Sustainability

Why Does My Vape Spit?

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Why Does My Vape Spit?

Unwinding from your day as you vape is a key reason why many vape in the first place. But things don’t always go as planned for some vapers.

Occasionally you might experience an irritating and frustrating gush of hot e-liquid into your mouth. This can burn the tongue or even end up in the stomach, which can cause a minor upset.

If it’s the first time this has happened to you, we’re here to address your concerns

Just for the heads up, vape spitting is a common occurrence whether your vape device is costly or cheap.

Often it will spit back because of how you handle and maintain it.

Manufacturers are trying to come up with devices that won’t behave in this manner but, while they look into improving the hardware, let’s look at what is causing the spit in your device and how to avoid it.

The Reasons

The Coil Is Flooded:

When you fill your vaping device’s tank to the brim, it ends up soaking into the ring and pouring out relatively easily.

When drawing on your vape you’ll be able to tell when your coil is flooded because it will produce a gurgling sound before spitting.

The Coil Is Worn Out:

The cotton has been in contact with sugary substances for weeks which has caused it to wear down or even burn out.

When this happens it becomes incapable of soaking up e-liquid, allowing it to drip out of the device rather than vaporising.

In this case you’ll need to replace the coil, which is a common maintenance practice.

It’s also worth noting than clean the inside of the chimney and the drip tip can help prevent the coil wearing out too quickly.

Intensely Priming Your Coils:

It’s advisable to prime your coils before installation to avoid burning them during their first use.

You do this by wetting the coil directly with e-liquid, filling the tank and then leaving it to soak for a while before firing.

Unfortunately, over-priming can also make a lot of e-liquid come at the centre of the coil, making it easier for the device to spit out e-liquid.

Finding that right level of priming is key to avoiding spitting.

Check Your Power:

If your vape device uses variable power that is either running too low or too high, then there is a chance for spit back.

When the power is low more e-liquid will be absorbed into the coil instead of turning into vapor.

When the power is too high, it may produce vapor that is extremely hot and will cause popping and spitting.

Dual Vape Coils:

Some vapers believe that when your coils are made up of multiple strand wires, spitting can happen because the e-liquid becomes trapped between them.

These coils are not common, but a few may have a thin wire strand swaddled around a thicker wire one.

If you’re experiencing frequent spitting despite changes to other aspects of the device, this may be something to check.

Suitability Of The E-Liquid:

If your vaping device is not compatible with the specific vape juice you are using, it may cause a spit back.

Most mouth-to-lung devices are designed to worth with an e-liquid with a standard 50/50 ratio of PG to VG.

If the tank is more powerful and has larger wicking holes, the e-liquid will

When using lower powered devices, the wrong kind of e-liquid can cause issues.

vaporise much faster.

Check your e-liquid’s ingredients to make sure it contains the correct ratio of propylene glycol to vegetable glycerin.

The O-Ring Seal Is Damaged:

The O-ring is a rubbering ring that creates a leak-resistant seal around your tank. Spitting can be a sign that there may be damage to your O-ring seal.

A tank that is not properly closed around the seal can flood the tank, and hence cause spitting.

The Vaping Device Is Upside Down:

Suppose your vape is left on its side or bottom-up; the e-liquid will naturally flow to the chimney and mouthpiece.

When sucking, the droplets of e-liquid that have collected will enter your mouth rather than vaporise on the coil.

Be sure to keep your device upright when travelling with it, preferably in a pocket or section of a bag that limits its movement.

Exerting A Lot Of Pressure:

When you suck on your vape too hard, there is an increased chance of flooding and therefore spitting.

The type of vaping device you use will determine the amount of pressure you can safely exert on it without risk of spitting.

Tips & Tricks 

We’ve gone over the key causes of why your vape may be spitting, plus outlined some quick fixes to help solve them.

Here are the more extensive guidelines on spit-proofing your vaping experience.

Flick Downwards:

Flick your vaping device downwards several times onto a paper towel before you use it. Any excess liquid that is trapped will be released through the mouthpiece, minimising the chance of spitting and popping.

This technique is just a temporary fix which, while it will help to prevent any conventional spitting issues, will not fix any underlying problems with the device or the way you use it.

Remove Excess Liquid:

The vapor that is not being inhaled will condense back into e-liquid, which will then run back down into the vape coil. To prevent this from happening you can do some basic maintenance.

Once you’re done vaping for the day take a piece of cotton and roll it up, poking down the centre of the tank to release and absorb any excess e-liquid.

Fire Your Battery:

It works well with flicking downwards. Once you’ve flicked it, just hold down the button on a device without inhaling. This will vaporise the excess e-liquid and release it out of the mouthpiece.

Do this a couple of times until that tell-tale popping sound ceases.

Take Smaller Drags:

If you like your drags hard but are experience spitting, there’s a good chance that you’re pulling too much e-liquid into the coil.

Taking smaller inhalations will help solve this problem. Adjusting for a tighter airflow may also help to limit the size of the drags you take.

Turn Up The Power:

Assuming that you are using a wattage box mod, turning up the power ensures the coil is working as expected. It is advisable not to turn it up too high or low, or else the coil risks burning out prematurely.

Increase the power gradually until you find that perfect level that works for you.

Don’t Over-Prime:

Be careful not to put too many drops of e-liquid on the centre of a new coil when you are fitting it.

Priming should make the wicking material saturate fast, preventing your coil from dry burning, which can be done with just a few drops.

The perfect solution is to observe the wicking material through the hole of the vape coil, making sure it appears nicely saturated without being flooded.

Once the cotton has darkened sufficiently, it’s ready to go.

Cover The Mouthpiece:

Many vaping savants hold true to the belief that covering the lower part of the mouthpiece with a pipe screen will help to prevent spitting.

The fine mesh of the pipe screen will only allow the smaller droplets to make their way through to your mouth, catching the larger droplets before they can spit up.

Although effective, this won’t work for every mouthpiece and does require an extra level of maintenance as this mesh will have to be replaced regularly.

Use E-Liquids With More VG:

E-liquids with more Vegetable Glycerine (VG) are thicker, so the rate that the air is sucked into the wicking material is slower.

An e-liquid with high VG contents won’t be dripping out quite as fast as one without it.

Summary

Why is my vape spitting?

It’s a frustrating question to have to ask, particularly if you are one of the many people that use vaping primarily as a way to relax.

We hope this article has given you a clear understanding of why you may experience spitting during your vaping sessions.

If you can identify the problem, then often the solution is nice and straightforward. Even the best devices still suffer from spitting from time to time.

With luck our guidance here will help you fix whichever problem you have experienced with your vape.

Whatever happens, don’t let these unpleasant experiences ruin your love for vaping.

Don't throw your device away; instead endeavour to diagnose the problem and find its solution, because more often than not the fix will be a nice and easy one.

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