in ensuring you are always getting the best vaping experience.
As your coil burns out the volume of the cotton inside can decrease, so it can become oversaturated much easier than a fresh coil would. It’s always a good idea to change your coil as soon as you start to notice a persistent burnt taste, especially seeing as it usually doesn’t taste very good!
However, even with a brand new coil fitted, it doesn’t mean that e-liquid hasn’t collected in the chimney and mouthpiece of your device. Cleaning your vape kit does not need to be a hassle, the best way to avoid a build-up of e-liquid in these areas is to remove your mouthpiece and use some rolled up tissue or a cotton bud to gently wipe around the inside. As this is the pathway the vapour takes to get to you, keeping it clean can make a real difference in the quality of your vaping experience.
Take a look at our post 'Vape device cleaning and maintenance' for more tips.
How can I stop my vape from spitting?
As this is usually caused by excess e-liquid in the coil it is actually pretty easy to remedy the issue, although it can be a little messy so you might want to grab a tissue!
There are really only two places that the e-liquid can go; up through the mouthpiece or out through the airflow. The best way to remove the e-liquid, especially if the airflow is at the bottom of your tank, is to blow through the mouthpiece without firing the device. Wrap a tissue around the airflow to catch the excess e-liquid and simply blow through and wipe up until the e-liquid stops coming out. After a few good pulls on your vape you should notice that the cracking and spitting has stopped.
Alternatively, you can also hold a tissue over the mouthpiece and carefully shake the device downwards to shake any excess e-liquid out of the mouthpiece. When doing this option I would recommend following it up with a wipe around the inside of the mouthpiece and chimney just to make sure that there is no lingering e-liquid.
Like I said, the fix is pretty easy and once the excess e-liquid has gone you can address the cause. So if you are using the wrong e-liquid, over-priming the coil, or any of the other reasons we mentioned above addressing this issue should prevent crackling and spitting in the future.
If you are unsure what is causing your device to crackle or spit, or would like some help in resolving the issue, you can pop in to your local Evapo store where a member of out team will be happy to help, or reach out to our online customer service team for support. For more help with troubleshooting you can check out our handy how to guides.
